I think that’s where I took a wrong turn. I was trying to use the tools as a substitute for knowledge, and that is not the Nerd Way.
Totally agree! That’s the reason for watching this thread, to transfer your knowledge and experience to someone who don’t recognize. 
Regards
Markos
I don’t like the characterization of “wrongness”…you fine folks do your selves an injustice to think in those terms.
The journey to excellence involves building understanding on what was previously learned.
That’s why I recommend using primitive tools sometimes, because using them forces learning to occur.
Thanks to your post, Ive finally bought some sort of a decent and easy to use/reliable sharpening system :D!
Its the same seller at Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/360664076403
They cant offer any rebates on Ebay due to supposedly high Ebay fees, they did offer 0.99$ rebate when I was going to order through Aliexpress, but lack of Paypal and the fact that I had to enter my CC data right into Aliexpress system made me cancel transaction before actually entering my CC data there.
Now only need to pick up some decent stones for it, anyone?
it’s all in the hand… I’m getting better with the angle on stone up to diamond… Some ppl in here can put a razor edge on the back of a soup can… lol
I’ve been very happy with the Lansky systems that I have but I’ve got a lot of money tied up in them.
If I was buying new again it would be the EdgePro Apex or the Wicked Sharp.
This goes out to everybody —DO NOT USE THE “DRAG THROUGH” STYLE OF SHARPENER— they will ruin your blade, they scrape off a large amount of the blade every pass.
Yes - Wicked Edge. My mistake, it’s late/early here.
I’ve got well over £100, nearer £200 into my Lansky system.
It will sharpen most knife blades, up to 16” long as well using two or three stands and sharpening one portion of the blade then the next and so on. It takes time but the results are worth it.
Full flat grind can be done by putting a piece of thin rubber in the jaws of a clamp and tightening on the blade so there’s no slip.
Once the initial shaping of the bevel has been achieved then it is easy to touch-up next time it needs a sharpen. There’s even a leather strop hone now. I was going to epoxy a piece of leather on a worn stone but none of mine have worn that much.
With any sharpening system you get out what you put in in terms of usage, if you get good at any of them the results are fantastic and repeatable. That doesn’t mean the one you’ve chosen is the best, just different.
To anyone using the lansky systems, I highly recommend checking this out, you could build this for about $10 and have a much more precise setup than with the lansky blade clamp, the setup pictured in post 23 is almost exactly what I build, my clamp is different but other than that it’s the same operation/parts
Click here & look at the pics in post #23
(You don’t need to be a member to see the pics)
Guided systems will give you a great edge but personally, I never found sharpening to be satisfying when using them.
Never tried japanese stones but I’ve been using sandpaper and a leather strop and I get elated with joy with the finished edge.
Although I doubt they are the best, these ones be a good start, they look better than stock anyway. I’d definitely get this, as it’s a fantastic stone for the money.
If you want to make up a threaded rod to fit the machine you could use the diamond stones from a Lansky or the Taidea or its rebadged Exduct version.
I buy a bit from Ali, they hold the money until you acknowledge that you’ve received the product. If you don’t then you just open a dispute and they refund the money.
I liked the DMT system as it is quick even with ZDP-189, but I agree about satisfaction. I got some more diamond paste today and have been sharpening some knives this morning. Even though I understand the principles I still look at the edges with wonder and joy. “How did it get so terrifyingly sharp?!”
There is something about doing it by hand. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea; some just want a sharp edge on their tools quickly, and don’t want to learn too much about metallurgy, grits, angles, etc.
Let me quote this, in case this post self destructs…
Thanks, added them to my wishlist!
As for Aliexpress - I lost 25$ at Taobao, so unless its Paypal, Im not sending my money anywhere :D!
I haven’t made many videos on sharpening. There are so many already. A short one showing Micro-mesh technique (good for softer steels) and one on convexing a Kershaw Camp 10 with a leather strop. I also made another showing sharpening a Santoku with diamond lapping paste on MDF.
i've just watched them all, thanks for making them!
Great vids, really :D
Another great thread. I’ll offer a very small tidbit. Get a good magnifier, I use a jewelers loupe, and take a good look at the blade edge after sharpening. I use the loupe to judge if I’m accurate and consistent when I’m sharpening. I can easily see if I’m actually sharpening the edge or missing it by a fraction of a mm. I’m still working out a simple polishing method for myself and I will testify that even when the edge seems to be “hair popping” sharp it’s still a long way from what a real razor edge looks like under magnification.
A loupe really can help. I have several but I like this 60X as it has good variable magnification and you can change the angle of the LEDs.
Thats a nice loupe Chloe, the LED is a great idea. Now, can anyone mod the light w/ a high CRI emitter and multi-modes???
I ordered this
I think it is very helpful if someone like me has no experience with sharpener stones
I would like to buy a lansky sharpener, I think that it has better quality but the shipping cost for my country killed me
I just bought a Lansky Turnbox and it’s actually quite a good portable system with minimal set up time.
