The Sharpening

Sharpening your blades can be daunting.

It doesn’t have to be

I've used so many types of media throughout the years: stones, strops for final edges, leather wheels, cardboard wheels, Lansky's, Wicked Edges, Smith's Precision Kit stones, ViperSharp, and now, finally a TS Prof.  I've had good luck with a few of them and was able to sharpen things like I thought they couldn't be sharpened.   

I've had all of the above sharpeners and more not listed, and still have all of these options available if I choose to use them.  I've narrowed down my usage to one for final edging of my custom blades. I've also paid the price to try all of these out, literally, and the price has been huge, but in the end, worth every penny in the experience and understanding of what true sharpness is.  

If I choose, I could go with a Lansky, it's cheap at about $60.00.  It's not so precise and creates a ton of play with the sharpening motion.  What degree do you want? 15-20-25-30 degrees?  That's all you get. But you also get everything in between without wanting that specific angle because there is too much slop in the sharpening stroke.  I'm not knocking Lansky, I'm saying it's an option if you are on a budget and it will get your knives sharp.

Let's look over the Wicked Edge system.  a nice double stroke sharpening system where you set your knife and set your angle.  It locks to that angle and your sharpen away.  It gets a nice edge as well.  One particular problem I noticed is the knife, as it is clamped in, tends to migrate over time...it drops down a little toward the end of your edge, creating a different angle where the knife has dropped.  When you need another set of stones, will you pay the price?  $70.00 here and there, $120.00 for a single ultra fine ceramic stone?  another issue I ran into with my particular system was this: Finding out after sharpening about 60 knives,that the system is losing it's angles that are supposed to be set by the angle guide.  It's supposed to be holding those angles for your final edges. The screw detents get loose when you aren't expecting it and your rods start to "readjust" themselves.  This led to many knives having to be resharpened or re-profiled because the edge was not even all the way to the tip.  Again, I'm not knocking Wicked Edge, I'm just stating what I have experienced over many knife sharpenings.

On to the TSProf.  It's another stroke based sharpener, and honestly the best sharpener I've ever used.  I choose the degree of angle, built in to the sharpener. The stroke is smooth, the diamond stones are top notch, and they can remove some steel, or create a beautiful finish with just regular sharpening.  Spend just a little extra time and your edge can be almost mirror.  Personally, this is my above an beyond favorite....Yes, I paid for it, but I don't regret the purchase.  It was worth every penny.  There are so many benefits to the system.  Once you are done getting the burr on one side, flip it...yup, just rotate it and work the other side until you feel the burr.  Next stone, and flip again and progress until you are satisfied with your edge.  It's simple, and it's built in angle finder is amazing for your original set point on your edge degree.

As long as you have the basic needs met, and are able to afford it, buy what suits you, but remember, buy it once, and don't regret it. Sometimes spending a lot of money on something doesn't necessarily mean you will get the best results from a product. That's not necessarily the case here.  
I actually realized through trial and error that I should have spent the money on the best out there.

My recommendation on a sharpening system, TSProf, hands down.  Put the money into your work.  If you're serious about knives and keeping your edges, in my opinion, this is the way to go.  I should have bought it first and saved money by purchasing the right system first. This is honest and upfront with my belief on what I call "The Sharpening"