What knife sharpener should I get?

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is fantastic. It helps you maintain the proper angle and works on serrated or straight blades.

Here is a good thread on the topic.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=701723&highlight=sharpening+knives

I have a Wicked Edge system for my good knives, but use the Sharpmaker for general kitchen knives and touch ups.

Wicked Edge if you can afford it, I used to use a Sharpmaker but the WE is way better.

I like the Spyderco and I've had one for several years. I also use my bench stones on occassion.

I recently pick up a Spyderco Sharpmaker too, and have been very pleased with the results. I never quite got the flat stones technique down pat. Love the Sharpmaker!

Two flat stones. The Arkansas and the W a s h i t a. Buy both and learn how to properly sharpen a knife as it should be done.

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I use 800 grit emery paper on a flat surface to touch up the edges of my knives, and an Edgepro every now and again when they need to be redone.

JVaughn said:

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is fantastic. It helps you maintain the proper angle and works on serrated or straight blades.

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Another vote for the Sharpmaker. A very easy way to put a good edge on almost any knife.

I have a sharp maker and a worksharp. Like them both, but I like the worksharp better.

i liked my worksharp - till it broke!

I had like 3hrs of use in it.

Lets see, how the Customer department
works - and wether they will replace it.

DMT Aligner is fairly cheap and does a good job of getting the angles back to where they should be. They have a package that comes with 3 stone from 325 to 1200 grit. I ordered it the other week to get some kitchen knives shaped back up. I also bought a 8000 stone for it and slightly increase the angle and finished one of the larger knives with it. It's crazy sharp for a kitchen knife.

Edit: Almost forgot, it came with a tapered round stone for serrations.

I used to think there was something magical about ultra high grit sharpening stones and precise angles. Nowadays, I freehand with a ceramic rod, a sanding block, or a soft Arkansas stone. Doesn't much matter, so long as I remove the wire burr, after, by stropping. It takes all of 20 seconds to sharpen my convex blades, using any of the above.

For knives with a flat secondary bevel, a ceramic rod is my favorite method. I sharpen these like a sword. By holding the knife still and moving the rod over it (in little circles, almost no pressure), I can keep my eyes on the bevel. I sharpen a small section of blade at a time. I start a little acute, until I can see the back edge of the bevel start to shine up. Then I increase the angle until the edge shines up. Then I move on down the blade until the whole edge is touched up. Go to other side and repeat. If I can feel a wire burr on the entire edge, it's ready for the strop. If there are sections that need more work, the ceramic rod will pinpoint the target areas like no other system, when done this way. This beats the heck out of moving the knife over a rod/stone, checking the bevel, then trying to put the knife back at the same angle, again. It's also very easy to sharpen the curves, tips, or other uneven areas of bevel, without removing any excess material.

For Scandi, I stick with the Arkansas stone.

TimboKhan said:

I have a sharp maker and a worksharp. Like them both, but I like the worksharp better.

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Very happy with my Worksharp!

EdgePro

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the EdgePro fixture. I have very good luck getting knives shaving sharp on this fixture.

The ceramic rods I thought were to hone the blade after it was sharpened. For a quick fool proof sharpening on mine I use the "West Virginia Sharpening Sticks" They are ceramic. The other thing I did because I can't hold the blade at the proper angle, was go to Lowes or equivalent, and get some wooden dowel rod the size as the holes in the base of the rod holder. I then use 800 and 12000 grit wet or dry paper that I wrap around the dowels and tape the back side and stick them in the base like you do the ceramic rods. No time at all and your knife will be dangerously sharp.

Work sharp made easy work for all my beaters and kitchen knives. I'll likely never use anything else.

I took my time, used a few different grit stones and experimented. Seems to work well if I am careful and do my part.

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Good.

It's probably worth mentioning that mass produced factory knives rarely come with a perfectly straight or flat secondary bevel. So sharpening on a flat stone can take a long while, the first time. Don't be afraid to use low grit sandpaper to start off with. Talking 120-200 grit. Don't worry about dulling the edge. Sometimes you have to make things worse before they get better. The visible scratch marks are actually helpful for seeing what you're doing. And with carbon steels, you can jump straight from 120 grit sandpaper to a soft Arkansas stone and still get a razor edge in no time.

http://www.nihonzashi.com/SharpenGuide.htm
I found this information useful for profiling and sharpening the tips of convex knives. I have only used flat sanders, sanding blocks, and stones. No slack belts, and no problem. This info is also what inspired me to sharpen knives that have a flat secondary bevel like a sword, to preserve the edge angle. You can always mess with the angles, too. There's no need to make all your knives exactly 30 degrees because of a knife sharpening system you purchased. Instead, the angle will evolve over time, as you find what suits your needs for that particular knife. There's also no need to keep the edge angle the same throughout the whole blade - some like to make the belly/tip a different angle from the straight part of the blade.

Good light and a jewelers loupe will do more for you than any sharpening system. Those systems are nice if you need to frequently sharpen knives for your work or your shop, but once you get the secondary bevel polished up, your knives will be pretty fast to sharpen.

I've been pretty pleased with the $30 lansky system. It's no wicked edge, but it's fine for my purposes and the cost is reasonable.

http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Deluxe...=1383919597&sr=8-1&keywords=lansky+sharpeners