Buying a Lansky System.

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ChaoSS

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So, I'm getting ready to get myself a Lansky system. I'd love a WE, but not the price tag.

I'm thinking of the professional, since it has the fine grit and the triangle for serrations.

How important is it to get a hone? Good idea? Or just something that's nice to get that nice of an edge, but not really all that practical?

Any recommendations as to anything else I should get with it?
 
A hone can be something as simple & cheap as the grey cardboard back off a paper tablet.
Lay it on a flat surface and hone away!

Or the back edge of an old carbon steel butcher knife.
Use it like a butchers steel.

I have the old Lansky set with natural stones.
Then I spent a bunch more for the diamond stones.

And were I you doing and it all over again?
I'd Spring for the three stone diamond kit to start with.

rc
 
Diamond stones are faster. Diamond is harder so it cuts / abrades the steel more quickly.
 
What R.C. Said and i'am Union by trade. Butcher, Them Lanskies are very good big time.
 
rcmodel said:
Both.

And you don't have to use messy cutting oil to use them.

rc
Click to expand...

I have the Lansky natural stones. I like it.

RC, I did not know that about not needing oil with the Diamond stones. Thanks for mentioning it.


ChaoSS,

I bought the cheaper kit just to get in to trying a Lansky type system.

Id go diamond. Not just for "no oil" but also faster. IMO, longer wearing isn't much of an issue as I think the natural stones would last a very long time anyways.
 
I had a lansky system for a number of years, it worked well for keeping my pocket knives in working order, in addition to my "shop knives" and kitchen knives sharp. I wish I had gotten the diamond stones, but I got by with the natural stones for several years with no problems.
 
*Sigh....*

Every time I ask a question, I end up spending more money.:p


So, the diamond system only goes up to 600 grit. Is it worth it to get one of the finer stones for finishing stuff off?

BTW, I have no interest (right now) in making my own knives, or restoring old, severely damaged blades, just keeping my carry knives, my wife's knives, and our kitchen knives sharp. I'm also getting ready to start raising some of our own meat, so some knives for processing meat will need to stay very sharp.

So, I'd like the kitchen knives and meat processing knives to be sharpened properly, at the very least. And my wife has a knife that is serrated, and the diamond systems don't come with the stone for those.

That's why I was going to go for the regular kit. However, if the diamond system is faster, and I'm trying to keep a fair number of blades sharp, I guess I can go for it. So, something like the ultra fine hone worth it for the finer blades?
 
I use the extra fine hone and then strop and polish on cardboard smeared with a thin coat of Mothers Mag polish. I love highly polished edges.
 
Just out of curiosity, when you strop do you use the edge guide, like put the cardboard on one of the hones, or does the angle not need to be quite as precise?

Guess I'm ordering the diamond set, the extra fine hone, and the serrated blade hone...
 
Don't use the guide for stropping.

Just lay the cardboard on a flat surface like a countertop or saw table and gofer it hand held.

Even if the angle is off from time to time, it doesn't matter all that much, as you are not removing metal.
Just polishing what is already there.


rc
 
Makes sense. Guess the exact angle wouldn't be that important on something that has a lot of give in it anyway.
 
Keep in mind that when you stropp you don't push the edge "into" the honing material, but pull it across it.

I have a nice linen and leather strop and a good kitchen steel that I try to use before a knife gets dull. It reduces the amount of sharpening (removing material) that has to be done. Keep a blade steeled and honed and you'll rarely have to sharpen it AND sharpen as soon as it starts to act dull and you won't eat the blade up sharpening coarse to medium to fine.
 
I used Lansky systems for a long time - almost 20 years.

Then I found GATCO. Similar setup, but wider stones, easier to hold onto. For me anyway.

FWIW...
 
I have both the Lansky and the Gatco, and both are fine, though I prefer the Gatco. I wish I had diamond stones for both, and would go with that option if buying either system new.
In my experience, the diamond hones cut more consistently, cut faster, and last longer.
 
So it finally showed up in the mail the other day, the diamond 3 stone system, the yellow 1000 grit stone, and a triangle for serrations.


Maybe there is a bit of a learning curve here, I hope so, because I'm somewhat less than impressed so far. I've done three knives, a kitchen knife, my pocket knife, and my wife's pocket knife. All of them seem sharper than they were, but not as sharp as they were from the factory. I know I didn't just not take off enough metal, because both of the pocket knives had chips on the edge of the blades that I got rid of.

The blades are sharper, but nowhere near hair cutting sharp.

So, do I just have bad technique still?
 
I have the Lansky diamond system with a bunch of extra stones and I must confess I don't really love it. The lip of the clamping system has just the tiniest of ledges for clamping thin/small blades and I find them frequently slipping out when flipping the blade over. I think the Smith's system has a better clamp setup.

I still use the Lansky, but mostly on thicker bladed knives. But I realize I'm in a very small minority here.
 
The stones may need to break in, on the WE system you have to give them time for that. Keep sharpening and I think it'll get better.
 
Elkins45 said:
I have the Lansky diamond system with a bunch of extra stones and I must confess I don't really love it. The lip of the clamping system has just the tiniest of ledges for clamping thin/small blades and I find them frequently slipping out when flipping the blade over. I think the Smith's system has a better clamp setup.

I still use the Lansky, but mostly on thicker bladed knives. But I realize I'm in a very small minority here.
Click to expand...
That's the other thing. The directions show that there should be done sort of lip there for smaller blades, and i don't see anything at all. That doesn't bother me so much, since i don't have any tiny blades to sharpen, but it makes me wonder about QC issues.


I'll keep using it though, see what happens.
 
Start with the rough stone until you get a smooth edge (no chips) this could take a while. Then work down to the fine edge. Use a "big eye" to look closely at what you are getting down to. You want an angle right down to the edge.
 
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