What is the best sharpener for knives and scissors

[Bumpa4719]

Arkansas double sided whetstone has worked fine for me for over 35 years on everything from chisels, plane knives, broadheads, pocket knives and hunting knives. It takes a bit to learn how to correctly use one but the satisfaction of a fine edge is well worth it. I used to be able to shave with the broadheads I sharpened. I use a fine/course bastard for hand saws and saw blades.

 

[Drail]

While I am not certain what is the best sharpener I am pretty sure a "dremmel and a cutting wheel" ain't it. I loved the photos of the old sharpening outfits - thank you for posting those. About 10 years ago I started up a sharpening business in my town. It went very well for a short time. But as I worked my way through every deli and restaurant in town I kept hearing the same thing over and over. The managers would look at me like I was stupid and tell me (with a straight face) that when their knives became too dull to use they would just throw them away and buy new ones. Once I saw their "knives" I understood - they all had nothing but cheap serrated knives from Walmart. You can't make this stuff up. All I have ever used to sharpen knives are a couple of Arkansas oilstones. If you sharpen a lot of curved blades they will belly out (become concave) and must be flattened again. I have used DMT diamond hones and they work very well dry or with just water but they are expensive. But they should last pretty much forever though. The whole thing about sharpening with a stone is simply learning to maintain the same angle while you work the blade. Once you learn that - the type of stone really makes almost no difference. It's all in the hands.

 

[george burns]

I ordered the Spyderco, with extra fine additional rods. No w I will see if I does the bevel on the hollow ground shears.
I remember buying a specialized machine for scissors about 30 years ago, a friend reminded me, "he still has it" lol.
The stuff they sell online for these scissors they cost plenty . They have machines with water cooling etc that run into the thousands.

 

[StrawHat]

It's not the screw, I have very expensive hair cutting scissors. The cost of some of these Japanese and German scissors was in the 200-600 dollar range, back 20 yrs ago. Some are cobalt, "1 drop and they are done". so I always used to have a "guy", every good salon, had a Guy, who would come in once or so a month and sharpen them, Back in the 80's -2000, the cost went from $15-$40.00 per pair, to do them right. It is a cottage industry with all sorts of special machines and courses being given for thousands of dollars.
If you google it you will see, there are all kinds of gizmos for sale to sharpen those expensive scissors. But I remember a little Italian guy with a file, who did as good a job as any of the fancy machines did, and I think that they can be done by hand, "having run one over a water stone, one time, and it actually worked. But I am not brave enough to attempt it again, having read how hard it is supposed to be.
Many of those machines actually say, not for hair cutting shears. Here is a link just to show how expensive they are and why these guys get so much to sharpen them.http://www.mysalontools.com/5-5-kam...jl-d7ChQsqLv5DUDL2KEWs5_lzZyBF4KtnBoCyjHw_wcB.
I figure if you can sharpen those, you can sharpen anything.

For what you want, I would suggest a professional do the sharpening. If you still cut hair, the expense is deductible. If the sharpener doesn't do a good job, he will redo it. If he ruins the shears, his insurance will replace them.

Just my $.02.

Kevin

 

[Gtscotty]

I use the larger Smith diamond stones, a coarse one for re-profiling and changing relief, and a fine for pretty much everything else, I usually finish with a flat strop I made. One thing that really improves consistency is being able to keep a constant angle, so I use the $10 DMT angle guide on pretty much every knife I sharpen. I don't think I would use that system on ultra high grade scissors, but I can usually get quality blades to tree-top arm hairs.

 

[george burns]

Ok so now I have a Work Sharp electric belt sharpener, the Spyderco and a Smiths Tri-Hone. As you can see I was determined to figure this out.
The combo of the Spyderco and the Oil Stone works the best.
I got a decent edge on every knife, 'able to slice paper in midair, one after the other. The scissors are easier than I first thought because I was over thinking it, "as usual". If I just hone the blade with one or two passes, that is usually all it takes.
I used the Spyderco ultra fine rod at the 12.5 angle and it seems to work on the half dozen or so shears I tried it on. Haven't done my really expensive ones only because they are still sharp from 5 years ago.
The good thing about expensive shears is that they hold an edge, and since I am semi retired, "only do a few cuts a week at home". I probably will never need to sharpen the really good ones. But with 30-50 dollar scissors they came out as good as I have seen the professionals who used to drag in these grinders into my salons and remove half the blade. That used to piss me off to no end, hell anyone can grind down a scissor or knife to make it sharp, if you just keep removing material until you get it right.
The trick is to take off as little as possible and get that honed polished edge on it. So I am making progress slowly but surely, thanks for the suggestions and help, any more will be appreciated as before.

 

[GLOOB]

My tip for the day, you do not need the same angle for every sharpening. This is where the Sharpmaker and other guided sharpeners fall into a rabbit hole.

If the blade is already pretty sharp, you can touch it up with a fine stone/hone, very light touch, and very quickly - by not working the entire bevel. Set the stone on the bevel and then lift just slightly to work just the apex.

When you use the same angle for all your grits, you are just wasting time and effort and clogging and or wearing your fine stones uneven for nothing. Your finest hones will stay flat and true and fast if you respect them and use them as little as possible. And you will save a bunch of time, as well.

Then when it's time to redo the bevel, break out the coarse stone and go at it. An angle guide of some sort might be more helpful, here, if you have a heavy hand.

Second tip: get that hollowgrind thing out of your head. That doesn't change how you sharpen, at all. The edge bevel is flat (or convex), same as all your other blades. There is no such creature as a hollow ground edge, except maybe on a flint napped knife.

 

[george burns]

Good to hear I have been doing that exact thing. I just line pu the bevel to what was there before and with moderate pressure I slide it across the stone, or on the spyderco, just allow it to come down keeping it aligned with the rods.
I test the scissors with tissue paper or single ply tissues "split them in half". I use both wet and dry and if there is a clean cut with no binding, then it's done. I tried them on hair "my own" and they are sharp as ever, so I am on the right track.
I was thinking about doing restaurants, but what the gent, mentioned before about them just throwing them away, is probably more true now than ever.
I can't see any chain store spending money on sharpening.
Maybe a butcher but the have all but disappeared and did their own anyway. We live in a disposable society, and things like steak knives, Unless it's a fancy place", probably get bought by the box from China.

 

[Stony]

I've tried the worksharp and various other kinds of sharpeners, and found I get better final results using an 8" Ezy Lap diamond bench stone. I clamp the stone in a vise and I can take long consistent strokes with the blade.
I routinely cut legs off of feral hogs and they will really seperate the sharp knives from the rest. It's no wonder they make footballs out of pigskin, it's tough stuff!

 

[StrawHat]

...I was thinking about doing restaurants, but what the gent, mentioned before about them just throwing them away, is probably more true now than ever.
I can't see any chain store spending money on sharpening.
Maybe a butcher but the have all but disappeared and did their own anyway...

If you are considering entering the trade, feel free to PM me. I make a living sharpening and support my family. There are many venues available, restaurants being just one.

Kevin