# Anyone use a knife sharpening "gadget"?



## aesmith (17 Oct 2014)

Hi,

I get continually frustrated trying to get decent edges on household knives, kitchen knives in particular. I'm now wondering whether I should splash out on one of the various gadgets, like the Lansky system. Does anyone either use anything similar, or have any home-made equivalent? It really goes against the grain to buy something like that but I haven't come up with any sensible way of making one (I don't really do metal work).

Tony S


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## mickthetree (17 Oct 2014)

what method do you currently use?


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## mickthetree (17 Oct 2014)

a friend bought us one of these a while back. Your knives need to be in good order to start with, but it keeps a good edge on the knife.


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## RogerP (17 Oct 2014)

Knives, shears, secateurs etc I just run across a bench grinder using a very fine wheel and a steady hand.


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

Disclaimer: I now have Japanese knives and sharpen them on waterstones. They're very sharp.

I think there are 3 parts to this;

1) sharpening a very blunt knife; AFAIK any gadget that does a good job of this is quite expensive. A lot of metal needs to be removed, quite accurately.

2) "steeling" gadget, for soft knives only; a lot of professional kitchens use the "captive steel" device invented by Robert Welch, "Chantry", around £20.

3) abrasive gadget; the "cross ceramic stick" type appear quite plausible; Lansky and Gatco do a pocket money version; 

http://www.adventurestars.co.uk/Shop/Kn ... uct+Search

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/gatco_mini_c ... tAodU14AZg

Do these gives the edges I'm currently enjoying? No.

But they're cheaper and easier.

BugBear


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## Phil Pascoe (17 Oct 2014)

I used to grind knives for loads of chefs that I worked with - I used 80 grit alox stuck to a disc on my lathe. I didn't have any complaints.


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## Racers (17 Oct 2014)

I use waterstones and a Ikea ceramic steel on stainless and carbon steel knives.


Pete


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## AndyT (17 Oct 2014)

I use a cheap device with two rows of hardened steel discs. It's not sophisticated but it's clean and easy to use and fits in the kitchen drawer. This means that knife sharpening can be done in a few seconds when needed, not put off for some special session that never really happens.


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## woodpig (17 Oct 2014)

Nice home made version here:

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... pening+jig


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

woodpig":2rbd8r5m said:


> Nice home made version here:
> 
> http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... pening+jig



For those that don't move in knife sharpening circles that's (NOT!) an edge-pro.

http://www.edgeproinc.com/

Mind you, it appears that "xbow" has a fair amount of metalworking facilities and ability (he mentions both a lathe and a milling machine)

BugBear


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## JohnPW (17 Oct 2014)

I would think sharpening a knife is no different in principle to any other type of blade, ie you have to abrade the cutting edge to form a burr/wire edge.

Knives tend to be made of stainless which I gather is harder than carbon steel so maybe it just takes longer using more strokes on the stone.


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

JohnPW":1ht5uwrc said:


> I would think sharpening a knife is no different in principle to any other type of blade, ie you have to abrade the cutting edge to form a burr/wire edge.



At that reductionist level, yes. But it's the long edge of the blade, the curve, and short depth of the blade (edge to back) that makes the practice of knife sharpening quite different to common woodworking tools.

BugBear


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## dazzer (17 Oct 2014)

A quick and very cheap way to sharpen a knife is to use an old plate 

No I've not been drinking super strength or been taking illegal substances!

My wife and sons are both chefs and have some very nice and expensive knifes, but neither of them can get a decent edge by using a knife steel, so they ask me.

What you do is to turn the plate upside down so you have the bottom looking up at you.







You then sharpen the knife the same way as if you were using a oil/water stone, the plate acts as a ceramic stone it will give you a fantastic edge! 

Hope this helps 
Dave


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

dazzer":268wfpyk said:


> My wife and sons are both chefs and have some very nice and expensive knifes, but neither of them can get a decent edge by using a knife steel, so they ask me.



Interesting - conventional wisdom assumes that professional chefs are the ne plus ultra of sharp knives, both use and creation thereof.

BugBear


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## aesmith (17 Oct 2014)

mickthetree":f2z69fyo said:


> what method do you currently use?


All sorts really, which just shows I haven't got it sorted. My pocket knife and my fish knife can be sharpened quite easily on normal bench stones. The latter is a proper commercial utility knife in carbon steel so no special surprise that it's easier to sharpen. I'm not quite sure why I can sharpen the pocket knife OK but the same techniques don't work on kitchen knives. Aside from that I've tried a diamond "steel" which of course isn't a steel at all, but is an abrasive. That was recommended by a shop selling expensive kitchen knives, but I've not found it that great. I don't have a proper steel, but I presume the sort of hard steel rod used for burnishing scrapers would do the trick.

I have tried my hand at a home made gadget, with some success but it's difficult to hold the blade consistently, and I haven't been able to work out a clamp that holds it with the edge as the reference rather than the back ....


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## aesmith (17 Oct 2014)

By the way, don't knives count as hand tools?


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## jimi43 (17 Oct 2014)

Ceramic stone for me.

Especially the very hard popular knives found today...the global ones come to mind.

My son is a restaurant manager and he brings his knives over for "sorting" but since using a ceramic touch up wand...he's very happy.

He favours the Global ones (Sabatier for me!)....and it works fine on both.

Gadgets are just that...gadgets...not for me I'm afraid.

Jimi


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

jimi43":3mivljav said:


> Especially the very hard popular knives found today...the global ones come to mind.



Global are only 56-58 Rockwell C; fairly soft by Japanese standards; the powder steel
knives are up at 65 (!!).

BugBear


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## Phil Pascoe (17 Oct 2014)

I have a couple of the Tesco Global knock offs - or that's what they look like - they are harder than hell. After about 15 goes on a diamond plate, they're SHARP. I hone lightly every time I put them away. The rest off mine J A Henckels or Wusthofs - they're not so hard as the Tesco ones.


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## aesmith (17 Oct 2014)

bugbear":3n77adqg said:


> JohnPW":3n77adqg said:
> 
> 
> > I would think sharpening a knife is no different in principle to any other type of blade, ie you have to abrade the cutting edge to form a burr/wire edge.
> ...


Also the blade flexes making consistent pressure and angle more difficult, and finally it all has to be done on the other side as a mirror image, so any technique needs to be ambidextrous.


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## whiskywill (17 Oct 2014)

I bought some of these when they were last in Lidl. They are excellent.
http://www.offerscheck.co.uk/ernesto-us ... w-22/12971


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## Sheffield Tony (17 Oct 2014)

I like the "back of an old plate" idea.

I have some kitchen knives made long ago in Sheffield by Richardson - when very dull they get a freehand swipe across the same Sheppach wet grinder (AKA TSO or "Tormek shaped object") as everything else. I have a cheap waterstone for kitchen knives bought from an oriental cookware shop, but these days I just use my oilstones, which give a better result. I'm sure a _good_ waterstone would be fine too.


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## Ed Bray (17 Oct 2014)

I use my Tormek T7 with the knife jig if that counts as a 'gadget'


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## aesmith (17 Oct 2014)

Ed Bray":2cp5u60z said:


> I use my Tormek T7 with the knife jig if that counts as a 'gadget'


How does well that work? I don't have a Tormek but I have a cheap water-cooled wheel that I virtually never use. I've occasionally wondered how difficult it would be to make something so it would use Tormek jigs.


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## JohnPW (17 Oct 2014)

dazzer":3b7uunl1 said:


> A quick and very cheap way to sharpen a knife is to use an old plate
> 
> No I've not been drinking super strength or been taking illegal substances!
> 
> ...



That's a great tip, ta!


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## Ed Bray (17 Oct 2014)

aesmith":1x5c3wyl said:


> Ed Bray":1x5c3wyl said:
> 
> 
> > I use my Tormek T7 with the knife jig if that counts as a 'gadget'
> ...


Seems to work fine, we often end up with cuts, so it appears to work well. Will slice tomatoes very thinly without them collapsing.


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## bugbear (17 Oct 2014)

JohnPW":378n0qaf said:


> dazzer":378n0qaf said:
> 
> 
> > What you do is to turn the plate upside down so you have the bottom looking up at you.
> ...



In fairness, most woodworkers aren't short of potential sharpening abrasives.I don't feel the need to add plates to my selection.  

BugBear


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## jaymar (18 Oct 2014)

I bought an Edge -Pro clone, Chinese but it works brilliantly without need for any skill. Now I only need a couple of strokes with a ceramic "steel" and I have knives sharper than I have ever known. The Edge -Pro site has videos showing set up and use, the clone I bought is a replica of the real thing


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## Harbo (18 Oct 2014)

I've got a genuine Edge Pro - fantastic device for sharpening stuff.

Rod


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## aesmith (18 Oct 2014)

jaymar":rwyeiqq0 said:


> I bought an Edge -Pro clone, Chinese but it works brilliantly without need for any skill. Now I only need a couple of strokes with a ceramic "steel" and I have knives sharper than I have ever known. The Edge -Pro site has videos showing set up and use, the clone I bought is a replica of the real thing



Hi, have you got a link for that? Thanks.


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## jaymar (19 Oct 2014)

I bought mine from ebay but I can't remember the company's name. I think they are £30/5 but well worth it. I have just looked on abay and the seller is tomtop' price just over £22. I also bought an extra set of stones for less than a tenner from another seller


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## Jonzjob (19 Oct 2014)

When SWMBO takes the edge off the small veg knives, genuine Prestige and as old as the Earth, I wipe them across my white wheel in the workshop (can't remember the grit) and give them a rub on my DMT red diamond whet stone and they are like razors for the first 10 mins, but SWMBO will insist on trying to cut through the plate on which she is cutting. Therefore, I can see just how the bottom of a plate will put the edge back on just as well as the top takes it off :shock: :shock: 

We also have a German diamond 'steel' and that's great for honing. I also use one of my pocket DMT whet stones for my scalpuls and Stanley knives.. :mrgreen: Tight or what :roll:


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## bugbear (19 Oct 2014)

Jonzjob":239xp8df said:


> ..but SWMBO will insist on trying to cut through the plate on which she is cutting.



On a related note, I don't know of a better way to instantly blunt a knife than using one of those glass "surface protectors" that foolish people think are for chopping on,

BugBear


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## Woodmonkey (19 Oct 2014)

In Aldi on Thursday

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/t ... grinder-1/


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## JohnPW (19 Oct 2014)

bugbear":2yq0iryi said:


> JohnPW":2yq0iryi said:
> 
> 
> > I would think sharpening a knife is no different in principle to any other type of blade, ie you have to abrade the cutting edge to form a burr/wire edge.
> ...



I just sharpen on an ordinary bench stone, I'm not an expert on woodworking, sharpening or anything and I can get knives sharp. You just hold the blade at the appropriate angle and rub it on the stone surface. If the blade is bigger than the stone, you just move it across as it goes along, if the blade is curved you rotate it a bit.

If one must use a gadget, then the V shaped stones seem to methe simplest type.


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## paulm (19 Oct 2014)

JohnPW":3axt72g7 said:


> I just sharpen on an ordinary bench stone, I'm not an expert on woodworking, sharpening or anything and I can get knives sharp. You just hold the blade at the appropriate angle and rub it on the stone surface. If the blade is bigger than the stone, you just move it across as it goes along, if the blade is curved you rotate it a bit.



Yep, it's easy enough to do, no rocket science involved :lol: 

Once sharp they can then be easily maintained in the kitchen for a good while with your choice of steel, or in my case a fallkniven diamond hone and ceramic hone. The diamond hone really does away with the need to go back to the bench stones, but I enjoy it so do so occasionally anyway :roll: :lol: 

I got my daughters each a carbide v shape sharpener with a suction cup that sticks to the kitchen bench, for use in their various rented flats so they can at least get some kind of sharp edge quickly and easily on the various cheap knives they come across, but they are a bit rough to say the least for decent knives and for getting a good refined cutting edge.

Cheers, Paul


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## DiscoStu (19 Oct 2014)

We use a Chantry knife sharpener. We use them because MrsDiscoStu used to work on the Meat and Fish counter at Waitrose and that's what they had. Its a solid and robust bit of kit and does a decent job. Essentially its 2 steels mounted at the correct angle so that you run the knife through and it sharpens both edges at the same time.


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## boysie39 (22 Oct 2014)

I just buy Irish meat and never have to sharpen anything . :roll: :roll: :wink: :wink:


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## sdjp (22 Oct 2014)

For a knife with a well developed bevel, I free hand it on my normal stones.

On the other hand, for knives without that, or otherwise in a bad state, I use one of the edge-pro-esque devices. Something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//331216200980

The stones that come with it are … eh, alright, but I'll wager they're not a patch on the real edge pro ones. 
The finer stones that came with mine worked fine, but the coarse one dished very quickly. So, for the coarse re-shaping on the harder steels, I got one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//181162344861 (the 150mm coarse one). Mounted it on a wooden base, and it chomps the bevel in nicely. 

I ended up with a ceramic stone: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm//130991771795 which worked very well for final finishing, if you wanted to go that way. (Since then, I've switch to using my usual set of slips for the finer work.)


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