How often do you sharpen your knives?

Is that a really big cutting board or is that steel just happy to see you?

I know that made no sense and that was after trying to come up with something for quite a while.

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The stropping with my high Rockwell knives (not all Japanese) and the green compound at about 3000 grit serves to refine the edge. I have a higher grit on the other side and another strop with no compound I use just to polish (no compound). I have everything next to my computer, so I do it as a sort of break activity. It’s a good escape.

Best news about stropping is that it’s not going to do any harm–it’s very gentle, and you can develop a good stropping stroke on a surface that gives a littloe bit.

For the Wusthofs and a few other knives, I both strop and hone with either my steel or ceramic. I hone for “on the job” instant sharpening, but follow up with the same strop refinement–except I use a 1000 grit white compound.

As an extreme backup if my lower hardness knives need real sharpening, I have a Wusthof “precision” pull through sharpener–but I haven’t used it for several years.

Ray

:joy:

The steel seemed happy to see me, but for the emery cloth not so much. :grimacing:

My steel has alternating ribbed and smooth sections, so the smooth part can gently bend the edge back into alignment–and the ribbed part can sharpen a wee bit.

These days not enough. Have a full set of Shapton glass stones as well as an EdgePro. A charged leather fixed strop is used most often to realign the edge

I’ve recommended the Chef’s Choice “Pronto” line of sharpeners a few times, mostly based on all of the positive reviews and favorable comments from a couple of friends who have them. This could be a great way for you to extend the time between seeing your sharpening guy. It’s not motorized, so there’s less chance of doing major damage on your own. Get one of the models that does both “Euro” and “Asian” edges.

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I agree. I heard good things about it.

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So if I got the Edge Pro system, and I am fairly diligent about sharpening regularly, how many different grit stones would I need? Could I get away with buying just one fine grit stone?

Edge Pro has so many different kinds. Aluminum oxide, diamond matrix and basic diamond.

Also, what do people here think of ceramic knives for pairing knives? I have a Wusthof pairing knife that the tip just broke. I am deciding whether to get another German steel pairing knife or try a ceramic pairing knife.

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I take it to the guy usually once a year and, like others, use a steel before every use. He charges $1.00/inch for a regular knife and $1.50/inch for serrated.

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I still feel like you should have two grit stone. Unless you mean to do some of your sharpening elsewhere.

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[Note: I have not use the Edge Pro!]
I would think you’d need at least two stones to start, maybe three, depending on what your angles are from your sharpening guy. From my understanding, the Edge Pro has a limited range of bevel angle adjustment. If your sharpening guy has created bevels outside the range of the Edge Pro, then you’ll need to do a bit of regrinding to set new bevels.

But why? As a sharpener/maker, to me the Edge Pro seems like an overly complicated and expensive way to go. (Especially with this instruction on the Edge Pro site: “The Professional Edge Pro knife sharpener model is adjustable to work height, allowing you to stand straight and sharpen. This makes sharpening a blade for long hours more comfortable.” Wait, what? “sharpening a blade for long hours”?? I thought this was a quick-&-easy system?) Why not pick up a Spyderco Medium or Shapton 1000 grit ceramic stone (~$60) and an angle guide (~$10) and be done?

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I guarantee you’ll break the tip sooner on a ceramic knife. As a material, ceramic is extremely hard, extremely brittle, and very fragile in the thinness of a knife blade. Broken tips are common casualties, as are horribly chipped edges.

Can you say more about angle guides? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of these, and it might be just what I need! How about one of these?

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the Edge Pro has a very generous angle range - this is ‘to the dot’ and one can adjust past the dot:
Red dot = 15’ @ “bottom” of post - shallowest angle
Green = 18’
Yellow = 21’
Blue = 24’

I bought the 5 stone set - but 220, 320, 600 are the most frequently used - but I don’t allow the knives to get to the butter knife stage before sharpening.

I knew something is different. I just looked up this from EdgePro. Hope this help to convert for others.

image

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I can’t stand a dull knife. So, in my kitchens it’s more about keeping them sharp than getting them sharp. I have an excellent steel and a couple ceramic hones. I touch the knives up all the time. I have a good sharpener who charges me $6 per knife but that’s a friend price. I take the big knives to him a couple times a year. Truthfully though, I have stones & I sharpen them better than he does but it’s about time so its a lot easier to give them to him.

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Hi shrinkrap! Between those two I’d choose the Naniwa version. The wedges in the blue multi-angle set are too narrow (IMO) and I think you can end up unevenly grinding your blade. Also, I don’t feel you really need that many variations in angles.

It’d be nice to know what angle the Naniwa is set at. I’m sure they’ve picked two common angles (15 and 22?). The angles won’t make as much of a difference as regularly maintaining your edges will. :slight_smile:

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I feel the multi angle one is simply for “get a feel” and then remove them. I agree. That many angles is too refined. The Naniwa knife sharpening wedge is unlikely to have a true angle. The reason is that it clips at the spine of a knife and then raise it by a set height – as such the angle depends on the width (knife spine to knife edge distance). The angle will be narrower for a wider knife like a Chinese slicer/cleaver.

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Appreciative and keeping up with the comments, but barely.

I’m aspiring to sharpen garden tools right now.

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