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Knife sharpening?

Oh for fucksake, if someone can't sharpen their own low end kitchen knives satisfactorily then they need to be using a spork anyway...:laughing

What the hell are you guys doing that deserves pro grade sharpening? I could shave with a frickin butter knife with 10 minutes work on a cheap stone. Is this one of those things you city fellers brag about, like "pliney the younger" beer or how pricey your fixxy was?

:laughing

waitaminit. Ever since knives went over to stainless, all the old methods of sharpening carbon steel knives went out the window. The blades themselves on newer knives have a fairly tiny angled edge. Carbon steel knives had wider sharpening areas and even though they would eventally be worn away, you could steel them very quickly and get an edge up.

I have whetstones, oil stones, japanese stones, several of the things OP posted. I have sawsets and chainsaw sharpening files, on and on. But I have a hell of a time getting a decent edge on modern kitchen knives. I have much better luck with chisels and other types of woodworking blades, but kitchen knives are just hard to get sharp.

I can't be dismissive over somebody else's inability to get something I have trouble with too.
 
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Some practice with whetstones and you will prefer it to any sharpening service. There is a learning curve. Use the cheap knives to get practice and once you get proficient you'll be confident on your expensive ones. I sharpen even my very expensive knives and prefer it to professional knife sharpeners.
 
waitaminit. Ever since knives went over to stainless, all the old methods of sharpening carbon steel knives has made it much harder. The blades themselves on never knives is a fairly tiny edge.

I have whetstones, oil stones, japanese stones, several of the things OP posted. I have sawsets and chainsaw sharpening files, on and on. But I have a hell of a time getting a decent edge on modern kitchen knives. I have much better luck with chisels and other types of woodworking blades, but kitchen knives are just hard to get sharp.

I can't be dismissive over somebody else's inability to get something I have trouble with too.

I find you can sharpen any modern knife with whetstones, but there is a signignificant time difference with certain steels. Just takes patience.
 
I find using the steel regularly helps maintain my blades, so my most used knife only gets an actual pro sharpening once every 6-8 months.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-...d=1462384051&sr=8-36&keywords=knife+sharpener

^^This is a better tool. Once you get a decent edge you should be able to keep it going with a regular honing steel.

This is the one you want, but it does get a bit clumsy and less effective for blade lengths over 7" or so.

If you have your blades professionally sharpened fairly frequesntly, you may want to consider investing in a Wicked Edge. There is a BARFer, a true knife nut, who has one and loves it. It's pricy but worth the dough if you really like to maintain a perfect edge.

I'd also recommend investing in a leather strop.
 
Like anything else it appears to take practice and dedication. Nothing is easy :)

Based on the way you cook I imagine doing it yourself will be rewarding. Learning the skill of sharpening is worth the effort for me. You bake your own bread, but a ton of people will tell you a baker can do it better so just go buy it at the store and dont bother. I think youre not that type of person. Just get a set of 3 whetstones, something to level the stones, a holder and a strop and youll be good to go. I like naniwa and king stones.
 
Based on the way you cook I imagine doing it yourself will be rewarding. Learning the skill of sharpening is worth the effort for me. You bake your own bread, but a ton of people will tell you a baker can do it better so just go buy it at the store and dont bother. I think youre not that type of person. Just get a set of 3 whetstones, something to level the stones, a holder and a strop and youll be good to go. I like naniwa and king stones.

Thanks a lot :)

(Actually a lot of people tell me my bread is the best they've ever had, but yeah I've had people say "Why not just buy xxx instead of making it?")
 
Thanks a lot :)

(Actually a lot of people tell me my bread is the best they've ever had, but yeah I've had people say "Why not just buy xxx instead of making it?")

The more you can do with your own hands the better. To me, fresh home-baked breads and rolls are a real treat. Ms. BA experiments with various flours and such, does the seeds on top, the whole bit.:thumbup
 
OP don't get one of those sharpeners, they're garbage. The cheap "diamond" ones from Walmart/Home Depot that you have to freehand are even worse (unless you're a pro its an easy way to ruin your knife).

Get the Spyderco Sharp Maker, there are better systems out there but it's affordable and easy to use.

Btw Im sure this is obvious but don't use a glass cutting board...
 
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For the kitchen or any knife really, determine the Rockwell Hardness of your steel and the cutting application.
http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/makers/index.shtml

Steel hardness determines how long it will hold an edge for a given bevel angle. SS or carbon, if you're looking at an RHC 57-59- ish, you're going to have deal with the fact you will have to sharpen more frequently if you plan on using an inclusive angle of less than 30 degrees.

I prefer a guided sharpener mainly because it's really the easiest way to maintain consistent bevel angle as it removes a huge amount of the human fudge factor. I use diamond stones/plates because they cut much quicker with less effort than traditional whetstones, and you can sharpen dry.

this is what used when I regrind edges on my chefs knives.
http://www.amazon.com/DMT-ADELUXE-Whetstone-Serrated-Sharpener/dp/B000ARKABW

And this stone is for a final wow novelty factor. This is 3 microns. With the right steel hardness you can literally whittle a piece of human hair at the same spot over and over.
http://www.amazon.com/DMT-A4EE-Diam..._79_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Q2KWFKMKP4VK7GRHMK8
 
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Dude I just dropped my knives off at bernal cutlery today. They are pretty cheap and they do it right. That knife sharpener is a piece of shit btw I have one
 
OP, I'd listen to Karbon. The suggestions he's giving are the best bang for the buck by a mile.

I'd generally stay away from the sharpener you posted, as it'll remove way too much blade material if you use the carbide side.

I personally used Japanese water stones for years. More recently I began using diamond sharpening rods for knives with a bit of reverse curve. As time goes by, I gravitate more towards diamond sharpeners because they do a great job with very little fuss. The kit Karbon suggested are diamond sharpeners with a guide for a consistent edge. Should make it easy to learn to sharpen your knives without risk of screwing them up. It may get to the point where you're so happy with your results that you'll stop sending any knives out for sharpening. I wouldn't consider having someone else sharpen any of my knives.
 
I use a stone for all of my knives (EDC, camping, and kitchen). I love blades and I love to keep them sharp.

Now, my knives are probably not "pro-knife sharpener" level - but I find grinding the blades on the stone very therapeutic!

It's my Zen!
 
not all knives have the same bevel on them. my gyuto has a single-sided 8deg edge on it. so im not going to trust some farmer's market sharpener and theres no WAY id run it through a sharpener like the OP. itd be so messed up if i did that.

i have a wet stone and have been practicing on cheap knives. some of them are def much sharper now. but i still dont trust myself enough to try sharpening my 2 good Japanense knives.
 
I don't have any real expensive knives, but for nearly all my knives, I use the cheap Chef's choice diamond grinder, and a real light touch. It does a decent job, but it does remove quite a bit of material. If I use a stone, it seems that I roll the edge over and make them worse. Operator error.

Scissors. I use a diamond carbide tools grinder at work to sharpen scissors. I can get them pretty sharp like that .
 
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