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Hi Alex, I recently saw a video from an Australian knife guy who uses kangaroo tail strops without grit. Not for his argument for the "special bumps and ridges that can only be found on tail skin of male kangaroos in mating season" 😂but for the wholy different way of using a strop that requires it to be gritless, I found it interesting. I tried out his technique and so far I got fairly good results after just a few tries. By not using abrasive, he doesn't remove any material so there is no refinement of the edge, but it's very effective in removing the burr. I think this might be very useful on less hardened steel where larger burrs form that take an hour to get rid of with your technique only to end up with a mediocre result because of the mediocre steel. With his technique, it's done in a minute (but like I said: not very refined). This might be a good topic for another microscope video. What he does is instead of respecting the angle while stropping, he more than doubles it, pulling back and forth to wiggle the burr until it breaks off. I guess there's a risk of edge rolling, and if so, that could introduce fatigue into the apexed edge. But if the edge is stable enough, perhaps only the burr rolls? I think this could be either a terrible idea, or a great idea for people who are practical, who want to freehand sharpen their utility knifes quickly and are satisfied with a lvl3-4 result. Which is probably the majority of use cases among craftsmen who keep their knives with a working edge ready to go. I would love to hear your thoughts on this concept. Not everybody wants that orgasmic experience of achieving lvl 7 perfection, so if it's a viable technique, there is definitely a market among your viewers for it.
Yesterday, I used a friend's Fallkniven DC4 pocket sharpening stone to render a CRKT M21 04G (large belly + recurve) hair popping sharp within five minutes. All that to prove to him that freehand sharpening with the most awkward possible setup is faster and more convenient than the Worksharp guided sharpening tool he swears by.
One system that you forgot to mention that I personally think is super beginner friendly is the spyderco sharpmaker. It was way easier for my wife to learn than traditional freehand. She is now able to keep all her kitchen knives shaving sharp without too much help from me. It's small, looks ok on a counter top, and has a very low skill threshhold to start getting pretty decent edges on softer steels.
Dude, your first 2-3 min feel like the intro to either the best knife documentary ever or the most technically aggressive sales pitch on earth. I dig it. I would now officially like to petition for "the sharpening knife documentary" when you're feeling up to it.
Hell shit. I was reading replies as I was listening to the video. Ran across this reply and realized this video isn't what I thought it was. No need to watch then.
I would love a video where you sit down with a total noob and guide them through sharpening a kitchen knife on the sharpall from dull. There's so many little mistakes that a pro can have a hard time remembering and seeing the learning process would likely help get people up to speed faster.
I'm so honored that you made a video to answer my question! Thank you so much! This was so helpful. I think i like the freehand method with stones the best. I have been practicing with them since i posted my question and getting good results so far. I'm going to order a better stone, probably the Sharpal and a strop. Do you have videos on sharpening garden tools?
Awesome great to hear! A little practice goes a long way! I don't, other than axes. The worksharp will also work for some of that as well. Thanks again for the comment 👍
Thank _you_ for inspiring Alex to make this handy summary video. As for the Sharpal, I can attest to the big jump forward you will experience in your skills. As for gardening tools, stones like Sharpal are somewhat small for many of the larger edges, and too heavy to keep the tool still and move the stone like is common practice with scythes. But if your tools have detachable blades, it really pays to take the time and the screwdriver/spanner to pop them off and sharpen them just like knives. Most tools have manuals that mention the angle for sharpening. They are often larger for edge stability reasons.
@lukearts2954 I was thinking for garden tools, like hoes, shovels, machetes, pruning shears and loppers, that maybe an angle grinder or a file would work. IDK. Or as Alex said, the Worksharp.
I've been watching your videos for a while now, sharpening now and again when I felt like it. Just a few days ago I whittled my first hair and it felt great.
Wouldn't it feel even better to get a usable knife and learn to do something with it? Like making perfect feather sticks, an axe handle, cut and sharpen efficiently stakes/poles for your shelter or tent, repair a skiing pole, make a fishing rod, spatulas, skewers etc. - whatever you may need in outddors life, in the wilderness? Slicing paper, shaving your left arm and splitting hairs is dumb. It is like you have stuck on the first grade and never growing up
@@bekanav I do lots of different things that give me satsfaction, including "outdoors life" and sharpening knives, but I don't feel like doing specifically what you enjoy doing. You don't see me questioning why you don't change your hobbies to something more useful.
Alright, I'm going to go ahead and make my case here for the fixed angle sharpeners (lengthy comment warning). First I will start off by agreeing with you: yes they do take more time. I admit that it sucks having to take out my system and assemble it and get everything set up just right. However, the vast majority of people who are interested in sharpening are not your ultra sharpening nerds; they are people who just think it would be valuable to be able to sharpen the handful of blades that they have in their lives. For me, those are essentially kitchen tools, mostly the knives, and occasionally the mandolin and meat grinder blades. But here's why I will still stick with my fixed angle system and put up with the time investment. First of all, the time argument for the average person is negligible, as we commoners will only sharpen a handful of knives a couple times a year. Besides, learning the skill of free-hand sharpening will also cost you a LOT of time, but it won't just stop there. It will also cost your knives a lot, too. The process of learning to sharpen will take a heavy toll on your knives. Sure, you could argue that you can mitigate this by practicing on cheaper knives, but once you graduate to nicer knives, you will have to relearn your techniques over again once you realize how different steels respond to the same stone, and you'll start all over, experimenting with techniques until you find what works best for that knife. After learning everything that I have in my knife-sharpening journey, there is no way in hell I am ever going to trust myself free hand with a $300+ knife. I almost lost my mind trying to learn free-hand sharpening. There were just so many variables to account for. One of the most frustrating was dealing with curved tips and bellies on larger kitchen knives; achieving the correct angle with free-hand means you need to significantly change your geometry as you reach these areas, or you risk flattening out the curve or missing the apex entirely. I watched many youtube channels trying to explore different techniques to account for this, all the while, my poor knives were paying the price for my inconsistencies. It's very difficult to develop a muscle memory when you don't trust the results you're getting. It stopped being worth it because I wasn't after some sort of pride that comes with artisanal craftsmanship; I just wanted properly-maintained tools without having to ship my knife out and begrudgingly dish out a chunk of change. I wanted the freedom and pleasure to be able to use my knives with reckless abandon, without the constant fear of consuming my edge too quickly. So why was I faffing around adding so many unnecessary variables? Once I got myself a truly cheap Ruixin fixed angle sharpener ($35) with upgraded 4” DMT blue diamond stone ($15), my understanding of knife sharpening completely blossomed. By isolating the variable of angle consistency, I was able to explore the effects of different techniques: - The sawing method - Edge-leading strokes - Edge-trailing strokes - Micro-bevels - Coarse grit - Polished vs unpolished edges - Light vs firm pressure - Soft vs hard steel - Burrs vs a wire edge I even bought a $20 digital microscope so I could better understand what I was doing (another invaluable suggestion, albeit a rabbit hole). Believe it or not, those crappy Ruixin sharpeners (with a decent diamond stone) can form a very pro edge if you know how to set it up correctly and consistently, and now I am able to give my most heavily used kitchen knives a very respectable edge a few times a year. There is no way in hell I was ever going to figure all of this out so rapidly if I didn't have the confidence to know that my angles were perfectly and consistently dialed in. Now, I am not saying that there is no value in learning the free-hand skill; I am a perfectionist who absolutely loves honing a craft. But for the average person, knives are a tool, and the process of sharpening is not part of the journey for them. For those people who are like me, I strongly recommend finding a fixed angle system that doesn't break the bank, and learning the grinding techniques to give yourself the gift of professional quality edges on your own terms. No matter what system/method you choose, there will still be a break-in learning period, but I think the most efficient way past this is with a fixed-angle setup. This way you can rule out the most difficult variable: human inconsistency.
Well said. What are your thoughts on the Horl rolling sharpener? (aside from it being expensive). It’s similar to the fixed angle sharpener as it eliminates the angle problem
@@Ebu26 Oooh. Interesting question. I can never recommend the Horl or any other like it. Even if they weren't plagued by constant complaints of the abrasives wearing prematurely, those Horl tumbler-style sharpeners are terrible and produce garbage edges. The knife seems sharp right after you use them, but it isn't a durable edge and it quickly dulls, so you have to keep resharpening frequently, removing unnecessary amounts of metal each time. That's because each pass with the tumbler motion starts with an edge-LEADING stroke and finishes with an edge-TRAILING stroke, which notoriously leaves weak, brittle wire edges, and there is zero way around this, unfortunately. Wire edges feel (and indeed are) crazy sharp, but they are not durable, apexed edges and will become useless very quickly. When I'm talking about fixed angle sharpening systems, I guess I'm mostly talking about ones where you have a lot of control over the types of strokes against the edge.
@@Temporalplace I'm not 100% sure what you're trying to say since your wording is somewhat confusing, but I'm assuming you're asking how a tumbler-style sharpener can create a wire edge. I feel like I already covered that, but I'll try again. The nature of the tumbler sharpener means that each pass with the roller will subject your edge to 2 different grinding motions against the tumbler. As the tumbler rolls in either direction, the first side of the abrasives will pass against the blade in an edge-leading stroke, and the second side of the roller will finish with an edge- TRAILING stroke. Any time you perform finishing stokes against a medium grit stone (200-1000), you want to use edge-leading strokes, since these strokes will move material away from the edge, and leave minimal burr cleanup. Edge-trailing strokes, on the other hand, will cause excess material to build up at the apex, hence the "wire edge" that I mentioned. These wire edges go against the intended geometry of the apexed edge, and they will be brittle. Hope that helps.
@@dirtyketchup I got you now. Alot of people who use fixed angle sharpening system like TSPROF use both direction hand motion like you do when sawing (from edge and against edge) and all of them say there is not big difference. Only in the end they do like 8 strokes per side against the edge motions before they move to the next grit stone.
I've been freehand sharpening for years. I always had "meh" to "okay" results until I started watching your videos. After I learned about creating, locating, and removing the bur it changed everything. I can now get shave sharp knives within minutes. This includes my 940-1 with S90V steel. Thank you for putting out content that is educational and entertaining.
A few years ago I decided I wanted to learn to sharpen properly and bought a 50 diary at of water stones, green stropping compound and a chunk of leather. Got a hold of a bunch of totally wrecked knives and kinda went to town. I was so frustrated because my results were all over the place. A few I got to be totally serviceable some I just couldn't get to do anything useful and that was that. I've revisited a few times and picked up since inexpensive diamond stones since and had way better results but I haven't had the motivation to really dig in like I did originally. The but of success I have found I attribute to the nuggets of info I've picked up from your videos asking the way. Especially some of your older ones. Always happy to see you in my feed. Never watched a video of yours that I felt wasn't useful.
When I was looking into buying my first sharpening system for my knives, I was thinking of a fixed sharpening system like the Lansky. But coming across your videos made me want to learn how to freehand sharpen, and now I can't imagine sharpening my knives any other way! I have a DMT Extra Coarse diamond stone; three Shapton Kuromaku stones in 1000, 2000, and 5000 grit; and two strops, one with 6 micron diamond paste and one with 3 micron diamond paste. It has been very rewarding for me to learn how to sharpen any knife at home from kitchen knives to pocket knives. My biggest accomplishment in sharpening so far is sharpening my Buck knife that has a Magnacut blade! Thank you for all that you do to educate us all about knife sharpening!
I have had the Work Sharp Onion about 2 weeks and combined with 60 years of Knife sharpening I finally have a system that allows me the get Outstanding results on Knives,Tomahawks, Axes, and even Serrated blades. Order extra Belts if ordering the Work Sharp. My stropping leather is a 1/4 inch by 3 and a half inch belt. I sharpened my CRKT hand ax razor sharp in minutes. Scary sharp. That impressed me the most. I use your stropping technique and it's definitely stepping up the Game Results. Also, Flattening your stones often is a major maintenance factor Great Stuff
Yup, why bother sharpening for a hour on a stone, when you can get 95% of the result in 5 minutes? I get it if it's a hobby, but it's not practical at all.
@@analogueoverdigital929I've had my work sharp for about a year now, sees weekly use on knives and tools, it's still going strong. Even if it breaks tomorrow, at 90 bucks a year, it's hardly a setback and worth every penny. If my power is out long enough for the concern to be "f***..I need to sharpen my knives!" There are probably far worse things going on
Man, this is just brilliant: the copy, the delivery, the humour, the flow, the video and production quality, the whole experience… I love it. From a knife sharpening channel. The universe is wise and wonderful. More!
I use Japanese water stones for my knives and Japanese chisels. Scary polished sharp, like a mirror. I spend a couple of hours in the garden with a beer sharpening stuff twice a year. It’s therapeutic getting it perfect. I’m a carpenter of 30 years. Sharpening is an art.
Thank for another excellent instructional video. I went through many of the options that you outlined in your review. Started with a stones and my knives became duller each time I used them. Then I moved to the Russian fixed angle system and that was hit and miss with so much time to setup that it became a chore. Followed by the most useless of all options the Chefs Choice XV15 sharpener which worked for a short while and then stopped sharpening. The final and best tool I have settled on was the Work Sharp electrical Ken Onion tool. I have used this for three past 3 years and I get a shaving sharp knives each and every time. I was so impressed that I bought the Work Sharp Blade Sparpening attachment that uses 1"x18" belts. I recommend it to anyone who wants an easy no skill and cheap option to sharpen a knife in under 2 minutes. Thank you and keep up the good work.
I think I finally have figured out that my perpetual failure to sharpen a knife freehand is because I've only ever tried the cheap aluminum oxide stones since that's what stores in my area stock and I don't like online ordering.
I've owned a Sharpal for four years, and it's still going strong after a lot of use: I'm a woodworker and use it for all my hand tools. It's excellent. Completely changed my similar failure with water stones.
I bought my 6 inch corundum whetstone from the hardware store and I love it. Coarse enough for my knifemaking needs and I use oil only. Not surprised that alumina is cheaper, but I'm happy with the results. If flattening is needed, then I will use grog on a concrete block.
Outstanding contribution to the dialog on "sharpening for the common man." That's why I subscribed ages ago, and am glad I did. This is good, practical, and aimed at the needs of the majority of people like your letter-writer. "I just want sharp knives in my kitchen to cut food with; I don't have to split atoms." Great. Thanks for this.
I have used the Horl for a year and also brought it to family to sharpen their knifes. It's perfect for kitchen knifes. I wish they made a mini version for smaller knifes.
I can only agree. I tried everything and I bought one of the diamond stones but was too afraid to use it. I botched so many edges with electric and other systems and this knife beyond kitchen dull was sitting in front of me. I watched your video again to my surprise - it finally worked! I'm so happy... and you're right, the freehand is fast! Maybe I got lucky but this is the way folks.
Your videos have helped me immensely. The Sharpal has worked wonderfully for me. My 25 yr. old Heinkels are as sharp as new. Thank you, and hope you are feeling better.
Bought my 1st Lansky kit @ 20, my 2nd @ 50. Now at 60 it's still going strong. I've added an extra course diamond, super fine blue sapphire, extra hard Arkansas and a leather strop!
I've watched quite a few of your videos, and like the commenter you mentioned in the beginning, I felt I didn't know where to start. Thank you so much for simplifying it for us newbies! I'm ready to order my Sharpal now. Is there also a strop that you would recommend, at about the same level of required skill to use?
Thank you -- I have need trying for years to sharpen knifes like my father did. I failed every time. I learned a lot and appreciate your time and skill.
this channel has inspired me to try courser grit stones and that was the part i was missing. i started with a cheap amazon combi stone, that just didnt work. now i have a combi oil stone 200 and 600 grit. and that gets good results really fast. if i had to do it once, i would get a 320 shapton and a diamond paste strop. then later a 1000grit.
I watched beginning to end, but I didn't learn anything because I've watched so very many of your videos already, that I already knew everything in there. However, while *I* may not have learned anything, I think this is really an excellent tutorial for beginners or those that have started out, but need a bit more guidance to help them in their purchasing decisions. In other news, while I may have a good variety of sharpeners, I think I'd like to try my hand at actually making a fixed angle sharpener from scratch, just because it seems like a fun project, and why not? :D My pet peeve in fixed angle sharpening systems is the grip - they're often impossible to use with some knives, e.g. very short/small knives or some curved blades (which are always a nightmare to sharpen decently).
i love the idea on this video, i ran across your videos a while back randomly, and ever since i watched you sharpen a knife and then hack a 2x4 into non existence with it, ive been driving myself crazy trying to get a good sharp knife. i got a diamond whet stone but no matter how much i practice i cant seem to keep an angle straight, currently waiting to see if the Horl rolling knife sharpener goes on sale for black friday
I went through a phase where I bought the stones, tried many times to learn the skills, watched many videos including yours, which are good, but I gave up. I found a local place that sharpens knives, scissors, axes, etc. they also build belt sharpening machines. I drop them off and get back results I old never ever get at home no matter how much I spent. Your videos are by far the best in the knife sharpening YT world. So, well done, now I know what kind of knife person I am (not). Just one person’s experience.
I used to work in an electrical supply warehouse. One item we used to sell was high pressure sodium light bulbs. The filament in them was a ceramic cylinder. A few swipes on those would make my knives scary sharp. Of course, your knife had to be sharper than 'dull' to use, but boy, did it work good.
I have several of these systems, and I still consider myself just an average guy at this. The system I prefer was not included in this video: Lansky Ceramic Turn Box 4-Rod Knife Sharpening System. It is simple and quick to use, shouldn’t ruin your knife, and relatively cheap at about $25. I think the problem most beginners run into is letting a knife get too dull before using their sharpener-no matter what kind of knife or sharpening technique. I usually give my knives a few strokes on a honing tool-steel or ceramic-before using them. Hence, I seldom let a knife deteriorate to the point of uselessness. If a knife is sharp enough out-of-the-box, a $200 power system seems like overkill. Just keep the blade useable with the system you are comfortable with.
@@eronavbj i have the same turnbox. Its good for knives that aren't super dull. Its a lot harder to reprofile or sharpen really dull stuff on them though. Main reason I didn't include it🙂
Love the videos. I purchased the Sharpal stone a few months back based on your review. I took some old knives and practiced until i got the hang of it. It is definitely a labor of love.
My father, an auto electrician, made fixed angle system out of metal strips and rods from aftermarket central locking kits, strong magnet from old HDD to hold knives in place, and small wood block with velcro on it to stick strips of sandpaper to it, instead of stones. I found last two things superior to any system on the market, as magnet holds knives securely enough and faster than a clamp, and sandpaper is dirt cheap and can be replaced at any time. The only possible downside is that sandpaper on velcro is somewhat soft to the touch, and while I personally don't find that sharpening quality suffers from it, i think you can instead just stick sandpaper on a double-sided tape to make it more rigid.
Ok, after getting into this, wanting to sharpen my knives. I bought a 1000 / 6000 grit combo off Amazon. Needless to say , they did nothing. I wore the stone out trying to get three knives sharp. They couldn’t cut paper or a tomato. My butter knife worked better. Frustrating,,,, Hell Yes. After more research, I found Diamond Stones, and realized a dull knife needs to be started on a pretty coarse grit . Bought a 400 / 1000 grit combo. After using these Diamond stones, My knives were razor sharp, even without honing . Yesterday I forgot that I left my knives on the table where I was sharpening them and reached for something beyond them. I seriously slit my finger almost down to the bone, didn’t even realize it until blood started gushing out. That’s sharp.
I learned sharpening from you, and while I'm mediocre, it's helped me greatly in being a hunter. I used to use those crappy pull through sharpeners but they never really did the trick. Sharpening knives is a skill that has helped me in the field and also in the kitchen. I even sharpen knives for friends to help them out and practice. I think it's a skill we all should know, the diamond stone was cheap and will last a long time.
I have a set of cheap stones, and my wife hates them by the sole look of them and the horrible mess that I was doing while sharpening. I hope she would like more the look and simplicity of diamond stones. Thank you for that.
100% Agree with everything you show and mention about the Tumbler. Worked great for about 5 knives and now it doesn't do much. And the rolling? I admit, I chuckled out loud when you showed how poorly it spins! Mine was so bad, it would leave skid marks from the o rings slipping on my counter. I finally squeezed a quart of mystery oil into it and it's better but still doesn't spin as smooth as that Horl! Thanks for this vid! I'm somewhere between the first drawer and second one! Looking for a better way!
I literally have one of those aluminum oxide stones and have never been able to get a good edge. I assumed I was just really bad at this. I'll have to look into getting a nice stone set up.
Have you seen or checked out the rolling sharpener from Hone? It is cheaper than the Horl, and uses magnets to hold the disc's instead of them screwing on, and seems like it could be a better alternative to some of the other knock offs of the Horl
Great video. Thank you. Please could you go more in depth as to what freehand stones you recommend a beginner buys. Which make, what grit and what you mean too about the appropriate strop. I live in the uk btw, so if you could keep that in mind I’d appreciate it. Thank you for the fantastic and informative content.
The "Sharpal" 320/1200 shown in video he recommends in another older video. Amazing product for the price. Includes non slip base to hold the stone on a counter/table and an angle guide to assist in developing your own angle muscle memory.
Good video! Another point to make about freehand sharpening is the ability you get to easily maintain the edge of your knife in the field. If you’re comfortable freehand sharpening on bench stones then you’ll have no issue keeping the knife sharp in the field with just pocket stones. Freehand also gives you the opportunity to more fluently blend different knife grinds and edge angles on the same knife. I can have a lower angle on the flat section and then gradually raise my hand as I get to the belly. One can also easily go from flat to convex just by changing the motion of the wrist. Freehand really gives you a lot of freedom, but as you mentioned several times, it does take practice (in my case a lot 😅)
Thank you for this breakdown. Ive been using sharpening stones, big grinders, and honing rods at work for over 20 years and Im looking for something easy for use at home. Knife sharpening is a tough skill and some people like myself struggle with keeping a consistent angle even after so many years of experience. Even at work sometimes I will spend some time on the stone(3-sided soaked in mineral oil) and when I use my knife Im unhappy with the edge I put on it. So I have to go back and do it again. Honestly most the time I just grind them down and then hone because its so much quicker. I tried the 1000/6000 wetstone by King everyone raves about and my experience was how you described, its a big mess and I wasnt happy with the result. Ive been thinking about getting either a fixed angle sharpener, specifically the Work Sharp Precision since its only $60, maybe a plated diamond stone is a good idea as you suggest though since I do have a lot of experience with stones at work and maybe I can finally find some time to actually improve on that.
I recently bought my first sharpening system. It's Work Sharp Benchstone Knife Sharpener (this one rotating with two diamond stones and ceramic) and Finally I was able to sharpen knife to shaving point
To answer your viewer - if you want to get a proper sharp knife from a pocket stone in less than a minute, you need to know the skill, it takes practice. It is an achievable skill tho (for a kitchen knife to cut paper, at least)
I used a chef choice knife sharpener while I worked in a kitchen and like them. I also bought one for home use (3 stage) and think it is a good product for consistent sharp edges. It is not hair whittling sharp but I have used it to occasionally touch up edges on my kitchen knives and like the results. It is fast, easy, consistent. It only takes me a minute to plug it in and a couple passes on stage 2 to feel a burr along the whole edge and a couple light passes on stage 3 to get a nice (relatively) burr free edge. It is not wicked sharp but sharp enough to be dangerous but not dull enough to be really dangerous. As long as you are using a cutting motion and not a chop motion they work great for all the things I need it to do in the kitchen. I want to practice and get good at hand sharpening, especially for pocket knives and other blades but I don't know if I will ever use anything but the chefs choice sharpener for the kitchen knives since I like the edges and don't want to mess up the angle the sharpener works with. Perhaps I will for some of my extra kitchen knifes I don't let the rest of my family touch. I have a Lansky set with the angle guides but never liked it. It is cumbersome to set up (I don't have a clamp for a table), it doesn't seem to grip the knife firmly enough, at least for my tastes. And it still seems hard to maintain a consistent angle because it depends where you clamp the knifes. I wind up sharpening knives by holding the blade still and moving the stone along the edge. It feels more natural and like I can maintain a more consistent angle except for the fact I can never get my blade hair popping sharp. It always cuts paper good but rarely shaves much arm hair off.
I was really curious of your thoughts about the sharpworx pro 2. Out of all of the fixed angle sharpeners I feel like it is the right pick for me. I like that you can use your own high quality stones. I plan on getting a course diamond stone possibly the sharpal and some of the shapton kuromako stones. I want to be able to freehand but I think the sharpworx will be great for if I want to change the angle of a knife or just in general to help me while I’m learning. Thanks!
Great video! After getting s110v I’ve been pretty interested in different knife steels. I’ve found out I prefer chippier knives I’m curious about your favorite knife steels and how they each sharpen since I’ve only tried s30v and s110v so far
For 95% of people just get a freaking ceramic rod from Idahone or some other ceramic rod that is of quality. They are course enough to remove some steel to clean up minor apex damage and they are quick and easy to use... 20-30 bucks for a quality ceramic rod will do everything the average knife user be it edc or culinary needs to do. I've been free hand sharpening for nearly 30 years now. I was taught by my grand father as a young boy and it's been a ever evolving skill to the point now that it's the main part of the knife hobby to me. Keep on keeping on Alex!
Perfect for sharpening scythes too if the only scythe stone in your local hardware store is carborundum. The poor man's diamond. Requiring more frequent flattening.
I am a leather craftsman and sharpen many different tools relative to my craft. With multiple angles, sizes of blades, and a genuine need for hair whitling sharp. Would you consider a video based on different blade types? Edge bevelers, skivers, scalpel type blades, swivel knife, and scissors. Most leather work knives are similar to woodworking type tools, like hand planers and chisels. I enjoy your videos and appreciate your efforts to educate us blade loving types. Cheers Rick
No matter what you use a strop will take your abilities way beyond what you think is possible, even sharpening with a garden found brick will benefit from a simple atropping afterwards.
Been watching for years your vidios and it has inspired me to learn what was needed for my kitchen knives and now I can thank you. With Loving Kindness HPH
I've got to be honest, I didn't hold out much hope for the quality of the video straight off the bat, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the knowledge and wit of the contributor, so much so, for what it's worth.... +1 sub
Freehand sharpening is really relaxing for me at this point, aside from the moments when a knife is so incredibly blunt that I actually have to do an arm workout to get it to apex, or when there's a very stubborn burr that doesn't seem to go away no matter how much burr minimization I do, or when there's a recurve in the blade (usually from being sharpened by someone with an angle grinder). Getting the knife to the point where it's super sharp is satisfying as heck!
Great video. I had never even heard of rolling sharpeners before this. The fixed angle systems are tempting and I see a lot of knife reviewers using them, but I'll probably just stick to stones. I wish I was more shocked about sketchy companies buying cheap stones and marking them up for fun and profit, but I'm more disappointed than anything. It certainly makes me feel better about spending a bit more on my Shun, Naniwa, and King Deluxe stones.
Wow, this video made me think of something forgotten for decades. Growing up in the 1960s, my mother had an electric can opener with a built-in knife sharpener on the back. Ah, simpler times.
Still loving (and learning) my Sharpal 325/1200 diamond stone. I use it primarily for my EDC pocket knife (Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter) due to the hollow grind bevel geometry not working well with belt systems. I also have the original Ken Onion Work Sharp powered system that works well for kitchen knives, or other flat grind knives and tools like mower blades - And yes, if you're not careful, it can remove a lot of material where you didn't intend to. Buying a couple dollar store knives for practice goes a long way in learning how your sharpening method behaves!
I made another knife recently and I'm happy with the results I got from corundum whetstones. Carborundum benchstones are the worst for beginners. Diamond and ceramic are good, beginner-friendly, etc, but cost more. Again, I can sharpen just fine with alumina or corundum. Though, I will get diamond soon or on the holidays.
I have bought and used every sharpener you mentioned, plus many more. I recommend either learning the skills necessary to use a wet stone and manually sharpen your knives like our fathers and grandfathers did, or buy a Tormek. Everything in between improved my knife sharpening knowledge but burned through my money.
I use the Lansky Controlled Angle Sharpening System. Added diamond hones and a sapphire stone. I can put a razor edge on any knife. Took a while to become proficient, and it has a learning curve, but once that is overcome, can't beat it for portability and quickeness.
My first entry at real knife sharpening was with the worksharp knife sharpener that I still have and use to sharpen and reprofile cheap kitchen knives. Then I got the worksharp precision adjust and got my first mirror polish edge. Today, I just ordered the tsprof kadet pro on Amazon, and hopefully, I will be able to get insane edge on my more expensive knife 🤙😎. Free hand sharpening is nice, but getting the consistency is key and getting good at getting the consistency comme with experience and muscle memory. Fix angle system just take away human error!!👍
I bought the cheap 400/1000 grit diamond stone you recommended. Also the 1000 and 3000 Shaptons and a strop. I just got to shaving sharp recently thanks to you and Neeves.
I've been getting very good results with the Worksharp plus Ken Onion attachment. I never bothered to try the WS without the attachment. Lot of different belts / abrasives available. The ones from WS are pretty good. It's fast - and fun watching the 'wire' forming on a super-dull blade. Also, I've re-shaped a couple of friends' knives with broken tips. Other than being careful to not get the blade hot, it's pretty easy. It's pretty much a scaled down metalworkers belt sander - although now I'm thinking about getting a 30" one of those as I'm starting to use this on all sorts of metal items. Also, sharpening with a belt gets you a convex edge. I'm new here so I'd guess you'd already covered that?
I love my chef's choice. I've been using it for a decade or so on the same knives. At this rate, these and I just will last me another 50 years. I'm not worried about excessive material being removed. The knives will outlast me at this rate. However, you're right that I probably should replace the wheels.
While I'm a bit biased, since I enjoy the activity of knife sharpening in and of itself, I don't think it can't be understated how satisfying freehand sharpening is. It's probably one of the most satisfying skills I've learned in recent years.
I'm definitely the target group for this video. And I'm using a rolling sharpener from Aliexpress, something that cost like 30 or 40 bucks. And it works pretty well for me, I must say. The only "improvement" I made is to clamp the knife holder (that magnetic thingy) to the table.
I've used a two sided Craftsman sharpening stone that was my grandfather's from probably the 50s or 60s. I've gotten really good at using it, but ive gotten out if practice with it. I more recently bought a cheap rolling sharpener from Temu, and it did pretty decent. I really should get back to using my grandpa's stone.
Your technical comprehension and skill in verbally articulating Aand conveying to the audience a relevant comprehensive description iof the subject is superb, AAA+++
Learning is definetly a skill, that a lot of people unfortunately lack. It’s also very rewarding and addictive in it self. ”It’s the journey and not the destination”. I think getting good at learning varies a lot between individuals because you need to first understand how you yourself retain information and can put it in to practise in the most efficient way. In my experience the best way is to get really good at something and then try to replicate that in something else. And the beauty is that you will get better at it each time, because it’s a skill in it self
Lately, I love cooking. And man I mean I love it. You hear freak famous chefs even stating that a well sharpened knife is so good that it'll cut onions differently retaining nutrition and flavor and etc etc. Idk if that's true I'll leave that science to them. But since I do most of the cooking, knives are important and I've noticed lately they are getting harder to use. I don't like that. Sometimes I smash tomatoes instead of carefully cut them. So I bought 2 stones, a strop and started watching tutorials. I learned a lot with your channel. And yes I want to make it complicated lol because if it yields me a better result in the kitchen, it's a win - win.
Your most 'useful' video yet for the general populace... Great stuff, great analysis and simple to make up your mind on stuff. Personally, i use one of them 'as seen on tv' welded carbide thing - i forgot the name brand and it has since lo g faded from the handle... i always carry it in my pocket as it can roll off steel from dull axes as much as it can quickly sharpen the knives i use in the kitchen without killing them. Use them one way and it rolls steel off - i mean i can sharpen a butter knife to a decent form in less tha n a minute- and the 'drag' way 'sharpens' or maintains edges beautifully. Don't drop it on the carbide end tho as it will chip. I've carried the same one for about 9-10 years now and used it on MANY other things than just sharpening stuff, removing burrs on anything plastic injecting molded cheap parts to softening cast metal parts... and only chipped it once, and it is still in great, usable shape. It once felt as if the edge wasn't that square and bittey anymore but i used a scraped file and light abrasives to restore a somewhat clean corner, or edge to it.. thing has a orange small handle and was less than 10$ when i bought it, 10-12 years ago. I just remembered, they are called 'speedy-sharp' i think. dont quote me on the spelling tho.
Great video. I wish the Tormek T1 was on the list though, thats like the ultimate 'trade money for convenience' thing imo. More expensive than anything else you can get for kitchen use like the commenter mentioned, but super easy to use and pretty much maintenance free.
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If you want a quick laugh read how Death sharpens an old scythe in the book Reaper Man by Terry pratchett to make it reality cutting sharp lol
Hi Alex, I recently saw a video from an Australian knife guy who uses kangaroo tail strops without grit. Not for his argument for the "special bumps and ridges that can only be found on tail skin of male kangaroos in mating season" 😂but for the wholy different way of using a strop that requires it to be gritless, I found it interesting. I tried out his technique and so far I got fairly good results after just a few tries. By not using abrasive, he doesn't remove any material so there is no refinement of the edge, but it's very effective in removing the burr. I think this might be very useful on less hardened steel where larger burrs form that take an hour to get rid of with your technique only to end up with a mediocre result because of the mediocre steel. With his technique, it's done in a minute (but like I said: not very refined). This might be a good topic for another microscope video.
What he does is instead of respecting the angle while stropping, he more than doubles it, pulling back and forth to wiggle the burr until it breaks off. I guess there's a risk of edge rolling, and if so, that could introduce fatigue into the apexed edge. But if the edge is stable enough, perhaps only the burr rolls? I think this could be either a terrible idea, or a great idea for people who are practical, who want to freehand sharpen their utility knifes quickly and are satisfied with a lvl3-4 result. Which is probably the majority of use cases among craftsmen who keep their knives with a working edge ready to go. I would love to hear your thoughts on this concept. Not everybody wants that orgasmic experience of achieving lvl 7 perfection, so if it's a viable technique, there is definitely a market among your viewers for it.
Yesterday, I used a friend's Fallkniven DC4 pocket sharpening stone to render a CRKT M21 04G (large belly + recurve) hair popping sharp within five minutes.
All that to prove to him that freehand sharpening with the most awkward possible setup is faster and more convenient than the Worksharp guided sharpening tool he swears by.
One system that you forgot to mention that I personally think is super beginner friendly is the spyderco sharpmaker. It was way easier for my wife to learn than traditional freehand. She is now able to keep all her kitchen knives shaving sharp without too much help from me. It's small, looks ok on a counter top, and has a very low skill threshhold to start getting pretty decent edges on softer steels.
Hey. 🤔 'fiddleyness'..ya.😑 I totally and completely appreciate you and your wealth of big knowledge. You always make me smarter...🤏 ✨😺
Dude, your first 2-3 min feel like the intro to either the best knife documentary ever or the most technically aggressive sales pitch on earth. I dig it. I would now officially like to petition for "the sharpening knife documentary" when you're feeling up to it.
Hell shit. I was reading replies as I was listening to the video. Ran across this reply and realized this video isn't what I thought it was. No need to watch then.
@yakfishin4912 the video is exactly what the title says?
@pawel7055
Eh, I figured it that but more popular models actually. I watched anyways.
@@yakfishin4912 well at least part of the point was if you're looking for popular instead of good, you might be buying crap.
❤
I would love a video where you sit down with a total noob and guide them through sharpening a kitchen knife on the sharpall from dull. There's so many little mistakes that a pro can have a hard time remembering and seeing the learning process would likely help get people up to speed faster.
I volunteer myself
I volunteer as tribute😂. Even though I was a butcher and know how...I'm sure he knows more
I'm so honored that you made a video to answer my question! Thank you so much! This was so helpful. I think i like the freehand method with stones the best. I have been practicing with them since i posted my question and getting good results so far. I'm going to order a better stone, probably the Sharpal and a strop.
Do you have videos on sharpening garden tools?
Awesome great to hear! A little practice goes a long way! I don't, other than axes. The worksharp will also work for some of that as well. Thanks again for the comment 👍
Thank _you_ for inspiring Alex to make this handy summary video.
As for the Sharpal, I can attest to the big jump forward you will experience in your skills. As for gardening tools, stones like Sharpal are somewhat small for many of the larger edges, and too heavy to keep the tool still and move the stone like is common practice with scythes. But if your tools have detachable blades, it really pays to take the time and the screwdriver/spanner to pop them off and sharpen them just like knives. Most tools have manuals that mention the angle for sharpening. They are often larger for edge stability reasons.
Oh, and if you get the Sharpal, make sure to use Alex's affiliate link, so he can have more prop money in his next video 😂
@@lukearts2954 definitely!
@lukearts2954 I was thinking for garden tools, like hoes, shovels, machetes, pruning shears and loppers, that maybe an angle grinder or a file would work. IDK. Or as Alex said, the Worksharp.
I've been watching your videos for a while now, sharpening now and again when I felt like it. Just a few days ago I whittled my first hair and it felt great.
Wouldn't it feel even better to get a usable knife and learn to do something with it? Like making perfect feather sticks, an axe handle, cut and sharpen efficiently stakes/poles for your shelter or tent, repair a skiing pole, make a fishing rod, spatulas, skewers etc. - whatever you may need in outddors life, in the wilderness?
Slicing paper, shaving your left arm and splitting hairs is dumb. It is like you have stuck on the first grade and never growing up
@@bekanav I do lots of different things that give me satsfaction, including "outdoors life" and sharpening knives, but I don't feel like doing specifically what you enjoy doing. You don't see me questioning why you don't change your hobbies to something more useful.
@@mouseherald8434good fir you
Perhaps the best sharpener is the one we made along the way
😂
the best strop sure is…
Alright, I'm going to go ahead and make my case here for the fixed angle sharpeners (lengthy comment warning). First I will start off by agreeing with you: yes they do take more time. I admit that it sucks having to take out my system and assemble it and get everything set up just right. However, the vast majority of people who are interested in sharpening are not your ultra sharpening nerds; they are people who just think it would be valuable to be able to sharpen the handful of blades that they have in their lives. For me, those are essentially kitchen tools, mostly the knives, and occasionally the mandolin and meat grinder blades.
But here's why I will still stick with my fixed angle system and put up with the time investment. First of all, the time argument for the average person is negligible, as we commoners will only sharpen a handful of knives a couple times a year. Besides, learning the skill of free-hand sharpening will also cost you a LOT of time, but it won't just stop there. It will also cost your knives a lot, too. The process of learning to sharpen will take a heavy toll on your knives. Sure, you could argue that you can mitigate this by practicing on cheaper knives, but once you graduate to nicer knives, you will have to relearn your techniques over again once you realize how different steels respond to the same stone, and you'll start all over, experimenting with techniques until you find what works best for that knife. After learning everything that I have in my knife-sharpening journey, there is no way in hell I am ever going to trust myself free hand with a $300+ knife.
I almost lost my mind trying to learn free-hand sharpening. There were just so many variables to account for. One of the most frustrating was dealing with curved tips and bellies on larger kitchen knives; achieving the correct angle with free-hand means you need to significantly change your geometry as you reach these areas, or you risk flattening out the curve or missing the apex entirely. I watched many youtube channels trying to explore different techniques to account for this, all the while, my poor knives were paying the price for my inconsistencies. It's very difficult to develop a muscle memory when you don't trust the results you're getting. It stopped being worth it because I wasn't after some sort of pride that comes with artisanal craftsmanship; I just wanted properly-maintained tools without having to ship my knife out and begrudgingly dish out a chunk of change. I wanted the freedom and pleasure to be able to use my knives with reckless abandon, without the constant fear of consuming my edge too quickly. So why was I faffing around adding so many unnecessary variables?
Once I got myself a truly cheap Ruixin fixed angle sharpener ($35) with upgraded 4” DMT blue diamond stone ($15), my understanding of knife sharpening completely blossomed. By isolating the variable of angle consistency, I was able to explore the effects of different techniques:
- The sawing method
- Edge-leading strokes
- Edge-trailing strokes
- Micro-bevels
- Coarse grit
- Polished vs unpolished edges
- Light vs firm pressure
- Soft vs hard steel
- Burrs vs a wire edge
I even bought a $20 digital microscope so I could better understand what I was doing (another invaluable suggestion, albeit a rabbit hole). Believe it or not, those crappy Ruixin sharpeners (with a decent diamond stone) can form a very pro edge if you know how to set it up correctly and consistently, and now I am able to give my most heavily used kitchen knives a very respectable edge a few times a year. There is no way in hell I was ever going to figure all of this out so rapidly if I didn't have the confidence to know that my angles were perfectly and consistently dialed in.
Now, I am not saying that there is no value in learning the free-hand skill; I am a perfectionist who absolutely loves honing a craft. But for the average person, knives are a tool, and the process of sharpening is not part of the journey for them. For those people who are like me, I strongly recommend finding a fixed angle system that doesn't break the bank, and learning the grinding techniques to give yourself the gift of professional quality edges on your own terms. No matter what system/method you choose, there will still be a break-in learning period, but I think the most efficient way past this is with a fixed-angle setup. This way you can rule out the most difficult variable: human inconsistency.
Well said. What are your thoughts on the Horl rolling sharpener? (aside from it being expensive). It’s similar to the fixed angle sharpener as it eliminates the angle problem
@@Ebu26 Oooh. Interesting question. I can never recommend the Horl or any other like it. Even if they weren't plagued by constant complaints of the abrasives wearing prematurely, those Horl tumbler-style sharpeners are terrible and produce garbage edges. The knife seems sharp right after you use them, but it isn't a durable edge and it quickly dulls, so you have to keep resharpening frequently, removing unnecessary amounts of metal each time. That's because each pass with the tumbler motion starts with an edge-LEADING stroke and finishes with an edge-TRAILING stroke, which notoriously leaves weak, brittle wire edges, and there is zero way around this, unfortunately. Wire edges feel (and indeed are) crazy sharp, but they are not durable, apexed edges and will become useless very quickly.
When I'm talking about fixed angle sharpening systems, I guess I'm mostly talking about ones where you have a lot of control over the types of strokes against the edge.
@@dirtyketchup How does it wiring edge if its spinning every stroke hence you got the name "rolling sharpener"
@@Temporalplace I'm not 100% sure what you're trying to say since your wording is somewhat confusing, but I'm assuming you're asking how a tumbler-style sharpener can create a wire edge. I feel like I already covered that, but I'll try again. The nature of the tumbler sharpener means that each pass with the roller will subject your edge to 2 different grinding motions against the tumbler. As the tumbler rolls in either direction, the first side of the abrasives will pass against the blade in an edge-leading stroke, and the second side of the roller will finish with an edge- TRAILING stroke. Any time you perform finishing stokes against a medium grit stone (200-1000), you want to use edge-leading strokes, since these strokes will move material away from the edge, and leave minimal burr cleanup. Edge-trailing strokes, on the other hand, will cause excess material to build up at the apex, hence the "wire edge" that I mentioned. These wire edges go against the intended geometry of the apexed edge, and they will be brittle. Hope that helps.
@@dirtyketchup I got you now. Alot of people who use fixed angle sharpening system like TSPROF use both direction hand motion like you do when sawing (from edge and against edge) and all of them say there is not big difference.
Only in the end they do like 8 strokes per side against the edge motions before they move to the next grit stone.
I've been freehand sharpening for years. I always had "meh" to "okay" results until I started watching your videos. After I learned about creating, locating, and removing the bur it changed everything. I can now get shave sharp knives within minutes. This includes my 940-1 with S90V steel. Thank you for putting out content that is educational and entertaining.
A few years ago I decided I wanted to learn to sharpen properly and bought a 50 diary at of water stones, green stropping compound and a chunk of leather.
Got a hold of a bunch of totally wrecked knives and kinda went to town. I was so frustrated because my results were all over the place. A few I got to be totally serviceable some I just couldn't get to do anything useful and that was that. I've revisited a few times and picked up since inexpensive diamond stones since and had way better results but I haven't had the motivation to really dig in like I did originally. The but of success I have found I attribute to the nuggets of info I've picked up from your videos asking the way. Especially some of your older ones. Always happy to see you in my feed. Never watched a video of yours that I felt wasn't useful.
When I was looking into buying my first sharpening system for my knives, I was thinking of a fixed sharpening system like the Lansky. But coming across your videos made me want to learn how to freehand sharpen, and now I can't imagine sharpening my knives any other way! I have a DMT Extra Coarse diamond stone; three Shapton Kuromaku stones in 1000, 2000, and 5000 grit; and two strops, one with 6 micron diamond paste and one with 3 micron diamond paste. It has been very rewarding for me to learn how to sharpen any knife at home from kitchen knives to pocket knives. My biggest accomplishment in sharpening so far is sharpening my Buck knife that has a Magnacut blade! Thank you for all that you do to educate us all about knife sharpening!
Is that magnacut blade one of Dr. Larrin Thomas's collab blades with Buck? Just curious.
Sincerely,
JS
I have had the Work Sharp Onion about 2 weeks and combined with 60 years of Knife sharpening I finally have a system that allows me the get Outstanding results on Knives,Tomahawks, Axes, and even Serrated blades. Order extra Belts if ordering the Work Sharp. My stropping leather is a 1/4 inch by 3 and a half inch belt. I sharpened my CRKT hand ax razor sharp in minutes. Scary sharp. That impressed me the most. I use your stropping technique and it's definitely stepping up the Game Results. Also, Flattening your stones often is a major maintenance factor Great Stuff
Yup, why bother sharpening for a hour on a stone, when you can get 95% of the result in 5 minutes? I get it if it's a hobby, but it's not practical at all.
As a hobbyist, the stone will always be superior. That could break, or you could be without power.... best to learn the old school way.
@@analogueoverdigital929I've had my work sharp for about a year now, sees weekly use on knives and tools, it's still going strong.
Even if it breaks tomorrow, at 90 bucks a year, it's hardly a setback and worth every penny.
If my power is out long enough for the concern to be "f***..I need to sharpen my knives!" There are probably far worse things going on
Like also for being honest with Yugo. The Yugo also had a rear window heater, to warm the hands of those pushing it in the winter days.
😅👍
The production is amazing, hats off
Man, this is just brilliant: the copy, the delivery, the humour, the flow, the video and production quality, the whole experience… I love it. From a knife sharpening channel. The universe is wise and wonderful. More!
Love the special edits in your latest videos man.
I use Japanese water stones for my knives and Japanese chisels. Scary polished sharp, like a mirror. I spend a couple of hours in the garden with a beer sharpening stuff twice a year. It’s therapeutic getting it perfect. I’m a carpenter of 30 years. Sharpening is an art.
The combination of 3 years of knife lore put into 1 video.💯
Thank for another excellent instructional video. I went through many of the options that you outlined in your review. Started with a stones and my knives became duller each time I used them. Then I moved to the Russian fixed angle system and that was hit and miss with so much time to setup that it became a chore. Followed by the most useless of all options the Chefs Choice XV15 sharpener which worked for a short while and then stopped sharpening.
The final and best tool I have settled on was the Work Sharp electrical Ken Onion tool. I have used this for three past 3 years and I get a shaving sharp knives each and every time. I was so impressed that I bought the Work Sharp Blade Sparpening attachment that uses 1"x18" belts.
I recommend it to anyone who wants an easy no skill and cheap option to sharpen a knife in under 2 minutes.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
I think I finally have figured out that my perpetual failure to sharpen a knife freehand is because I've only ever tried the cheap aluminum oxide stones since that's what stores in my area stock and I don't like online ordering.
I've owned a Sharpal for four years, and it's still going strong after a lot of use: I'm a woodworker and use it for all my hand tools. It's excellent. Completely changed my similar failure with water stones.
I bought my 6 inch corundum whetstone from the hardware store and I love it. Coarse enough for my knifemaking needs and I use oil only.
Not surprised that alumina is cheaper, but I'm happy with the results.
If flattening is needed, then I will use grog on a concrete block.
Dalstrong Ceramic Coated Honing Rod 10" is the fastest way i have found to sharpen a knife! Great videos!
Outstanding contribution to the dialog on "sharpening for the common man." That's why I subscribed ages ago, and am glad I did. This is good, practical, and aimed at the needs of the majority of people like your letter-writer. "I just want sharp knives in my kitchen to cut food with; I don't have to split atoms." Great. Thanks for this.
I have used the Horl for a year and also brought it to family to sharpen their knifes. It's perfect for kitchen knifes. I wish they made a mini version for smaller knifes.
I can only agree. I tried everything and I bought one of the diamond stones but was too afraid to use it. I botched so many edges with electric and other systems and this knife beyond kitchen dull was sitting in front of me. I watched your video again to my surprise - it finally worked! I'm so happy... and you're right, the freehand is fast! Maybe I got lucky but this is the way folks.
Your videos have helped me immensely. The Sharpal has worked wonderfully for me. My 25 yr. old Heinkels are as sharp as new. Thank you, and hope you are feeling better.
Bought my 1st Lansky kit @ 20, my 2nd @ 50. Now at 60 it's still going strong. I've added an extra course diamond, super fine blue sapphire, extra hard Arkansas and a leather strop!
Those macro shots of the cheap pull through sharpeners 😬😦
It’s honestly worse than nails on a chalkboard…
Thank you Oh Wise One, Master of the blades and all knowing in the universe of stones and of the Mystic Arts of Sharp.
you have leveled up in recent months. great job, man
I've watched quite a few of your videos, and like the commenter you mentioned in the beginning, I felt I didn't know where to start. Thank you so much for simplifying it for us newbies! I'm ready to order my Sharpal now. Is there also a strop that you would recommend, at about the same level of required skill to use?
Thank you -- I have need trying for years to sharpen knifes like my father did. I failed every time. I learned a lot and appreciate your time and skill.
this channel has inspired me to try courser grit stones and that was the part i was missing.
i started with a cheap amazon combi stone, that just didnt work. now i have a combi oil stone 200 and 600 grit. and that gets good results really fast.
if i had to do it once, i would get a 320 shapton and a diamond paste strop. then later a 1000grit.
Can't beat the good ol free hand method. And yes I've a small fortune in stones. Love everyone 💗
Ur ma boi!!
Excellent advice. I always appreciate your recommendations. Looks like you addressed the questions of all segments of the dulled knife community.
For me, I learned on freehand and it did take me a while. But there's nothing else like it and it's relaxing.
I watched beginning to end, but I didn't learn anything because I've watched so very many of your videos already, that I already knew everything in there. However, while *I* may not have learned anything, I think this is really an excellent tutorial for beginners or those that have started out, but need a bit more guidance to help them in their purchasing decisions.
In other news, while I may have a good variety of sharpeners, I think I'd like to try my hand at actually making a fixed angle sharpener from scratch, just because it seems like a fun project, and why not? :D My pet peeve in fixed angle sharpening systems is the grip - they're often impossible to use with some knives, e.g. very short/small knives or some curved blades (which are always a nightmare to sharpen decently).
i love the idea on this video, i ran across your videos a while back randomly, and ever since i watched you sharpen a knife and then hack a 2x4 into non existence with it, ive been driving myself crazy trying to get a good sharp knife. i got a diamond whet stone but no matter how much i practice i cant seem to keep an angle straight, currently waiting to see if the Horl rolling knife sharpener goes on sale for black friday
I went through a phase where I bought the stones, tried many times to learn the skills, watched many videos including yours, which are good, but I gave up. I found a local place that sharpens knives, scissors, axes, etc. they also build belt sharpening machines. I drop them off and get back results I old never ever get at home no matter how much I spent. Your videos are by far the best in the knife sharpening YT world. So, well done, now I know what kind of knife person I am (not). Just one person’s experience.
I used to work in an electrical supply warehouse. One item we used to sell was high pressure sodium light bulbs. The filament in them was a ceramic cylinder. A few swipes on those would make my knives scary sharp. Of course, your knife had to be sharper than 'dull' to use, but boy, did it work good.
I agree with you! Freehand sharpening on stones is the way to go. Plus keep some diamond and ceramic honing rods to Tuch up.
The best knife sharpening channel on the planet.
I have several of these systems, and I still consider myself just an average guy at this. The system I prefer was not included in this video: Lansky Ceramic Turn Box 4-Rod Knife Sharpening System. It is simple and quick to use, shouldn’t ruin your knife, and relatively cheap at about $25.
I think the problem most beginners run into is letting a knife get too dull before using their sharpener-no matter what kind of knife or sharpening technique. I usually give my knives a few strokes on a honing tool-steel or ceramic-before using them. Hence, I seldom let a knife deteriorate to the point of uselessness.
If a knife is sharp enough out-of-the-box, a $200 power system seems like overkill. Just keep the blade useable with the system you are comfortable with.
@@eronavbj i have the same turnbox. Its good for knives that aren't super dull. Its a lot harder to reprofile or sharpen really dull stuff on them though. Main reason I didn't include it🙂
Love the videos. I purchased the Sharpal stone a few months back based on your review. I took some old knives and practiced until i got the hang of it. It is definitely a labor of love.
I enjoy sharpening a lot, it's very rewarding to cook with(a sharp ass knife). Carrots are a nice test for me. Excellent video.
Man, what a great video. The edits must have taken ages but so worth the time
Thanks Pete!
My father, an auto electrician, made fixed angle system out of metal strips and rods from aftermarket central locking kits, strong magnet from old HDD to hold knives in place, and small wood block with velcro on it to stick strips of sandpaper to it, instead of stones. I found last two things superior to any system on the market, as magnet holds knives securely enough and faster than a clamp, and sandpaper is dirt cheap and can be replaced at any time. The only possible downside is that sandpaper on velcro is somewhat soft to the touch, and while I personally don't find that sharpening quality suffers from it, i think you can instead just stick sandpaper on a double-sided tape to make it more rigid.
I've bought my KME about 7 years ago and it is still my favorite!!!
Ok, after getting into this, wanting to sharpen my knives. I bought a 1000 / 6000 grit combo off Amazon. Needless to say , they did nothing.
I wore the stone out trying to get three knives sharp. They couldn’t cut paper or a tomato.
My butter knife worked better.
Frustrating,,,, Hell Yes.
After more research, I found Diamond Stones, and realized a dull knife needs to be started on a pretty coarse grit . Bought a 400 / 1000 grit combo.
After using these Diamond stones, My knives were razor sharp, even without honing .
Yesterday I forgot that I left my knives on the table where I was sharpening them and reached for something beyond them. I seriously slit my finger almost down to the bone, didn’t even realize it until blood started gushing out.
That’s sharp.
I learned sharpening from you, and while I'm mediocre, it's helped me greatly in being a hunter. I used to use those crappy pull through sharpeners but they never really did the trick. Sharpening knives is a skill that has helped me in the field and also in the kitchen. I even sharpen knives for friends to help them out and practice. I think it's a skill we all should know, the diamond stone was cheap and will last a long time.
I have a set of cheap stones, and my wife hates them by the sole look of them and the horrible mess that I was doing while sharpening. I hope she would like more the look and simplicity of diamond stones. Thank you for that.
😂😁 Same here!
Awesome cinematography!
The silica packet in the drawer is a mark of professionalism. I have these suckers everywhere lol
Lovely video, I like that editing style accompanied with great introduction. And I think we all needed a comparison like that
100% Agree with everything you show and mention about the Tumbler. Worked great for about 5 knives and now it doesn't do much. And the rolling? I admit, I chuckled out loud when you showed how poorly it spins! Mine was so bad, it would leave skid marks from the o rings slipping on my counter. I finally squeezed a quart of mystery oil into it and it's better but still doesn't spin as smooth as that Horl! Thanks for this vid! I'm somewhere between the first drawer and second one! Looking for a better way!
I literally have one of those aluminum oxide stones and have never been able to get a good edge. I assumed I was just really bad at this.
I'll have to look into getting a nice stone set up.
I feel educated, what a feeling :) thank you for this one and all the debunking
Have you seen or checked out the rolling sharpener from Hone? It is cheaper than the Horl, and uses magnets to hold the disc's instead of them screwing on, and seems like it could be a better alternative to some of the other knock offs of the Horl
Had my sharpal fine for 4 years after your recommendation, starting to get a little longer to get an edge but still going strong.
I recommend getting an axe puck, a custom wooden block to lock very thin knives from annoying pivoting and work gloves if you're a beginner.
Great video. Thank you.
Please could you go more in depth as to what freehand stones you recommend a beginner buys. Which make, what grit and what you mean too about the appropriate strop.
I live in the uk btw, so if you could keep that in mind I’d appreciate it.
Thank you for the fantastic and informative content.
The "Sharpal" 320/1200 shown in video he recommends in another older video. Amazing product for the price. Includes non slip base to hold the stone on a counter/table and an angle guide to assist in developing your own angle muscle memory.
Ceramic ‘V’ stick sharpeners like the idahone are good options for non knife people. Inexpensive and easy to use.
Good video! Another point to make about freehand sharpening is the ability you get to easily maintain the edge of your knife in the field. If you’re comfortable freehand sharpening on bench stones then you’ll have no issue keeping the knife sharp in the field with just pocket stones. Freehand also gives you the opportunity to more fluently blend different knife grinds and edge angles on the same knife. I can have a lower angle on the flat section and then gradually raise my hand as I get to the belly. One can also easily go from flat to convex just by changing the motion of the wrist. Freehand really gives you a lot of freedom, but as you mentioned several times, it does take practice (in my case a lot 😅)
Thank you for this breakdown. Ive been using sharpening stones, big grinders, and honing rods at work for over 20 years and Im looking for something easy for use at home. Knife sharpening is a tough skill and some people like myself struggle with keeping a consistent angle even after so many years of experience. Even at work sometimes I will spend some time on the stone(3-sided soaked in mineral oil) and when I use my knife Im unhappy with the edge I put on it. So I have to go back and do it again. Honestly most the time I just grind them down and then hone because its so much quicker. I tried the 1000/6000 wetstone by King everyone raves about and my experience was how you described, its a big mess and I wasnt happy with the result. Ive been thinking about getting either a fixed angle sharpener, specifically the Work Sharp Precision since its only $60, maybe a plated diamond stone is a good idea as you suggest though since I do have a lot of experience with stones at work and maybe I can finally find some time to actually improve on that.
I recently bought my first sharpening system. It's Work Sharp Benchstone Knife Sharpener (this one rotating with two diamond stones and ceramic) and Finally I was able to sharpen knife to shaving point
To answer your viewer - if you want to get a proper sharp knife from a pocket stone in less than a minute, you need to know the skill, it takes practice. It is an achievable skill tho (for a kitchen knife to cut paper, at least)
I used a chef choice knife sharpener while I worked in a kitchen and like them. I also bought one for home use (3 stage) and think it is a good product for consistent sharp edges. It is not hair whittling sharp but I have used it to occasionally touch up edges on my kitchen knives and like the results. It is fast, easy, consistent. It only takes me a minute to plug it in and a couple passes on stage 2 to feel a burr along the whole edge and a couple light passes on stage 3 to get a nice (relatively) burr free edge. It is not wicked sharp but sharp enough to be dangerous but not dull enough to be really dangerous. As long as you are using a cutting motion and not a chop motion they work great for all the things I need it to do in the kitchen.
I want to practice and get good at hand sharpening, especially for pocket knives and other blades but I don't know if I will ever use anything but the chefs choice sharpener for the kitchen knives since I like the edges and don't want to mess up the angle the sharpener works with. Perhaps I will for some of my extra kitchen knifes I don't let the rest of my family touch.
I have a Lansky set with the angle guides but never liked it. It is cumbersome to set up (I don't have a clamp for a table), it doesn't seem to grip the knife firmly enough, at least for my tastes. And it still seems hard to maintain a consistent angle because it depends where you clamp the knifes. I wind up sharpening knives by holding the blade still and moving the stone along the edge. It feels more natural and like I can maintain a more consistent angle except for the fact I can never get my blade hair popping sharp. It always cuts paper good but rarely shaves much arm hair off.
I was really curious of your thoughts about the sharpworx pro 2. Out of all of the fixed angle sharpeners I feel like it is the right pick for me. I like that you can use your own high quality stones. I plan on getting a course diamond stone possibly the sharpal and some of the shapton kuromako stones. I want to be able to freehand but I think the sharpworx will be great for if I want to change the angle of a knife or just in general to help me while I’m learning. Thanks!
Great video! After getting s110v I’ve been pretty interested in different knife steels. I’ve found out I prefer chippier knives I’m curious about your favorite knife steels and how they each sharpen since I’ve only tried s30v and s110v so far
I was this many years old when I learned this. Thank you for the fantastic video, best I've seen on the subject. Stay Sharp
For 95% of people just get a freaking ceramic rod from Idahone or some other ceramic rod that is of quality. They are course enough to remove some steel to clean up minor apex damage and they are quick and easy to use... 20-30 bucks for a quality ceramic rod will do everything the average knife user be it edc or culinary needs to do. I've been free hand sharpening for nearly 30 years now. I was taught by my grand father as a young boy and it's been a ever evolving skill to the point now that it's the main part of the knife hobby to me. Keep on keeping on Alex!
Perfect for sharpening scythes too if the only scythe stone in your local hardware store is carborundum. The poor man's diamond. Requiring more frequent flattening.
I am a leather craftsman and sharpen many different tools relative to my craft. With multiple angles, sizes of blades, and a genuine need for hair whitling sharp. Would you consider a video based on different blade types? Edge bevelers, skivers, scalpel type blades, swivel knife, and scissors. Most leather work knives are similar to woodworking type tools, like hand planers and chisels. I enjoy your videos and appreciate your efforts to educate us blade loving types. Cheers Rick
I have been watching for years . I enjoy and learn with every vid. Thank you!
No matter what you use a strop will take your abilities way beyond what you think is possible, even sharpening with a garden found brick will benefit from a simple atropping afterwards.
Been watching for years your vidios and it has inspired me to learn what was needed for my kitchen knives and now I can thank you. With Loving Kindness HPH
I've got to be honest, I didn't hold out much hope for the quality of the video straight off the bat, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the knowledge and wit of the contributor, so much so, for what it's worth.... +1 sub
Freehand sharpening is really relaxing for me at this point, aside from the moments when a knife is so incredibly blunt that I actually have to do an arm workout to get it to apex, or when there's a very stubborn burr that doesn't seem to go away no matter how much burr minimization I do, or when there's a recurve in the blade (usually from being sharpened by someone with an angle grinder).
Getting the knife to the point where it's super sharp is satisfying as heck!
11:18 I was sure you were leading into an ad read for Skillshare. 😆
duuude the editing, content packaging and everything...amazing!
Great video. I had never even heard of rolling sharpeners before this. The fixed angle systems are tempting and I see a lot of knife reviewers using them, but I'll probably just stick to stones. I wish I was more shocked about sketchy companies buying cheap stones and marking them up for fun and profit, but I'm more disappointed than anything. It certainly makes me feel better about spending a bit more on my Shun, Naniwa, and King Deluxe stones.
I was just trying to find a video to sharpen my sewing scissors and went down a rabbit hole and ended up here 😂
Thanks - talked me right out of the KME.
I'll keep using the diamond stones you suggested.
Wow, this video made me think of something forgotten for decades. Growing up in the 1960s, my mother had an electric can opener with a built-in knife sharpener on the back. Ah, simpler times.
LOL..we had one too in the 70s.
Still loving (and learning) my Sharpal 325/1200 diamond stone. I use it primarily for my EDC pocket knife (Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter) due to the hollow grind bevel geometry not working well with belt systems. I also have the original Ken Onion Work Sharp powered system that works well for kitchen knives, or other flat grind knives and tools like mower blades - And yes, if you're not careful, it can remove a lot of material where you didn't intend to.
Buying a couple dollar store knives for practice goes a long way in learning how your sharpening method behaves!
I made another knife recently and I'm happy with the results I got from corundum whetstones. Carborundum benchstones are the worst for beginners.
Diamond and ceramic are good, beginner-friendly, etc, but cost more.
Again, I can sharpen just fine with alumina or corundum. Though, I will get diamond soon or on the holidays.
I have bought and used every sharpener you mentioned, plus many more. I recommend either learning the skills necessary to use a wet stone and manually sharpen your knives like our fathers and grandfathers did, or buy a Tormek. Everything in between improved my knife sharpening knowledge but burned through my money.
I use the Lansky Controlled Angle Sharpening System. Added diamond hones and a sapphire stone. I can put a razor edge on any knife. Took a while to become proficient, and it has a learning curve, but once that is overcome, can't beat it for portability and quickeness.
My first entry at real knife sharpening was with the worksharp knife sharpener that I still have and use to sharpen and reprofile cheap kitchen knives. Then I got the worksharp precision adjust and got my first mirror polish edge. Today, I just ordered the tsprof kadet pro on Amazon, and hopefully, I will be able to get insane edge on my more expensive knife 🤙😎. Free hand sharpening is nice, but getting the consistency is key and getting good at getting the consistency comme with experience and muscle memory. Fix angle system just take away human error!!👍
Been using Spyderco’s Sharpmaker and a leather strop since 1996. Not switching, anytime soon. Thanks.
I bought the cheap 400/1000 grit diamond stone you recommended. Also the 1000 and 3000 Shaptons and a strop. I just got to shaving sharp recently thanks to you and Neeves.
I've been getting very good results with the Worksharp plus Ken Onion attachment. I never bothered to try the WS without the attachment. Lot of different belts / abrasives available. The ones from WS are pretty good. It's fast - and fun watching the 'wire' forming on a super-dull blade. Also, I've re-shaped a couple of friends' knives with broken tips. Other than being careful to not get the blade hot, it's pretty easy. It's pretty much a scaled down metalworkers belt sander - although now I'm thinking about getting a 30" one of those as I'm starting to use this on all sorts of metal items.
Also, sharpening with a belt gets you a convex edge. I'm new here so I'd guess you'd already covered that?
I love my chef's choice. I've been using it for a decade or so on the same knives. At this rate, these and I just will last me another 50 years. I'm not worried about excessive material being removed. The knives will outlast me at this rate. However, you're right that I probably should replace the wheels.
Hey buddy, hope you’re keeping well 👍🏻 video quality is still top dollar!
While I'm a bit biased, since I enjoy the activity of knife sharpening in and of itself, I don't think it can't be understated how satisfying freehand sharpening is. It's probably one of the most satisfying skills I've learned in recent years.
I'm definitely the target group for this video.
And I'm using a rolling sharpener from Aliexpress, something that cost like 30 or 40 bucks. And it works pretty well for me, I must say.
The only "improvement" I made is to clamp the knife holder (that magnetic thingy) to the table.
I've used a two sided Craftsman sharpening stone that was my grandfather's from probably the 50s or 60s. I've gotten really good at using it, but ive gotten out if practice with it. I more recently bought a cheap rolling sharpener from Temu, and it did pretty decent. I really should get back to using my grandpa's stone.
Your technical comprehension and skill in verbally articulating Aand conveying to the audience a relevant comprehensive description iof the subject is superb, AAA+++
Learning is definetly a skill, that a lot of people unfortunately lack. It’s also very rewarding and addictive in it self. ”It’s the journey and not the destination”.
I think getting good at learning varies a lot between individuals because you need to first understand how you yourself retain information and can put it in to practise in the most efficient way. In my experience the best way is to get really good at something and then try to replicate that in something else. And the beauty is that you will get better at it each time, because it’s a skill in it self
Lately, I love cooking. And man I mean I love it. You hear freak famous chefs even stating that a well sharpened knife is so good that it'll cut onions differently retaining nutrition and flavor and etc etc. Idk if that's true I'll leave that science to them. But since I do most of the cooking, knives are important and I've noticed lately they are getting harder to use. I don't like that. Sometimes I smash tomatoes instead of carefully cut them. So I bought 2 stones, a strop and started watching tutorials. I learned a lot with your channel. And yes I want to make it complicated lol because if it yields me a better result in the kitchen, it's a win - win.
Another EXCELLENT video. Thank you for maintaining such high standards. Accurate & very helpful!~
Your most 'useful' video yet for the general populace... Great stuff, great analysis and simple to make up your mind on stuff. Personally, i use one of them 'as seen on tv' welded carbide thing - i forgot the name brand and it has since lo g faded from the handle... i always carry it in my pocket as it can roll off steel from dull axes as much as it can quickly sharpen the knives i use in the kitchen without killing them. Use them one way and it rolls steel off - i mean i can sharpen a butter knife to a decent form in less tha n a minute- and the 'drag' way 'sharpens' or maintains edges beautifully. Don't drop it on the carbide end tho as it will chip. I've carried the same one for about 9-10 years now and used it on MANY other things than just sharpening stuff, removing burrs on anything plastic injecting molded cheap parts to softening cast metal parts... and only chipped it once, and it is still in great, usable shape.
It once felt as if the edge wasn't that square and bittey anymore but i used a scraped file and light abrasives to restore a somewhat clean corner, or edge to it..
thing has a orange small handle and was less than 10$ when i bought it, 10-12 years ago.
I just remembered, they are called 'speedy-sharp' i think. dont quote me on the spelling tho.
Great video. I wish the Tormek T1 was on the list though, thats like the ultimate 'trade money for convenience' thing imo. More expensive than anything else you can get for kitchen use like the commenter mentioned, but super easy to use and pretty much maintenance free.