i think i am gonna quit kidding myself..i cant sharpen a knife.

[vash]

okay..to be honest, my knives are sharp. sharp "enough". i can slice and dice food no problem. but none of my knives can i ever get to shave hair..or even do a clean slice on a flimsy sheet of newspaper. i can however take the tip of my finger off cleanly..so they are pretty damn sharp..sharp enough.

i got my knife back from Benchmade a few months ago..and that thing gave me perspective..i SUCK at sharpening. they dont!! my friend got his kitchen knives back from some Japanese zen knife sharpener guy..and his knives can skin tomatoes..!

i am taking my kitchen set to Mr japanese zen dude this week..and all my hunting knives. i'll get him to straighten all my blades.

i can maintain them in between. my hunting knife i cannot get lazer sharp anymore..after my elk skinning session.

you guys?

[Joe Bob]

Have him give you a lesson.....he should after he does all your blades. Suggest that he do so, so that you can "maintain HIS work...."

[Superman]

Sharp enough is sharp enough. One of my kitchen knives was having trouble slicing tomatoes, so I grabbed the sharpening stone on the window sill, sharpened it in a few seconds and resumed. The tomatoes were no match for the new edge. That's good enough for me. I almost never need to slice hairs in half and when I need newspapers cut into pieces, I just tear them.

[BRPORSCHE]

If I google image search Mr Japanese zen dude will I find him?

[pwd72s]

Shaving is for razor blades, not knives. Sharpen a knife at an angle to shave with and it will become dull in a heartbeat when used for it's designed purpose. I have an Arkansas oilstone, simply follow the instruction that came with it...20 degree blade angle to the stone, have a little wave of oil appearing on the stone as you sharpen in a motion as if you were taking a thin slice from the stone. Do one side, flip the knife over, repeat...it's simple.

On the kitchen knives, I use one of those carbide gadgets, then touch up with a steel. The first technique I use on pocket & hunting knives.

[jyl]

What kind of kitchen knives you talking about? How are you sharpening them now, what tools, what grit, etc? I say bring half to zen dude and work on your sharpening skills w/ the rest, saving one example of zen dude's work as the reference. Granted most women, and some men, have other people sharpen their knives, but that doesn't mean all the men are carrying man cards. j/k, no not really, oh o/k

[Superman]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Shaving is for razor blades, not knives. Sharpen a knife at an angle to shave with and it will become dull in a heartbeat when used for it's designed purpose. I have an Arkansas oilstone, simply follow the instruction that came with it...20 degree blade angle to the stone, have a little wave of oil appearing on the stone as you sharpen in a motion as if you were taking a thin slice from the stone. Do one side, flip the knife over, repeat...it's simple.

This is what I do. Kitchen or otherwise. I get a nice, sharp edge. Quite effective. The better the steel, the longer it holds an edge. It only takes a brief moment to put a new edge on a knife.

[Jim Bremner]

Lansky Precision Sharpening Kits | Knife Sharpener Kits

[JAR0023]

Spyderco Sharpmaker. Obscenely easy to get just about any blade scary sharp. -J

[jyl]

I use a medium and fine Oregon Stone, and a very fine synthetic waterstone. For touch up, a smooth steel (no striations, just a plain round bar). 15 degrees. If you leave a bit of tooth (roughness) on the edge, it cuts very effectively, aggressively you'd say, good for stuff like tomatoes. If you do a smooth edge, it has to be sharper to cut as effectively.

[vash]

I have this. Maybe I'm too obsessed over a super sharp blade.

[SeanPizzle]

There is a fine balance between sharpness and durability. I suck at manually sharpening using a sharpening steel so my wife got me one of these:

Shop Wusthof 2-Stage Manual Knife Sharpener at CHEFS.

Perfect edge every time.

[johnco]

after you get it as sharp as you can, roll down your car window and make a few passes across the top of the window glass. then go shave

[aigel]

3 minutes a knife.

G

[cantdrv55]

Get the Ginsu. They never need sharpening. It's true; I saw it on TV.

[304065]

It is impossible to consistently eyeball a 20 degree angle.

Therefore, get the Edge Pro.

Don't cut yourself.

[GWN7]

Get a Lansky system. Constant angles. A buddy sharpens his broadheads well enough to shave with them using the Lansky kit.

Lansky Sharpeners :: Standard 3-Stone System | Precision Knife Sharpening Kit

[vash]

Originally Posted by GWN7

Get a Lansky system. Constant angles. A buddy sharpens his broadheads well enough to shave with them using the Lansky kit.

Lansky Sharpeners :: Standard 3-Stone System | Precision Knife Sharpening Kit

what? i always thought lansky systems were big money? hmm.

[GWN7]

They make different kits.......I have a 5 stone one that I payed $45ish 5 years ago or so....

They use the same box for the 5 stone kits (which are $49 now) Just add two more stones and two more wires.

Here's a video on how to use the kit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n97hZbHtY2I

[vash]

thanks!