Spyderco Sharpmaker. Stupid simple to use, knives and scissors turn out very sharp. I've owned or tried just about everything. Once I bought a Sharpmaker the rest just collected dust. -J

Amazon.com : Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener 204MF : Sports & Outdoors

I am a decoy carver and just use a whet stone and a leather strop. A little practice and a good knife and it is sharp as a scaple.

Just got this in the mail. Found one! They are discontinued. It's the best way with bloody hands. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...bf8b6047f9.jpg

Anyone read ikea?:)
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...8e0dca67e8.jpg

Okay, guys- Original poster here. Earlier today I picked up a Lansky sharpening system from my favorite local sporting goods warehouse, for less than the Amazon price.

We'll see how it works. Or maybe we'll see I'm a doofus.

Thanx for the input. Anxious to hear anybody else's opinions.

I use a "jewelstik". Best I have found yet.

The JewelStik 1-2-3 Diamond Sharpener

It's a good system. Very popular.

I've noticed the benefit of a "liiiitle" tooth also.
Especially when slicing 'maters.
So sometimes I don't finish with the fine sharpening.
.
Man! So many methods posted. Good info thread.

I just bought a couple of stones, 300/1000 and a 3000/8000. Using this video for technique:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rTKV5-ZSWcE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Holy Cow! My knives have never been this sharp!

That's my plan. Not sure why I haven't ordered them yet, but I'm going for something similar.

here.

belt with green compound. i have found the secret!! every knife i own is a hair popper. i've gotten pretty decent with a J-stone. but the real secret it to hit the leather belt before i get it too dull. my knives are scary! i bought the belt at Goodwill for $1.99. it has never been worn, and fits a bigguy. so there is a lot of leather real estate. green compound on half. the other clean portion of the leather is for the follow up polish. crazy how well this works

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1425531339.jpg

Keep in mind that video is for Japanese knives, which are ground at a 10-12 degree angle. European knives are ground to a 20 degree angle. Big difference.

I learned with stones and a strop and I still use them for some knives.

I've had a Lansky for at least 25 years. It's OK but it takes a lot of time. I still use it for some knives.

I got a set of paper wheels and mounted them on an old bench grinder a couple years ago. With a little practice they get you to razor sharp in at most a couple of minutes. for touch ups on kitchen knive it takes longer to carry them to the garage and plug in the light and grinder, than to sharpen the knife.

I pick up one of these after I butchered a deer at my buddies house and he had one. My wife likes a sharp knife, so I get this out and touch up all the knifes about every other month. Is quick and easy and knifes are razor sharp! Its expensive, but really works, and should last a life time.
Amazon.com: Chef's Choice M130 Professional Sharpening Station, White: Knife Sharpeners: Kitchen & Dining

Any system that requires the operator to establish the angle of bevel either by sight or feel is deficient in my opinion.

I use the Edge Pro exclusively. The blade is fixed and the stone moves so the angle is predetermined. As long as you concentrate on moving down the blade with overlapping strokes you can main consistency of bevel from bolster to tip. After that it's just elbow grease.

I agree keeping a consistent angle is more important than the stone you use. Lately I've been propping my iPhone at a 20 degree angle next to my stone and using it as a point of reference. The compass app has a degree of inclination function.

I use a Worksharp. It produces a consistent angle, and is very easy and quick. It works on 90% of my knives, scissors, etc. It won't work on the Benchmade Infidel, nor on the Japanese knives. But it will even sharpen pruning shears to a razor sharp edge.

I have the Lansky deluxe system.
It can get knives sharp, but the whole angle setting system is bullpoo IMO.
The angles indicated on the clamp are only correct when you sharpen an edge right where the clamping part ends.
If you have a knife with a wide blade (like most larger knives that are not fillet knives) your actual sharpening angle will be smaller than indicated.
If you have a longer blade, the sharpening angle will vary along side the edge.
The parts of the blade near the handle and near the tip will have a different angle than the middle of the blade.
Short story, IMO if you want accurate and consistent angle sharpening, don't buy the Lansky if you have mostly larger blades to sharpen.
If you are not concerned about angle/edge consistancy, buy the lansky. It wil get your blades sharp. Don't forget to strop afterwards, it makes a great difference.
If you need an edge to be very durable, convex it.(more info on convex grind http://backyardbushman.com/?page_id=13 and here http://backyardbushman.com/?page_id=25)
Convexing an edge cannot be done with the Lansky system.


I'm kinda fussy about edge angles being the same for the whole length of the blade, so I'm looking to fab something myself and learn how to sharpen on a stone.

Pic of the Worksharp tool.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1425580543.jpg

Best way to sharpen knives?
 

I do the small section next to the clamp and then move the clamp down to maintain a consistent angle. Takes time but not that much more if all the stones are on the rods.