Thoughts on Sharpeners

[mikegideon]

No doubt you can.  Of course, my EDC knives are always in the $50 and below range for a reason.... I tend to lose them sometimes.  I would never carry a $500 EDC type like the Sebenza; not because they aren't great knives, but because I don't trust myself.  My CR sits in my safe.  It does not come out to play and probably never will.  If I ever was to mar it I would not be able to send it back to CR.  It is irreplaceable and I would never, ever trust it to any parcel service. 

 

I understand. My Sebenza 25 is going back, but can be replaced if it gets lost. I have $250 in the one I carry most. But, if there's any risk, I grab one of the cheapies.

[tnguy]

Still, it's kinda like mil dot math. You need to know how to do it in case you get caught without your cool toys. You can sharpen a knife on the bottom of a coffee cup, or a brick if you have the skills.

 

That just reminded me of this:

 

 

Linky: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28530

[peejman]

You don't make facets with the sharpie method. You don't sacrifice any steel at all if you do it right. If I didn't have a bunch of fairly expensive knives, I would get one of the guided systems like the Lansky, or the one mentioned above, and just flog the primary bevel into submission. That's what you wind up doing with the high end sharpeners in a lot of cases anyway, especially when the edge is off center. If you have different angles on each side, you're probably best off fixing it. 

 

There's another small issue with fixed guide angles. As the stones wear, they wear at different rates. The difference in thickness will add to the angle error. In fact, the change in thickness over time will change the angle. Of course, you can replace the stones and eliminate the error. 

 

Good points.  Given that I don't own any "boutique" knives, I don't worry about it.  I've got a few nicer kitchen knives, but they're very lightly used and unlikely to get lost. 

Edited August 13, 2013 by peejman

[mikegideon]

A Sebenza is as boutique as I get. I have some ZT's and Spydercos that don't deserve any abuse :). The pile is worth enough to use good tools. Of course, the tools don't make up for what you gotta know. From what I've been able to learn about the whole thing, I could do just fine with a Lansky. Just may wind up having to grind a little more off the knife the first time. I'm sure we have guys on here that can do just as well freehand.

 

I have one Kershaw that I sharpened with the Worksharp belt sander. It's not pretty, but it will castrate a gnat

[Guest The Itis]

My edc is a CRKT Pazoda which I scored for $7. I think it's a great knife and I don't have to baby it. Its perfect for me. I'm buying multiples to just stock up, as long as I can find them for under $10.

 

As for knives that are collectible and not to be used, I have a few damascus knives that are gorgeous and imo look better on a shelf than a sebenza. Not that I wouldn't love to have a sebenza, of course.