knife sharpener

Best electric sharpener under $200???

Ken Onion Worksharp

I'm not a fan of electric sharpeners (I generally hand sharpen on a diamond sharpener) but I do use one periodically, especially on abused kitchen knives. I think they are still well under $200, the Ken Onion WORK SHARP.

Jack

under by a nickle
https://www.worksharptools.com/shop...G2IpXRboxPap4KrwhIiuzmT0q8BoC3WkQAvD_BwE

If you want the guides, its $40 cheaper. I prefer the blade grinder attachement version(the elite) over the regular Ken Onion

the only thing I have used the base attachment for is sharpening my garden hoe I use the blade grinder for everything else

I buy the Red label abrasives they cost a bit less

when I got mine there was a youtube review of the ken onion with blade grinder that had a coupon code and I think I got it for 159.99

Withount the blade grinder attachement from amazon its 119 right now

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Knife-Sharpener-Onion/dp/B00EJ9CQKA?th=1

Im not sure why you would need more than a stone and steel rod?

If you're dealing with some of the "super steels" youll wear yourself out on a traditional stone. Run of the mill 20 dollar el cheapo knives you can use about anything.

you can do a lot with a stone and a steel.

but when you want to re-contour angles , fix broken tips , take dings out , do a houseful of neglected kitchen knives , get ready for processing a cow it sure is handy.

once you have everything in the kitchen set to 20 degrees you seldom use the coarse again , some 320 or 800 brings an edge back quick that wasn't easily taking an edge any more because you need to knock back the shoulder

some of the new "super steels" are also hard to sharpen with just a stone , because they are so hard

A belt sander ?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/AccuSharp-Knife-and-Tool-Sharpener-070C/44759753 - 10 bucks at Walmart. Put's a ridiculously sharp edge on any knife I have ever tried. Try it. Only this brand, no others work as well. Lay the knife on it's back with the blade hanging out towards you over the edge of the counter and run the tool down the blade with good pressure. I use it for all my hunting, fillet, skinning, pocket, butchering and kitchen knives.

most knife makers use a 2x72 belt grinder , however those don't come in under 200 dollars , your lucky to get a good one under 2000 dollars

I have the original Work Sharp. What some the Ken Onion do better?

the ken onion it's self is just a wider belt 3/4 vs 1/2 inch

the Ken onion blade grinder is a miniature 4 wheel belt grinder that lets you pick the angle and uses 1 inch belts better for large knives , reshaping tips, getting out dings and
finishing your own knives from blanks

ADC that tool does work amazingly well. I have a friend with one. I like the work sharp cause its so fast and knives are sharp. I can do a drawer full of dull kitchen knives in a half hour.

I dont have the Ken Onion model either. I think its a lot more money for very little if any improvement

I use a regular Worksharp with the 220 grit belts on my Dexters.

Worksharp for initial work

V sharp for touch up

For about five years after retiring, I worked at the dock in the afternoon as a fish processor for the charter fleet. The fist few years the owner sharpened the knives every day on an expensive electric machine. An 8” fillet knife would last about a year. Then our competition showed us the F.Dick rapid steel. We never had to use the electric sharpener except about once per month. It will keep a sharp knife sharp, but won’t do much for a dull knife. I hit our kitchen knifes with the F.Dick weekly as well as my pocket knife, which is the sharpest knife in the house.

When you need a quick touch up those accusharps cant be beat.I also have the Worksharp and a couple very good oilstones and a couple finishing steels.

I use the yellow one sold at wm ..is the white one different?

Those things are great for starting a knife (I use one) but you'll never get a knife truly sharp with anything like that. Start out with that and then touch it up with a steel. Or get a quality knife sharpener like the work sharp.

By a good steel I mean one like this: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/...ZhzMEJLxf7-zlgD5c0-qS_N9IEhoC1JoQAvD_BwE

if you have a good edge to start with you can go a long time with just a diamond steel
eventually you want to take more metal off to reset the secondary bevel that is where the electrics are really handy

although you can use a very fine belt and keep up on the edge also with the eclectic

I like the Dexter https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-Outdo...mond+steel&qid=1669386598&sr=8-5

For a stone, hone, or steel always go diamond. Some blades are very hard steel so take a long time on anything else but diamond. Plus diamond does a great job on everything. I hone broadheads on diamonds to get them sticky sharp. They cut with no feeling and very little pressure - I have nicked myself. Test with a rubber band - barely touch it and it cuts.

I don’t really care for the accusharp type carbide sharpeners. But maybe I have not given them enough chance or don’t use them correctly.

The Ken onion belt sharpener interests me, but I don’t want to grind away too much blade. Would like to see one in person.

it has everything to do with how coarse of a grit and speed you use
you can hone with a canvas belt & jewelers rouge and not take anything off hardly or you can hit it with a 150 or 80 grit and pull some serious metal like when forming a new tip on a knife with a broken tip

once I get an edge established at my angle I almost never go lower than 320 grit and likely a well used 320 at that there are some good videos out there where they get really good close ups of the blade and how the bur rolls as you take metal off

I have an F.Dick steel that's 100 years old.Still works great.

That is interesting, I have seen guys sharpen a blade on many things including cardboard.

What about friction caused heat changing the temper right at the thinnest part - the cutting edge?

Upstate - That is quite a claim!
It is surprising that it works at all at that age.

I use a wetwheel to thin blades-no damage from heat that way-then finish with med then fine handstones and strop.You can get a polished edge on a good kinfe-like a scalpel-with extremely fine waterstones,but that is not really necessary,but makes for effortless cleanskinning.
Heat from any kind of grinder can wreck the temper like you said especially at the thinnest part,causing the edge to not hold.

Developing and maintaining a good sharp edge on a knife is pretty straightforward.
First raise a burr with a good stone,then reduce the burr with finer stones,then remove the burr with a strop.
Many knives have too thick a blade,making it tougher to get a good edge for skinning.
I use the wetstone to thin the blade,it makes the subsequent sharpenings quicker,and you can hone at 15-20 degrees.