Anyone Know of a Good Knife Sharpener

[Meatloaf]

Originally Posted by Fish

The only reason to avoid the sharpeners in this thread, is because they are to be used only on double bevel blades. If you used them on a single bevel knife it would ruin the blade. Not because of the angle, but because of the bevel.

The angle of the bevel is not a design of the knife type. It's strictly dependent on what material you're cutting. Not what type of knife it is. You don't want a thin 17 degree blade, regardless of what type of knife it is, if you're cutting thick tough material. Therefore, the bevel angle varies depending on the use of the knife. Saying that sharpening a Japanese blade at 22 degrees doesn't make it a Japanese blade anymore is completely false. You should choose your bevel according to how the knife will be used.

Fish, a good Japanese knife maker considers several factors in making their knives. How it will be used is the primary factor, but other things to consider would be weight, handle type, frequency (is it going to be used in a line operation or simply in a residential kitchen, steel being used, ease of resharpening, etc.) There really isn't one single factor; they all need to be considered.

Typically, very thin Japanese knives are designed for sushi/fish; whereas more substantial blades like cleavers and debas require more bulk for whacking through bones and such.

I have a Wicked Edge sharpening system, and I can get virtually any blade screaming sharp....single bevel, double bevel....and you name the knife edge angle. Very cool system that pretty much guarantees a constant edge throughout the length of the blade.

Anyway, happy sharpening!!!

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Meatloaf

Fish, a good Japanese knife maker considers several factors in making their knives. How it will be used is the primary factor, but other things to consider would be weight, handle type, frequency (is it going to be used in a line operation or simply in a residential kitchen, steel being used, ease of resharpening, etc.) There really isn't one single factor; they all need to be considered.

Typically, very thin Japanese knives are designed for sushi/fish; whereas more substantial blades like cleavers and debas require more bulk for whacking through bones and such.

I have a Wicked Edge sharpening system, and I can get virtually any blade screaming sharp....single bevel, double bevel....and you name the knife edge angle. Very cool system that pretty much guarantees a constant edge throughout the length of the blade.

Anyway, happy sharpening!!!

I agree with that. The point is that the bevel angle isn't what classifies a knife.

I had a Lansky fixed position sharpener similar to the Wicked Edge. But I don't use it anymore as I didn't think it did a good enough job with certain sized/shaped blades. I've got a collection of novaculite bench stones that I do my sharpening with now. In my opinion, that's the best way to go. It will sharpen an edge down to a polish. The stones are pretty expensive, but I make enough money sharpening knives to make up for it pretty quickly. And they'll last forever.

Happy sharpening to you as well!