Knife in video → amzn.to/4gwsNa8 Sharpening Stone in video→ amzn.to/41ztSdc These are great gifts by the way😉 Everyone loves a knife! (Affiliate links) so I can one day buy a mansion in the Hamptons As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. --------------------------------------------- See full personal disclosure in description.
Your "problem" is our opportunity. What a great demonstration! I am in awe over the part @1:20 where you talk about your sharpening intuition and feeling when you have achieved the apex before you even check for the burr. I've been practicing according to your techniques, with vastly better results than I ever had before, and I still have a long way to go. Thank you so much for your videos.
Not gonna lie, I've had a sharpening obsession since back in 1986! In the Shotgun News there was an Advertisement where the sharpening tool made an Axe so sharp you could shave a beard with it! Wish I could remember the tool's name, I wore mine out before the 1990s hit! Lots of great info, thank you.
Sharpening for me is like therapy. It doesn't matter if it's a $20 knife from a buddy at work or a $300 knife out of my collection. I take the same time and care for each. I find it very stress relieving to do. Thanks for the great content as always.
Me as well. I've actually done it to unwind after a particularly stressful day. Grabbed a fillet blade and took some time completely reprofiling and working it to as close to a mirror finish as possible without >2000 grit stones as I could.
@@brian70Cuda cleaning well engineered things is always nice, but Imma from the UK so can't really comment coz I've never touched a real gun. EDIT , just realised i did comment, so that was a bit of a lie 🙂
@@norrisfong6445No shit sherlock... wait did you think 22 guys were capable of running with 1 ball...you guys gotta start thinking about the shit you say
Hobbies are hobbies. Humans like tinkering with stuff. It's fun. That's all the justification any hobby ever needs. That said, I take my stone and strop around with me when I visit friends and sharpen their kitchen knives. It's a fun way to turn one of my many hobbies into a little improvement to someone's daily cooking. So far everyone really enjoys it!
Yeap! Look, how fast I can write "Hello, world" in C++. Just a couple of minutes, and it's done. You can, too! By the way, I'm a programmer with 20 years of experience and so what? To be serious, I use one of the Chef's Choice grinders for monthly routines and a steel rod for everyday sharpening. All these stuff don't require years of training to make my knives sharp.
But think about it. Instead of having a useful skill you could waste a lot of money on alcohol, and yell at a plastic rectangle that a sports team isn't doing the thing like you want. Or maybe pretend to hear people in a room that's way too loud for anyone to great anytime but the bass. Don't those things seem so much more fulfilling.
If you are using a grinder to sharpen your knives then I'd say you have to much time on your hands, you literally worked to buy a knife then destroy it in seconds. Which if your doing that I'm guessing you are buying 3$ gastation knives made of pot metal so I guess i understand in that case. However some people like proper tools which with any proper tool they will need maintenance which is the point in getting proper tools so they last a long time with proper care.
@ unfortunately i did and got a lecture on why they didn't sharpen it in the first place. I still have it though. Its a union fork and hoe manufacture one from 1943 i believe
telling people to use an angle grinder also means you're telling people who don't already have one to buy one just to sharpen their knives, which seems even more obsessive than what he was arguing against lol.
Sharpening and stropping a knife is a form of relaxation for me. The fact that I occasionally end up with a relatively sharp knife is of secondary concern.
0:10 that’s a golden comment. I hadn’t sharpened my knife in a few months and had been doing a lot with it so it was dull when I grabbed it. In under 5 minutes with a dmt extra corse and a 6micron strop I had it shaving sharp.
I WORKED 22 HOURS AT THE BALL CRUSHING FACTORY TODAY. YOU GOT SOFT HANDS BROTHER. HOW DARE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THINGS YOU LIKE AND TAKE TIME TO CARE FOR AND PRESERVE THE THINGS YOU ENJOY
I don't think the guy's entirely wrong when it comes to price, but you know what that actually means for me? That I don't buy $800+ plus knives. The fact that other people do? Not an issue, doesn't affect me in any way. It would be a problem if the production of $800+ knives somehow reduced the availability or increased the price of cheaper knives, but it doesn't. It seems to me that either the guy is elevating his personal preferences to moral principals, or he would actually like to buy $800+ knives, but can't.
I love how these days a lot of dudes are like "you gotta be your own man, be independent, be a lone wolf" and then straight up can't cook, sharpen a knife or even sew a bloody button back on. Like, my man, creating a shitty podcast, scalping sneakers on ebay and going to the gym 3 times a week doesn't make you independent 😩
As someone who enjoys the outdoors here in Australia, 4WDing and camping, I've come to find your knife sharpening videos entertaining and educational, as there will be times I will need to sharpen a knife when I am remote and learning how to do that is valuable knowledge. Thanks for the content, I appreciate it. 🤠👌
Teaching others a useful skill like sharpening is definitely a good use of your time and more productive than complaining on the internet about people who enjoy something like rubbing knives on expensive stones.
Im 66 been sharpening knives since i could clean fish very young boy, i never had real quality knives, but now i can appreciate a good quality steel, i still am not near as good as you sharpening i have learned alot about how to sharpen razor sharp and good stones and stropping, i love to sharpen anything that cuts go on with your bad self😊
Thank you! Don’t let the trolls get you down. You are humorous and a great educator. I have learned lots. Purchased some great knives and tools as per your recommendations. Keep up the great work❤
I recently got into freehand sharpening, in part thanks to your videos. I find the level of accuracy and concentration required to obtain a perfect edge, actually calms me. I call it "sharp therapy"
That first comment shown in the video makes me believe some people don’t have time for hobbies in life and is why they think you shouldn’t either. Knife is indeed a tool, but people find genuine pleasure mastering tool maintenance and it’s our hobby. Don’t let these negative people drag you down in life. Reminds me of what mark twain said about censorship (not exactly related but it’s similar to this comment): “Censorship is like saying a man can’t have his steak because a baby can’t chew it”. Just because the 1 negative viewer doesn’t have enough teeth to consume your content, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your own hobby and bring joy to many other people like us. Much love, thank you for your honest and reliable content.
I dont think he has much against you if you have this as a hobby but if you are doing this for a non hobby reason, it is inefficient. Or so he believes.
I don't know if it's about not having time, they just don't have hobbies. I know a couple of people who have fallen into the capitalist hustle culture, and they don't understand why you would do things for fun, not to make money. Yes, they are miserable.
@Runpulatorpal I don’t give two flying fucks about you or what you think. I’m not going to argue with you. You can choose to misinterpret my comment all you want. I’m done talking to you. Drink water touch grass and go to church.
@Runpulator look buddy I’m not going to argue with you because you’re choosing to intentionally misinterpret my comment. Drink water, touch grass, and go to church.
I'm a carpenter and use my knife all day for a multitude of things and I sharpen like that every evening. it usually ends up sharper than a new razor knife. So I agree with you, but it takes practice to be able to refresh a knife like that and without it, it will never get that sharp.
I used to spend a lot of money getting my knives sharpened, and the shop would remove too much steel from the knives. After getting af Sharpal 325/1200 and making my own strop. Ive spent the same amount as sharpening all my knives once. Doing it myself saves a lot of time and money. And my knives are never dull anymore. Thank you so much
I don't have room in my apartment's kitchen drawer for a bench grinder. I'm rocking a $20 satc diamond stone, a cheap strop with the compound that came in the box, and a knife I got for free for helping an old man set up his vendor tent at an event. Sometimes we learn skills that are useful to us, dadgumit. Re-sharpening my knife takes like 5 minutes of my time and I'm not a pro. I watch the channel from time to time because it's funny.
And then imagine the time and effort you save cutting things with a knife that's sharper than a bit knife. I can dice three onions before my eyes even start to cry. Or opening something out just pops right through.
I just started using sharpening stones instead of other options,makes a huge difference on my kitchen knives, this guy's how- to videos really helped me
Let them say what they want. This channel is an invaluable resource for me. Right now I have a worksharp that I haven't used yet. Knowing this channel is here is a comfort to me for when I'm ready to change the lives of those around me. Eventually I want to get serious and will be ready for a proper stone & need to know how to use it... again I know you're here. People complaining about a FREE education from an expert when kids are coming out of universities under mountains of debt, just can't see the forest for the trees! The best things in a quality life aren't always free, but when they are, there will always be someone who complains about it. Those are the people you never want to dine with lest you're willing to risk someone spitting in your food as well... and you'll ironically pay for that, twice. Keep it coming, and I'll keep coming back to make sure your efforts are not in vain. Thank you for everything you do here. All of it, even the stuff I'm not "currently" interested in.
I told my children, when they were growing up, it doesn’t matter what you do in life as long as you enjoy it. We all spend too much time doing things most other people don’t understand, but we enjoy doing it, and that’s all that matters.
This is 100% false. It does matter what you do. There are many harmful and destructive ways to enjoy yourself. Try holding that principle if the comback enjoying drugs or somthing.
@@bendoe5863 Exactly. I enjoy shoving cherry cheese cake jubilee ice cream in my face on a hot summer day. But you gotta know when to draw the line. Which.....I know....is hard.
These are straw-man arguments. You don’t enjoy shoving strawberry cake in your face or anywhere else. You get pleasure from that, not joy. I choose my words carefully. I said enjoy. I didn’t say get pleasure. Doing drugs is not even a pleasure, much less joy. Drugs and all other escapes are a pain killer. They are a relief from pain. Unfortunately, people with chronic pain can confuse relief from pain with pleasure. That is a misunderstanding. Pleasure is not lack of pain and joy is not pleasure. On the biochemical level, pleasure is dopamine, while joy is oxytocin. These are very different. I stand by what I said and meant.
I guess you don’t enjoy it enough to make a career of it. Some people do. Ceasar Milan turned his love for dogs into a very successful career. I never said you should make a career out of everything you enjoy. I only said that you should enjoy what you do.
Thank you for the wonderful instruction you provide. Your videos have greatly improved my knife sharpening skills. Best wishes as you deal with your health issues.
Ah, ignore the haters. You're a world expert in knives, and I've learned more from your channel about knife sharpening than I have from anywhere else. I've watched a lot of other DIY content and read books and tried all sorts of gizmos and techniques, but honestly your method is the only one that gave me consistent, decent results. I'm nowhere near as good as you are, but you upped my game tenfold with just a few simple bits of advice. Thank you!
man, you know what you are?? a breath of fresh air!! sometimes you have me cracking up, but always increasing my knowledge on steels used for knife making. i like your style, dont ever change!! thanks nd take care..
We watched it maybe I do have a problem. Sharpening is like meditation to me the sound of steel on stone is soothing to me and when you have the edge just razor sharp and it glides thru whatever you cut it just feel so good
I just wanted to thank you and Jerad from neeves for turning me from a bad freehand guy to a good one. Happy Holidays and thanks to you both for all the informative reviews.
I agree, you’re sick!.. and contagious! I keep buying more knives, stones, stropping leather, compound, practice, test sharpness, repeat (in random order)
I was about to point out that we just watched you time yourself sharpening a knife, and then you beat me to it. LOL Genuinely impressive results. I still need a jig to get a reliable edge, but at least I know it is doable. Thanks for all the videos (informative and humorous).
Like a few others have said, i find knife sharpneing therapeutic. Specially after learning free hand sharpening from you. Now the issue that I run into is that it's too quick, and it's such a great and long lasting edge, that we don't dull our knives fast enough. I've started sharpening for the family, friends, and neighbors.
I have a full block of kitchen knives that are very easy and quick to sharpen, and have good stones to sharpen them. I guess I sharpen only 2 or 3 per month, and it takes about 2 minutes each. With that little bit of sharpening, It's hard to keep my skills honed, and I guess that's why I watch the Outdoors55 channel.
Thanks to you, I learned how to sharpen a knife. I even bought a pocket-microscope (12$ ?) to see edge Favorite blade shape for me its Wharncliffe, which is great for my needs. You can make marks, points, small holes, and cut things. Some people may consider my technique lame because I switch hands, but it’s easier for me to see if I’m holding the correct angle. The Wharncliffe shape is so easy to sharpen because it's a straight razor. To make one knife sharp, it takes me about 5 minutes. I use a 300 diamond stone and a belt. It's sharp enough to cut paper and sharp enough for me. Sometimes i use 1000 but only when i feel like it. It's a hobby. Some people collect Pokémon cards and are happy, so why not collect knives? I mostly go for $50 knives, but I have one that cost $100.They are on cheaper side cuz they are classic knifes not a folders. It’s a fun hobby. I also sharpen knives for my friends or family, and why not? It’s just a hobby, and it's a practical one. Bashing someone for their hobby is kind of lame. Like fishing? LOL, just go to the market and buy fish. What’s with all the people talking about fishing? Waste of time XD XD
I go to 1200 grit or so with my kitchen knives. I don't strop them. The 1,200 will let me slice a ripe (very ripe) tomato paper thin. I do strop my wood working tools (planes, chisels), but they are high-grade steel, and they are addressing much more difficult materials than tomatoes. None of them take much time, and a power grinder is easily as much work to master using as a stone or steel.
Ive always struggled with freehand, but after some practice and just paying attention to my angle, a strop has made ALL the difference. I took my knife with a huge rolled over edge to paper slicing in a couple minutes, and it seemed weird how easy it was. This video confirmed that an a knife that has simply lost it's edge just doesn't take that much to bring back.
People might belittle this as just a hobby or something, but I personally had a passion for knife sharpening specifically all my life. Even just getting a working edge back in the day, meant a lot to me because it's something I've wanted to achieve and learning more about them especially with the close detail and attention you give your videos unironically helped me immensely to actually learn what I was doing right and wrong, especially the close up shots and seeing the edges after sharpening them on different stones and diamond plates. One of the happiest things I could do after more practice was to be able to offer my friends to sharpen their knives lol. My proudest moment was actually practicing your techniques by keeping both my arms locked and just turning my body and I finally achieved razor sharp edges. I just get giddy every time I manage to get an edge like that on a carbon steel knife, because it's like only something I can do in my entire group. When they say "get a life" from this, I can't help but laugh because it's something I'm passionate about and all this practice actually encouraged me to do knife sharpening professionally, which I'm so proud of saying that I'm finally able to confidently do. I'm genuinely so happy that knife sharpening is a part my life and getting to learn more about them from you and all the ways to do them is really fulfilling and just made all the time I spent on it worth it.
LOL !! 🤣 Oh my goodness, that was hilarious! Love this channel. I just bought the Sharpal 1000 and 6000 stones and love them. All the knives in the house are sharp - my wife appreciates this channel too!
I (and I imagine most people) use a knife on a daily basis if not several times a week at a minimum. Even if it's just in the kitchen. It is definitely worth it to learn how to free hand sharpen a knife. A couple of weeks of practice on average is all it should take. If you stick to budget steel and the hardness associated with them (think well executed D2 as the hardest knife you will mess with ) you can get away with nothing finer than 600 grit water stone and green chromium oxide on a leather strop (very affordable setup). You will be well served for the rest of your life. There are more premium knifes and sharpening setups for sure. These days I sharpen all of my EDC pocket knives, tactical knives, bushcraft knives, and culinary knives free hand using a bone dry axe puck and a leather strop (also sharpen axes, hatchets, tomahawks and machetes the same way. I don't use a bench. I do it standing up holding knife in right hand and puck in left. That way I can sharpen my knife in the middle of a swamp or snow field and not have to waste water (a big deal in the desert) and not have a wet puck that could freeze or get other things wet in my pack. Muscle memory is an amazing thing. It's really all about muscle memory and look and feel. You should start out with a rectangular stone on a bench until you master it. That will be easier starting out and may very well be all you ever need. Just watch this guys channel and learn how to do it properly. I prefer a stropping motion as I find that works best on cheap "water" stones although as I said I use them bone dry. Once in a blue moon (about once or twice a year) I level the pucks by using an orbital motion on a flat patch of concrete pavement. Learn to wipe your own butt. Learn to tie your shoes. Learn to sharpen a knife.
I have to say that you've been important to me sharpening knives quickly and with simple means. Now several years later i sharpen a knife in a few minutes to an acceptable level by hand.
Thanks for the video! Your videos are very helpful and informative! Please do not let the negative comments get to you! If anything you have 386k subscribers who loves your videos man.
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"How quick you can sharpen a knife real time" I'll be the devil's advocate on this one, -> "how many HOURS of practice did it takes to get that efficient at sharpening?"
You still have to divide those hours by the knives you sharpened along the way. 😛 Also, I have serious doubts whether someone "sharpening" on a bench grinder is actually achieving a sharp knife at all. If so, you probably also have the skills to do it on a diamond plate, freehand.
@@jaredm450 I used to sharpen woodworking tools on a bench grinder. 1) At least with the wheel I was using, things didn't get very sharp. I only used it to reestablish an angle and fix chips. 2) With a standard bench grinder wheel and motor speed, it's pretty easy to overheat the cutting edge and wreck the heat treatment, forcing you to grind off a bunch of metal to basically start over creating the edge.
The people that sharpen on a bench grinder, dull to them is when there is no edge. The same type to say "I've never had to sharpen my spyderco/benchmade/zero tolerance" it's probably because you have no idea what sharp is
Honestly with a half-decent youtube tutorial and that $80 sharpal plate, you can get a solid workable edge from not even knowing how to find the angle inside of 2 hours. Everything after that is just refining technique
@@Guishan_Lingyou Good points! I have a jig for my wood turning chisels, but even then, I like to finish up on a diamond stone (and like you said, you have to keep things cool). I cannot imagine "sharpening" my pocket knife on a grinding wheel though. Maybe if you have an adjustable-speed grinder with a fine-grit wheel? Even then, your bevels are going to turn out all wonky and uneven. If you can hold your knife steady enough to do it though - probably could do it by hand too.
Been a subscribe for a few years now. I have to say, you really seem more comfortable in front of the camera. I've always enjoyed your videos, and they've just gotten better and more polished over time. 👍
F**k the haters, I love your channel mate. I'm learning from you how to freehand. Watching channels you don't like and leaving negative comments is the worst hobby I can think of.
My entire sharpening gear is 20 dollars so i cant sharpen it that fast but speed is not the point. Point is there is no other way for me to achieve sufficient blade geometry without a stone
Just when I think I've seen your best video, you do another one! This has so much detail on HOW to sharpen. But yet, not any extraneous details not needed! The more i watch, the more I learn!
I can relate to your problem. LOL. Someone at work a while back asked if I had a sharp knife they could use. Another employee rolled his eyes and said "Don, not have a sharp knife, what is wrong with you"
I just have to tell you that I have followed your videos, and studied them some in the last month. I decided to buy a setup with the $20 amazon stone, make my own strop from the belt, bought 8micron from the same company since they were out of 6, and my first three attempts at sharpening were successful. I haven't got hair whittling sharp, and only 1 of the 3 was close to shaving sharp, but they are hella better than before. My kitchen knives are old henckel knives, but using the 60x and 90x loupe reveals a bunch of fairly large chips that I've only partially worn away with my first 20-30 passes. That was interesting, but the 3rd knife I just did the whole process in about 2 minutes, without looking at it in detail, and the knife was just as sharp as the others. My wife is happy to have sharp knives. Thank you for your awesome channel. Looking forward to sharpening more of my knives! I've got a fever...and the only solution is...MORE SHARPENING.
Love you vids dude. Price of the knife is irrelevant. Most people I know do not sharpen their knives at all, so they are wasting money at any price range :).
I enjoy sharpening. So i dont mind it. I just want to continue to get more skilled at sharpening without wasting money on unnecessary items related to sharpening. I really feel like this channel gives good honest reviews and doesn’t try to sell me anything. Just provides fair equipment reviews. I appreciate the work he puts into the videos.
Agree with both you and the comment... I hand lap my blades, and it takes some 5 minutes on a glass plate with wetpaper grit 1k to 5k(strop essentially at that point)... Edge is mirror like and shaving sharp to the point where amputations are foreseeable result of mistakes... My aunt flew over from america and she stayed for a while with us... She went to filet a salmon - took the knife, was used to dull blades, she sliced the fish and sliced into her hand because she was not used to a knife actually performing properly... No real harm, just a nice long cut, but she quite liked the effects of a sharp knife on things that were not parts of her body... A razor sharp knife is safer than a dull knife - because you know that it will perform and you do not rely on force for cutting, you rely in the force multiplication effect of the fine cutting edge to transform the slightest pressure into bone splitting force... When you know that a blade will slice through a slab of vegetable or meat, you don`t push the knife in as you know it will hit the cutting board with force - you just gently slide it down and enjoy the supreme performance of technology that pre-dates the written word... A dull knife demands hard grip on the knife and on the thing you are cutting, along with excessive force pushing on the knife - which easily generates accidents and injuries... If all you need to do is gently lay one hand on a slab of bacon and gently slide the blade one full stroke to get a slice - you risk nothing as nothing is gonna move anywhere, except the slice of bacon that will be removed from the slab of bacon being cut... And for the love of God, don`t use bench grinders for anything outside rough fabrication... They have their uses, but in toolmaking - they are a roughing tool at best... It`s not for no reason that there are dozens of specialized grinders in the industry - from jig grinders, surface grinders, cylindrical grinders, tool and cutter grinders, saw grinders, valve grinders, chainsaw grinders, parting grinders, blanchard grinders and i could list another 15 with ease and not even scratch the surface... As a machinist, i see many uses for a bench grinder, but not a single one of them results in a finish ground blade or a cutter of any sort - it offers 0 geometry control, even less so than hand grinding on a sharpening stone(if you know what you are doing even a slight bit) and it can be a fucking menace if you make a mistake... Hell, i dare say that a layman is more likely to get a well ground blade with an angle grinder with a flap disc than with a bench grinder... But angle grinders are a PSA can of worms that i don`t want to get into, i`ll just say this - look up angle grinder quadrants of rotation and until you figure out why i said that - don`t grab onto an angle grinder lightly... Best regards!
I’m a home cook and a former butchet so definetely not a knife guy. I can work with something slightly better than a farmer’s edge. And I just watched you time yourself sharpen this knife. … you know what, f*** those bad comments keep the good edits and I love your videos. I’ll keep watching you trying to make it work even faster…. I need to buy myself a diamond stone now
I got a sharpal and sharpened all my knives six months ago and they have held their edge ever since. No regrets. Bought a sharpal for Dad for Christmas.
Keep in mind that I just followed your directions, I'd used a regular japanese cheap stone years ago and it was messy and frustrating. The Sharpal was dead easy and fast as heck. I didn't bother refining the edges, just went for a good apex and strop. Most of the knives are still fine. They were horrifically dull before.
I can sharpen by hand but use a Chef's Choice for my kitchen knives - they aren't super expensive, and the magnets give you the proper angle if you let them. If I have to sharpen woodworking tools, then it is manual sharpening, and a slower process, because when a woodworking tool like a chisel needs sharpening, it is usually because of larger scale damage, and these tools need to be able to cut across the grain of the wood (which requires a much finer edge)
Even if hand sharpening was slow & arduous, it's a survival skill. Much like fire-starting without a lighter, you hope you never NEED it, but will be alive if you do need it.(and glad you have those skills)
😂 Always fun! It's impressive how unhappy are the people who use their time with things they don't like. They get to the point where they write their BS without being asked! I hope you continue to do what you do. Your channel is one of the best I follow independently of the subject. Thanks for sharing
I really hope you are not taking these comments seriously. I enjoy your videos so much and I have learned so much from you. I sharpen my blades so good because of you. I really appreciate your dedication and willingness to teach us, your audience! Please keep going! ❤
I have noticed that people who don't have the time or patience to sharpen a knife also don't have time to cook, carpenter or do anything that takes skill. They usually have lots of time for shopping, eating out and twitting. Carry on sharpening.
Was definitely worth it to learn to sharpen knives enough to get a shaving edge, and just regularly sharpen all the kitchen knives. My mom used to buy a new knife when old ones got too dull to be useful. Also I'm pretty sure some of them have at some point been sharpened with an angle grinder. And almost all (mostly unsuccessfully) with a vintage pull through "sharpener". Getting an initial good edge on them took some work but was worth it.
Remember you are a skilled and very very experienced person with sharpening use a stone. As an amateur spending time on sharpening on a stone ends up with a knife that is duller than when I started.
Well then get a worksharp or lansky sharpening system. They are only like 40 bucks and it does a great job and is still really quick. It doesnt take long to learn to sharpen freehand either but the worksharp precision adjust is fantastic.
I keep one of those sharpal sets and a 15 micron strop in my desk at work. I sharpen everyone’s daily carry knives. Even with the horrific edges that they bring me (mostly trashed from pull through sharpeners). It takes about 3-4 minutes to totally reprofile and get them shaving sharp. Which is such a huge improvement that they think it’s magic. I’m not even nearly as skilled as a lot of people here. Just competent. It really doesn’t take much investment in time or $
There's no way I could sharpen a knife in 63 seconds! HOWEVER, I can certainly destroy the knife in under 63 seconds. I'm old and retired so I have LOTS of time to get great edges on all of my knives with my KME. And I can certainly strop that edge every week in under a minute to maintain that near hair whittling sharpness. Only you can do real hair whittling sharpness, Alex! My test for sharpness is will it shave my bald head. As for someone telling total strangers to "GET A LIFE"...I am amazed that the generation that is all about inclusivity, tolerance, and "I don't need your validation" are the most exclusive, intolerant, and judgmental online commenters, IMO. THANKS for this video, Alex!!
So, your videos are a pretty definitive source imo for what is true and real about knife sharpening and sharpness. But all the time i hear this exception "unless youre sharpenign a staright razor". Can you expand upon that? What are the important differences between sharpening a straight razor and pocket knife?
Thanks to you, I hand sharpen and I I wait until I have a few that need it because the setting up at my dining room table takes a few minutes and I want to make it worth my while. You are the man!
Sharpening freehand only takes a long time if you don’t know how to do it or if you choose to reprofile a knife on stones instead of a grinder. I actually enjoy sharpening knives freehand and find it relaxing and satisfying getting an incredibly sharp and durable edge on a knife.
Oh boy I enjoy this channel, and not only for the entertainment factor, which is inmense. This just works. Funny thing (not really) I don´t even have a proper carry knife or am into the hobby. I discovered the channel for unknown reasons (I have not searched for sharpening ever), but I had a lot of fun and the skill looked very interesting and approachable. After a few videos I was really intrigued, so I bought that dirty cheap chinese diamond stone and the fakest diamond paste and made my strop out of stuff lying around. I tested in a relic small kitchen knive, that was to be binned, dulled to death. That very non-pro knife has been now for months my workshop daily. Bloody hell is ugly, but it just refuses to dull. I have not sharpened it again, and I still have respect for that edge. I have several utility knives, with tons of spare blades, and I just go for the kitchen one for almost everything. Since then, I sharpened a bit all the kitchen stuff, just once, and called the day. This was many months ago, and I only have sharpened after a couple utility knife blades (wow, that works!) and a few things. I still watch every single video because I really have fun, and more often than not, I learn something new.
As someone who uses a work sharp grinder, we all have a problem as knife nerds. We are all just trying to make a pointy thing pointier no matter the method or speed. Lovely video as always.
I don't care about knives but I like experts in nerdy things being passionate about the things they know. I don't like coffee but I binged James Hoffmann last christmass and got into coffee nerdery videos. I like your channel for the same reason, I am never going to spend the same amount of money or time or care on the hobby as you lovely people but I find it interesting and entertaining to watch all the same. Keep being nerdy knife folks, I may not share your passion but I find your passion great all the same.
“Obsession” is right. In the 70’s I became interested in knives, $8.95 was the average price of a pocket folder or a hunting sheath knife. My dad recalled a case knife with spay and sheep foot blades were $2.00 in the 40’s. It wasn’t long after RUclips became popular in 2005 that camping, bushcraft and knives created the “obsession”. I bought my first Spyderco in 2005 for $35.00. Things have changed.
I have and use the mdf wheels for some super fast sharpening jobs. But, I also have oil stones, water stones, and several diamond stones. I freely admit that I need more practice to get faster and more consistent edges using stones. I love your channel, Alex, and apparently, we all have a problem when it comes to knives. We need more and sharper knives. 😂
I calculated his sharping time at 1:00 to 1:47 and stropping was done 1:47 to 2:07 That's fast in my judgment. I purchased the Sharpal 162N that he featured on a previous video. I am very happy with this new double side diamond stone.
Knife in video → amzn.to/4gwsNa8
Sharpening Stone in video→ amzn.to/41ztSdc
These are great gifts by the way😉 Everyone loves a knife!
(Affiliate links) so I can one day buy a mansion in the Hamptons
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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See full personal disclosure in description.
Your "problem" is our opportunity. What a great demonstration! I am in awe over the part @1:20 where you talk about your sharpening intuition and feeling when you have achieved the apex before you even check for the burr. I've been practicing according to your techniques, with vastly better results than I ever had before, and I still have a long way to go. Thank you so much for your videos.
I keep looking at burrfection's strops. I have a problem 🤣 but a rolled buffalo, strop? i mean, who wouldn't want one.
Not gonna lie, I've had a sharpening obsession since back in 1986! In the Shotgun News there was an Advertisement where the sharpening tool made an Axe so sharp you could shave a beard with it! Wish I could remember the tool's name, I wore mine out before the 1990s hit!
Lots of great info, thank you.
You have helped me so much, my sharpening has improved by a magnitude! Thank you.
Freehand sharpening seems tedious, but wow, the results speak
Sharpening for me is like therapy. It doesn't matter if it's a $20 knife from a buddy at work or a $300 knife out of my collection. I take the same time and care for each. I find it very stress relieving to do. Thanks for the great content as always.
Was gonna say the same.
yeah i agree. the rhythm , the sounds and the end result. Its all a nice short break from the madness.
I get the same therapy from cleaning guns too:)
Me as well. I've actually done it to unwind after a particularly stressful day. Grabbed a fillet blade and took some time completely reprofiling and working it to as close to a mirror finish as possible without >2000 grit stones as I could.
@@brian70Cuda cleaning well engineered things is always nice, but Imma from the UK so can't really comment coz I've never touched a real gun. EDIT , just realised i did comment, so that was a bit of a lie 🙂
Definitely a problem… spending money on knives because I like them 🤣… well… others buy tickets to see 22 guys running a ball…
You have to support those poor 22 guys, they can't even afford to buy their own balls and have to share.
Lol 😂
All 22 aren't even doing that.
@@norrisfong6445No shit sherlock... wait did you think 22 guys were capable of running with 1 ball...you guys gotta start thinking about the shit you say
Sportsball lasts mere hours but a good knife is forever. ❤
I loved this one. My wife usually listens to the scratching sounds and goes “are you watching a sharpening video again??”
Yes, again!
Get a life🤣
Mine too!
Hobbies are hobbies. Humans like tinkering with stuff. It's fun. That's all the justification any hobby ever needs.
That said, I take my stone and strop around with me when I visit friends and sharpen their kitchen knives. It's a fun way to turn one of my many hobbies into a little improvement to someone's daily cooking. So far everyone really enjoys it!
The number of people who have never sharpened their kitchen knives is appalling.
NAILED IT!!! What a problem you have! You have a skill most people cannot come close to. Last I checked, having skills is a life.
Grandpa taught me well...
Yeap! Look, how fast I can write "Hello, world" in C++. Just a couple of minutes, and it's done. You can, too! By the way, I'm a programmer with 20 years of experience and so what?
To be serious, I use one of the Chef's Choice grinders for monthly routines and a steel rod for everyday sharpening. All these stuff don't require years of training to make my knives sharp.
But think about it. Instead of having a useful skill you could waste a lot of money on alcohol, and yell at a plastic rectangle that a sports team isn't doing the thing like you want. Or maybe pretend to hear people in a room that's way too loud for anyone to great anytime but the bass. Don't those things seem so much more fulfilling.
If you are using a grinder to sharpen your knives then I'd say you have to much time on your hands, you literally worked to buy a knife then destroy it in seconds. Which if your doing that I'm guessing you are buying 3$ gastation knives made of pot metal so I guess i understand in that case. However some people like proper tools which with any proper tool they will need maintenance which is the point in getting proper tools so they last a long time with proper care.
12 year old me getting reprimanded by my grandpa for sharpening his M1 bayonet on a benchgrinder.
@thaknobodi please tell me you didn't 😂
@ unfortunately i did and got a lecture on why they didn't sharpen it in the first place. I still have it though. Its a union fork and hoe manufacture one from 1943 i believe
Haha i know! It's hilarious 😆
telling people to use an angle grinder also means you're telling people who don't already have one to buy one just to sharpen their knives, which seems even more obsessive than what he was arguing against lol.
Sharpening and stropping a knife is a form of relaxation for me. The fact that I occasionally end up with a relatively sharp knife is of secondary concern.
Yep - very cheap therapy. Maybe an innovative therapist might incorporate that into various treatments. For real!
Is a side effect 🤣
0:10 that’s a golden comment. I hadn’t sharpened my knife in a few months and had been doing a lot with it so it was dull when I grabbed it. In under 5 minutes with a dmt extra corse and a 6micron strop I had it shaving sharp.
Best freehand sharpening lesson on the internet!!! And hilarious too! Thank you.
Hand sharpening an expensive knife is a labor of love. Owning the expensive knife is enjoying a collecting hobby.
I wouldn't call owning 1 knife collecting though. The best thing about spending a bit more money on quality is you don't have to own as many things.
I WORKED 22 HOURS AT THE BALL CRUSHING FACTORY TODAY. YOU GOT SOFT HANDS BROTHER. HOW DARE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THINGS YOU LIKE AND TAKE TIME TO CARE FOR AND PRESERVE THE THINGS YOU ENJOY
This is the best one.🤣
Yep
I don't think the guy's entirely wrong when it comes to price, but you know what that actually means for me? That I don't buy $800+ plus knives. The fact that other people do? Not an issue, doesn't affect me in any way. It would be a problem if the production of $800+ knives somehow reduced the availability or increased the price of cheaper knives, but it doesn't. It seems to me that either the guy is elevating his personal preferences to moral principals, or he would actually like to buy $800+ knives, but can't.
People who buy $800 knives are either posers,or serious chefs who are in the Japanese cutting trades.
@@CrimeVid”posers” posing as what? A person who can afford nice things?
People that can build and fix things make the world run, everyone should know how to sharpen a knife like this.
I love how these days a lot of dudes are like "you gotta be your own man, be independent, be a lone wolf" and then straight up can't cook, sharpen a knife or even sew a bloody button back on.
Like, my man, creating a shitty podcast, scalping sneakers on ebay and going to the gym 3 times a week doesn't make you independent 😩
As someone who enjoys the outdoors here in Australia, 4WDing and camping, I've come to find your knife sharpening videos entertaining and educational, as there will be times I will need to sharpen a knife when I am remote and learning how to do that is valuable knowledge.
Thanks for the content, I appreciate it. 🤠👌
Teaching others a useful skill like sharpening is definitely a good use of your time and more productive than complaining on the internet about people who enjoy something like rubbing knives on expensive stones.
Im 66 been sharpening knives since i could clean fish very young boy, i never had real quality knives, but now i can appreciate a good quality steel, i still am not near as good as you sharpening i have learned alot about how to sharpen razor sharp and good stones and stropping, i love to sharpen anything that cuts go on with your bad self😊
Thank you! Don’t let the trolls get you down. You are humorous and a great educator. I have learned lots. Purchased some great knives and tools as per your recommendations. Keep up the great work❤
I recently got into freehand sharpening, in part thanks to your videos. I find the level of accuracy and concentration required to obtain a perfect edge, actually calms me. I call it "sharp therapy"
That first comment shown in the video makes me believe some people don’t have time for hobbies in life and is why they think you shouldn’t either.
Knife is indeed a tool, but people find genuine pleasure mastering tool maintenance and it’s our hobby.
Don’t let these negative people drag you down in life.
Reminds me of what mark twain said about censorship (not exactly related but it’s similar to this comment): “Censorship is like saying a man can’t have his steak because a baby can’t chew it”.
Just because the 1 negative viewer doesn’t have enough teeth to consume your content, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your own hobby and bring joy to many other people like us.
Much love, thank you for your honest and reliable content.
the first commentor obviously sounds like he hates his life so he tries to shit on other ppl's passion.
I dont think he has much against you if you have this as a hobby but if you are doing this for a non hobby reason, it is inefficient. Or so he believes.
I don't know if it's about not having time, they just don't have hobbies. I know a couple of people who have fallen into the capitalist hustle culture, and they don't understand why you would do things for fun, not to make money. Yes, they are miserable.
Having haters just means you’re doing something right. Keep up the informative videos my guy. Love your stuff
@Runpulatorimagine taking it out of context and applying it to something wildly different. People are crazy.
@Runpulatorpal I don’t give two flying fucks about you or what you think. I’m not going to argue with you. You can choose to misinterpret my comment all you want. I’m done talking to you. Drink water touch grass and go to church.
@Runpulator look buddy I’m not going to argue with you because you’re choosing to intentionally misinterpret my comment. Drink water, touch grass, and go to church.
I'm a carpenter and use my knife all day for a multitude of things and I sharpen like that every evening. it usually ends up sharper than a new razor knife. So I agree with you, but it takes practice to be able to refresh a knife like that and without it, it will never get that sharp.
We all need a hobby. Some of us prefer that hobby to not be poking pins in insects and pinning them to a display board...
I used to spend a lot of money getting my knives sharpened, and the shop would remove too much steel from the knives. After getting af Sharpal 325/1200 and making my own strop. Ive spent the same amount as sharpening all my knives once.
Doing it myself saves a lot of time and money. And my knives are never dull anymore.
Thank you so much
How'd you make your own strop? Can you share a link to the process?
I don't have room in my apartment's kitchen drawer for a bench grinder. I'm rocking a $20 satc diamond stone, a cheap strop with the compound that came in the box, and a knife I got for free for helping an old man set up his vendor tent at an event. Sometimes we learn skills that are useful to us, dadgumit. Re-sharpening my knife takes like 5 minutes of my time and I'm not a pro. I watch the channel from time to time because it's funny.
And then imagine the time and effort you save cutting things with a knife that's sharper than a bit knife. I can dice three onions before my eyes even start to cry. Or opening something out just pops right through.
I just started using sharpening stones instead of other options,makes a huge difference on my kitchen knives, this guy's how- to videos really helped me
Let them say what they want. This channel is an invaluable resource for me. Right now I have a worksharp that I haven't used yet. Knowing this channel is here is a comfort to me for when I'm ready to change the lives of those around me. Eventually I want to get serious and will be ready for a proper stone & need to know how to use it... again I know you're here. People complaining about a FREE education from an expert when kids are coming out of universities under mountains of debt, just can't see the forest for the trees! The best things in a quality life aren't always free, but when they are, there will always be someone who complains about it. Those are the people you never want to dine with lest you're willing to risk someone spitting in your food as well... and you'll ironically pay for that, twice. Keep it coming, and I'll keep coming back to make sure your efforts are not in vain. Thank you for everything you do here. All of it, even the stuff I'm not "currently" interested in.
I told my children, when they were growing up, it doesn’t matter what you do in life as long as you enjoy it.
We all spend too much time doing things most other people don’t understand, but we enjoy doing it, and that’s all that matters.
This is 100% false. It does matter what you do. There are many harmful and destructive ways to enjoy yourself. Try holding that principle if the comback enjoying drugs or somthing.
@@bendoe5863 Exactly. I enjoy shoving cherry cheese cake jubilee ice cream in my face on a hot summer day. But you gotta know when to draw the line. Which.....I know....is hard.
These are straw-man arguments. You don’t enjoy shoving strawberry cake in your face or anywhere else. You get pleasure from that, not joy.
I choose my words carefully. I said enjoy. I didn’t say get pleasure.
Doing drugs is not even a pleasure, much less joy. Drugs and all other escapes are a pain killer. They are a relief from pain.
Unfortunately, people with chronic pain can confuse relief from pain with pleasure. That is a misunderstanding. Pleasure is not lack of pain and joy is not pleasure.
On the biochemical level, pleasure is dopamine, while joy is oxytocin. These are very different.
I stand by what I said and meant.
I enjoy walking dogs, that doesn’t mean I should try to make a career out of it, lol.
I guess you don’t enjoy it enough to make a career of it. Some people do. Ceasar Milan turned his love for dogs into a very successful career.
I never said you should make a career out of everything you enjoy. I only said that you should enjoy what you do.
Thank you for the wonderful instruction you provide. Your videos have greatly improved my knife sharpening skills. Best wishes as you deal with your health issues.
@@rickfoster7978 wow thank you so much🙏 Im glad to hear you are getting better results! Again thanks for the support, it is greatly appreciated 🙏🙏🙏👊
Ah, ignore the haters. You're a world expert in knives, and I've learned more from your channel about knife sharpening than I have from anywhere else. I've watched a lot of other DIY content and read books and tried all sorts of gizmos and techniques, but honestly your method is the only one that gave me consistent, decent results. I'm nowhere near as good as you are, but you upped my game tenfold with just a few simple bits of advice. Thank you!
man, you know what you are?? a breath of fresh air!! sometimes you have me cracking up, but always increasing my knowledge on steels used for knife making. i like your style, dont ever change!! thanks nd take care..
We watched it maybe I do have a problem. Sharpening is like meditation to me the sound of steel on stone is soothing to me and when you have the edge just razor sharp and it glides thru whatever you cut it just feel so good
I just wanted to thank you and Jerad from neeves for turning me from a bad freehand guy to a good one. Happy Holidays and thanks to you both for all the informative reviews.
I agree, you’re sick!.. and contagious! I keep buying more knives, stones, stropping leather, compound, practice, test sharpness, repeat (in random order)
I have learned much from your videos. Learning how things work is not a sickness.
I was about to point out that we just watched you time yourself sharpening a knife, and then you beat me to it. LOL
Genuinely impressive results. I still need a jig to get a reliable edge, but at least I know it is doable. Thanks for all the videos (informative and humorous).
This guy is good. Straight to the point and extremely effective.
Like a few others have said, i find knife sharpneing therapeutic. Specially after learning free hand sharpening from you. Now the issue that I run into is that it's too quick, and it's such a great and long lasting edge, that we don't dull our knives fast enough. I've started sharpening for the family, friends, and neighbors.
I have a full block of kitchen knives that are very easy and quick to sharpen, and have good stones to sharpen them. I guess I sharpen only 2 or 3 per month, and it takes about 2 minutes each. With that little bit of sharpening, It's hard to keep my skills honed, and I guess that's why I watch the Outdoors55 channel.
Thanks to you, I learned how to sharpen a knife. I even bought a pocket-microscope (12$ ?) to see edge Favorite blade shape for me its Wharncliffe, which is great for my needs. You can make marks, points, small holes, and cut things. Some people may consider my technique lame because I switch hands, but it’s easier for me to see if I’m holding the correct angle. The Wharncliffe shape is so easy to sharpen because it's a straight razor. To make one knife sharp, it takes me about 5 minutes. I use a 300 diamond stone and a belt. It's sharp enough to cut paper and sharp enough for me. Sometimes i use 1000 but only when i feel like it. It's a hobby. Some people collect Pokémon cards and are happy, so why not collect knives?
I mostly go for $50 knives, but I have one that cost $100.They are on cheaper side cuz they are classic knifes not a folders. It’s a fun hobby. I also sharpen knives for my friends or family, and why not? It’s just a hobby, and it's a practical one. Bashing someone for their hobby is kind of lame. Like fishing? LOL, just go to the market and buy fish. What’s with all the people talking about fishing? Waste of time XD XD
I go to 1200 grit or so with my kitchen knives. I don't strop them. The 1,200 will let me slice a ripe (very ripe) tomato paper thin. I do strop my wood working tools (planes, chisels), but they are high-grade steel, and they are addressing much more difficult materials than tomatoes. None of them take much time, and a power grinder is easily as much work to master using as a stone or steel.
Ive always struggled with freehand, but after some practice and just paying attention to my angle, a strop has made ALL the difference. I took my knife with a huge rolled over edge to paper slicing in a couple minutes, and it seemed weird how easy it was. This video confirmed that an a knife that has simply lost it's edge just doesn't take that much to bring back.
one of the better reviews on YT. Keep up the good work, Merry Christmas and God bless!
People might belittle this as just a hobby or something, but I personally had a passion for knife sharpening specifically all my life.
Even just getting a working edge back in the day, meant a lot to me because it's something I've wanted to achieve and learning more about them especially with the close detail and attention you give your videos unironically helped me immensely to actually learn what I was doing right and wrong, especially the close up shots and seeing the edges after sharpening them on different stones and diamond plates.
One of the happiest things I could do after more practice was to be able to offer my friends to sharpen their knives lol.
My proudest moment was actually practicing your techniques by keeping both my arms locked and just turning my body and I finally achieved razor sharp edges. I just get giddy every time I manage to get an edge like that on a carbon steel knife, because it's like only something I can do in my entire group.
When they say "get a life" from this, I can't help but laugh because it's something I'm passionate about and all this practice actually encouraged me to do knife sharpening professionally, which I'm so proud of saying that I'm finally able to confidently do.
I'm genuinely so happy that knife sharpening is a part my life and getting to learn more about them from you and all the ways to do them is really fulfilling and just made all the time I spent on it worth it.
LOL !! 🤣 Oh my goodness, that was hilarious!
Love this channel.
I just bought the Sharpal 1000 and 6000 stones and love them.
All the knives in the house are sharp - my wife appreciates this channel too!
I (and I imagine most people) use a knife on a daily basis if not several times a week at a minimum. Even if it's just in the kitchen. It is definitely worth it to learn how to free hand sharpen a knife. A couple of weeks of practice on average is all it should take. If you stick to budget steel and the hardness associated with them (think well executed D2 as the hardest knife you will mess with ) you can get away with nothing finer than 600 grit water stone and green chromium oxide on a leather strop (very affordable setup). You will be well served for the rest of your life. There are more premium knifes and sharpening setups for sure. These days I sharpen all of my EDC pocket knives, tactical knives, bushcraft knives, and culinary knives free hand using a bone dry axe puck and a leather strop (also sharpen axes, hatchets, tomahawks and machetes the same way. I don't use a bench. I do it standing up holding knife in right hand and puck in left. That way I can sharpen my knife in the middle of a swamp or snow field and not have to waste water (a big deal in the desert) and not have a wet puck that could freeze or get other things wet in my pack. Muscle memory is an amazing thing. It's really all about muscle memory and look and feel. You should start out with a rectangular stone on a bench until you master it. That will be easier starting out and may very well be all you ever need. Just watch this guys channel and learn how to do it properly. I prefer a stropping motion as I find that works best on cheap "water" stones although as I said I use them bone dry. Once in a blue moon (about once or twice a year) I level the pucks by using an orbital motion on a flat patch of concrete pavement. Learn to wipe your own butt. Learn to tie your shoes. Learn to sharpen a knife.
The *real* sickness is wasting time complaining about videos you *chose* to watch.
Amennnnnn ...probably holiday depression. Mad at the world and looking for someone to take it out on.
@apex_alchemy_knives yeah ...... but they are like that all year !
Facts that person clearly can't afford a hobby so there hobby is too go around and find video's and hate on them.
Amen
Damn straight!
I have to say that you've been important to me sharpening knives quickly and with simple means. Now several years later i sharpen a knife in a few minutes to an acceptable level by hand.
"You guys just watched it..." Literally LOL'd. Yep, I have a problem. I like things to be right, including the edge on my blade.
Thanks for the video!
Your videos are very helpful and informative! Please do not let the negative comments get to you! If anything you have 386k subscribers who loves your videos man.
"How quick you can sharpen a knife real time"
I'll be the devil's advocate on this one, -> "how many HOURS of practice did it takes to get that efficient at sharpening?"
You still have to divide those hours by the knives you sharpened along the way. 😛
Also, I have serious doubts whether someone "sharpening" on a bench grinder is actually achieving a sharp knife at all. If so, you probably also have the skills to do it on a diamond plate, freehand.
@@jaredm450 I used to sharpen woodworking tools on a bench grinder. 1) At least with the wheel I was using, things didn't get very sharp. I only used it to reestablish an angle and fix chips. 2) With a standard bench grinder wheel and motor speed, it's pretty easy to overheat the cutting edge and wreck the heat treatment, forcing you to grind off a bunch of metal to basically start over creating the edge.
The people that sharpen on a bench grinder, dull to them is when there is no edge. The same type to say "I've never had to sharpen my spyderco/benchmade/zero tolerance" it's probably because you have no idea what sharp is
Honestly with a half-decent youtube tutorial and that $80 sharpal plate, you can get a solid workable edge from not even knowing how to find the angle inside of 2 hours. Everything after that is just refining technique
@@Guishan_Lingyou Good points! I have a jig for my wood turning chisels, but even then, I like to finish up on a diamond stone (and like you said, you have to keep things cool).
I cannot imagine "sharpening" my pocket knife on a grinding wheel though. Maybe if you have an adjustable-speed grinder with a fine-grit wheel? Even then, your bevels are going to turn out all wonky and uneven. If you can hold your knife steady enough to do it though - probably could do it by hand too.
Been a subscribe for a few years now. I have to say, you really seem more comfortable in front of the camera. I've always enjoyed your videos, and they've just gotten better and more polished over time. 👍
Luv the stuff u do ... concise, to the point , no frills ... just facts
Kudos
I've got a problem too. My wife loves her knives sharp and I love keeping her happy. Keep sharpening, it is so satisfying!
F**k the haters, I love your channel mate. I'm learning from you how to freehand. Watching channels you don't like and leaving negative comments is the worst hobby I can think of.
My entire sharpening gear is 20 dollars so i cant sharpen it that fast but speed is not the point. Point is there is no other way for me to achieve sufficient blade geometry without a stone
I have a problem…I enjoy watching you demonstrate your problem. Thank you- hope I get to your level one day.
Just when I think I've seen your best video, you do another one! This has so much detail on HOW to sharpen. But yet, not any extraneous details not needed! The more i watch, the more I learn!
Alex - You are great and I've learned a boat load from you. Thanks for the education and keep going!
😂 'Maybe I do have a problem.' cracked me up.
Through your videos, i learned sharpening. Now i also can make a knife sharp within minutes. Thanks A LOT man❤
I can relate to your problem. LOL. Someone at work a while back asked if I had a sharp knife they could use. Another employee rolled his eyes and said "Don, not have a sharp knife, what is wrong with you"
With the ending this is a real work of art. Great video. 🎉🎉🎉
Hey just an fyi. We love watching you sharpen anything. We have learned so much from you. Thanks so much and much love brother!
I just have to tell you that I have followed your videos, and studied them some in the last month. I decided to buy a setup with the $20 amazon stone, make my own strop from the belt, bought 8micron from the same company since they were out of 6, and my first three attempts at sharpening were successful. I haven't got hair whittling sharp, and only 1 of the 3 was close to shaving sharp, but they are hella better than before. My kitchen knives are old henckel knives, but using the 60x and 90x loupe reveals a bunch of fairly large chips that I've only partially worn away with my first 20-30 passes. That was interesting, but the 3rd knife I just did the whole process in about 2 minutes, without looking at it in detail, and the knife was just as sharp as the others. My wife is happy to have sharp knives. Thank you for your awesome channel. Looking forward to sharpening more of my knives! I've got a fever...and the only solution is...MORE SHARPENING.
Hilarious! I had to replay the last part 3 times to hear it because i was laughing so much.
Amazing; that's the same amount of time it takes me to completely bugger a half reasonable knife.
I'm 38yo, started sharpening knives when i was 6.
It's more than just a hobby.
Sharp knife, way of life!!!
Love you vids dude. Price of the knife is irrelevant. Most people I know do not sharpen their knives at all, so they are wasting money at any price range :).
I enjoy sharpening. So i dont mind it. I just want to continue to get more skilled at sharpening without wasting money on unnecessary items related to sharpening. I really feel like this channel gives good honest reviews and doesn’t try to sell me anything. Just provides fair equipment reviews. I appreciate the work he puts into the videos.
Your videos made a massive difference in my sharping 😊
Agree with both you and the comment... I hand lap my blades, and it takes some 5 minutes on a glass plate with wetpaper grit 1k to 5k(strop essentially at that point)... Edge is mirror like and shaving sharp to the point where amputations are foreseeable result of mistakes... My aunt flew over from america and she stayed for a while with us... She went to filet a salmon - took the knife, was used to dull blades, she sliced the fish and sliced into her hand because she was not used to a knife actually performing properly... No real harm, just a nice long cut, but she quite liked the effects of a sharp knife on things that were not parts of her body...
A razor sharp knife is safer than a dull knife - because you know that it will perform and you do not rely on force for cutting, you rely in the force multiplication effect of the fine cutting edge to transform the slightest pressure into bone splitting force... When you know that a blade will slice through a slab of vegetable or meat, you don`t push the knife in as you know it will hit the cutting board with force - you just gently slide it down and enjoy the supreme performance of technology that pre-dates the written word... A dull knife demands hard grip on the knife and on the thing you are cutting, along with excessive force pushing on the knife - which easily generates accidents and injuries... If all you need to do is gently lay one hand on a slab of bacon and gently slide the blade one full stroke to get a slice - you risk nothing as nothing is gonna move anywhere, except the slice of bacon that will be removed from the slab of bacon being cut...
And for the love of God, don`t use bench grinders for anything outside rough fabrication... They have their uses, but in toolmaking - they are a roughing tool at best... It`s not for no reason that there are dozens of specialized grinders in the industry - from jig grinders, surface grinders, cylindrical grinders, tool and cutter grinders, saw grinders, valve grinders, chainsaw grinders, parting grinders, blanchard grinders and i could list another 15 with ease and not even scratch the surface... As a machinist, i see many uses for a bench grinder, but not a single one of them results in a finish ground blade or a cutter of any sort - it offers 0 geometry control, even less so than hand grinding on a sharpening stone(if you know what you are doing even a slight bit) and it can be a fucking menace if you make a mistake... Hell, i dare say that a layman is more likely to get a well ground blade with an angle grinder with a flap disc than with a bench grinder... But angle grinders are a PSA can of worms that i don`t want to get into, i`ll just say this - look up angle grinder quadrants of rotation and until you figure out why i said that - don`t grab onto an angle grinder lightly...
Best regards!
I’m a home cook and a former butchet so definetely not a knife guy. I can work with something slightly better than a farmer’s edge. And I just watched you time yourself sharpen this knife. … you know what, f*** those bad comments keep the good edits and I love your videos. I’ll keep watching you trying to make it work even faster…. I need to buy myself a diamond stone now
I got a sharpal and sharpened all my knives six months ago and they have held their edge ever since. No regrets. Bought a sharpal for Dad for Christmas.
Keep in mind that I just followed your directions, I'd used a regular japanese cheap stone years ago and it was messy and frustrating. The Sharpal was dead easy and fast as heck. I didn't bother refining the edges, just went for a good apex and strop. Most of the knives are still fine. They were horrifically dull before.
Maybe its a "problem" to some... but you're knowledge abnd experience is why I keep coming back!
I'm glad you have a problem Alex. You help me heaps. You cut away all the BS. Keep on keeping on.
I can sharpen by hand but use a Chef's Choice for my kitchen knives - they aren't super expensive, and the magnets give you the proper angle if you let them.
If I have to sharpen woodworking tools, then it is manual sharpening, and a slower process, because when a woodworking tool like a chisel needs sharpening, it is usually because of larger scale damage, and these tools need to be able to cut across the grain of the wood (which requires a much finer edge)
I agree with you! Spending all your money on expensive knives is a sickness!!
Even if hand sharpening was slow & arduous, it's a survival skill. Much like fire-starting without a lighter, you hope you never NEED it, but will be alive if you do need it.(and glad you have those skills)
😂 Always fun! It's impressive how unhappy are the people who use their time with things they don't like. They get to the point where they write their BS without being asked!
I hope you continue to do what you do. Your channel is one of the best I follow independently of the subject. Thanks for sharing
I really hope you are not taking these comments seriously. I enjoy your videos so much and I have learned so much from you. I sharpen my blades so good because of you. I really appreciate your dedication and willingness to teach us, your audience! Please keep going! ❤
That was great. I really enjoy sharpening. It's a nice distraction from everything. And producing a good edge is satisfying.
I have noticed that people who don't have the time or patience to sharpen a knife also don't have time to cook, carpenter or do anything that takes skill. They usually have lots of time for shopping, eating out and twitting. Carry on sharpening.
Was definitely worth it to learn to sharpen knives enough to get a shaving edge, and just regularly sharpen all the kitchen knives. My mom used to buy a new knife when old ones got too dull to be useful. Also I'm pretty sure some of them have at some point been sharpened with an angle grinder. And almost all (mostly unsuccessfully) with a vintage pull through "sharpener". Getting an initial good edge on them took some work but was worth it.
Remember you are a skilled and very very experienced person with sharpening use a stone. As an amateur spending time on sharpening on a stone ends up with a knife that is duller than when I started.
Well then get a worksharp or lansky sharpening system. They are only like 40 bucks and it does a great job and is still really quick. It doesnt take long to learn to sharpen freehand either but the worksharp precision adjust is fantastic.
I keep one of those sharpal sets and a 15 micron strop in my desk at work. I sharpen everyone’s daily carry knives. Even with the horrific edges that they bring me (mostly trashed from pull through sharpeners). It takes about 3-4 minutes to totally reprofile and get them shaving sharp. Which is such a huge improvement that they think it’s magic. I’m not even nearly as skilled as a lot of people here. Just competent. It really doesn’t take much investment in time or $
There's no way I could sharpen a knife in 63 seconds! HOWEVER, I can certainly destroy the knife in under 63 seconds. I'm old and retired so I have LOTS of time to get great edges on all of my knives with my KME. And I can certainly strop that edge every week in under a minute to maintain that near hair whittling sharpness. Only you can do real hair whittling sharpness, Alex! My test for sharpness is will it shave my bald head. As for someone telling total strangers to "GET A LIFE"...I am amazed that the generation that is all about inclusivity, tolerance, and "I don't need your validation" are the most exclusive, intolerant, and judgmental online commenters, IMO. THANKS for this video, Alex!!
First off, mean comments have no business here. Period. And whatever gives you joy, we should be happy for you!
So, your videos are a pretty definitive source imo for what is true and real about knife sharpening and sharpness. But all the time i hear this exception "unless youre sharpenign a staright razor". Can you expand upon that? What are the important differences between sharpening a straight razor and pocket knife?
Thanks to you, I hand sharpen and I I wait until I have a few that need it because the setting up at my dining room table takes a few minutes and I want to make it worth my while. You are the man!
Sharpening freehand only takes a long time if you don’t know how to do it or if you choose to reprofile a knife on stones instead of a grinder. I actually enjoy sharpening knives freehand and find it relaxing and satisfying getting an incredibly sharp and durable edge on a knife.
Love your videos and keep it up man! Don't listen to the haters!
Oh boy I enjoy this channel, and not only for the entertainment factor, which is inmense. This just works. Funny thing (not really) I don´t even have a proper carry knife or am into the hobby. I discovered the channel for unknown reasons (I have not searched for sharpening ever), but I had a lot of fun and the skill looked very interesting and approachable.
After a few videos I was really intrigued, so I bought that dirty cheap chinese diamond stone and the fakest diamond paste and made my strop out of stuff lying around. I tested in a relic small kitchen knive, that was to be binned, dulled to death. That very non-pro knife has been now for months my workshop daily. Bloody hell is ugly, but it just refuses to dull. I have not sharpened it again, and I still have respect for that edge. I have several utility knives, with tons of spare blades, and I just go for the kitchen one for almost everything.
Since then, I sharpened a bit all the kitchen stuff, just once, and called the day. This was many months ago, and I only have sharpened after a couple utility knife blades (wow, that works!) and a few things. I still watch every single video because I really have fun, and more often than not, I learn something new.
As someone who uses a work sharp grinder, we all have a problem as knife nerds. We are all just trying to make a pointy thing pointier no matter the method or speed. Lovely video as always.
Thanks for all your videos... I learn a lot from your entertaining videos.
I don't care about knives but I like experts in nerdy things being passionate about the things they know. I don't like coffee but I binged James Hoffmann last christmass and got into coffee nerdery videos. I like your channel for the same reason, I am never going to spend the same amount of money or time or care on the hobby as you lovely people but I find it interesting and entertaining to watch all the same. Keep being nerdy knife folks, I may not share your passion but I find your passion great all the same.
That first comment 😂 you even laughed halfway through it 🤣 it was like it was something out of South Park
You are awesome! I have purchased the beginner stones you suggested and well on my way to hair whittling sharp! Thank you so much! 👍👍!!!!!!
“Obsession” is right. In the 70’s I became interested in knives, $8.95 was the average price of a pocket folder or a hunting sheath knife. My dad recalled a case knife with spay and sheep foot blades were $2.00 in the 40’s. It wasn’t long after RUclips became popular in 2005 that camping, bushcraft and knives created the “obsession”. I bought my first Spyderco in 2005 for $35.00. Things have changed.
If you start with the finer grit it takes forever, but if you do it by increasing the grit incrementally it gets sharp very quick.
I have and use the mdf wheels for some super fast sharpening jobs. But, I also have oil stones, water stones, and several diamond stones. I freely admit that I need more practice to get faster and more consistent edges using stones. I love your channel, Alex, and apparently, we all have a problem when it comes to knives. We need more and sharper knives. 😂
I calculated his sharping time at 1:00 to 1:47 and stropping was done 1:47 to 2:07 That's fast in my judgment. I purchased the Sharpal 162N that he featured on a previous video. I am very happy with this new double side diamond stone.