I bought this sharpener a month ago and I'm very happy with it. I am not good at free hand sharpening on wet stones. I try and try and I'm usually left with an uneven bevel and "ok" sharp. This system has now let me sharpen all my knives with good precision and a razor sharp edge and it makes re-profiling an edge easy. I'll be buying the upgrade kit too. Finishing with a leather strop with compound is key.
Having sharpened knives for a long time by hand the only difference between what I do and this machine is simply that hand sharpening leaves a slightly concave edge. No matter how good someone thinks they are they put a superior concave edge because by hand no one can hold 17 degrees exactly each and every time. That's why a hand finished edge seems to last longer, it is slightly concave at the edge and concave edges last longer. Just an observation from 40 years of sharpening.
@@CreativeNameStudios I've had people tell me that my knives stay sharper better than the knife sharpener at the Knife Shop and I thought it was simply that I do not 'buff' my edges except for wood carvers or for cutting leather. I ask what they are going to use the knife for and mostly put a "butcher's" edge on at 800 grit, scalpels are 600 to 800 grit to give you some idea. A low grit for most cutting jobs is all that is really needed and even then with a light strop on 1200 grit or 15 micron diamond compound it will easily shave the hair on your arm. A light strop is only about 4 to 6 passes and just cleans up the edge a bit. I have a 10x double magnifier (two 5x connected loupe) and look at the edges sometimes and a quick strop is best for a low grit edge and for kitchen knives especially. If an edge is really bad I hit it on my 1x42 belt grinder with wet silicon carbide at 220 grit and wet grind the edge. Never use a dry belt, or wheel to sharpen a knife because no matter how fast you are you will re-temper the edge. Knife Steel Nerds has an article where he tested what I just said, no ground edge lasted as long as a wet ground edge. Probably another reason my edges last longer. I find some of my new folders tend to not be as hard as advertised because of this and I have to reprofile the edge down to where it wasn't tempered by their grinding. It is usually only about 0.002 deep, but when you hand sharpen, even with the Work Sharp I'm sure you can feel the stone cuts into the edge just a little too easily sometimes on a new knife. Well now you know why that new CPM S30V folder doesn't hold an edge probably.
@@MountainFisher the only time Iv ever used a belt sander on a blade was the re profile the edge of a blade with a broken tip. I tried my best to keep the blade cool and not ruin the temper. This was done on my benchmade 940 with s30v. Seems to be holding up fairly well but like you said the edge doesn’t seem to last as long as I would expect s30v to hold up. Didn’t last very long even before I re ground the tip
I'd be tempted to put something heavy in the base to give it some extra stability. You offered some really good knife sharpening tips. Great job on the video.
Great video, thanks! Just got mine today, Going to try it on a few knives this weekend. More grits will obviously be a benefit. A 100 or 120 to start reprofiling on a really bad edge will be the first mod to save time.
This is a super video, thanks. Could you try sharpening a narrow fillet knife? I am having a tough time holding my Rapala 6" blade in the clamp and getting the stone over the clamp to the blade. I sure could use some tips. Thanks again.
Sure thing! I have the same fillet knife myself and it is definitely a difficult knife to sharpen. I would try placing the clamp all the way against the handle where the blade is the thickest and clamp the blade as close to the spine as you can with it still being stable. The only issue with this is that the blade will be really flexible toward the tip. Try putting some sort of spacer between your table and the bottom of the blade to keep it stiff. This may not be the best solution but its the only way I could find that would work with this style of sharpener. Let me know if it works out for you! I hope this helps!
@@CreativeNameStudios Thank you so much for your well-thought-out response to my question. That was so fast you must have been sitting on the computer waiting for my question. Lol! I will be watching to see if you do make that fillet knife video on the WSPA sharpener. THANKS!
@@CreativeNameStudios Thanks for the blade tip support idea. I will try that next sharpening. I have sharpened my Rapala 6" once, and it was not really easy, but I ended up with a very nice edge, better than ever. This Work Sharp Precision Adjust Sharpener is fantastic for people like me that are not skilled at the stone, strop, or rod sharpening.
I’m happy with mine! I’ve had a number of people ask me where/how I sharpen my knives since I got it. I generally make circular motions as I work back and forth on the edge, as opposed to a sawing motion.. I feel like it ultimately results in more even coverage and because I don’t polish as hard as I could with the ceramic, I like the crosshatch pattern that I’m left with. I also usually increase the angle by two degrees and finish it off with a couple passes of 600, followed by a couple passes with the ceramic. Basically a really tiny micro bevel. I feel like it gives me a slightly more bitey edge. I’ve still just got the base set and while I’m pretty damn happy with the results, I’m still interested in getting the upgrade set. I’ve got a handful of sharpeners.. from spyderco stones, to pull throughs, to some more unconventional diamond pads but the worksharp has been my favorite and go to since I got it. It ultimately gives the best results and I love the consistency/repeatability
@@timandrews4722 there is a little play but the only area that it really seems to matter is where the blade clamp connects to the rest of the unit. I was able to tighten mine up with a couple little pieces of tape in the right places, just to give it a tighter, more snug fit. The basic reality is that it IS a budget sharpener.. I mean it cost less than my spyderco double stuff stone. But if you understand that and are willing to work with the device, it’ll give some fantastic results. Will I spend some more on a tighter system down the line? Maybe.. but it’s my go to sharpener for now.
This is really a great video and review. Even though this is a review for the work sharp it is a great example of good tips and practices for knife sharpening in general (chasing the burr down, making sure the burr is even, meeting them at the apex etc..) great tips!
Killer review. Knowing them they'll make improvements to the base. I had the Ken onion belt sharpener. But it wasn't as fool proof as I was hoping. This one seems better.
I went for this over the belt because it’s less aggressive and you’re actually looking at the edge the whole time so it’s easy to remove the absolute minimum amount of material needed. It also just felt like less of an ordeal to drag out whenever something needs a touch up.. not that I thought the belt would be that much more to deal with, I just didn’t wanna feel like I was pulling out a power tool to sharpen my knife. I’ve also gone overboard with a belt sander before.. learned that lesson the hard way lol. I’ve still got a spyderco dragonfly with an insane amount of blade ground away.
They made a video comparing the new version of this with the extra stones, the elite version, to the Ken Onion. The edge on the knife sharpened by the precision adjust was almost as sharp after their cutting test as the Ken Onion sharpened blade was before it had cut anything. They used the same knife model of course. Seeing that video convinced me of how good of an edge the precision adjust elite is capable of. It can make a knife scary sharp..Obviously, it takes a lot longer to sharpen than with the Ken onion though.
Thanks for the in depth tutorial. I'm new to sharpening and the WorkSharp. Do you find not having an angle gauge devise a negative? I have the "Precision" coming in the mail. Wanting to start cheap then add extras as I get better at sharpening.
The exact angle you sharpen at isn’t as important as most people say. A low vs high angle will both have advantages and disadvantages but for a basic pocket knife it’s not something to stress over. As long as you sharpen the knife at one consistent angle that’s what’s most important.
Im able to sharpen s30v with no problems. just takes a little more time. s30v isnt as hard as maxamet but with a little patience i dont think youll have an issue!
Some say that you should have it parallel but Iv noticed that it is not necessary. No matter how the knife is mounted into the clamp the stone will always stay at the same angle with the edge. Just make sure the clamp is tight and the stone doesn’t make contact with the clamp and you should be good!
sharpening can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the condition of the blade. if im just touching up a blade i can sharpen it in just a couple minutes. but a full sharpen like this will take on average about 20
I’d agree with ginger.. usually 30 mins at most if I’m totally regrinding the edge (new angle). That’s for a ~3” blade of “super steel”. I can do something like 8crmov in half the time.
I think they’re both good. I don’t have a lot of experience with the ken onion but with it being a belt sharpener it seems to be a lot faster than using this sharpener
The KME has a knurled bar on the back of it's scissor accessory. I don't know it's diameter. Trying to find out if that knurled bar would fit in the clamp of the Work Sharp clamp?
the knurled bar looks to be no more than 1/2" in diameter. the work sharp clamp can easily open up past 1". though it is not designed to clamp onto round object so i dont think it would be a very stable hold.
I used whet stones for a couple of years, and for some reason, I cannot use them well anymore. It's like I started well and now I'm worse than a beginner LOL anyway I think I'm going to get this one, it looks pretty decent and I hope I will find my sharpening inspiration again ;-)
Not a definite number. Different for ever knife depending on the hardness of the steel. Just keep goin until you can feel a burr along the entire blade
Can't the shape of the blade affect the evenness of the bevel? I imagine it's easier to sharpen full-belly blades, but for knives are half-belly, there probably has to be some repositioning to get assurance of an even angle.
I don’t own any half belly blades that I could test this on. You may be correct. You might not be able to get a consistent edge through the whole blade
Unfortunately I’m unable to test this myself as I don’t have any steels of that type. The hardest steel Iv sharpened is s30v, and it had no problem. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to, you may just need to take more time sharpening
I got one of these for my edc and swiss army knives. The clamp wont work on the swiss without some jerry rigging. It's disappounting that such a good idea was not thought out enough to include the most carried knives in the world. They need to design a smaller clamp for this turd. You can feel free to tell me how great it does on your 12 in chefs knife or your rambo hunter. Neither of which are good edc blades.
Sorry to hear that Curtis. Iv never had any issues with any of my knives. I know work sharp has tutorials on their website. Maybe you can follow their instructions better than mine
I bought this sharpener a month ago and I'm very happy with it. I am not good at free hand sharpening on wet stones. I try and try and I'm usually left with an uneven bevel and "ok" sharp. This system has now let me sharpen all my knives with good precision and a razor sharp edge and it makes re-profiling an edge easy.
I'll be buying the upgrade kit too.
Finishing with a leather strop with compound is key.
Same here. Not a "free hander" Looking forward to using this tool.
Same here. Love this thing.
I just ordered a lansky, but this one looks a little easier to maneuver
Having sharpened knives for a long time by hand the only difference between what I do and this machine is simply that hand sharpening leaves a slightly concave edge. No matter how good someone thinks they are they put a superior concave edge because by hand no one can hold 17 degrees exactly each and every time. That's why a hand finished edge seems to last longer, it is slightly concave at the edge and concave edges last longer. Just an observation from 40 years of sharpening.
Good to know Iv never heard of that before thanks for the information 👍🏻
@@CreativeNameStudios I've had people tell me that my knives stay sharper better than the knife sharpener at the Knife Shop and I thought it was simply that I do not 'buff' my edges except for wood carvers or for cutting leather. I ask what they are going to use the knife for and mostly put a "butcher's" edge on at 800 grit, scalpels are 600 to 800 grit to give you some idea.
A low grit for most cutting jobs is all that is really needed and even then with a light strop on 1200 grit or 15 micron diamond compound it will easily shave the hair on your arm. A light strop is only about 4 to 6 passes and just cleans up the edge a bit. I have a 10x double magnifier (two 5x connected loupe) and look at the edges sometimes and a quick strop is best for a low grit edge and for kitchen knives especially.
If an edge is really bad I hit it on my 1x42 belt grinder with wet silicon carbide at 220 grit and wet grind the edge. Never use a dry belt, or wheel to sharpen a knife because no matter how fast you are you will re-temper the edge. Knife Steel Nerds has an article where he tested what I just said, no ground edge lasted as long as a wet ground edge. Probably another reason my edges last longer.
I find some of my new folders tend to not be as hard as advertised because of this and I have to reprofile the edge down to where it wasn't tempered by their grinding. It is usually only about 0.002 deep, but when you hand sharpen, even with the Work Sharp I'm sure you can feel the stone cuts into the edge just a little too easily sometimes on a new knife. Well now you know why that new CPM S30V folder doesn't hold an edge probably.
@@MountainFisher the only time Iv ever used a belt sander on a blade was the re profile the edge of a blade with a broken tip. I tried my best to keep the blade cool and not ruin the temper. This was done on my benchmade 940 with s30v. Seems to be holding up fairly well but like you said the edge doesn’t seem to last as long as I would expect s30v to hold up. Didn’t last very long even before I re ground the tip
Thanks for you thorough review mine is on the way, can't wait you definitely reinforced my confidence in my decision.
Great video, can't wait to watch the follow up!
I'd be tempted to put something heavy in the base to give it some extra stability. You offered some really good knife sharpening tips. Great job on the video.
Excellent video. You explanation is very good and easy to understand. Thank you.
I appreciate the comment! Thanks for watching
Excellent video. Best I found I'm gonna use ur technique
Thanks I appreciate it!
Great video, thanks! Just got mine today, Going to try it on a few knives this weekend. More grits will obviously be a benefit. A 100 or 120 to start reprofiling on a really bad edge will be the first mod to save time.
This is a super video, thanks. Could you try sharpening a narrow fillet knife?
I am having a tough time holding my Rapala 6" blade in the clamp and getting the stone over the clamp to the blade.
I sure could use some tips. Thanks again.
Sure thing! I have the same fillet knife myself and it is definitely a difficult knife to sharpen.
I would try placing the clamp all the way against the handle where the blade is the thickest and clamp the blade as close to the spine as you can with it still being stable. The only issue with this is that the blade will be really flexible toward the tip. Try putting some sort of spacer between your table and the bottom of the blade to keep it stiff. This may not be the best solution but its the only way I could find that would work with this style of sharpener.
Let me know if it works out for you! I hope this helps!
@@CreativeNameStudios Thank you so much for your well-thought-out response to my question. That was so fast you must have been sitting on the computer waiting for my question. Lol! I will be watching to see if you do make that fillet knife video on the WSPA sharpener. THANKS!
@@davidk2137 haha no problem David. I appreciate your support!
@@CreativeNameStudios Thanks for the blade tip support idea. I will try that next sharpening.
I have sharpened my Rapala 6" once, and it was not really easy, but I ended up with a very nice edge, better than ever.
This Work Sharp Precision Adjust Sharpener is fantastic for people like me that are not skilled at the stone, strop, or rod sharpening.
Great technique. Thanks for sharing
Great review!!!
Thanks for the feedback!
Great video !
Thanks for watching!
I’m happy with mine! I’ve had a number of people ask me where/how I sharpen my knives since I got it.
I generally make circular motions as I work back and forth on the edge, as opposed to a sawing motion.. I feel like it ultimately results in more even coverage and because I don’t polish as hard as I could with the ceramic, I like the crosshatch pattern that I’m left with. I also usually increase the angle by two degrees and finish it off with a couple passes of 600, followed by a couple passes with the ceramic. Basically a really tiny micro bevel. I feel like it gives me a slightly more bitey edge.
I’ve still just got the base set and while I’m pretty damn happy with the results, I’m still interested in getting the upgrade set.
I’ve got a handful of sharpeners.. from spyderco stones, to pull throughs, to some more unconventional diamond pads but the worksharp has been my favorite and go to since I got it. It ultimately gives the best results and I love the consistency/repeatability
Does it the sharpener have alot of play?
@@timandrews4722 there is a little play but the only area that it really seems to matter is where the blade clamp connects to the rest of the unit. I was able to tighten mine up with a couple little pieces of tape in the right places, just to give it a tighter, more snug fit.
The basic reality is that it IS a budget sharpener.. I mean it cost less than my spyderco double stuff stone. But if you understand that and are willing to work with the device, it’ll give some fantastic results. Will I spend some more on a tighter system down the line? Maybe.. but it’s my go to sharpener for now.
Thanks for the info
This is really a great video and review. Even though this is a review for the work sharp it is a great example of good tips and practices for knife sharpening in general (chasing the burr down, making sure the burr is even, meeting them at the apex etc..)
great tips!
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the video
Killer review. Knowing them they'll make improvements to the base. I had the Ken onion belt sharpener. But it wasn't as fool proof as I was hoping. This one seems better.
I went for this over the belt because it’s less aggressive and you’re actually looking at the edge the whole time so it’s easy to remove the absolute minimum amount of material needed. It also just felt like less of an ordeal to drag out whenever something needs a touch up.. not that I thought the belt would be that much more to deal with, I just didn’t wanna feel like I was pulling out a power tool to sharpen my knife.
I’ve also gone overboard with a belt sander before.. learned that lesson the hard way lol. I’ve still got a spyderco dragonfly with an insane amount of blade ground away.
They made a video comparing the new version of this with the extra stones, the elite version, to the Ken Onion. The edge on the knife sharpened by the precision adjust was almost as sharp after their cutting test as the Ken Onion sharpened blade was before it had cut anything. They used the same knife model of course. Seeing that video convinced me of how good of an edge the precision adjust elite is capable of. It can make a knife scary sharp..Obviously, it takes a lot longer to sharpen than with the Ken onion though.
11:43 damn you're fast 😳
What is the best sharpener to date?
Thanks for the in depth tutorial. I'm new to sharpening and the WorkSharp. Do you find not having an angle gauge devise a negative? I have the "Precision" coming in the mail. Wanting to start cheap then add extras as I get better at sharpening.
The exact angle you sharpen at isn’t as important as most people say. A low vs high angle will both have advantages and disadvantages but for a basic pocket knife it’s not something to stress over. As long as you sharpen the knife at one consistent angle that’s what’s most important.
Glad I just bought one
Thanks for the great video 👊
Do you think the dimonds would bring maxamet back to life or do I need to spend more money 🤔
Im able to sharpen s30v with no problems. just takes a little more time. s30v isnt as hard as maxamet but with a little patience i dont think youll have an issue!
I thought the clamp had to be parallel with the blade? Recently got one and trying to learn
Some say that you should have it parallel but Iv noticed that it is not necessary. No matter how the knife is mounted into the clamp the stone will always stay at the same angle with the edge. Just make sure the clamp is tight and the stone doesn’t make contact with the clamp and you should be good!
@@CreativeNameStudios thanks man! Keep it up
Yes… the Manual and Work Sharp sags this.
U should read the manual on how to fasten the blade in the clamp. It should be parallel to the edge…
Great video! How long was the total sharpening process in terms of time?
sharpening can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the condition of the blade. if im just touching up a blade i can sharpen it in just a couple minutes. but a full sharpen like this will take on average about 20
I’d agree with ginger.. usually 30 mins at most if I’m totally regrinding the edge (new angle). That’s for a ~3” blade of “super steel”. I can do something like 8crmov in half the time.
Would you recommend this or the Ken Onion? Which is best?
I think they’re both good. I don’t have a lot of experience with the ken onion but with it being a belt sharpener it seems to be a lot faster than using this sharpener
The KME has a knurled bar on the back of it's scissor accessory. I don't know it's diameter. Trying to find out if that knurled bar would fit in the clamp of the Work Sharp clamp?
the knurled bar looks to be no more than 1/2" in diameter. the work sharp clamp can easily open up past 1". though it is not designed to clamp onto round object so i dont think it would be a very stable hold.
Can you buy another slide and add smoother stones and maybe the stickers with really fine Micron Grit?
Yes! I actually have everything to do this. High grit sandpaper and micron pads. I’ll have a video going up soon showing how I use them
Man you need to try the hapstone 4” stone holder for this!! Now you can use venev stones for KME for it!!!
Sounds sweet! I’ll take a look into them!
@@CreativeNameStudios I got mine through Gritomatic
I used whet stones for a couple of years, and for some reason, I cannot use them well anymore. It's like I started well and now I'm worse than a beginner LOL anyway I think I'm going to get this one, it looks pretty decent and I hope I will find my sharpening inspiration again ;-)
It’s an easy way to sharpen a knife with little time and skill! I think you’ll find it enjoyable!
Thanks
You want to have the clamp more parallel to edge of the blade
How many strokes on each side?
Not a definite number. Different for ever knife depending on the hardness of the steel. Just keep goin until you can feel a burr along the entire blade
Can't the shape of the blade affect the evenness of the bevel? I imagine it's easier to sharpen full-belly blades, but for knives are half-belly, there probably has to be some repositioning to get assurance of an even angle.
I don’t own any half belly blades that I could test this on. You may be correct. You might not be able to get a consistent edge through the whole blade
I was wondering if it can sharpen super steels like M390 or CTS-XHP ?
Unfortunately I’m unable to test this myself as I don’t have any steels of that type. The hardest steel Iv sharpened is s30v, and it had no problem. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to, you may just need to take more time sharpening
I feel the Work Sharp belt drive is way better and easier, just my opinion..
I have one of these and a worksharp knife and tool sharpener(uses the belts). I dont like this one near as much as the belt sharpener.
I got one of these for my edc and swiss army knives. The clamp wont work on the swiss without some jerry rigging. It's disappounting that such a good idea was not thought out enough to include the most carried knives in the world. They need to design a smaller clamp for this turd. You can feel free to tell me how great it does on your 12 in chefs knife or your rambo hunter. Neither of which are good edc blades.
I feel the same way. A smaller clamp would be nice. Iv sharpened my filet knives with this sharpener but it was a struggle with such a thin blade
How long it take to sharpen S30V
The lower grit stones sharpen s30v pretty quickly. You’ll just need to spend more time on the polishing stone to get a nice sharp edge
First major mistake you made… the Clamp is NOT PARALLEL TO THE CUTTING EDGE.
Bought one - sent it back. Doesn't work.
You used it wrong,it works very well🤷♂️
@@GG-ml3vr How would you know Einstein? You have no idea what I did.
I tried this and all it did was destroy 6 of my knifes
Sorry to hear that Curtis. Iv never had any issues with any of my knives. I know work sharp has tutorials on their website. Maybe you can follow their instructions better than mine
Actually, the actual actuality is more actually how actual actualities actually actual.
lol! thanks for the laugh! I noticed this after recording but it didn't bother me, so here we are 🤷