Slop in arms WE Pro Pack from 2011

[fanglekai]

I bought a Wicked Edge Pro Pack in 2011. I haven’t used it in ages because the stones wobble in the arms. I wrote customer service twice in December and didn’t get a response. Was there an issue with the arms back then or is the stone supposed to be able to wobble perpendicular to the arm? I don’t want this to come across as controversial or inflammatory, merely curious because the play causes the stone to be able to move to two different positions based on how it is held, and that messes up the knife’s edge during sharpening, which is why I haven’t used my WE in about 3 years. It’s been sitting in storage after a move and I remembered it’s just been sitting there so I figured I’d ask the forum since you all know more about it than I do.

Thanks.

[Dennis Hibar]

If you bought your WE100 back in 2011 …. then you have the original arms that did have a little bit of play in them.  The pins were replaced with screws to tighten them up.  My first WE had those original arms, so I know what you mean.  Have you tried giving WE a call …. far better than emailing them (though I have never had a significantly delayed response using email …. but sometimes  … especially during trade show time and holidays, it can happen).

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phillyjudge

[tcmeyer]

Dennis is correct on all counts.

I’m trying to understand what could be going wrong with your arms/stones.  The arrangement is quite simple and if something was truly amiss, I would think that you’d be able to see the source of the problem.  I haven’t used my old arms since I upgraded to the ball joints and I know they can look pretty primitive by comparison, but there have been a lot of people producing extremely sharp edges with them.

I was able to prove to myself that the old “universal joint”, when combined with the clearance between the stone and the rod , could be made to vary in angle by more than a degree, while accuracies of +/- 0.2 degrees or better are needed to produce sharp edges.  The solution for me was to keep my fingers (the pressure point against the joint, rod and stone) below the edge of the blade.  When the pressure point moves above the edge, the assembly suddenly pivots about the edge, going to a much higher angle.  Sounds like maybe this is your problem.  The key to making edges sharp with the older WEPS is to keep your angle (technique) constant.  Here’s a couple of photos to demonstarte what I’m talking about:

Please note that in the photos, I am applying quite a bit of pressure, so the angle difference is extreme, but you get the idea.

I’d suggest that you get the upgraded rod assemblies.  You’ll love it.

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phillyjudge

[Dennis Hibar]

As hard as I try, I just can’t remember exactly where the “sloppiness” was in those original arms.  In my case, I think much of the problem was not related to just pressing the handles at different positions while the handles were fixed in place … but more throughout the motion (heel to tip) while sharpening the blade.  But, I could be wrong.  To say that my memory isn’t what it used to be would be an understatement!!  I do know that the first upgrade to those original ones was actually and upgrade and one that could be purchased.  Some people modified them on their own by pressing out the pins and placing shims and/or screws, etc.  I just opted to buy the upgrade.  Fanglekai …  as I said, give WE a call (after most of the folks get back from SHOT next week).  If they can’t work things out for you, send me a PM with your mailing address.  I think I still have my upgraded original arms around here somewhere.  I can just send them to you and you can determine if they work better than yours.

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tcmeyer

[wickededge]

fanglekai wrote:

I bought a Wicked Edge Pro Pack in 2011. I haven’t used it in ages because the stones wobble in the arms. I wrote customer service twice in December and didn’t get a response. Was there an issue with the arms back then or is the stone supposed to be able to wobble perpendicular to the arm? I don’t want this to come across as controversial or inflammatory, merely curious because the play causes the stone to be able to move to two different positions based on how it is held, and that messes up the knife’s edge during sharpening, which is why I haven’t used my WE in about 3 years. It’s been sitting in storage after a move and I remembered it’s just been sitting there so I figured I’d ask the forum since you all know more about it than I do. Thanks.

Please give us a call and we’ll get you sorted out: 877-616-9911. We’ll replace those arms with some that are much tighter.

-Clay

[wickededge]

Dennis,

The play is between the Guide Rod and the little black Hinge. We’ve re-milled the ends of the Guide Rods and added washers to remove the play. It’s been working great.

-Clay

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