Another New WEPS User

Welcome to the forums! Enjoy your WEPS!

What to get next really depends on what you want to achieve. The 50/80 stones are very coarse stones. I seldom use them, but they are very good for major reprofiling. The strops are all different. I use normal leather strops with WE paste a lot, this gives you a nice mirror-like finish after the ceramic stones. The roo and nanocloth strops are great, I use them for really fine diamond sprays.

Whatever you get, you can’t go wrong! But first experiment with what you’ve got and then see what you want to do next.

Welcome to WE!

I also have the pp1 but Christmas came early. I have the full Chosera set, the curved medium/fine stones, the leather 5/3.5, two blank leather sets that I purchased some diamond paste for. I also have a blank set that I tape 1000, 1500, 2000, or 2500 grit sandpaper onto. I used the sandpaper with good results before I got the extra leathers and paste and chosera. My wife bought me the hard case because she said she didn’t want to have to pick up after me (still). The angle cube is a necessity, I would say before you buy more stones. Oh,, and then there is the pp2 upgrade kit really tightens the angles! OOOOh I love my WE!!!!!!! B)
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
Must sharpen knives! Must buy more toys!

I don’t know about the bleeding part, Jack 😉 …..but hey, if it works for ya, then GO for it!

I too finally bit the bullet and purchased the PP2 upgrade kit and the strops (stnd leather and kangaroo). I get great results with the PP1 setup and all my friends are really impressed with the sharpness of their knives, but I’ve always been curious to go to the next level. So I’ve committed to it. Yes, its expensive, but as others will attest, your obsessive self will be made happy. I recommend going for it!

Hi, Jack
Great to meet ya on this fine forum. I’ve been away for a spell, and with my wife always in the kitchen cooking up storm and dulling up the knives…..I’m always reminded of my chore to keep her edges sharp. So what better way to keep her happy, and at the same time keep me happy with an upgrade.

The Chosera stones can only be described in one word, “Awesome.” If you want a mirror finish and you want it fast, nothing beats them hands down. So for me it’s money well spent and I highly recommend them. The strops with diamond spray or paste is to achieve ultra sharpness for my high carbon Japanese knives…..and you know what I mean when I say, I obsess over this way too much!

Absolutely they do! Even though I want a mirror finish, I want them sharp as sharp can be….and they are shaaaarp! Then again I have the 2K & 5K stones that I use for when I want the knife’s edge to have a bite when used for cutting meats and other proteins. The 8K & 12K Shapton super stones creates a very sharp razors edge, but in my opinion a little too delicate and won’t last long. So to keep a more durable edge I’ve resorted to going to higher angles (>20°) whenever I sharpen with the higher grit stones. Their versatility and the resultant sharpness of these two stones are worth it in my opinion as long as you know what performance requirements you want out of your knives.

Jack,
Yep there is the drawback with change angles due to the thickness of the stones, but with an Angle Cube (AC), it’s a quick (few seconds) check and you’re on your way. BTW if you don’t have one already an AC is a must just for these types of checks regardless of which media (diamond plate, ceramic, chosera stones, etc.) you’re using.

Have fun, and as the most interesting man always say…..”stay thirsty my friend!”

Thanks Daug, What I really ment to ask is, do the chosera stones make your edges sharper? I get the desire to make the edge shine once in a while (mostly for showing off 😛 ). The chosera stones would have to make a discernable difference in sharpness to justify the expense for me. B)

As you know from the thread that I posted (Link) I’m a very happy new Chosera owner, and my stand point now is: if you’re considering them – get them! They are that good (but pricey).

They make a great difference in getting a really sharp knife, I do however think that you can probably get equally sharp with ceramics and strops but you will need to put in a lot more work with that setup and your risk rounding the edge since you will have to strop a lot. With the Choseras you get a super refined and perfect V-shaped sharp edge every time and the progression is really quick. I still do recommend custom fitting the stones on the handles so the next grit can soak while you work with the current grit.

To get back on topic; I would say get angle cube, pp2 upgrade and then finer stones and strops before the really coarse stones. I’ve only missed the coarse stones once on all the knives I had time to sharpen.