Hi Patrick, welcome to the forum! I went exactly the same route as you: from the Sharpmaker.
What you should realize is that the WEPS attracts different audiences. One of these audiences is people with extreme OCD 😉 . That’s simply because the WEPS allows you to be so precise (up to 0.5 degrees – for some people even less). But for any practical purpose that is huge overkill.
Yes, there is a little bit of play in the arms, but no, in practice it is not that bad. Unless, of course, you’re the type of person (like myself) who watches their edges through a microscope. I tried the straws myself and found them a pain in the arse. I do use the upgraded arms, I like their construction and they’re longer (in case you have PP 2), but you need them by no means.
You can sharpen the Zero Tolerance 0300 with your normal stones. I used to own that knife myself and sharpened it a couple of times on the WEPS. But honesty requires me to say that you do need experience. So don’t do it as your first knife. (It’s a good idea to practice on some cheap knives anyway). The main trick is to use the corners of the stones as well and to be careful. There are a number of threads on this forum on recurved knives; try the search function (using the Search tab, not the Search box in the top right).
You’ve got a great setup and if I were you I’d start sharpening my knives with that one. And if you later decide you belong to the category of ppl with OCD, you can always upgrade.
Enjoy your WEPS!
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