Getting ready to pull the trigger
- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 09/09/2019 at 2:57 pm by
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Hi all, and thanks to all of you for all the great posts and advice on this forum. I have been looking at the WE for quite some time, and I check for sales from time to time. Man, the WE never goes on sale on this site, but I did see a 10% off sale on BestSharpeningStones.com for Labor Day. I thought I might wait for a Black Friday sale, but I read somewhere that WE has never done a Black Friday discount, so I think I might just buy a system now.
Previously, I was really leaning to the Pro-Pak III, mostly because I figured it would have everything I would need. But after reading a lot of the various buying guides, I am now thinking of the Generation 3 Pro and adding most of the accessories to make it equal to the Pro-Pak III, minus the accessories I don’t think I need. I don’t have any knives that would require different bevels, and I am not going to start doing this professionally. I have a nice little knife collection, that I would like to keep sharp. A knife maker I know told me that some nice Shapton stones (which I already own) would be quicker and cheaper, but I just can’t seem to keep a consistent angle freehand (and I have been sharpening since the mid 1970’s).
Am I making the right choice, or is there a better way to buy this system? Thanks!
I think you’d be quite happy with any one of the WE offerings. I have three versions, including the equivalents of the 120, 130 and the Gen 3 Pro, and I really like them all. I have some older adapter accessories (chisel adapter and Low Angle Adapter) that only work well on the Gen 1 vise, as their clamping tabs are too narrow for the Gen 3 vises. That, and the fact that the Gen 1 vise is a bit more versatile for certain blade shapes make me keep them all in play. Being an inveterate DIY tinkerer, all my rigs sport some degree of modifications.
The single feature that sold me on the WEPS was simply that they offered diamond stones. They last for hundreds of sharpenings and are up to the task of sharpening the hardest blades. I was an early convert to diamond film on glass platens, so I never found the need (or the desire) for water stones or other synthetic and natural stones. The Pro Pack III is certainly an excellent choice. It does make my eyes water when I look at the current pricing, but there’s no denying the value included with that kit. With the new stone offerings of 2200/3000 grit and the fact that the PP III includes the 1500/glass w/ 6mu film, I’d choose the diamond stones over ceramics or Shaptons. Add one or two pairs of aluminum or glass platen handles and you can add even more grits of film.
If your budget allows, there are a couple of widgets that seem to be universally popular here. That would be an angle cube rated to a higher level of precision (the DXL-360S reads to 0.02 degrees pretty reliably) and a USB handheld microscope, to be used with a laptop computer that’s been taken out of service. Lots of us have 20″+ monitors on our workstations. You can start with a good, inexpensive jeweller’s loupe, but it isn’t nearly the bang/buck value you get out of a microscope. The Wixey gauge supplied with the PP III is just fine, but you can expect your standards to elevate as you develop your skills.
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Just ordered the DXL-360S. I have been using the iGaging AngleCube, but the 0.2 accuracy and 0.05 resolution slowly drives me crazy. Probably more on the mental side since I’m happy with the end result.
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Thanks for that. I should have searched the forum first. My fault.
Also, I would like to say that I did buy from BestSharpeningStones.com, and their service was excellent. They were running a Labor Day 10% off sale, so I save a bit of money. I ordered on a Tuesday afternoon , got a FedEx shipping tracking notice on Wednesday morning, and received my package on Saturday morning, which included everything I ordered. Upon examination, the Gen 3 Pro was missing the left jam bolt, so I called them and left a message. Very shortly thereafter, I received a call from the owner, who figured out exactly what the part was, took one off another unit, and shipped it expedited to me, so I could use the sharpener. You can’t ask for more than that! In fact, on the same day, I ordered a few accessories directly from Wicked Edge, that BestSharpeningStones.com did not have. I have not received those yet, but I got my order from BestSharpeningStones.com alrady. So, I would not hesitate to order from BestSharpeningStones. com again, both for the reasons of price and excellent customer service.
I too have bought from Best Sharpening Stone with a good experience.
My experience is Wicked Edge ships via Priority Mail. I receive my W.E. purchases quickly too.
Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)1 user thanked author for this post.
I too have bought from Best Sharpening Stone with a good experience. My experience is Wicked Edge ships via Priority Mail. I receive my W.E. purchases quickly too.
I tend to wait and purchase several items due to the postage from west coast to east. I was buying the Super Eraser the other day and it was going to be about $6.00 I think so I waited until I had other ‘requirements’ as I refer to them as with the wifey.
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