Hello, and a question

[Eritt Darnell]

First off let me thank all of you on the forums for the wealth of information here. I read countless forum posts and I know I watched about every wicked edge video there is a couple of times. After a few months of saving a few bucks here and there I finally ordered and received my wicked edge a few days ago. I got the pro pack I with the upgraded arms, base, and angle cube.

I’ve been able to get a razor edge on every knife I’ve sharpened so far. The system is well worth the money and I’m very, very, happy with it.

My question and problem (and only complaint) is reprofiling taking forever. I’ve mainly been sharpening my kitchen knives and today I went to the in-laws to sharpen theirs. We both have Wustoff Classic sets. So we are talking a couple cooks knives, santokus, pearing knives, boning knives, and maybe 10-12 steak knives (both sets combined). I was initially having issues reprofiling some of my knives with the 100 grit but after quite a while on a few I eventually got it done and proceeded to give them a razor edge.

Now the real issue is today when I took the WE to the in-laws, before I was halfway done doing there set the 100 was getting even worse at doing its job and I ended up using the 200 for the initial reprofiling and angle setting for the rest of the set. The 200 was actually cutting away metal and doing better than the 100. I cleaned the 100 multiple times thinking maybe it was loaded up but that didn’t seem to be the case.

So is this normal? Should the 100 seemingly have worn out this fast? I was already debating getting the atoma 140 stone after some research and deciding it would be better than the 100 grit WE stone for my initial reprofiling and angle setting. I guess now I don’t have much of a choice because using the 200 WE stone is really not gonna be fun, take FOREVER, and I’m sure wear it out prematurely. I do wish I would have known about the 140 atoma sooner though and I would have chosen to just not get the 100/200 at all and used that money towards the atoma.

Well as long winded as this post was, to summarize. I am really, really, happy with the WE. The 100 stone just took away from what otherwise would have been IMHO the best sharpening system/experience I’ve ever had. Once you cut your way to the apex getting to a crazy, scary sharp edge is pretty easy and fast. For me though getting to the apex and getting a burr hasn’t gone quite perfect. Maybe my 100 was just defective.

Either way my knives are the sharpest they’ve ever been and now I know what all the praise is about. The WE is capable of letting anyone get a razor edge!!

[Lukas Pop]

Welcome Griff,

I used my 200 for reprofiling to, but now they are similar speed as my 100, so I have 2 similar sets of stones. Interesting question if 100 wear off more quickly than 200. I can’t tell. Maybe yours are really defective or you used too much pressure. My are worn off to, but I did many more knives. They produced finer edges now, but more slowly. I got 50/80, they work faster, but leave very deep scratches. Maybe they need to break in more.

140 atomas have good references so far, but I want to wait how durable they will prove. They are quite expensive with shipping to Europe and custom fees.

You can’t get WE without 100/200 diamonds, do you didn’t make mistake. Maybe in the future this should be an option.

Another option is to buy some belt grinder, do heavy replofiling with it and then proceed to WE. Does somebody use that progress?

[Eritt Darnell]

Wow, this forum must be dead. Expected at least a few views and responses by now……

[Mark76]

Hi Grift, welcome to the forum!

I have my stones for quite a while now and have sharpened (often including reprofiling) hundreds of knives and probably more. All of my stones still work fine.

All stones require a break-in and that’s why every stone after breaking in is less agressive than it is initially. Usually the 100 grit stone breaks in first, simply because it is used the most.

That said, if you suspect there is something wrong with your stones, just give WE a call. Their customer support is top notch.

For reprofiling I normally use my 100 grit stones, at least if it is simply setting a bevel. If I need to do major reprofiling, removing a large amount of material, I use the 50/80 stones. It is still possible with the 100 grit stones, but the 50/80 stones simply work faster.

Success!

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Dennis Gocong]

Grift,

Need to know how new your 100/200 plates are, since I experienced the same issue initially with the first few knives (about 3-5) that I practiced my re-profiling skills. But once the 100’s broke in their cutting prowess becomes obvious. Now when they slow down, I run them through the ultrasound cleaner and then their back to normal again. So I would suggest the problem you experienced might be due to break in period or build up that requires a little sonication.

Yet it’s still nice to know there are alternatives like the Atoma 140’s, but I’m still waiting to hear more about their durability as well.

Let us know?

[Eritt Darnell]

I’ve seen the ultrasound, sonic cleaning mentioned a few times now. What exactly is it? What do I need to do it? I just been scrubbing the crap out of them with a brush and soapy warm water.

I think I will end up getting the atoma 140 stones regardless in a week or so. From what I’ve read they are incredible for reprofiling and somehow don’t leave deep scratches like the 50/80 WE stones. They are pricey though at $100 plus you need an empty blank for another $25..

[Dennis Gocong]

Hi, Grift

A sonic cleaner uses sound waves in a water/soap solution to thoroughly clean dirty gritty parts and surfaces. They’re very effective and usually takes only 2 minutes to clean each side, or longer if the dirt build up is extensive. Here’s what ultrasound cleaners look like: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ultrasonic+cleaner&sprefix=ultrasonic+clea%2Caps%2C240

There are discussions on this forum on the process of how to use ultrasound cleaners on diamond plates. Use the Search function, it’s your friend….hmmm, let me see if I can find the reference for you. Be right back!

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