Hello from germany
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Welcome Thomas!
If you have just that one knife to sharpen and you do not plan on using your WE for fun and relaxation, which it is great for, you may want to just pay a pro to take care of that one knife.
If you are an obsessive compulsive perfectionist like most of us who have bought the WE, then I think you will really enjoy turning dull useless knives that belong to your friends/family and neighbors into the razor sharp tools they were made to be! The WE stones take a considerable amount of use to break in. This break in period can be as many as a 12-20 knives depending on their hardness, length and amount of damage that need to be corrected. This is why I suggest taking on the knives of others who won’t mind if the finished bevel is not as smooth as it should be due to the new stones.
I purchased mine back in Nov of last year and am just now getting the results I had hoped for. I am not a knife guy, I just wanted to be able to keep the 6 of 7 knives my wife uses sharp. I found I really enjoy sitting down for 3-5 hours restoring a $20 knife to a level of sharpness it has never seen in it’s life.
When I made my purchase I went for the WE 120 as I was trying to justify the cost and at that time could not fathom why I would need the higher end packages. Within a very short time I would add all the additional stones and accessories I would have gotten with the more expensive fully outfitted package and end up spending more. It was still worth it.
There are a couple of sticky posts at the top of every sub forum, they are worth taking the time to read and of course if a forum search does not provide the answer to your questions please ask and you will get more then one opinion on whatever the subject is!
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Hello airscapes,
thank you for your welcome and the detailed explanation! 🙂
Of course you are right, if it would be only one knife I want to take care of it would be easier to send it to its manufacturer to sharpen it. Especially as I’m no “obsessive compulsive perfectionist” regarding knife sharpening.
I just want to have sharp kitchen knifes whenever I need them. So sending them to a pro is not really an option for me. Also I want only sharpen the knifes that are in use, I don’t want to give them a new profile or transform dull knifes into shiny and mirror-like knifes. I just need sharp knifes to work with them. Therefore I hope I don’t need 2-3 hours just for one knife. Thinking about professional cooking chefs – I can’t imagine they spent more than 10 minutes for each knife to keep it sharp!?
I’ve already read und understood what has to be done to find the perfect clamping position for each knife – of course this takes some time but that’s only once for each knife. Also I understood that the first shapening with a WEPS needs a little reprofiling for each knife – so the first sharpening may take some more time what is ok for me.
But 2-3 hours per knife each time would be a problem for me because in september I start a very time consuming project (private Pilot license). Although the break-in period disturbs me because I only have about 6 knifes that I use regularly. So my question is if I can produce sharp (not shiny) knifes during the break-in period already?
I hope I find some experience-reports from other users so I can make the right decision.
Thank you,
Thomas
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Your knives will still get sharp during the break in period for the stones. Once the stones are worn in then the knives will become sharp to a greater degree.
You dont one have to spend multiple hours on a knife especially if you don’t care about how shiny the edge is. The first time you sharpen each knife will take some time (how long depends on many factors), but once a knife has been sharpened once it will take only a few minutes to get it re-sharpened when using the Wicked Edge. Clay specifically designed the system to allow rapid re-sharpening and it does this very well.
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Sorry Tomas, I didn’t mean to miss lead you and should have been clearer. As I said, I too just wanted to keep the kitchen knives sharp, and had no desire to be a knife guy or sharpen to a mirror finish. But I quickly found great enjoyment and solace in the process and the outcome. I apologize for not being clear on the time spent. Yes 3 hours is a lot of time to just sharpen a knife, but I was referring to “Restoring” knives that were no longer usable due to never being maintained. To touch up a knife with the WE after you have initially sharpened and recorded the postilion in the vise is minimal and what you would imagine. The system will do what you want and much much more, it is a very well made tool and very addicting. 🙂
The statement about sending the knife to a pro was what a coworker told me to do when I said I was buying this.. He said for that price you can buy new knives every year! I gave him the same response you did, so I am guessing you will end up loving the WE as much as I do!
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Welcome to the forum Thomas. I share the experiences of both forum members “airscapes” and “Organic”. The very first I sharpen a knife, with fully broken in stones, it can easily take me two, three or more hours depending on how large the knife is, how rough the edge is and how finely polished an edge I’m applying. Then subsequent sharpenings take much less time.
There is a “zen-like” quality many of us experience while sharpening and I get into it and find it relaxing. These sharpener works very well. Even for a few knives. the WE130 would be my choice model for a balance between function, ease of use and versatility. It is not for everyone. Those that master it and use it well, love it.
Marc
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Guten tag Thomas and welcome to the forum! I lived in the Rheinland-Pfalz from 2008-2011, what a beautiful part of the world you are from. Are you near Karlsruhe? The one point I wanted to make about the Gen 3 is that it sits a little high because of the base included for stone storage. I took that into consideration when I purchased mine and now I am thinking about removing it from the base because of the height of the workbench I use it on. Currently, I have to stand up when sharpening and let me tell you, that gets real old after a few hours. Other than that one issue, it’s been a solid performer with the cam-lock vice. One thing that I discovered when I first started using it was that the set screws that secure the micro-adjustment tend to back out once I began sharpening so I started tightening both of them (not much) with a set of small channel locks and haven’t had that issue since. Good luck and don’t hesitate to use this forum for answers and advice.
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A point I wanted to make about the Gen 3 Pro is that it sits a little high now. I am thinking about removing it from the base because of the height of the workbench I use it on. Also, I discovered when I first started using it was that the set screws that secure the micro-adjustment tend to back out once I began sharpening so I started tightening both of them (not much) with a set of small channel locks and haven’t had that issue since.
Removing the Gen 3 Pro base shelf is easily accomplished. Here is a picture of how it looks mounted flat down on the W.E. granite base:
I added these micro-angle adjustment modifications to eliminate the issue with the lock knobs coming loose:
The modifications set-ups I pick-up from forum member “notsharpenuff”. He makes these as a hobby and shares them for pretty much what he has in them in his parts expenses. He follows the design concept previously shared on this forum and utilized by TCMeyer.Marc
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Welcome to the forum and the slippery slope on knife sharpening! I started with the wish of having a sharp kitchen knife and evolved to a scary sharp mirror polish edge. Admittedly, I’m not quite there yet but progressing in small steps. The forum members are a great help and this is the one forum where the owner of the company is actively participating in the discussions, something rarely found. I have the WE 130 and love it even though I didn’t master it. One thing I found of great help is the angle cube https://wickededgeusa.com/collections/attachments-and-adapters/products/digital-angle-gauge , something you need in order to replicate the sharpening angle each and every time. Another tidbit I make a lot of use of is https://wickededgeusa.com/collections/attachments-and-adapters/products/advanced-alignment-guide, something that allows you to get reference points for each blade you sharpen. It will increase the purchasing price with a few euros but but my way of looking at it is cry once and enjoy it for years, rather than save now and cry every time you go to use it.
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Welcome to the forum: If I lived in Germany I would buy a used unit that usually comes with many add on’s included. They pop up here from time to time. Also join “Edge Snobs” on Facebook. I see more used units pop up there more often than here. Even if you only have one knife now once you start sharpening you will be adding more to your collection. To start the sharpening learning curve correctly you need to buy a few cheap beater type kitchen knives at a garage sale or thrift shop like $2-5 each. You don’t want to start learning with your good knife.
Its the base that weighs a lot for postage to Germany. You might tell a seller to keep the base (they can re-sell it seperately or toss it) and just mail you the rest the cheapest way. Once you get the unit just buy a thick wooden knife cutting board (or make your own) and mount the unit to a board.
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Hi there again, yesterday I’ve found the following video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YPwcHjCA6gM There is a guy who creates a complete bevel on a knife in under 20 minutes. And it’s razor sharp. Did I miss something? Is this fake? Or is it really so easy and so fast? Greetings, Thomas
Thomas, once you have gotten through the learning curve, gained some practical experience in clamping knives and using your Wicked Edge set-up and your stones are broken in, sharpening a relatively small, relatively flat and relatively soft steel knife can be pretty fast and simple going. The description of “razor sharp” is a subjective term and often loosely used. Without quantifying the edge sharpness with a sharpness measuring device, like an “Edge On Up” the terminology is really just an embelishment. A wide range of edge sharpness will cut hair.
The results of your efforts are directly related to your time, effort and attention to detail. It’s not too difficult and time consuming to apply a paper slicing edge on a small blade when you are experienced. Now, to apply a mirror polished, scary sharp edge does require more time, more effort, and more attention to detail. Your results are effort driven. You get out of it directly what you put into it.
Marc
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