New vs Old Granite Base

[SpensiveHabits]

I recently purchased a WE-130 and a granite base and received both today.  I was surprised to find that the granite base appears to be the old model that is sort of brown.  I was expecting the new black/gold looking version.  Was this recently updated with the new model or was I shipped an item that was really old stock?  Any functional/quality differences between the new/old versions?  Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks all, and happy to join this community!

-SpensiveHabits

[Marc H]

SpensiveHabits, welcome to the W.E. forum.

W.E. sells through their inventory and they sell out often.  I doubt they have any new old stock.

At one time they offered what was called a paper wood base.  I think it was an MDF like product.  These bases were like a milk chocolate brown color.  The paper wood bases were solid, very hard and heavy but easily distinguished from granite stone.

I have two W.E. granite bases.  One is a darker stone.  A more blackish background color.  The other one is a lighter stone with a golden beige, light brownish background.  Both of these granite bases have the mottled stone look with shiny flecks of mica and quartz throughout them. Just like the granite countertops in many homes. The weight, thickness, hardness and polished shine of granite stone are its giveaways.

As a sidenote W.E. has offered these granite bases for many years but they never offered a color choice or a buyer’s request.  I asked if I had a choice of color many years ago when I was ordering my first granite base with my first setup.  I was hoping to match my kitchen countertops.  I was told no.  They just ship what ever they have in stock.

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[SpensiveHabits]

Marc,

Thanks for the welcome and the response.

I suppose I should have included photos of the base, which would have clarified my question better.  I’m attaching photos to this message.

The base I received is definitely granite and appears to be in line with the lighter beige stone you received:

I was surprised, as I had really only seen the darker base like this one:

I’m not sure if I care for the beige color (I’m not sure the color really matters either), but I definitely didn’t realize that this was what I would receive when I ordered.

1.  Is this the same as the stone you have?
2.  Is there any differences between the granite versions you have?

-SpensiveHabits

 

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[Marc H]

Yes it’s like my lighter beige/gold granite base.  It’s a nice looking piece of stone.  It has a lot of motion to it..  Interesting.  Your’s is similar to my kitchen countertops.  I like it!

The only difference between my two granite bases is the stone color. One is beige/gold the other is a mostly gray colored stone.  For me the color differences makes it easiest to discern my WE Gen 3 Pro sharpener from my WE130 setups when I have them both put away on the shelf.  Other than the colors the bases are identical size, weight and in function.  I promise you, when you get to work trying to master the technique needed to sharpen your knives well, the base color will not even come into the equation.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[000Robert]

I think it looks pretty nice myself.

[SpensiveHabits]

Marc,

Thanks for the feedback.  I appreciate the feedback on the two bases.  I don’t anticipate that I’ll end up with two sharpeners, but I never expected to have as many knives as I do either!!!  Out of curiousity, why do you have two sharpeners?  My curiosity is piqued.

-SpensiveHabits

[SpensiveHabits]

Thanks for the reply Robert!  It does look nice.  I was just surprised when I opened it because I expected a very different looking base.

Take care!

-SpensiveHabits

[Marc H]

SpensiveHabits wrote:

Marc, Out of curiousity, why do you have two sharpeners? My curiosity is piqued. -SpensiveHabits

I started many years ago with my first W.E. sharpener, the Pro-Pack II.  Then as W.E. continued to offer new models, versions and design upgrades I tried them, too.  As I got deeper into my knife sharpening and knife collecting hobbies I learned the advantages and shortcomings of each of my sharpener’s capabilities.  I customized, modified, adapted and accessorized each setup model to maximize their capabilities to better accommodate my various sizes, shapes and styles of knives.  This sometimes includes using some aftermarket products that can be found on this forum and elsewhere.  Now I choose to use the model shapener that is best suited for that particular knife I’m sharpening at the time.  One sharpener works better for thicker knives.  One is for the lower bevel angle knives and another is for the longer and more flexible knives, etc, etc.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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