New WE owner from the upstate NY area . . .

[Expidia]

Hi all!  After several weeks of watching videos on the various sharpening systems on YouTube (including Clay’s well done videos) and reading through many of the threads here and also over on the Blades forum . . .

And after digesting all the info . . . I boiled it down to that “I” had two choices  . . . to go First Class or Coach!

This AM I pulled the trigger by ordering the WE Pro-Pack III-2018 with the aluminum base for $1,199.

My plan is that once I get about 15 knifes under my belt, I’m going to take off the toothy BM factory edge on my new EDC 490 Arcane S90V and do a hybrid edge like Clay’s video where its a narrow mirror bevel and then finishing it off with a toothy micro bevel.  I also recently bought my son an EDC BM Oborne 940-2 in S30V.  Now I have some hard steel edges to work my way up to experience wise, before I remove those factory edges.

I already own a handful of various folding knives and so does my son.  Add on our kitchen knives (plus my daughter’s kitchen knives) and we probably have 50 knives in the family.  That’s how I justified my WE investment over the long term.  And it’s going to be another hobby of mine and I do plan to continue to collect a few more quality folders too.

Up to now I’ve been using a highly rated Chefs Choice Trizor edge sharpener on my kitchen knifes and now after seeing what an amazing edge that a WE can put on a knife (of course after a learning curve and broken in stones)  now looking at all my kitchen knives, their edges are atrocious!

And I actually have a 2016 Gen 3 Pro WE300 also coming next week that I bought off ebay a few days ago, but it only comes with one set of stones 200/800 grit and by the time I order all the accessories I wanted  . . . it really added up in overall costs.  But I figure I’ll try it out anyway since I’ll have all the other stones that are coming with the Pro-pack III and then I’ll probably just re-sell the Gen III Pro unit at some point.

I have also enjoyed reading and appreciating all the threads that the experienced regulars in this WE forum chime in on (as well as the BladeForum) who spend their time helping us newbies out.

Well, thats my story and I’m sticking to it!

 

• This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.
• This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Haffner, wickededge, sksharp

[TimmyNY]

Hi, I’m from Buffalo, NY 🙂  did you order your Pro Pack III from Wicked Edge ? if so, how long did they say it take to come in ?  I’m also looking to get a Pro Pack III.

1 user thanked author for this post.

wickededge

[Pinkfloyd]

Welcome Expedia,

Great choice on your selection of sharpeners! I think though when you get the Gen 3 Pro you will be spoiled by how easy it is to change the angle of sharpening, over the PP3 sharpener (WE 130). Have fun!

1 user thanked author for this post.

wickededge

[Expidia]

I ordered it from Amazon with their 2 day Prime shipping.  Says in stock and shipped from ‘Best Sharpening”.  So no tax.   I noticed the Gen III Pro $899 unit was on backorder on WE and it does not show at all on amazon.   But the Pro-Pack III (2018 WE130 unit) shows in stock on both sites.

I’m in Albany, but I was out to buffalo last April seeing some clients near Niagra Falls.  Cool place with it’s casino and various tourist attractions downtown.  I hadn’t been there in 30 years since when my kids were young.  But we are going back this summer and trailering my 15 foot aluminum boat and plan on launching it on the Niagra River.

 

 

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Expidia.

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wickededge

[Expidia]

Pinkfloyd wrote:

Welcome Expedia, Great choice on your selection of sharpeners! I think though when you get the Gen 3 Pro you will be spoiled by how easy it is to change the angle of sharpening, over the PP3 sharpener (WE 130). Have fun!

Thx for the welcome.  Ya, I weighed that out.  I actually had yet another 2016 Gen III Pro unit that I ordered on Amazon slightly used last week (prob no case either). but the seller never shipped it and cxl’d saying it was technical difficulties.  Then he re-listed it and I bought it again on 2/19.  This AM I got yet another email from amazon saying they reversed my charge yet again as the seller never shipped it “again”.   And I had already received like $450 in accessories that I already ordered from Amazon to use with the Gen III Pro and I sent them all back today with amazon’s pre-paid labels.  The Pro-Pack III has pretty much all the same accessories I ordered plus the wheeled hard case.

My thinking was since my workbench is high and if I use the Gen III Pro on top of it its not going to be comfortable to use that high, I’d probably un-assemble it down to using just the top and base anyway.  I do like the aluminum base on the Pro-Pack III and its better portability.  Plus its the newest Gen III vice on the Pro-Pack III and I like that its sealed from diamond and metal dust where I don’t think the 2016 model that I had coming has a sealed vice.  For $1,199, its going to be an instant family heirloom :o).

The only new stone set I kept was the 50/100.  I sent back the 1200-1600 ceramics, The 1.5 micron leather strops, the kangaroo strops,  the angle cube and the 6 micron lapping film and the 1500 grit handle/ with the glass platen.  Most of those accessories come with the Pro-pack III.

From my forum thread readings, I sent the ceramics back and will try the 1500 grit /blank glass platen with the 6 micron film and the 4/2 diamond emulsion /leather strop.  I can always add ceramics in the future if what I will have does not give me the finish I desire, but I’m sure it will.

Wow, just think how much further I’d be experience-wise with sharpening knives, if I could have used all this time I’ve already spent gaining real time experience using the stones strops and films . . .  instead of screwing around with what I’ve been doing so far just trying to set up my system.  EEK!  That’s why I finally said “screw it” with trying to save a few bucks by putting a used system together and adding accessories . . . Thats why I went for the $1,199 system this AM.  I still have my options open within the return windows especially being that a new Gen III Pro’s are still on back order.

I’ll at least have the opportunity next week when the ebay 2016 Gen III Pro unit arrives at the same time as the 2018 WE 130 Pro-Pack arrives and I can try them both.  Worst case, is I like the Gen III Pro so much more . . . then I can return/swap for the Pro-Pack III for the 2018 Gen III Pro model for $899, when they are back in stock and then re-sell the 2016 model that I bought on ebay.

I’m a little dizzy from all this. My experience so far is that if anyone out there is on the fence as to which model to get . . .  just go with the most you can afford.  You can always re-sell a WE model as the used models appear to be in high demand.  Stones etc are wear items anyway, like the brake pads in your car that have to be re-newed after a certain amount of miles.

 

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TimmyNY

[Marc H]

Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum and community, expidia.  You certainly did jump all in with ambitious expectations.  Take your time, go slow and give it the effort it needs and you’ll achieve everything you plan on.

We’re here to help. You did your reading and your research so you know there’s a learning curve.  Enjoy it, savor it, and don’t rush it.

There’s somethings each model you ordered will do better then the other.  I have both and find myself switching back and forth to use the model that best matches the style knife I’m sharpening.

Welcome!

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[Expidia]

Marc H wrote:

Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum and community, expidia. You certainly did jump all in with ambitious expectations. Take your time, go slow and give it the effort it needs and you’ll achieve everything you plan on. We’re here to help. You did your reading and your research so you know there’s a learning curve. Enjoy it, savor it, and don’t rush it. There’s somethings each model you ordered will do better then the other. I have both and find myself switching back and forth to use the model that best matches the style knife I’m sharpening. Welcome!

Thanks Marc.  I’ve read many of your posts.  Its especially posters like “you” that make forums like this one a great place to learn and share ideas and their experiences.

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Marc H

[Expidia]

Tip:  I have not even received any of my WE units yet and  . . . I already have drawn blood!  So don’t do this . . .

I saw a vid on YouTube how he uses two small magnets on each side of his WE sharpener that attract the metal particles.

So I ordered a set of two Neodymium 2.5 inch bar magnets ($11.95 on amazon).  When I pulled them apart I had no idea that these two tiny magnets have a 35 lb pull force and they flew back together pinching the skin of my pointer finger and I had to pull my pinched skin out of the magnets.  No way I could have grabbed something to separate them while I was in so much instant pain.

These little suckers are so strong, they down right dangerous!  I already ordered the plastic shields that go over the stones before I slice my fingers up while  learning the ropes.  But who knew I would draw blood from two freak’in little magnets.

[Dwight Glass]

About the magnets try placing the corners together, then sliding them together from there

[tcmeyer]

I epoxied a few of the little round ones (1/2″ X 3/16″) to some aluminum vise jaws to keep them in place on my machinist’s vise.  The heavy grinding they went through broke through the exterior plating (Cr or Ni?) and the magnets seemed to crumble when under pressure.  It’s not exactly a homogeneous material and the plating is holding it together.

I tried sticking a pair to my Gen 1 vise and I saw very little metal dust collected there.  Most of it landed on the base.  I have one epoxied to the end of one of those flat carpenter’s pencils and I can wave it around the base to clean up most of the dust.  Unfortunately, it won’t pick up diamond dust and that’s the stuff that’ll contaminate other stones.  At least one of the members here has taken steps to attenuate the amount of airborne diamond dust, as it’s thought to be bad for your lungs.

[Expidia]

Dwight Glass wrote:

About the magnets try placing the corners together, then sliding them together from there

haha, ya, thats how I slip them back together NOW, after the fact.  I just took the band aid off a few min. ago.  Only a small flat round blood clot looking thing now with a small hole in the middle.

I’m just glad I didn’t hold one up to each ear after separating them. . . yikes!

[Expidia]

tcmeyer wrote:

I epoxied a few of the little round ones (1/2″ X 3/16″) to some aluminum vise jaws to keep them in place on my machinist’s vise. The heavy grinding they went through broke through the exterior plating (Cr or Ni?) and the magnets seemed to crumble when under pressure. It’s not exactly a homogeneous material and the plating is holding it together. I tried sticking a pair to my Gen 1 vise and I saw very little metal dust collected there. Most of it landed on the base. I have one epoxied to the end of one of those flat carpenter’s pencils and I can wave it around the base to clean up most of the dust. Unfortunately, it won’t pick up diamond dust and that’s the stuff that’ll contaminate other stones. At least one of the members here has taken steps to attenuate the amount of airborne diamond dust, as it’s thought to be bad for your lungs.

Thx.  I plan to wear a small particle mask anyway as any dust especially diamond dust can’t be good on the lungs.  These magnets are so brittle and tend to shatter when letting them bang together from what I read on a few negative reviews on amazon of the product, after the fact.

[Marc H]

I gave up on the magnets.  I couldn’t figure out a way to cover them with a removable cover that would trap the metal filings and allow me to discard this metal dust while keeping the magnets in a good effective placement that didn’t interfere with my sharpening.  The magnets eventually grew a furry metal beard that I couldn’t remove or clean off the magnets.

I have been using a particle dust mask the last couple months with good results when working with dry diamond stones.   I no longer feel the dust in my throat.  It’s a trade off because the mask can get warm on my face at times and it can make my eyeglasses fog some.  I don’t find it necessary to use the dust mask when sharpening with Shapton’s Glass Diamond Whetstones.  The water makes a metal mud that easily wipes up and keeps the dust out of the air.

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

2 users thanked author for this post.

sksharp, Expidia

[sksharp]

Welcome Expidia, you’ll love the PP3. I’ve been using mine for almost a year now, 2016 version however. I don’t use the magnets anymore either as they didn’t seem to accomplish much except increase my clean up time. Just clean up the station and machine every 10 to 20 sharpening’s or so now.

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Expidia, Marc H

[Pinkfloyd]

Marc, Expedia

I used plastic caps off of small spray bottles to put the magnets in, then used tape over open end. Easy to remove tape, metal filings.

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Expidia, Organic, sksharp, Marc H

[Author]

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