“Resources” knife angles?
- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 06/18/2021 at 10:19 am by
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I have a set of many different size Wusthof Grand Prix knives and want to know the correct sharpening angles.
On the Wusthof FAQ page (https://www.wusthof.com/pages/faqs) they say the following:
“WÜSTHOF knives can be honed and sharpened using a hand-held sharpener, an electric sharpener, a sharpening or honing steel, or
a whetstone. We recommend using the same brand sharpener as your knife collection, to ensure that the material used is the correct hardness for the steel on your knives. Our sharpening angle for standard blades is 14˚ per side, and for Asian-style blades (Santokus, Nakiris) is 10˚ per side. We offer a variety of sharpening products with pre-set angles.”A good starting point is to sharpen at the same angle the factory sharpened to (using the Sharpie method to determine that angle). At one time WÜSTHOF sharpened to 20˚ per side – the 14˚ is their newer standard for European-style blades.
This page (https://www.williams-sonoma.com/netstorage/pdf/cutlery-comparison-charts-WUSTHOF-070215.pdf) suggests that ALL current knives (including your Grand Prix) sharpen to the same 14˚ (28˚ included angle) spec so you can’t go too wrong using that angle. As Marc points out, this is a balance between edge sharpness and edge durability.
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I ran into this same dilemma sharpening my own Wusthof knives when I started using my first W.E. sharpener, a Pro Pack 2. I went so far as contacting the Wusthof’s technical services directly for clarification. I couldn’t believe the edge angles they were recommending were correct. At that time, about 5 or more years ago, they were recommending just what JimR posted with his links above. I posted the subject of the Wusthof response letter here on this forum and got the same response from forum members back then as I share here now and posted above with my earlier response. What I shared above is what I learned through my own user’s experiences as I tried to find the best sharpening angles for my Wusthof knives.
The Wusthof steel I ultimately found to be too soft to support such narrow bevel angles, as 14º, let alone the 10º they recommend for the Santokus or Nakiris and it tended to roll easily under the applied edge pressure with normal use. Over the years Wusthof did update their designs to be more of a blend of European and Japanese knife styles. They did not change the steel they’re made with, though.
I do share JimR’s opinion that I think it is best to attempt to match the existing factory applied bevel angles the first time sharpening a knife and work from there to make any bevel angle changes to give you the best balance of sharpness and durability. I also use the “sharpie method” to determine and match the angles.
I do think that when there’s any doubt, confusion or consideration over what’s the best bevel angle to use that it’s better to start with a wider angled bevel. The wider bevel angles are shorter and smaller in bevel height and involve less edge steel. If you find the wider angle settings are not to your liking it’s very easy to reprofile to a narrower taller bevel. But the opposite is not so true. To start with a more acute bevel angle which is narrower and taller it involves more edge steel. If you choose to change that acute angle profile to a wider bevel angle profile, a lot of steel originally involved will need to be removed and will be wasted making that change.
Steve, enjoy your sharpening experiences. That’s all part of learning the “art of knife sharpening”. That is to learn the edge angle that best matches the steel’s shape and hardness.
Here are the links from back then to the two original threads where I first posted this question on this forum when I was just a “newbie”, and a second link also. There was good forum participation on this subject.
Marc
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