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Why Wicked Edge?

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  • #46922
    William
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 38

    Hello from Reno!  I joined the group in that I might become a WE owner.  Not sure yet.  I apologize in advance for any blasphemous or heretical words that may follow.  I would be in remisss if I didn’t say the KME system has also been researched and I came very close to pulling the trigger.  No doubt, there is a lot of bang for the buck in that system.    But…..

    If I did purchase a WE system, it would be the Pro-Pack III or slight variance thereof.

    Why the PPIII?   It has everything I would need to learn basic sharpening techniques and advanced like polishing   As a newb, I certainly don’t need the advanced stuff.   But I want to.  I have the time as I have six Saturdays and a Sunday.  😉  In KME, I looked at the Deluxe system with lapping kit.  Not sure apples to apples or to oranges.

    Background:  Little above zero in sharpening knives.  Maybe a little more in sharpening hand planes and a couple of chisels (very basic though).

    I have several EDC.  Couple are good, some not. Kitchen knives.  Maybe sharpen for friends and family.  Next several months, maybe looking into making a few.

    First is ease of setup ad use..

    Another big thing for me is fast repeatability.   When the Wife says knife needs a touch up.  How fast (relatively speaking)?   I think I read just keep notes of placement.   I think with KME, I read take a pic or eyeball it and use the Sharpie.   Is it as fast as clamping blade in according to notes and a couple of strokes with the strop?

    Next, while I do have the time, I don’t like to waste it unnecessarily.   So efficiency is also important.  It would appear that the ability to work both sides of the blade would be efficient as opposed to pausing to flip the blade.

    I’m sure some Members had or even have the KME.   What tipped you to the WE system?  Why Wicked Edge?

    Thank you in advance for the discussion, suggestions, opinions and anything in between!

    William

    #46925
    Marc H
    Moderator
    • Topics: 81
    • Replies: 2753

    Welcome to the forum William.  As you said the WE allows you the ability to sharpen both side bevels at the same time, alternatingly, because the centered vertical clamping without the need to flip or rotate the knife.  I have no personal experience with the KME.  I can attest to the accurate repeatability of the clamping position with the WE and the speedy results for a touch up, (i.e., minutes, depending on the wear or damage the blade has acquired through use).  As you stated recording or logging the clamping position setting is a necessity for this repeatability.

    The sturdiness and strong, rigid secure mounting of the WE is one thing that I liked.  WE Systems are made with solid machined parts, to last a lifetime.  I liked the accuracy, and precision, and absence of play in the angle settings and guide rod pivot points on the WE.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #46927
    William
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 38

    Welcome to the forum William. As you said the WE allows you the ability to sharpen both side bevels at the same time, alternatingly, because the centered vertical clamping without the need to flip or rotate the knife. I have no personal experience with the KME. I can attest to the accurate repeatability of the clamping position with the WE and the speedy results for a touch up, (i.e., minutes, depending on the wear or damage the blade has acquired through use). As you stated recording or logging the clamping position setting is a necessity for this repeatability. The sturdiness and strong, rigid secure mounting of the WE is one thing that I liked. WE Systems are made with solid machined parts, to last a lifetime. I liked the accuracy, and precision, and absence of play in the angle settings and guide rod pivot points on the WE.

    Marc,

    Thank you for your real world thoughts on the WE.  A random question I have regarding clamping.    Don’t know if you have the WE 130 or not.   I saw a good video on the KME clamping.   A trick if you will was to draw a line from point to heel and then line up that line with the straight edge of the clamp.   It ensures a mostly even bevel.  However, they showed the middle was slightly off on the angle cube.

    Would this “trick” be necessary for the WE or are you finding consistent bevels throughout? (Obvious, this is knife dependent)

    Thanks again!

    William

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    #46930
    Organic
    Participant
    • Topics: 17
    • Replies: 929

    Welcome William!

    I also did a lot of research and almost purchased a KME setup as well. It is a great sharpener and there are lots of very satisfied KME users. Like you said, the KME is a good value and that would be my system of choice if the WE did not exist. The things that eventually convinced me to purchase the WE product were numerous.

    1. Ease of repeat sharpening. The KME doesn’t have a good way to document clamping position. This is key if you want to be able to simply clamp and sharpen without having to mark, check the alignment, and make adjustments before giving a blade some touch up work. With the advanced alignment guide and my wicked edge, I can clamp every knife I have previously sharpened in a repeatable way. If you are creative I imagine you can rig up something similar for the KME, but it is not designed into the system.

    2. The ability to sharpen both sides without needing to flip the knife. This may seem only like a time saving gimmick at first, but after using the system you realize that being able to view the edge from top down and to side to side throughout the sharpening process makes it a lot easier to get symmetrical bevels. This also makes it easy to work with alternating strokes so as to minimize the formation of a burr when you get into the polishing stage of the knife sharpening. Taking the time to flip the blade after every stroke really kills the sharpening rhythm.

    3. The WE doesn’t have the play that the KME has. This allows for truly precise sharpening. You’ll notice that the KME can wiggle slightly while sharpening long knives.

    4. WE has a very good customer service reputation. If you have a problem, Clay and his team will make it right. I hear that Ron also offers great customer service as well, so this may not be a point of differentiation, but when I was in the market a few years ago KME was very new to the game and there wasn’t much information to go off of.

    With regard to that trick you mentioned: The process of deciding where to clamp a knife in any clamp based sharpener like the Wicked Edge, KME, Viper Sharp, Lansky, or Tormek is one of the most important steps of the process. The shortcut you described does work on some knives, but it is not universal and there is a better way to do this. Check out the thread titled How I Find the Sweet Spot. This is the most comprehensive description that I know of to describe the process of finding the optimal clamping position.

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    #46933
    Marc H
    Moderator
    • Topics: 81
    • Replies: 2753

    Marc, Thank you for your real world thoughts on the WE. A random question I have regarding clamping. Don’t know if you have the WE 130 or not. I saw a good video on the KME clamping. A trick if you will was to draw a line from point to heel and then line up that line with the straight edge of the clamp. It ensures a mostly even bevel. However, they showed the middle was slightly off on the angle cube. Would this “trick” be necessary for the WE or are you finding consistent bevels throughout? (Obvious, this is knife dependent) Thanks again! William

    I do employ a similar method when sharpening chef’s knives like Gyutos that are relatively flat blade with a gentle curve to the point. This method works very well for the relatively flat Santoku style, Petty Knives and slicing blades.

    I have all the models/version Wicked Edges including the 2018 WE130.

     

    very

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #46946
    William
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 38

    Just want to say thanks for the replies!    I guess it didn’t take a lot of convincing.   I did not get a PPIII but instead put together my own Pro-Pack centered around the 130.   I call it the WE Pro-Pack Me edition

    800/1000 diamond

    1500/ glass platen w/ 6 micron

    strops with 4/2 micron

    scissor attachment

    Alignment guide

    Didn’t need a case and I have an angle cube and a loupe.

    Hopefully, this should set me on my way and I didn’t miss anything.

    William

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    #46952
    Organic
    Participant
    • Topics: 17
    • Replies: 929

    I think you hit everything you’ll want out of the gate. Did you get a base plate or do you have a place to mount it? Make sure you have some sharpie markers on hand and some band aids if you’re the clumsy type.

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #46953
    William
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 38

    I think you hit everything you’ll want out of the gate. Did you get a base plate or do you have a place to mount it? Make sure you have some sharpie markers on hand and some band aids if you’re the clumsy type.

    Yep.  Got a base.  I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I splurged for the granite base.  Bob at Oldawan hooked me up with a darker base.   When I thought about the time it would take to hunt something down similiar, drill bits and hope that my old, ailing cordless drill was up to the task.  Not to mention getting the holes lined up right, even with a template.   I said F* it, just get the base and be done with it.

    Trip to Office Depot already in the works……. 🙂  maybe band aids too

     

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    #46956
    Josh
    Participant
    • Topics: 89
    • Replies: 1672

    Good call all the way around! The guys nailed it! I just ordered a 130 for a friend as a gift and he loves it. For a base I set it up with a suction cup vacuum (like a panavise ) as I’m a big fan of that set up. But you are right  better to not have to fool with machining to get everything perfect, just buy one and be done with it!

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    #46959
    tcmeyer
    Participant
    • Topics: 38
    • Replies: 2098

    Hi Josh…  Must be a really good friend.  I don’t know anybody I like that well, but then, I’m a cheapskate.

    William:  Just to share a bit about angles relative to mounting location.  Since you posed the question with regard to the KME, I felt it necessary to clear up the point.

    If you mount a straight edged-blade at an angle and view the stone/blade angle in a plane parallel to the vise, it will appear as if the stone is changing angles as you move it along the edge, but it actually doesn’t.  If you sight down the edge of the blade, you’ll see that the angle does, in fact, stay constant.  This is not true for curved edges and particularly not for tip section which are closer or further to the vertical line of the vise.

    As an example, I have a Wuesthof Santoku which has an edge which is very close to being a straight line.  No belly, no tip transition.  I could mount that blade at a 45 degree angle sloping up or down in the vise and the bevel angles will be very nearly constant throughout the length of the edge.  If I mount a Buck 110 ( they’re like assholes, everybody has one) [please excuse the language.  I was in the Navy and the character flaw never cleared up], the tip will curve downward.  If mounted with the tip nearly vertical and close to the far face of the vise, the angle at that point will be closer to perpendicular, while the straight section will be beveled at the angle you targeted and constant throughout the straight section, from belly to heel.

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    #46966
    Karl
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 16

    Note to self-  give away my Buck 110 with wicked convex edge 🙁

    #46969
    tcmeyer
    Participant
    • Topics: 38
    • Replies: 2098

    Don’t do that Karl!  For as common as they are, they’re an outstanding working knife, and that’s why there’s so many of them.  When I went hunting for muleys, whitetails or antelope, I always took my Buck 110 along, knowing that it’d do the job, including batoning the spine to split a pelvic bone, if necessary.  I’ve sharpened a half-dozen clones over the last 7 years, and they’re all POS’s compared to the Buck.  Last year I did a Buck 110 for a hunting buddy and the blade was missing about 3/4 of an inch and someone had ground the tip down, making it into a drop point.  For all the abuse it had gone through, it still was a very functional tool.

    If I could find out exactly how to disassemble one, I think I would change the blade steel, but it’d look the same.

    And yeah, I’m gonna put a convex on mine, too.

    Here’s the only image I have of mine, which shows how it bit me once after reaching past it and pulling my hand back.  If you look closely, you can see where the tip actually started to exit at the tip of my pinkie.

    Buck 110 bit me

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    #46970
    Organic
    Participant
    • Topics: 17
    • Replies: 929

    Ouch!

    #46971
    Karl
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 16

    Damn!?  (pardon the Navy french)  Big OUCH!

    #46972
    Marc H
    Moderator
    • Topics: 81
    • Replies: 2753

    Safety shields wouldn’t protect from that. After experiences similar accidents, now I try to throw a folded towel over the clamped knife as soon as I’m done with that phase of the sharpening process.   Before I start reaching around and making any stone changes and adjustments.  “Live and learn”.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by Marc H.
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