sksharp

Hey LV,

Yes the trials I ran with the lapping film were the WE films. I agree that the lapping films are quick and can serve a purpose. I like the edge with the lapping films they are just not noticeably sharper to me so I don’t want to encounter the extra expense. I just did a 5″ Kitchenaid chef knife to 1500 then 9,6,3 lapping film then 4/2…[Read more]

I recently received a WE GO and after spending some time with it I have to agree with TC. Hang on to that 120 vice! Every sharpening system has strengths and weaknesses. What I’ve found with the GO is the old clamp doesn’t interfere as much on more acute angles. The GO is the height of a WE 100 with the same clamp and because of the difference in…[Read more]

Hello LV and glad to hear your liking the WE so far.

I don’t use lapping films very often but do use them some. I don’t try to do a full progression with films because I feel that with all the edge trailing strokes a wire edge is almost an inevitability. They are very fast and do produce a good looking edge but not a truly polished edge.  For m…[Read more]

I and quite a few others do check the angle on each stone all the way thru. I have the set of diamonds that I started with and bought a new set at X-mas. The stones have slight differences and if I don’t check angles it causes me problems. The differences in the new stones are similar to the old ones.

If you ever start using natural or man made…[Read more]

The upgrade to make a 120 into a 130 is cheaper than selling your system and buying a new one I think.

Hello Dale,

I recommend that you find several knives that you can use to test different edges. Knives that you don’t mind sharpening more than you normally would. Try to 1000 then strop and test on different materials, 1500 then strop and test. A 1500 diamond edge hit with 6, 3, 1.5 lapping film followed by stropping is one sharp puppy in my…[Read more]

Welcome s.4.b., we are kids with a new toy! Oh what a toy it is and the WE serves a needed purpose that was until 10 or so years ago out of reach to all but a few. Any questions, problems or advise please don’t be afraid to share. It’s a big part of how we all learn!

I wanted to add Dale that don’t go by the “grit” rating with the ceramics. They remove metal much differently than diamonds do and don’t really fit in a diamond progression, this is why I use a 1200/1600 after using the 1500 diamond. In my opinion it would take several hundred strokes with a 1200 ceramic to come close to removing the scratches…[Read more]

My micro ceramics are labeled with 1.4/.6, the 1200/1600’s are labeled course and fine. The ceramics will polish after they break in however, it may take 20 or 30 knives before you really start to see what they are capable of. The 1200/1600 I have probably have about 30 to 40 knives on them and they are still improving, the micro’s start yielding…[Read more]

The tip is where an uneven bevel will reveal itself. Make sure that the rest of your bevel reflects what you are seeing at the tip however. Looking at the tip of your knife the bevel on the left side (clamped) should be noticeably wider than the right. I’ve had tips early on though that were due to the way I was finishing my stroke, different on…[Read more]

Nice video L. Well done and thanks for sharing your experience as a new user of the WE. It’s interesting to watch you with the WE given your past experience with sharpening. Thanks

If your chipping problem isn’t to bad the rest of the progression can take it out. After the 100 stones looking at the edge with a microscope all my edges look chipped…[Read more]

Welcome to the fray Dale!

Welcome Bob,

I’m glad you received your GO, I ordered mine on July 4th, 2017 and it arrived on Dec. 23rd. The re-design set them back and I’m glad to hear of your initial impression of the machine. I to think the wait was worth it in the long run. I have been using a WE130 for a time and I’m quite certain you will love that little guy. I ordered…[Read more]

Josh once you get used to checking for lean and learning the clamp, adjusting the angle to compensate is really a simple thing to do. You will like your system and the original vise, it does have advantages on certain knives, small knives especially. Clamp up several knives and determine how the way you clamp a knife effects the lean. Even the…[Read more]

I do think that even if you do use an 20 deg. edge on everything that the WE is still going to give most anyone better results than any other option my a mile, but I know what MarcH means. With the capabilities of the WE system you do short change some knives by not getting the proper angle for sure.

Like MarcH said, there are reasons to keep the…[Read more]

Thanks for clarifying MarcH. Exactly my terminology.

Hello Michael,

20 deg. is a safe and good angle for most knives and if that is where you want them their is nothing wrong with your approach. You can benefit from more acute angles on some kitchen knives especially but 20 will work.

Hello Gazillion,

I have to profile pretty much every knife I do for the first time. The sharpening angles when done by hand on a belt grinder or however most of the bigger manufacturers do it leave quite a bit to be desired. Unless a knife has seen the WE before, I have to profile the blade even if I’m matching existing bevel most of the time.…[Read more]

That is interesting for sure! Nice

Hey redheads, Those machines aren’t knife sharpeners, they can be used for sharpening I suppose but you will have to come up with something for angle control if you want to sharpen at any particular angle to save time on the WE. The machines you are looking at are for grinding knives. From what I’m lead to believe with the knife grinders(belt…[Read more]