Welcome to the Wicked Edge Forum, -Kiku-,
I believe, your assumption and conjecture is flawed. Yes the Gen 3 Pro is more expensive. The higher price point is not an indication that it is the better model. It’s like comparing an automatic transmission model car with the standard transmission model. The automatic transmission car like the automatic angle adjustment feature of the Gen 3 Pro is more involved mechanically, and more expensive to engineer and manufacture. Thus it’s more expensive. The Gen 3 Pro also comes standard, more accessorized with the integral shelf system and with a rolling carry case. These features also contribute to the price difference.
The WE130 and the Gen 3 Pro both allow you to sharpen a knife with equal precision, and with equal quality sharpened and polished edges, once you learn how to use them well. The knife sharpening technique is the same for both models. The same cam action, single lever, “Gen 3” style vise with it’s self centering jaws and tension variable clamping system is used with both models.
The Gen 3 Pro can make gross angle adjustments to both knife sides simultaneously with simply the rotation of the single, central, lever angle adjuster. Whereas, the WE130 gross angle settings are adjusted manually, individually, one knife side at a time. The advantage of the Gen 3 Pro are the angles are adjusted simultaneously and thus maybe more simply. The disadvantage of the Gen 3 Pro are the angle adjustments are made simultaneously. The more expensive Gen 3 Pro model allows for less user input to the individual angle adjustments, control and variability, from knife side to side. The Gen 3 Pro may be easier and simpler to use like the automatic transmission car. The manually controlled WE130 like the manual transmission car allows more user input and independent user control. To emphasize, the sharpening angle precision allowed is the same with both models. The less expensive manually adjusted WE130 can be used to sharpen a larger variety of knives of different styles and characteristics.
I have and use all the different model W.E. sharpeners. If you sharpen a large enough variety of knives, you’ll find they each have their place where they are needed because of their individual characteristics and features. The decision is what level of user input and user control, along with convenience and ease of use, do you need and/or prefer? There are thousands of different kinds and styles of knives out there. For someone who stated he’s just beginning to collect knives you may want to think it over well before you pull the trigger.
You may want to read the top forum post on the “recent” topic page, “Wicked Edge Shoppers and Buyers Guide”.
The “generation” nomenclature has no real significance or correlation to the model’s release dates. As W.E. has made and continues to make product upgrades to improve upon user efficiency, these part upgrades are often incorporated directly into the models that are coming off the production line without any change in the model’s nomenclature. These parts improvements, in the past, have been offered in “upgrade kits” to allow current users to retro-fit their older models with these newer innovations. When W.E. has released new original designs is when I’ve seen the new names.
