Upgrade Vise Prototype TEST REPORT

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1

Received the prototype upgrade vise, and in a nut shell this is a well engineered piece of hardware!

Initial thoughts:
-well constructed
-cam action works very well
-removable handle is a great idea

Testing approach:
I wanted to limit my testing time to a day so that I could send it to the next person on the list quickly, therefore, I focused more on clamping up a bunch of different knives, rather than trying to get in a lot of sharpening time. I also chose a lot of FFG (full flat grind) since those are more tricky to clamp (assumption being that a flat/parallel knife would not be a problem).

Knives tested:
Spyderco Delica FFG (quick front to back taper change)
Wusthof 3" paring knife (very thin, 1/32")
Calphalon 4.5" paring knife (a little thicker than the Wusthof)
Emerson HD-7 (flat/parallel clamping area)
Strider SnG

Test Results:
I was able to securely clamp four out of the five knives (not the SnG). After clamping, I was able to lift the WEPS/base off the table, which is my standard check to ensure I have the knife secured; all passed satisfactorily. The Strider SnG blade (0.165") is thicker than 1/8" (0.125", which is above the design thickness for this vise design. I think it might have held, but I did not want to break the vise before other got to try it.

Conclusion:
This vise works very good. The ideal user would be someone who sharpens knives at shows, or someone who needs to quickly sharpen all their 1/8" or thinner blades. The thickness limit of 1/8" (0.125") is a draw back, but I bet that Clay is already working on a MOD version which will accommodate thicker knives. =)

Here is the photobucket account with all the test pics:
http://s18.photobucket.com/user/blacksheep25/library/Sharpening/WEPS-Gen-III-clamp-test?sort=2&page=1

Feel free to ask any questions. I’ll be sending the test package to the next person on the list tomorrow!

2

Just a quick note - the updated version clamps blades up to 3/16".

3

Awesome, the Strider SMF is a 3/16" (0.1875") blade! =)

4

First I want to say a huge thank you to Clay for making it even possible that we can check out and “kick the tires” on a new product before its even out. Its a real honor!

My first impression was its incredibly well designed and super rugged feeling. The thing that struck me the most was how QUICK it was to lock in a new blade without having to think about it nearly as much. In fact it took me a few knives to realize I could just flip the lever and be DONE.

I checked the angles & clamping on a FFG Spyderco, a 10" chef knife, a WWII bayonette, and multiple small EDC pocket knives of varying edge geometries. Without exception the vise clamped the blade straight up n down with no side to side wiggle to worry about. Amazing!

With the chef knife I measured a low angle minimum clearance of 11 degrees but it would need to be a bit higher for normal use and smaller knives would need to be a bit higher still. Installing the vise on my double riser blocks didn’t change the clearance minimums one way or the other…but did make it look cool. :stuck_out_tongue:

My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? …Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience?

Again thanks to Clay for the incredible opportunity to be on the front line of a new product like this and I cant wait to hear from the rest of the crew. Its on its way to Gib now…

5

[quote quote=“CliffCurry” post=22447]
My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? …Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience? [/quote]

Is there a preload adjustment? Something similar to a vise grip where you can twist a knob to tighten or loosen the clamp before you squeeze the handles to preset the clamping pressure?

6

[quote quote=“HodMa1” post=22451][quote quote=“CliffCurry” post=22447]
My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? …Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience? [/quote]

Is there a preload adjustment? Something similar to a vise grip where you can twist a knob to tighten or loosen the clamp before you squeeze the handles to preset the clamping pressure?[/quote]

That would be nice! but i imagine WE would not want that as people would over tighten and then they would be replacing them all the time. It would be good if they had a set “safe” pressure they set it to that would hold the knife secure but not over tighten.

7

[quote quote=“HodMa1” post=22451][quote quote=“CliffCurry” post=22447]
My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? …Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience? [/quote]

Is there a preload adjustment? Something similar to a vise grip where you can twist a knob to tighten or loosen the clamp before you squeeze the handles to preset the clamping pressure?[/quote]
I was wondering this as well. I think this is going to be a great upgrade as long as the slightly thicker blades are accommodated. .1875" should be plenty for me as I think the thickest I have is .165".

8

do we know when this new vise will be available to purchase yet or maybe it already is and i missed it.

please advise - farmers markets opening in may - i need one.
thanks

9

[quote quote=“tuffybraithwaite” post=22469]do we know when this new vise will be available to purchase yet or maybe it already is and i missed it.

please advise - farmers markets opening in may - i need one.
thanks[/quote]
.
.
i now know more - pre ordered from Kyle moments ago…3 to 4 weeks or so he said
.
i like it… :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

10

Thanks Cliff! I’m glad you enjoyed using it. The newest iteration clamps even more securely because we added a little bit of play in the pivot pins which allows the jaws to better conform to blades with distal tapers. The play is so nominal that it’s very hard to detect but has a significant impact on clamping. I’m super excited to see how the nano-grip samples add to the equation.

11

I’ll buy it, regardless, because I support this cutting-edge product and ALL the people involved (including you, reader!); all those whom dedicate time to see that it’s maintained and nurtured… That said, man, I really can’t stand the flat bar that engages the clamp… Regardless of whether the bar is removable or not, I think improving the overall mechanism needs to be developed further.

I know all you engineers out there (including you, Clay :wink: ) must be cursing at me under your breath for requesting a full-on design overhaul of a simple machine. But please hear me out… Think Dyson and how they pretty much reinvented the vacuum. Now, I’m not saying product research and production have to revolve around such a specific objective. But, what I am saying is, the WEPS is in a class all its own. So why not?

12

Just to highlight a point by KnifeKnerd, the Dyson vacuum cleaner is one of the best examples of innovative engineering I’ve ever seen. And please understand that I was involved in mechanical and electrical engineering for more than thirty years. Every mechanical engineer should be required to assemble one about a half dozen times before being allowed to design anything him/herself. And I’m not talking about their cyclone technology.

Yea, UK!

13

Hi Cliff, I’m curious about FFG blades. Does it always clamp those blades straight because of something in the design? Or is it recommended, like with the gen 1 & 2 vises, to use something like foam tape to be sure such blades are clamped straight?

14

Just from an observation standpoint and what believe the mechanics are involved… The vise jaws are spring loaded against each other, that makes them self centering and when the clamp down both sides apply equal pressure. I actually didn’t think to try placing a blade in tilted way over and see if it self centered, I just set it, clamped, and checked…very close to perfect vertical every time! :wink:

It’s funny Clay mentioned adding a small bit of play into the pivot pins, I was looking closely at that area when clamping down and had a passing thought along those lines. That should indeed help it adjust even better to different blade profiles & thicknesses.

As for the locking bar I didn’t mind it at all after clamping a few blades and getting used to the newness of it. Considering the torque that needs to be applied to the cam and the force on the lever arm to do that AND still make it comfortable to operate, I think they have done an outstanding job. I’ve seen many products over designed attempting to be clever that have lost that basic simplicity & most important… durability!

15

Received it from nephew Cliff on Monday, mounted the vise and ran a few knives through Tuesday morning, packed it up and put it in the mail to Eric Tuesday afternoon. (Eric send me a personal message and I’ll give you the Tracking #)

Quick impressions: I’ll have one sooner or later. Likely, sooner.

I’ll add a couple of pictures and a few more thoughts a little later…

Contrary to my original thought, I didn’t actually sharpen any knives, I just mounted and unmounted a bunch of different ones of a few different grinds.

I’ll have one sooner or later.

16

Ah, a man who understands [the] objective. Excellent.
I’m curious to see how the mounting goes with knives of various grinds and sizes, so please keep us all updated… Hopefully this thread won’t get hijacked by any “Hey, Look at My Shiny New Edge!” replies. :pinch:

17

I see these are available for pre-order. Where can I find pricing information, and I assume the vises available in 3 or 4 weeks will have the slight design changes mentioned in this thread?

I’m looking forward to this for not just FFG blades, but all blades as I spend a few minutes in setup each time making sure both sides of the blade are 0 degrees. This also discourages me from removing the blade from the vise for any reason until I’m sure I’m through because it can be a hassle going through the setup again. I’m really liking what I see here.

18

[quote quote=“GibCurry” post=22602]…Received it from nephew Cliff on Monday, mounted the vise and ran a few knives through Tuesday morning, packed it up and put it in the mail to Eric Tuesday afternoon. (Eric send me a personal message and I’ll give you the Tracking #)

Quick impressions: I’ll have one sooner or later. Likely, sooner.

…I didn’t actually sharpen any knives, I just mounted and unmounted a bunch of different ones of a few different grinds.[/quote]

Quickly, here is my work bench.

There’s a sliding shelf under to the left. I’ve got my whole setup in a wooden tray – at the end of a sharpening session, I pick up the tray and can slide the whole thing out of the way and, for the most part, out of sight. I can then just grab the tray and put it back up on the bench and I’m ready to go.

I’ve switched my bases… I had a few feet of pre-fabricated laminate countertop from another project, out of which I was able to form a couple of bases that have a natural “back stop” for the sharpener’s arms to rest on.

The one on the right I’ve got my little bent arm scissor sharpener. The countertop is dense and, for me, heavy enough that it doesn’t rock during sharpening. And, they are much easier to drill holes in.

I originally got the PPI with the PPII upgrade so I already had two vises and didn’t have to disassemble my main setup to test the new vise.

OK… as I mentioned, I’ll upgrade sooner than later.

My workbench is pretty level but I’ve also got a couple of different levels on the base itself and check it all with my angle cube… not that my OCD is peeking out from behind the curtain…

I mounted pocket, slip joints and lockbacks in the vise. Hollow and Full Flat grinds. Tactical and culinary. Love it.

The lock down is as solid and tight as I would ever need.

On the Henckels mounted in the picture, the new vise handle was kind of in the way – until I learned how to use it correctly.

Mounting & unmounting multiple knives multiple times I found consistent measured results.

Thanks for letting me in on this pass around....

USPS tracking just told me the vise is in Windsor, CO on its way to Eric....<div class="attachments"><div class="attachment_title">Attachments:</div><ul><li><a href="https://knife.wickededgeusa.com/app/uploads/2015/04/KnifeBench1.jpg">KnifeBench1.jpg</a></li><li><a href="https://knife.wickededgeusa.com/app/uploads/2015/04/KnifeBench.jpg">KnifeBench.jpg</a></li></ul></div>
19

The block that attaches the prototype handle to the cam shaft is longer than the production style. Both the prototype and the production models allow for the block to be attached in a few different configurations so that it’s not so much in the way and so that lefties can use it too. Gib, did you try flipping it around at all?

20

[quote quote=“wickededge” post=22661][quote quote=“GibCurry” post=22656]
On the Henckels mounted in the picture, the new vise handle was kind of in the way – until I learned how to use it correctly.
[/quote]

The block that attaches the prototype handle to the cam shaft is longer than the production style. Both the prototype and the production models allow for the block to be attached in a few different configurations so that it’s not so much in the way and so that lefties can use it too. Gib, did you try flipping it around at all?[/quote]

By the third or fourth knife it became a non-issue. Just a minor procedural habit change!

And then later, as I was rolling it around in my thinking, saw this too, Clay. I just put it on and tried it this way… there’s some flexibility and versatility there I overlooked at first.

Nicely done. Nicely done.