re: Knife sharpening tools/kits

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Any reason why the Ken onion version is better?

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The Ken Onion can do 15-30 degrees per side, the original and mk2 can only do 20 or 25, with the original needing "cassette" changes to switch between these while the mk2 uses a switch and KO a dial.
KO has adjustable speeds, mk2 has 2 speeds and original has only the 1 speed.
KO uses 3/4 inch wide belts, original and mk2 use 1/2 inch.
KO comes with 5 different grit belts, mk2 and og only come with 3.
Pretty sure there's more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head. I have the og and like it, but do wish I'd got the KO instead and leaning towards upgrading soon.

Worksharp for my nicer knives. I have some Rada sharpeners in my fillet box and kitchen I use for filet and utility kitchen knives. Rada is quick and easy and gets them darn sharp. Probably wears the thickness of the blade over time though.

It's basically a fancy lansky

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Looks like 25% off Work Sharp Ken Onion starting on the 25th.

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You're a gentleman and a scholar.
Where'd you see that?

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Anybody have the Worksharp Elite.

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I do. I like it, although I still use the Worksharp belt model to touch up regular kitchen knives. If you want to tinker and get a polished edge it’s a nice little setup for the money, and if you have any mechanical sense it’s close to foolproof. Get a $15 60x pocket microscope and you can learn a lot about what the edge is really doing.

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Which grits beyond the 120/400/1200 that come with the machine do you recommend? What sort of progression do you use when sharpening?

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400 to 1200 is too big of a jump. At a minimum I’d get an 800 and more granularity won’t hurt; I think I have belts at every 200, because depending on how dull it is you don’t want to start at the bottom each time. On the high end just go as high as you like, although with most steels I have a leather belt that fits the Worksharp and it strops them close enough to polished for my taste.

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You're a gentleman and a scholar. 
Where'd you see that

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I just googled "work sharp" and the top hit is their site with a note at the bottom of the sponsored link. If I knew how to attach a screenshot I would.

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Just get a belt sander from harbor freight. It's cheaper and built better.

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My work sharp is a bit more travel friendly for a week long fishing trip where I'll sharpen my knives up after heavy use.

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Work sharp knife and tool sharpener

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I have the Ken Onion version of this. It's quick and you can get a knife shaving sharp with little effort. IDK how true it is but I've seen there's concern that the heat will ruin the heat treat on the edge of the blade. Kind of skeptical on that one since a lot of knife manufacturers use a grinder for the factory edge.

I carve wood and sharpen my own knives and gouges. Nothing beats a good set of whetstones in a variety of grits, then finishing the edges off with a leather strop and polishing compound. Mirror finish and sharp as hell. Love to watch the wood just curl when making fine cuts.