Dubious Sharpening Methods: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

[@mikeobrien4081]

One argument for the guided systems is that they're a more accessible option for people who have fine motor control problems, though it does seem to still require some finesse to finish the edge. It would be interesting to see what kind of results you would get after more practice on the guided system, to make a fairer comparison to the freehand sharpening that you're more experienced with.

[@gordons.dempseyii1345]

There are some out tthere that cost a lot more but do a beter job.

[@coreykishman8833]

My favorite part of this awesome video is at 7:48, he looks at the knife like it actually smells awful. I laughed out loud, thanks for that :)

[@OriginalFallofMind]

I have similar design by worksharp. It has more plastic but it's pretty awesome. Built in labeled quick angle adjustment. I've got a co-deba/mini Santoku(odd little double bevel)knife shaving letters off paper. Still love stones but it's a great tool.

[@HellGatefr2]

TBH guided systems can easily do amazing edges, with very constant and precise angles, with perfect V bevels that you can not get otherwise, however it can be time consuming ! But you need to know how to use it and get better stones, even some 5€ chinese electroplated diamond stones will work well enough, also an angle cube is needed for precise angle setting. You can also get some very good quality stones like diamond or cbn matrix ones, or even wetstones like the shapton pro, if that is your jam ! Smaller guided systems are not good for large blades (like 18cm and up) because the distance between the swivel and what you are sharpening needs to be pretty long, otherwise you can get a difference of a few degrees between the tip of the blade and the center, but on larger guided systems this is not a problem at all, trust me I've sharpened a damn 19" machete blade on mine (would not recommend though) ! I agree to say that more traditional whetstone sharpening is cheaper and can be much faster, with enough experience you do get edges as satisfactory as proper guided ones, even though you can never choose your sharpening angle as precicely as the guided system. As much as I like your videos, here it looks like you really did not research this subject at all, oof...

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... need to know how to use them*...

[@HellGatefr2]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 Thanks, I'm french though give me a break, this is a 230 word wall of text that almost nobody will read😅

[@danielbottner7700]

Micro-graphs show the destruction left behind by pull through carbide sharpeners in the cutting edges are available on the internet.

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

Would love to see someone do a Sharpworx review. That system allows you to use regular bench stones up to 10 inches in length.

[@themindset3329]

I have a sharpening tool from Ikea with 3 ceramic wheels with different roughnesses and even though I have been struggling with it for a while, now I'm getting very decent edges on my knives. Just like whetstones, every tool takes some time an practice, you need to learn to use it before you can get it's best results. That said, it is true that you can remove a lot of metal from a knife with sharpening devices but it will only be on the very edge, making it a lot more of a wedge to go through dense stuff like a carrot, as opposed to what you would get from a whetstone that thins the whole side of the knife

[@gordons.dempseyii1345]

Can we get differnt knives with this system? I saw the sharpener going over the edge of the knife, will that make any difference like on a sander?

[@josecbm89]

Even jigs that cost a few hundreds have shitty stones. An upgrade with very cheap (but better) stones, improves it a lot.

[@markvanderlinde281]

I cant hold the angle anymore on a stone. Roller systems like the HONE/HORL now work for me.

[@GrantHendrick]

Thank you for a balanced look at other sharpening options. I too will stick with stones.

[@KnifewearKnives]

Right on

[@thiago.assumpcao]

Japanese knife on pull through sharpener was painful to watch, they are just garbage. No only the resulting edge is bad but it also causes a lot of metal fatigue so resulting edge is weak and prone to fast dulling. Fixed angle systems are fine but for them to work well you still need to know sharpening theory- What is a burr, how to remove it, correct angle, importance of knife thinning. They help with the angle but if you don't know the basics results can be pretty bad. I think the best option is to get a few good stones, watch a few good sharpening guides and practice a bit. Mastering free hand sharpening takes time and dedication but with very little time investment you already get better results than pull through sharpener.

[@ariadnem4]

Thanks for this! Can you also review the "Tumbler" sharpening system? Seems like it's all over social media these days (at least mine).

[@thiago.assumpcao]

Its better than pull though but is not as good as stones. Tumblers I know of do not have any option to sharpen bellow 15 degrees so if you have a knife thick close to the edge there is no way to fix it. If thats the case cutting performance can be horrible even with a sharp edge. Cheap knives are specially prone to this but with time even well made knives will require thinning. Removing burr on those thumblers also seem complicated because you need to do alternating passes and it will be much faster edge leading on stone.

[@mijzelfmaardanik]

Awesome Pianist at 14:45 !

[@AJ-by6pd]

The gritomstic clamp or edge pro systems are much better. You can buy a huge variety of stones including naniwa and Shapton.

[@dominiquecharpentiermusic]

And what do you think about the german device "Horl"? I obtain great results with it

[@KnifewearKnives]

We actually just got something really similar, will test it out and let you know!

[@johnbevington6590]

Work Sharp is the best avenue to obtain a fantastic edge for the vast majority of people. You are deficient in avoiding even mentioning it. 36:21

[@KnifewearKnives]

We're going through devices one at a time, we'll have to give that one a go!

[@eugenevictortooms4174]

No knife stores in the UK, we only have online stores. Infact, the UK government are actually trying to ban knives at the moment. That includes kitchen knives.

[@KnifewearKnives]

That sucks! Currently when we ship to the UK, we include a label stating that there are sharp articles inside, in accordance to UK requirements. Hopefully they don't get more restrictive!

[@ellismccormick142]

What about stone machines like the Shinko Shinsei?

[@trevorpinnocky]

i think we have to evaluate the products from the perspective of intended use. The pull through sharpener seems like a maintenance tool for the home cook. it gives you an edge the average home cook can use in between trips to a professional sharpener, especially if you don’t have convenient access to a pro sharpener. It is not meant to replace professional work. The spider seems designed to give an edge comparable to your average professional sharpening service, which doesn’t use stones from my experience. they tend to use belts and the edge is not as a good as someone who uses stones. i think both devices achieve their goal and work as intended. Neither exceeds the edge attained with competent stone use by a professional sharpener. Both are significantly better than using dull, unsafe knives.

[@philipp594]

Tomatoes vary highly depending on how ripe they are. Which makes them a terrible test for people watching at home. Carrots for testing are approved.

[@hunterrainey2723]

Awesome video by the way! Unrelated…but I’m stuck. I’m interested in Japanese knives and getting started with my collection. How do you guys feel about Hado Sakai “Do” Ginsan Kritsuke santoku vs Masakage Koishi AS Bunka. I guess the real question is AS vs Ginsan. I have no problems with extra care regarding carbon blades. Just looking for some guidance. Thanks! I can’t wait to get immersed and grow a beautiful kitchen collection

[@mikhailm360]

Any knife recommendation for left handed people?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Any knife with a standard symmetric bevel will work. As a lefty myself I don't even have any problems with the right-handed D-shape handles on Shun and Miyabi knives.

[@gregmccormack5709]

The Ruxin can be pretty decent but the stones it comes with are not great. Can't beat knives finished on a stone❤️👍🏻

[@alfdom51]

I will not use any pull through. I can get a better edge with a cheap whetstone in a shorter time. I will be using whetstones.

[@KnifewearKnives]

Glad to hear it!

[@randalljames1]

hahahha kind of murdered that Swivel Pro....It is a cheap knockoff of a quality unit (but they are like $300) I own a TSProf and it does a great job of putting an edge on a blade (they faces are absolutely flat and aligned) Suppose if I was good at a whetstone it would matter.. but I stink with my stones... I also found the "Tooth" on the cutting edge worked quite different when I finished with a 3000 vs a 5000 or 6000... The slightly "toothier" 3000 seemed better on the daily chores

[@robertojames7904]

It's impressive how sharp an edge you got on the Ruixin considering how mechanically inept you two are. You should be able to assemble the unit in three or four minutes the first time and about a minute and half after that. And did NOBODY notice that the vertical post was wobbling around the whole time. You never tightened it up. That is like trying to sharpen a knife on a water stone with the stone resting on a sponge as you hold the knife with a pair of tongs while wearing kitchen mitts. True the Ruixin stones aren't very good but there are plenty of higher quality after-market stones, including an entire array of modestly priced diamond stones to fit the Ruixin. Tighten the components so it doesn't wobble around, figure out how to set the angle properly, learn how to manipulate the device correctly (it isn't that hard), use a good paddle strop and you will surprise yourself with how nice an edge you can achieve.

[@KnifewearKnives]

We'll have to give it another go, thank you!

[@jiahaotan696]

Friendly fire! Torture to you guys, torture to all knife nerds out there (including me). That Sharpal pull through is how knives develop recurves. I mean, those without bolsters... those with bolsters automatically get recurves anyway.

[@thefeatheredfrontiersman8135]

You see my friends theres sharpening and then theres microbeveling. Sharpening is getting a good profile and durable working edge. Microbeveling is messing around with the last few molecules of steel to line up just right. It takes years of practice and experience. I must say, in all kits you are missing perhaps the next most important sharpening tool.... The strop and compound. Every system takes practice.

[@hamasmillitant1]

if you run sharpy from spine of blade you dont cut it so easy

[@grumss9248]

Dont trust what you see! These Ruixin sharpeners are excellent, FAR FAR better than they are being portrayed here! Perhaps they would prefer us to purchase several of their very expensive stones OR sharpening service? Another example of youtube "product clowning"- I think if you watch again it is fairly obvious..

[@KnifewearKnives]

Hey, thank you for the feedback, that's good to know about the Ruixin! We knew bias would be an issue going into this, which is why we included a disclaimer at the beginning of the video that we are retailers of whetstones. We did our best to offset the bias by including folks of two very different experience levels with sharpening, but it's definitely not the perfect approach. It was both Naoto and Tiffany's first time using the Ruixin, and I imagine they'd get better results with practice. As for price, we purchased the Ruixin for about $130 CAD. We sharpened the comparison knives on a 220 grit and 1000 grit whetstone, which retail for $92 CAD, or $45 for a combination stone. Including a honing rod for deburring, a good sharpening kit can be had for a similar price to the Ruixin. As far as our sharpening services go, we charge $15-20 per Japanese knife, which includes thinning of the blade, and 50% of proceeds are donated to charity, I hope that helps clear things up!

[@Adscam]

These two reviewers were so amateurish and didn’t read or follow the manufacturer’s pull-through instructions. You only use the course or medium grit on badly damaged knifes. After finishing on the fine stone on my Kai pull-through sharpener, I flip the sharpener around and pull two times. This is because there is an offset burr because the stones are one ahead of the other. These sharpeners are made for hobby cooks and they work perfectly well.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... the coarse* grit / knives*

[@lexistential]

they literally read the instructions in the video

[@nicksokaluk9518]

it amazes me that so called experts test knife sharpness on newspaper, paper has grit in it and you can sharpen with it like a pasted strop

[@Sidiciousify]

Is it ok to use a pull through when u have really bad burrs just to start and then finish om whetstones? I was sharpening a cheap knife on a whetstone and kt had such a disgusting sound i had to use the pull thru.

[@Sidiciousify]

I just wanted the disgusting sound to stop so i could hear the edge better on the whetstone. It was really bad and i didnt want to injure myself by trying to hard on the whetstone.

[@KnifewearKnives]

Whetstones don't require a lot of force, just consistency and plenty of water- It does sound quite rough, especially on coarse-grit stones!