Simple Wicked Edge Sharpening Techniques for a Sharpening Service

This is my routine when I sharpen about 98% of knives for my customers. My customers are always very satisfied with the results, and I give a lot of thanks to Wicked Edge sharpeners for making it easy to achieve excellent results.
If you’d like to learn more about sharpening and how to start a sharpening service, check out my website: startasharpeningservice.com

[@tintrach]

Appreciate the clarification about the finger. My right eyebrow was lifted until you provided that nugget of information. Hahaha

[@johnp1804]

Kyle, I wanted to thank you for the time and effort you put in to writing your book on starting a sharpening service! I have followed your content and decided to follow suit and start a sharpening service as a side gig and I am really enjoying it. One thing I have noticed is that quite often, first time customers' knives are in pretty bad shape and I can end up spending a lot of time with a 100 grit stone trying to draw a bur due to bad previous sharpenings or even small chips and dings in the blade. I decided to order the 50/80 grit stone from Wicked Edge to add to my set up to help speed up that initial clean up of the blade. I am not as fast as I would like to be yet, but I am averaging around 8.5 to 10 min per blade. (That includes my total time involved in sharpening, switching out knives, cleaning them, ensuring they are sharp and setting up the next blade, etc...) Thanks again and have a Merry Christmas!

[@Skater08cooper]

I just wanted to say thank you for your channel and your book! They are what gave me the confidence to start my own sharpening service! I just received a WE120 plus the 800/1000 stones and in about 2 hours I sharpened my whole kitchen block with 9 knives! I have 2 clients lined up to pick up and sharpen their knives tomorrow and I'm super stoked! I also have the 3.5/5 micron strops and the advanced alignment guide coming Monday!

[@ALXSHARPEN]

Thanks Kyle, I have your book too and it was very helpful in starting my knife sharpening business here in Alexandria, VA I followed your advise from the book and launched my business just a few weeks ago and it’s going great. I put a smart lock box in because I have a very good location easy for customers to get to and did an add on Nextdoor and customer’s are starting to come in did 7 knives yesterday for a lady and I also charge $8 bucks a knife. The add only cost me $21 for two weeks and just started it last night and got two more customers coming already. Thanks for all the great advice and hope your move to NY is going great Paul S

[@mattguerra6749]

Hey man, just finishing up your book now and setting up a business my son and I can run together. He's a HS junior and I think this is the perfect opportunity to teach him many valuable lessons. Thank you for the great work and best of luck with your future endeavors.

[@ilchymis4000]

Thank you for the video! Got mine yesterday, struggling to find angles and getting a good burr, but I'm gonna keep at it!

[@braddkonert]

Thanks Kyle

[@oldstersoutside674]

Kyle, thanks for the video. I just got your book yesterday and it's been a great read. I've just gotten into knife sharpening in the last year but have really been enjoying it. I'm not sure where I'll go with it, but you book is certainly giving me some ideas. All the best!

[@startaknifesharpeningservi1291]

I’m glad you’re enjoying the book! If you ever want to talk anything through, feel free to reach out!

[@oldstersoutside674]

@@startaknifesharpeningservi1291 I appreciate that, thank you.

[@oldstersoutside674]

@@startaknifesharpeningservi1291 I do have a question. Is the Spyderco Shapemaker still you preference for serrated knives?

[@kenroman777]

Kyle great video..just a comment..if you are talking about sanitizing use 70%. Notice all alcohol swabs before a blood test or injection are 70%.

[@wcrain813]

Thank you Kyle, keep the videos coming. Read your book. Thorough and easy to understand….What happened to your Gen 3 Pro with the gnarly sounding cam lock vice? Did it finally meet it’s demise?

[@weeral1]

I have learned a couple things from you I think, so I just wanted to share a couple things I am noticing with no intent but to share it, and then a question for anyone who knows: -First the leading edge trailing edge thing. I have noticed when I sharpen one way or the other that you end up with what is a lot like a hack saw.. how one direction of cutting has more control but the other does a lot of aggressive work. I still have not decided on which direction I like better and for what.. but for anyone interested.. try it both ways and try cutting things in both directions and you will definitely see what I am talking about.. I mean if I took it to like a 6000 grit maybe I would not notice the effect anymore. I haven't tried. Still new enough there is a lot I am learning. -Next up is I have found that instead of leather... that the rubber sheets often found to place as a liner in drawers.. They work super well to hold it tight. Perhaps a little thinner than common leather as well which in theory could give you more angle to work with since the clamp would move closer to centerline and out of the way... probably negligible.. but it seems all upside to me. Might help somebody out.. You could even cut a little square out of one you have underneath your silverware try already... and wifey may not even notice =O -at 6:30 you show how you come off the tip of the knife.. It sort of sounds like you would be rounding the tip off.. I wonder.. I know I have found not rounding off the tip to be one of the hardest parts to learn a muscle memory for... and I definitely have a few tips sitting here that don't pierce like they used to as I learn lol. -One last thing I have have come to believe (still being a noob I suppose, so correct me if wrong, mostly based on internet reading).. But a finer edge is always best.. up to the point the steel of whatever knife and use it sees chips or rolls excessively.. and even then you can get more performance with going fine for example like 15 degrees.. then do a micro edge to say 22 degrees. Let me know if you think that is wrong and why.. or what your experience has been. (anyone) ->So my question is about up vs down strokes. It just "seems" to me, (not based on experience).. that going down will catch the edge more and wear the "stones" themselves faster. I wonder if that is a thing.. or not.. If anyone knows I would love to hear it. Until I know I am going away from edge only.

[@gregmullins1296]

Always enjoyed watching you on the wicked edge channel, so thanks for the video. Do you strop the knives that you sharpen? I have been struggling on to strop or not to strop. I just sharpen for friends and family.

[@wjess3569]

Great video.. Is there a way to sharpen bread/serrated knives with this system??

[@sjohn_8627]

You should do a video on sharpening a Kabar utility knife. Long life with a pretty sharp curve on the tip. I know that style of knife has given a lot of people trouble.

[@lancemiller4647]

Came looking for your book and ended up watching this video. I have a question though, why do you not wipe down the knife between grits to avoid cross contamination? Wouldn't that help avoid the heavier grit getting reintroduced with the finer grit you just went to. Also, do you advocate stropping?

[@timgoodliffe]

wow sharpening knives on a wicked edge seems like it would take a ton of time, maybe i would use it for high end clients, I dont think i would ever use it for kitchen knives tho

[@paulb322]

Thanks for the vid .The issue I always seem to have with my WE is I can never get a consistent edge from back to tip . Kinfe will be a razor in the middle then fades at the ends - no matter how I position the knife in the sharpener. And this is even on blades with not much curve to them at all . Very frustrating....

[@paulb322]

😢

[@Trolldaddy5]

Your doing something wrong. Keep trying youl get it!

[@millerbrosmediaoffgridflyf7767]

Quick question - Did you get that thin piece of sheepskin leather online somewhere or? Is there a time that you will go higher than 1k grit on a standard knife?

[@simonwells6977]

Thanks Kyle. No stropping?

[@startaknifesharpeningservi1291]

Usually not unless people request it. In my humble opinion, I think a 1000 grit finish is more versatile for every-day kitchen knife use.

[@interrogationfiles]

Need some help when I trying to find the right sweet spot like you said when I think I found it with the black pen one one side is different from the other side not a same I don't no what I am doing wrong I got gen 3

[@jds4935]

Hey, and the Wicked Edge Low Angle Adapter, do you use it sometimes? For some small knives it doesn't work well yet I think.... Thx for information!

[@hollynejmanowski9232]

kyle should have used it on that thin knife.(he said was a filet knife thats a boning knife) why you would put that in a video is beyond me. he is really just showing how the wicked edge does not work with alot of knives.

[@bhamneurad1]

Where can I get some sheep skin leather to put into the vise?

[@ronaldch7365]

How long will it take to get the book? I’m in California and live in Arizona

[@klabonline7570]

Quick question. I just picked up a pro pack 2. I sharpened a couple of knifes and it looks like the bevel on one side of the knife looks bigger than the other, I used the angle cube and double checked the angle and it was the same on both sides. I also regularly check the angle lock screws and I tighten them down before each sharpening and periodically check everything. Is it something I’m doing wrong? Plz help.

[@kellyvcraig]

I thought you said you didn't profile (make both sides the same)? And, you need to "spread the wealth." That is, don't focus only on one side, if you are starting from scratch, like you indicate. Go a bit on one side, then move to the other. Think about the geometry. Focusing only on one side before going to the other gets you to an angle, but one side can have that very same bevel you commented on, up front.

[@c.r.mcmahon9377]

Was just curious... How do you sharpen any serrated edges?

[@arizonaheatwave4080]

Use a diamond round file in all the rounds then strop the burred edge after until smooth

[@gm7tx]

New York? When did you do that?

[@startaknifesharpeningservi1291]

Hey Gary, I moved to NY about 7 months ago! It’s been a bit of an adjustment but I’m loving it here. Hope you’re doing well!

[@ronaldch7365]

Are you still selling the book?

[@limindor610]

No strop?

[@EvilWiffles]

Neat sharpening system but really sucks that I can't effectively use my 6" edge pro stones. Having to compensate for stone thickness every grit change would be annoying. WE stones are too small for me to comfortably free hand sharpen with them too unlike my 6" ones... Just too many downsides for it to work for me.

[@BBBYpsi]

Kyle are you now promoting the work sharp sharp precision elite?

[@sfbroome]

Kyle, when you are sharpening a customer's knife using the WE Gen3 Pro, and both edges are not at the same angle, can you explain how you handle that? I know there is some adjustability with the micro adjust screws, but I'm wondering whether you bother with that. Thanks for any info.

[@startaknifesharpeningservi1291]

Hey Steve, when I’m using the Gen 3 and the knife has different angles from one side to the other, I usually match to the wider of the two angles. For instance, if left is 22 and right is 25, I’ll sharpen both sides at 25. I honestly never mess with micro-adjusting unless the customer specifically requests perfect symmetry. And because I primarily sharpen regular kitchen knives for non knife enthusiasts, my customers almost never make those types of requests.

[@sfbroome]

@@startaknifesharpeningservi1291 Kyle, thanks for your reply.

[@chadlarsen4174]

Serrated??

[@Gravattack]

I really want to listen to your advice, but the bandage on your finger makes me wonder if I should

[@rp6879]

I bought your book and you talked a lot about the wicked Edge did I waste my money or are you still working for the wicked Edge please let me know I had faith in you and I'm sure other people did too.

[@startaknifesharpeningservi1291]

I don’t work for Wicked Edge any more. I did work there for 9 years and I have nothing but great things to say about the company and the product. I chose to leave because I’ve always had the dream of living in NYC and it was simply time to pursue that.

[@vollandt]

$75 for that quality of service in nyc seems unbelievability cheap.

[@bobloss9112]

Found his website, used the contact form to ask a question. No reply. No new videos. No updates to his blog in just about a year. Did a search for crime info around New York to see if his name came up. Nothing, thankfully. Hope he's okay.

[@Sodacake]

finally, someone sharpening an actual knife instead of some dinky little pocket knife.

[@johnmccall7379]

You were rounding off the tip as it flexed against the pressure of your movements. Not the best it could be…😢

[@hollynejmanowski9232]

the last knife is a boning knife. he is guessing the angle without a digital angle guide.

[@billybobwombat2231]

Dude, you need to throw that toy in the bin, get a belt and denim wheel 🙄