Work Sharp Pro - how precise is the Precision Adjust?

In this video I addressing the top concerns that WSPPA users and potential buyers ask. I’m also going to aggravate the online experts who keep screaming at me “STONE SHARPENING IS THE ONLY WAY...” because I totally disagree with that point of view: there’s a reason the industry evolved into the use of diamond plates! This particular WSPPA has consistently sharpened 20-30 blades a month with the original diamond plates and I still don’t see the reason to replace them!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Questions, knife people! Feed me more questions! That’s what makes me keep going: your questions and feedback. subscribe if you haven’t, share with your friends and let’s have a dialogue!

[@pablocontreras8767]

I asked 2 questions below :)

[@Rottidog68]

That clamp pressure being unequal is an issue I run into quite a bit with the Work Sharp Precision Adjust. I feel it's because of the loose, sloppy (easy to turn) threads on the bolt the thumb wheel is on. All threads apply more pressure to one side of the fastener than the other. This seems to be accentuated with the coarse threads & is not only applying more clamping pressure to one side than the other, but actually loosening the opposite side very slightly. All of this gets my manufacturing, engineering brain going... hopefully in the right direction. Something that holds me back from one of the newer models IS the fact the blades & especially longer or larger blades wobble & can rock in and out, up and down. A 2 arm clamp is a must IMO. I really enjoy these videos that have factual & mechanical incites! Had to add a compliment just for shits-n-giggles. 😂🤓

[@danaboatman954]

Great video! I just purchased one of these sharpeners and this was very informative.

[@buddyfromyourgrandmasattic2363]

Great timing. I just bought the elite version last night and it should be here tomorrow. I was aware it wasn't without its flaws but for my purposes it should work fine. As usual, very informative. Thanks.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Glad I could help! Hope you watched my earlier video on some tweaks that improved the functionality

[@buddyfromyourgrandmasattic2363]

@CuttingBoardReviews I did and I'll definitely make those changes. Thanks ✌️

[@jimmiecrowe520]

This "young whipper snapper" is 70 years old and just ordered one of these after seeing your last video. I can and have for years have hand sharpened my knives. I'm looking forward to getting set up using your suggestions. Thank you for your considerable time, efforts and thoughts in your videos!

[@muskett4108]

You will love it. I too hand sharpen, but after a while it is just good to get jig precision back on the edge. This machine does it really well. I will still hand sharpen because that is fast, but when needed get this machine out to get tip top evil sharp again. Can give a factory like knew edge on old friends/knives.

[@jimmiecrowe520]

@@muskett4108 Thank you for the reassurance on buying this.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Set the stones aside for a month or three. After you use WSPPA for a while, when you go back to hand stones, you will be amazed how much your technique has improved! Speaking from experience.

[@luisnouel4268]

I'm a 66 boy haha. I can do a mediocre job hand sharpening, but I'm pretty skilled with the WSPPS. Watch the Work Sharp videos to get a basic knowledge and the @cuttingboardreviews videos have invaluable tips. I always learn something new with his videos

[@heavyweightsound]

I also had the same concerns with larger blades Paris I noticed a lot of wobble especially the wider they are . So are you recommending that we don't use the pliers to tighten it? Many thanks for going in depth with the sharpener. I've applied your fixes as per the first video you did and have noticed a great improvement. The nylon bushings inside the sharpening arm were definitely wearing out even after sharpening just a handful of knives.

[@jesseherbert2585]

Great tip on the sandpaper for transition! Question: I'm wondering if you noticed any play after installing the brass bushings. I had a tiny bit even after tightening. Got rid of it with one wrap of trimmed electrical tape on each. Had to back off full tightness when screwing the plate back on as it compressed the bushings enough to make it hard to slide. I certainly no longer have any wiggle between bushings and guide rod. Thanks again!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

A fantastic tip! Thanks!

[@grumpyuncle.]

Can you speak to the difference in clamping strength between the Work Sharp Pro and the KME? Is there a difference? Is one easier to tighten?

[@muskett4108]

Since people built the Pyramids we have all been infatuated with precision. In this application, of getting practical sharpness to domestic used utility knives, then the Work Sharp Precision Adjust delivers precision enough, especially after the tweaks already provided here (thank you). I need sharp enough and get that from this tool. I can get evil sharp, so why would I need more? Its progress over my old Lansky of the 1980s. As I use my knives they are going to get blunt again and need sharpening regularly enough. This machine is really efficient, plenty precise enough, and just great for the job I need. I would think great for most people. Sure there are other ways to get the same result, but few are as easy and so practical. The only things I'd like more to come with the kit is a 1,000 and 1,200 (or 1,400) diamond plates, and that is because they would just be nice to have.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Good points! I successfully used a 1” wide 1500 grit belt cut to overlap the provided plates and punctured to engage the studs on the media holder, try this and let us know what you think!

[@muskett4108]

Thank you for that idea, I'll see if some of my specialised "sand papers" might work. I do use a hand sanding block to hold these cloth backed abrasive papers to hone or even produce a Mora beveled edge for some styles of heavy use blades. But that is for a different result. I'm waiting for some sticky backed magnetic sheets, easy cut, so I can make up my own. Will advise if it works.@@CuttingBoardRx

[@krispendleton4662]

I watched a great video on why you don't need, or maybe don't want, diamond fits over 800. To get a synthetic diamond properly implanted into the plate, 2/3 of the stone is embedded and 1/3 is doing the grinding. Anything over that and the diamond is just adhesive that is dusted worth diamonds, so they don't last. So you're right, it's a nice to have but theres no practical purpose.

[@muskett4108]

@@krispendleton4662 Plenty of 1200 diamond plates like the Sharpal, that seem to last plenty. They only need to finish, so only need to take a small amount of material off as most of the real work has already been done. Having progressive multiple stones is just no one stone has to do all the work. But yes I do agree, much finer then it has to an emulsion/strop compound, or disposable belts. It does seen actually making finer stones without being corrupted with the odd larger than wanted diamond is the tricky bit. More research, even searching, required. Why its a bit of a hobby and should be fun.

[@kosher8720]

Perfect video!!!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Thank you! Working on the next one

[@keiththompson2289]

So my suspicions are confirmed about the angle differences that occur between the base of the blade and the tip of the blade. I'm guessing that with hand sharping, you would also get a deviation, except it would not be as consistent. With that in mind, is this still the best kind of system for sharpening knives? And I have to say - I'm really enjoying these videos!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I could not say if it’s the best ever, but it’s the best one of the 3 that I currently own. Better than the basic WSPA and a ton better than the classic Lansky.

[@d.eddlemon8400]

That was a very interesting video, just like your last one on the Precision Pro. I thought about buying one, but now I am not sure. Should I get something better like the TS Prof? Would it be better?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I haven’t tried TSPROF in person. I would check around to get info on these 3 knowledge points: 1. What is the narrowest blade one can sharpen on this device. Anything that doesn’t go below .75” (18mm) is not going to work for most of the pocket blades. 2. What is the lowest bevel angle that could be achieved on a .75” wide blade? Any device that is not capable of 14° angle should be eliminated. 3. The cost of abrasive media in sufficient grit intervals, which would allow you to completely regrind an edge and then get it to the mirror polish, also its storage and a sturdy tool base, have to be $60 or less in order to match or beat WSPPA value. Thanks for a great question!

[@pablocontreras8767]

@CBRx But could you just continuously move the blade along the clamp (i.e. Yo sharpen 1 inch, then move the knife by 1 inch or less, sharpen that section, then move again) as you make progress to ensure the angle stays the same? Or alternatively, if the angle changes by 0.5 degrees, you adjust by 0.5 degrees? Also, do you think it is possible to sharpen a true scandi grind without re-profiling?

[@aylonewolf69]

Question please!!!! :) :) :) At the 7:54 mark you say "...I will measure the 3 dimensional wobble of the blade and talk about solutions...", but then you discuss the second question about geometry angle with the brass rod without addressing the wobble or provide solutions for the wobble? I've aready hand tightened with BOTH hands with the WSSPRO 45 degrees angled up and I still have the YZ wobble. Would love to know the solution? Thank you so much for the wonderful videos by the way and already installed the bass tubing from you previous video!!!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Sorry if my point didn’t come across clearly! I mentioned couple of times that I support the blade underneath with my free hand. I also mentioned that one shouldn’t muscle the media holder. All the effort should go into the stroke, inwardly from the edge towards the spine.

[@aylonewolf69]

@@CuttingBoardRx - Ah thank you so much for the clarification, so the wobble is still there, you just have to provide support and "learn" the stroke to minimize downward pressure to miniminze pressure on the YZ... :D :D :D gotch!!! Thx for the clarfication!!!

[@MrBowser2012]

Here’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask: I found your channel while researching cutting boards. I subscribed because of your great knife content, but did you/do you actually test cutting boards?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Hahaha! 🤣 Perhaps I should! That would be much cheaper than testing knives! The name came from the desire to put knives or other gear onto a cutting board and dissect it.

[@stevecastellarin698]

Thank you for this video! I got the Pro Precision Adjust and did my first sharpenings on a couple of old kitchen knives. Not bad for my first attempts. I want to sharpen my Santuko kitchen knife. Now I know I'll need a much different angle for this knife compared to my others. What tips or hints would you give me to sharpening this type of knife? Would you be able to do a video on sharpening a knife like this type? Thank you!!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Santuko knives vary by a wide margin. First thing you have to consider is it a chisel grind as a traditional Santukos of Japan or is it a Chinese replica with bevel on both sides. The former will be sharpened at 30° angle +/- 5° and the latter will have 17°-25° per side. Also, you need to know what steel is the blade made of, which will determine the angle selection.

[@stevecastellarin698]

@@CuttingBoardRx It's an J.A. Henckels Santoku knife (7 inch). The print on the blade says it's Elan German Stainless Steel (made in China), model #19778-180. So what the actual steel is - I'm not sure. It does have a bevel on each side. In a google search I did see a their website say that their Santoku knives have 10 degree angle on each side.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@stevecastellarin698 I don’t normally review chef’s knives because they are not very interesting due to deliberately soft steel. What you would expect on a Chinese chef’s knife is a very basic stainless that is actually a 300 series steel used for cooking pots. At best, it’s a 3Cr to 5Cr (similar to 410 and 420 ss) which will have low edge retention. That is done on purpose to allow a chef to hone the blade wit ease between each food prep. The small bevel angle is appropriate for the application but you should never use pull through or electrically powered sharpeners. I disposed of all my chef knives and my stake knives and started using relatively inexpensive hunting and fishing knives in the kitchen made out of 8Cr, 12Cr, and AUS 8 or AUS 10. These are almost as easy to sharpen and the edge lasts a lot longer than the dedicated chef’s knives.

[@stevecastellarin698]

@@CuttingBoardRx Thank you for all this great information, I truly appreciate it!!! I'll definitely give it a go with the Santoku to see how it goes, but will definitely give alot of thought to your point regarding the poor steel on those knives versus other style knives with better steel..

[@user-eq4wt5pd5v]

I have a kme sharpener I wonder if this would be an upgrade from what I’m using now? Thanks for the great videos as always

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I haven’t tried the KME myself, but from what I’ve seen in the videos, this one is NOT better from sharpening quality prospective. Ease of setup and abrasives cost may be the only advantage WSPPA has over pretty much everything else on the market.

[@dcamnc1]

I have both, I prefer the worksharp. My kme has looser tolerances & more knife "slippage" than the worksharp. That said, my kme has probably sharpened over a thousand knives and may be worn. Even if they were both new, I'd take the worksharp personally.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@dcamnc1 good info, thanks! I hope someone can also draw a comparison with the Wicked Edge sharpener

[@WarrenJamesSing]

My YZ wobble is bad. On kitchen knives and knife with swedge. 😢

[@WarrenJamesSing]

How do you fix YZ wobble? Love your videos! Thanks

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Check this out: kzbin.infoRhsOlt7mQao?si=B-qQ8Qmx8bC7Lr1L Also, try not to force the media carrier down, use its own weight

[@Kens_knives]

Hello fellow knife guy, I need to know what size brass bushings did you order from Amazon to replace the one's in the Worksharp pro arrn!??!!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Theresa link to the video about the fixes in this video. The other fixes are even more important for stabilizing the “apparatus”

[@zbaird3]

Hey Geezer, good video. You might check your scale. I once had that and found it very inaccurate. Yours might not be, but mine was... Thx for video 👍

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I haven’t noticed any issues with the scale, whipper snapper! Just checked: Mini Bugout is still 1.5oz and Medford USMC FF is still 9.8oz! I just have to make sure my ego doesn’t accidentally get onto the scale 😆

[@zbaird3]

​@@CuttingBoardRx 😂🤣😂

[@zbaird3]

@CuttingBoardReviews Your not Greg!!! 🤣

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@zbaird3 …but I am an engineer, which means my ego is “slightly” exaggerated. I mean, I trip on it all the time!

[@mel87123]

🤣too funny

[@heavyweightsound]

Here's a question : I've been using lapping films for a mirror polish but I still notice some scratch marks in the edge when a certain light hits it. Is that normal? Am I progressing through the grits too fast? Thanks!

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Yes, you could be progressing through the grits too fast but most likely your lower grits have less wear than the higher grit plates. Also, I clean the edge between the grits as even the smallest particles will scratch the surface.

[@heavyweightsound]

​@@CuttingBoardRx thank you!

[@Sharpaholic-1]

How the heck do you get a good clamping on a flat grind like the Spyderco Manix 2, PM2, etc?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I hope you had a chance to see the recent video on this topic

[@whtewolf8041]

But if your going to see if the angle changes as you go out from the center. The angle finder needs to be adjusted so that your still taking a reading perpendicular to the base. Of course the angle will change if your taking one reading perpendicular and one that's not.

[@InsanityInc100]

Not sure what you mean by “perpendicular to the base” here. The only thing perpendicular (at a 90 degree angle) to the base is the vertical shaft. The angle finder itself is never perpendicular to the base, unless you hold the guide rod straight up vertically. If you meant that the angle finder needs to be perpendicular to the vertical shaft where the guide rod attaches, then you’re misunderstanding what the angle finder is measuring. The angle finder just measures the angle between the guide rod and wherever you “zeroed” the angle finder (usually the flattest part of the base). When the angle finder is “zeroed” at the base, it is parallel to the base, not perpendicular. Re-zeroing it every time wouldn’t eliminate the angle change he observed, because the base will still just be at 0 degrees. OR maybe you’re saying he needs to move the knife back and forth in the clamps, but keep the guide rod pointing straight out? In that case, yes the angle would remain the same every time, but those results would be meaningless. When you sharpen, you shouldn’t be constantly adjusting the knife to sharpen different sections of the blade. You move the guide rod to one side (closer to the heel or tip) as you sharpen, and because of that the angle won’t stay the same on a longer knife. This is very easy to test yourself. If your knife is 6 inches long and 1 inch wide, then the middle of the blade will be about 1 inch from the edge of the clamp, while the tip will be about 3 inches from it. Now if you put a knife that is the same length but 2 inches wide in the clamp, and even without adjusting the height of the guide rod at all, the middle part of the wider knife will NOT have the same edge angle as the 1 inch wide knife. That is because the blade’s edge is now 2 inches from the edge of the clamps instead of 1 like the smaller knife. Hope this helps! It might make more sense if you try it at home so you can visualize it easier

[@ARAW-__-]

What's ypur take on hand sbarpening, and sharpening in the field ? There is a possibility my blades need resharpening after some throwing and digging firepits for months 😅

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Haha 🤣The way I see you (from your channel) it would be too boring for you to be using a bought sharpener. You should be choosing between sharpening steel on river rocks or making new blades out of flint! You are in the right place for the latter!

[@ARAW-__-]

@@CuttingBoardRx Haha !🤣 Yeah river rocks would suit me good. I'll need to find one to make some sort of puk out of it. 😁

[@soulides1]

does the downward flex on the blade matter while sharpening? at around the 15:23 i noticed it

[@CuttingBoardRx]

It does matter, here’s my fix: kzbin.infoRhsOlt7mQao?feature=share

[@soulides1]

thank you so much!@@CuttingBoardRx

[@bill64gr]

The screws at the back off the sharpener are loose.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Got it, thanks

[@vinnym5095]

Is there a way to sharpen scissors with this?

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Hmmm. I haven’t thought of it. I am going to try a couple of ideas and if anything works, publish a video. The challenge with scissors is they have to be sharpened from the bevel, never ever from the flat side. Great question! Thanks!

[@vinnym5095]

@@CuttingBoardRx I have the Ken onion and use the scissor guide there but I’m not sure if there’s a better way to sharpen them

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@vinnym5095 search on Felix Immler channel, he’s got a good video on scissors. I did one sort of related and it links to his: Sharpen EDC multitool scissors using a DIY sharpening guide that’s already in your wallet! (kinda) kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppi8gYB_fbp7j9E

[@TheGuidedSharpeningGuide]

Ive always said that this sharpener is better than the original but is nowhere near a professional system.

[@darylfortney8081]

The idea is great but their clamp mechanism is terrible. Really wish they made a v2 and fixed all the shortcomings and sold an upgrade kit to existing owners. The soft rubber insert in the clamp is causing all the slop.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

I respect your opinion and appreciate your comment, yet I disagree. As a mechanical engineer with 28 years of experience, I assure you, with 100% certainly, that it is impossible to design a piece of gear that will accommodate every variation in the knife blades’ shapes. I like the elastomer insert as it does 2 things: compensates for 90% of variations in blade shapes and disciplines the user to apply just the right amount of downward pressure when sharpening.

[@darylfortney8081]

@@CuttingBoardRx and yet it doesn’t even hold the blade true to the center of rotation. I measure a 1 degree difference in angle sharpening one side of a blade versus the other across all my blades. Having since switched to a hapstone sharpener they are all tightly held and dead on symmetrical. They don’t use elastomer inserts and all blades are accommodated. Must be magic eh since clearly they have accomplished the impossible according to you.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@@darylfortney8081 Great! feel free to post the link to that system here. Eager to see the magic.

[@darylfortney8081]

@@CuttingBoardRx I tried but apparently they don’t allow that here… just search for “hapstone rs”

[@BladeLabMiami]

Your angle test is incorrect. In order to accurately check the angle along the length of the blade, you have to rotate the angle cube so it's perpendicular to the tower with every measurement. You can see that the angle is constant here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKjGaWhjja95sLM On the other hand, the angle DOES vary based upon the distance between the contact point and the plane running parallel to the clamp and bisecting the pivot point of the rod. So if you have a blade with a big belly, the angle will be steeper toward to the tip. This is easily measurable if you have a goniometer.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Do you own the WSPPA or, if you do, you have you been playing with it much? The inclinometer goes into error screen when you’re out of tolerance in the vertical plane (if it’s over-rotated) and it has a 6mm channel on the bottom that mates with the rod hence it is ALWAYS perpendicular to the vertical axis of the tower. Thanks for commenting!

[@BladeLabMiami]

No, I don't have the Work Sharp unit. I may have misunderstood what you were saying? I thought you were making a general comment about all similar fixed angle systems, based on geometry. I've tested this on a KME and also on my current system, which is a Hapstone R1. I used a 12" metal ruler. The result was no more than a variation of .05° between the center and extremes, and I suspect that variation is a result of the ruler not being perfectly parallel to the pivot plane (although I tried my best!). My apologies if you were talking about a peculiarity of the WS system.@@CuttingBoardRx

[@CuttingBoardRx]

@BladeLabMiami having been in the business of engineering for 28 years, I learned to assume that if I see something wrong in another engineer’s logic or design, there’s a 75% chance that it is I who is wrong 😂 This mentality pays dividends in any field! I don’t own a KME, so per the above philosophy, if that system compensates for the angle drift, I owe the world a correction!

[@luisnouel4268]

@bladelabmiami made me think. I own WSPPA and the inclinometer is a very basic unit . I saw some videos about the "cube", the new inclinometer for Hapstone and it seems more advanced unit (almost $200 cost). I'm not good in geometry, but I have a couple of 8 inch Santokus and a goniometer. I'm going to sharpen it and let you know if there is any angle difference@@CuttingBoardRx

[@BladeLabMiami]

What I'm saying is that there's nothing to compensate for. The geometry that establishes the sharpening angle should result in no change. If there's variation in the WS system, it's not because of an inherent flaw in the fixed angle concept, but something in their manufacturing that's off. I think it's probably bad form to link my own videos in a comment to your video, but I just posted one on this topic if you're interested!@@CuttingBoardRx

[@user-lw1pq8ms7x]

You are not getting the actual right angle on your angle finder when you are moving along the blade because you are using single axis angle finder to measure the correct angle along the blade you need to make sure that you are angle finder is triple axis like tsprof axicube

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Bullshit. I mean gimmick. The whole TS Prof fascination is nothing more than a snob hype.

[@user-lw1pq8ms7x]

@@CuttingBoardRx I am not trying to sell tsprof products here but I am just giving an example for triple axis angle finders go look it up and see what I am talking about

[@heavyweightsound]

I also had the same concerns with larger blades Paris I noticed a lot of wobble especially the wider they are . So are you recommending that we don't use the pliers to tighten it? Many thanks for going in depth with the sharpener. I've applied your fixes as per the first video you did and have noticed a great improvement. The nylon bushings inside the sharpening arm were definitely wearing out even after sharpening just a handful of knives.

[@CuttingBoardRx]

Glad you found my videos helpful! You got it: using the pliers is excessive as it over compresses the elastomer and exaggerates the asymmetry in the clamp.