Sharpening systems that use full size stones (8x3")

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ptolemy

ptolemy

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I know that sharpworx has a few models that use them but I wonder if there are any others and if you had used them, what are your thoughts about it>?

TIA
 
Bogdan-Type systems can use any stone suitable for hand sharpening: Bogdan

They are difficult to get though ATM. This Austrian company makes nice ones: Katocut
 
I ordered the Sharpworx master 2. I bought it from their website. I left it in the cart overnight because I was contemplating if I should buy it or not. The next day, a rep from the store texted me and gave me a discount code (LR-VRK345). It was on sale for $150 and I got it for $112.50. She probably got my phone number from the shop pay account. I don’t know if the code will still be valid or if it’s linked to a specific person. I think the site always says that there are 2 items left in stock. At that price, I think that it was worth it.
The system came with just the magnetic knife holder and the screw down clamp was not included. There’s no labeled packaging or instructions, just a plain white box. I’m new at sharpening and I don’t know the sharpening nuances that other forum members talk about, so I can’t write a thorough review. I used the Sharpworx system once and it worked. During setup, I used a bubble level to try and make the rod parallel to the whetstone but gave up and just eyeballed it since such small angle changes didn’t move the bubble in the level. There was no drastic improvement using the system vs freehand sharpening. I still couldn’t get my knife to cut a paper towel but it’s probably just my inexperience.
 
There was a Sharpworx pass around here last year. I think that model was about $100 more than their current highest priced model. The feedback in it seemed to be lukewarm. I liked it in theory but felt like I was exerting an inordinate amount of pressure to ensure the knife didn’t pop off of the magnet. Conversely popping the knife off the magnet took a lot of effort, interestingly enough. I ended up slicing my finger one time. For $100-ish it seems interesting enough to toy around with to feed the need to get a consistent angle.
 
KBert said:
Bogdan-Type systems can use any stone suitable for hand sharpening: Bogdan

They are difficult to get though ATM. This Austrian company makes nice ones: Katocut
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ty!
i just spent 2 hrs looking around and there seem to be like 4-5 different models from scorpion to elephant, to promax but it's so hard to figure out which is better for me, what it comes with, differences, and so on... obv i appriciate a lot of resources from last 6-7 years of the development, but I do wish there was an easier way to figure out.

ideally, i'd like to use this with my venev diamond stones or shapton pro's, with venev being 8x3 and shaptons little bit smaller....
 
Hockey3081 said:
There was a Sharpworx pass around here last year. I think that model was about $100 more than their current highest priced model. The feedback in it seemed to be lukewarm. I liked it in theory but felt like I was exerting an inordinate amount of pressure to ensure the knife didn’t pop off of the magnet. Conversely popping the knife off the magnet took a lot of effort, interestingly enough. I ended up slicing my finger one time. For $100-ish it seems interesting enough to toy around with to feed the need to get a consistent angle.
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I followed that with great interest until the manufacturer stopped replying, which is sorta a bad sign. but v2.0 apparently has been in the works with improvements ot magnets and other stuff, so hopefully it'll be ready soon for another passaround
 
ptolemy said:
I followed that with great interest until the manufacturer stopped replying, which is sorta a bad sign. but v2.0 apparently has been in the works with improvements ot magnets and other stuff, so hopefully it'll be ready soon for another passaround
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M1k3 said:
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yep, i been thinking about sharpworx, as it's like a much cheaper and simpler verson of katocut or borgan (but uses same idea). and I don't mind ghetto packaging, little to no instructions, but I do mind when the owner is non-responsive and when their CS is pretty non-existent such as last few replies here

I do prefer to support small businesses when I can and it makes sense, but right now, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Katocut does look very nice and obv 100x better made, but also $1500 delivered for full kit, which is, uffffff, not cheap, obviously
 
Sharpworx is not bad, but I would want a clamp since I didn't really like the magnet. Katocut is very expensive, but I guess you could get it and a few diamond stones and be done for a while as in years and many, many knives. In this sense price per sharpening could eventually be better than buying many stones or multiple cheaper systems. The biggest issue with these systems I have is that for them to work well you need to let them guide you. Using correctly they will make sharpening more precise with less material removed and longer stone and knife lives as well as possibly better performance. The problem is that since you have to let them guide you, you will loose or never aquire the skill of sharpening freehand. This might not be a negative necessarily, but to me it is.
 
Barmoley said:
Sharpworx is not bad, but I would want a clamp since I didn't really like the magnet. Katocut is very expensive, but I guess you could get it and a few diamond stones and be done for a while as in years and many, many knives. In this sense price per sharpening could eventually be better than buying many stones or multiple cheaper systems. The biggest issue with these systems I have is that for them to work well you need to let them guide you. Using correctly they will make sharpening more precise with less material removed and longer stone and knife lives as well as possibly better performance. The problem is that since you have to let them guide you, you will loose or never aquire the skill of sharpening freehand. This might not be a negative necessarily, but to me it is.
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I think what you said is really important... and if such system can say last 10+ years + stones and I have CONFIDENCE that I do good job each time, then maybe it's worth the investment and I am not worried about not ever learning freehand, cause as I get older< i only expect my hands to be less reliable than even now...

I really like the full size stone options as it allows me to use whatever stones I want. Let's hope new shrpworks 2.0 comes out soon and goes on a passaround.
 
ptolemy said:
I think what you said is really important... and if such system can say last 10+ years + stones and I have CONFIDENCE that I do good job each time, then maybe it's worth the investment and I am not worried about not ever learning freehand, cause as I get older< i only expect my hands to be less reliable than even now...

I really like the full size stone options as it allows me to use whatever stones I want. Let's hope new shrpworks 2.0 comes out soon and goes on a passaround.
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Looks like the 2.0 is out. That’s the one that I said was cheaper than the passaround which appears to be discontinued. Looks like they shaved some cost by not including the clamp.

https://sharpworx.net/products/sharpworx-master?variant=47677868081447
 
ptolemy said:
I think what you said is really important... and if such system can say last 10+ years + stones and I have CONFIDENCE that I do good job each time, then maybe it's worth the investment and I am not worried about not ever learning freehand, cause as I get older< i only expect my hands to be less reliable than even now...

I really like the full size stone options as it allows me to use whatever stones I want. Let's hope new shrpworks 2.0 comes out soon and goes on a passaround.
Click to expand...
If you only care about sharpening these systems can be great. Thinning is a whole other issue though as you would only be able to thin some sort of wide bevel or similar on them.

I am also curious to see if sharpworx comes out with a new clamp. The magnet is probably fine too. The biggest issue is that for anyone who is used to sharpening freehand the tendency is to fight the system because you have habits that take time to break. For example most have an angle they are used to and it is not what most think it is, so when you set an angle on the system you think you sharpen to it turns out to be drastically different and you try to force the system to follow. For these to work well you need to relax and let the system guide you. This is not the system's fault but rather a different way of sharpening that takes time to learn. You are almost better off not knowing how to free hand sharpen to get best results initially.
 
Barmoley said:
If you only care about sharpening these systems can be great. Thinning is a whole other issue though as you would only be able to thin some sort of wide bevel or similar on them.

I am also curious to see if sharpworx comes out with a new clamp. The magnet is probably fine too. The biggest issue is that for anyone who is used to sharpening freehand the tendency is to fight the system because you have habits that take time to break. For example most have an angle they are used to and it is not what most think it is, so when you set an angle on the system you think you sharpen to it turns out to be drastically different and you try to force the system to follow. For these to work well you need to relax and let the system guide you. This is not the system's fault but rather a different way of sharpening that takes time to learn. You are almost better off not knowing how to free hand sharpen to get best results initially.
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I agree, but i also feel like if you're thinning the blades, etc, then it's a whole new ballgame than sharpening...
 
ditomura said:
I ordered the Sharpworx master 2. I bought it from their website. I left it in the cart overnight because I was contemplating if I should buy it or not. The next day, a rep from the store texted me and gave me a discount code (LR-VRK345). It was on sale for $150 and I got it for $112.50. She probably got my phone number from the shop pay account. I don’t know if the code will still be valid or if it’s linked to a specific person. I think the site always says that there are 2 items left in stock. At that price, I think that it was worth it.
The system came with just the magnetic knife holder and the screw down clamp was not included. There’s no labeled packaging or instructions, just a plain white box. I’m new at sharpening and I don’t know the sharpening nuances that other forum members talk about, so I can’t write a thorough review. I used the Sharpworx system once and it worked. During setup, I used a bubble level to try and make the rod parallel to the whetstone but gave up and just eyeballed it since such small angle changes didn’t move the bubble in the level. There was no drastic improvement using the system vs freehand sharpening. I still couldn’t get my knife to cut a paper towel but it’s probably just my inexperience.
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I just got one and like you, only got the magnet holder so I asked for a refund and was sent an email with their return policy which stated you can't return it if it has been open so its now got a permanent home in the cupboard. Too dangerous for me as I have developed arthritis in my hands and trying to keep an angle on my stones is quite painful for me, I have nearly cut myself a couple of times trying to get the knife off, you might have better luck. Not a company i personally would do business again with. Just my opinion.
 
If you are an experienced sharpener and able to get the edge that you’re satisfied with, I don’t think that you need a guided system. I bought too many knives and sharpening supplies because I wanted to get a knife that can cut a paper towel. I know it’s my technique, so I bought the Sharpworx. Still can’t cut paper towel. The Sharpworx holds a fixed angle but it’s not 100% steady, there is some play so it would be difficult to get an exact angle. It’s good but it feels kind of flimsy, but then again it wasn’t very expensive. It’s probably better for a first time sharpener.
 
ditomura said:
If you are an experienced sharpener and able to get the edge that you’re satisfied with, I don’t think that you need a guided system. I bought too many knives and sharpening supplies because I wanted to get a knife that can cut a paper towel. I know it’s my technique, so I bought the Sharpworx. Still can’t cut paper towel. The Sharpworx holds a fixed angle but it’s not 100% steady, there is some play so it would be difficult to get an exact angle. It’s good but it feels kind of flimsy, but then again it wasn’t very expensive. It’s probably better for a first time sharpener.
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I think to your point that if you're experienced and don't have an angle or consistency issue, then obviously this is not for you. But, for many, I feel like this might be a good option, if there is a reliable one exists that not only have good usability, but also decent manufacturer CS.
 
It seems to me like not one of these systems is good with an edge that has compound curves. Like a classic Buck hunter. (Or my Benchmade Hidden Canyon with a very short blade with an elliptical? edge shape) The forward portion of an outdoor knife poses a nice challenge for any mechanical sharpening aid …
 
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