Wusthof Pull through Knife Sharpener
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Phil
Senior Cook
Have you made you mind up to buy the Wusthof knives?
Phil
Senior Cook
Great, they'll serve you well. I don't have the sharpener you've asked about on this thread, but I can tell you you'll need to use a sharpener to keep a keen edge on them because they don't hold an edge very long. However, they are easy to sharpen. But some time you'll need a stone or the equivalent. Happy cutting.
Rob Babcock
Head Chef
Are you referring to this one?
If so I'd advise against it. The sharpener in left slot is a carbide "ripper". It will sharpen/reprofile a blade but it's very hard on it and removes a lot of metal. Knives tend to "chatter" across these sharpeners, giving you an edge that's almost serrated-looking under magnification. The other slot is a sort of mini ceramic crock stick; it will work better and remove less metal.
Those of you who are long time DC'ers will probably groan at this, since I repeat it so often
rofl but I usually recommend the Edgemaker Pro to people who need sharp knives but don't want to mess with stones. A whole set of 3 is only about $30, and most people can get by with just the Red (or the Red & Yellow). Here's a couple of images of them:
Unlike carbide rippers, the Edgemakers use rods of different grits. When you run the knife thru them they flex a bit, applying leverage while cutting. Press hard and they'll remove more metal while a light touch removes very little. The yellow "Handy Honer" is very fine, and feels completely smooth to the touch- it will put a shaving edge on a blade with minimal wear. My dad has knives that have been heavily used and sharpened only on the yellow, and after 15 years there's little discernable wear. On the other hand, my brother has a chef's knife sharpened for 10 years on nothing but a "ripper", and it took me half an hour with a super-coarse DMT diamond stone to get it to the point where I could sharpen it with a coarse waterstone! That's how much damage they do.
The Edgemaker Pro has a very simple learning curve. I could hand one to any home cook and teach them how to put a shaving-sharp edge on any decent knife in a just a few minutes. The Blue is extremely coarse, so much so that you'll almost never use it; the only purpose is extremely dull knives or garden tools (works great on hoes and lawn mower blades). The Red has two different grits, a medium and a fine. This will suffice for most knives. But the Yellow is the real gem, the secret to getting a great edge. A light touch with the Yellow will impart an edge that will fillet paper, assuming you have a good knife. If you use it regularly you'll never need the others.
Lastly, no- I don't get paid to shill them! I use waterstones for my best knives, and prefer my Edge Pro Apex for getting toasty edges. I also use a Spyderco Sharpmaker along with ceramic & glass hones. But I always keep my Edgemaker Pro's in my knife roll. They're perfect for touchups and great for the "house knives" that restaurants generally keep for the staff.
If so I'd advise against it. The sharpener in left slot is a carbide "ripper". It will sharpen/reprofile a blade but it's very hard on it and removes a lot of metal. Knives tend to "chatter" across these sharpeners, giving you an edge that's almost serrated-looking under magnification. The other slot is a sort of mini ceramic crock stick; it will work better and remove less metal.
Those of you who are long time DC'ers will probably groan at this, since I repeat it so often
rofl but I usually recommend the Edgemaker Pro to people who need sharp knives but don't want to mess with stones. A whole set of 3 is only about $30, and most people can get by with just the Red (or the Red & Yellow). Here's a couple of images of them:
Unlike carbide rippers, the Edgemakers use rods of different grits. When you run the knife thru them they flex a bit, applying leverage while cutting. Press hard and they'll remove more metal while a light touch removes very little. The yellow "Handy Honer" is very fine, and feels completely smooth to the touch- it will put a shaving edge on a blade with minimal wear. My dad has knives that have been heavily used and sharpened only on the yellow, and after 15 years there's little discernable wear. On the other hand, my brother has a chef's knife sharpened for 10 years on nothing but a "ripper", and it took me half an hour with a super-coarse DMT diamond stone to get it to the point where I could sharpen it with a coarse waterstone! That's how much damage they do.
The Edgemaker Pro has a very simple learning curve. I could hand one to any home cook and teach them how to put a shaving-sharp edge on any decent knife in a just a few minutes. The Blue is extremely coarse, so much so that you'll almost never use it; the only purpose is extremely dull knives or garden tools (works great on hoes and lawn mower blades). The Red has two different grits, a medium and a fine. This will suffice for most knives. But the Yellow is the real gem, the secret to getting a great edge. A light touch with the Yellow will impart an edge that will fillet paper, assuming you have a good knife. If you use it regularly you'll never need the others.
Lastly, no- I don't get paid to shill them!
I use waterstones for my best knives, and prefer my Edge Pro Apex for getting toasty edges. I also use a Spyderco Sharpmaker along with ceramic & glass hones. But I always keep my Edgemaker Pro's in my knife roll. They're perfect for touchups and great for the "house knives" that restaurants generally keep for the staff.Are you referring to this one?
If so I'd advise against it. The sharpener in left slot is a carbide "ripper". It will sharpen/reprofile a blade but it's very hard on it and removes a lot of metal. Knives tend to "chatter" across these sharpeners, giving you an edge that's almost serrated-looking under magnification. The other slot is a sort of mini ceramic crock stick; it will work better and remove less metal.
Those of you who are long time DC'ers will probably groan at this, since I repeat it so often
Unlike carbide rippers, the Edgemakers use rods of different grits. When you run the knife thru them they flex a bit, applying leverage while cutting. Press hard and they'll remove more metal while a light touch removes very little. The yellow "Handy Honer" is very fine, and feels completely smooth to the touch- it will put a shaving edge on a blade with minimal wear. My dad has knives that have been heavily used and sharpened only on the yellow, and after 15 years there's little discernable wear. On the other hand, my brother has a chef's knife sharpened for 10 years on nothing but a "ripper", and it took me half an hour with a super-coarse DMT diamond stone to get it to the point where I could sharpen it with a coarse waterstone! That's how much damage they do.
The Edgemaker Pro has a very simple learning curve. I could hand one to any home cook and teach them how to put a shaving-sharp edge on any decent knife in a just a few minutes. The Blue is extremely coarse, so much so that you'll almost never use it; the only purpose is extremely dull knives or garden tools (works great on hoes and lawn mower blades). The Red has two different grits, a medium and a fine. This will suffice for most knives. But the Yellow is the real gem, the secret to getting a great edge. A light touch with the Yellow will impart an edge that will fillet paper, assuming you have a good knife. If you use it regularly you'll never need the others.
Lastly, no- I don't get paid to shill them!
They look good and it shame they cant be got in the UK or any advise on getting them in UK?
Rob Babcock
Head Chef
I didn't realize you live in the UK. Perhaps they'll ship internationally? They're small and light so international shipping shouldn't be expensive at all. You could always email Rangle @ edgemaker_pro@yahoo.com and ask them. They respond to emails promptly as a rule and they accept paypal.
jpaulg
Senior Cook
If you want really really sharp, go to whetstones. Steep learning curve but it does give you the best results.
As Rob says some of the pull-through systems have problems. I haven't used the Edgemaker pro, but I can vouch for the Furitech system as being gentle on the knives and very effective at putting a good working edge on a knife.
As Rob says some of the pull-through systems have problems. I haven't used the Edgemaker pro, but I can vouch for the Furitech system as being gentle on the knives and very effective at putting a good working edge on a knife.
Scotch
Head Chef
I've been using the same set of Wusthof Classic kitchen knives (8" & 6" chef's, 5" & 4" paring, 10" carving, and 6" boning) almost daily for over 40 years. I sharpen them about once every six months on a Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker.
Between sharpenings, a few strokes on the Wusthof steel is sufficient to keep them sharp enough to slice a tomato with no effort, which is the standard for sufficient sharpness in my kitchen.
Rob Babcock
Head Chef
Yeah, I also use the Spyderco. It's a terrific sharpener, with a few caveats. First, it's not idea for sharpening knives that are really dull, especially if they're hardened to the degree that most Japanese knives are (60+ Rockwell). Also it's a bit more "technique sensitive" than the Edgemaker Pro. It also requires some maintenance; the rods have to be cleaned periodically. Most people use Comet or Barkeepers Friend. I myself use a large art eraser or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Lastly the Spyderco is a bit spendy compared to the Edgemaker Pro (I think I paid $60 for mine). All that aside the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is a great tool and I'd hate to be without mine.
Obviously freehand on a stone is a great way to sharpen but to be completely honest only about 1 person in 100 that does it is really any good at it, IMOHO. The learning curve is steep and even then it's really a talent, and one that not everyone is capable of cultivating.
Ultimately I'm a knifegeek...I love it all, the knives, the sharpening gear and the ritual. But not everyone is. Just as some people like to work on cars while others just want their car to run. Not everyone has the desire to putter endlessly with sharpening- they just want sharp knives. No shame in that! That's what the gadgets are for!
Hi,
Which Furitech system you referring to please and is it gentle on the blade? As I do have a diamond steel rod but was told not to use it too much as it were wear out my blades
Phil
Senior Cook
Maybe I only had a "pro edge", once. I only have the Lansky system and have used other sharpeners early on. If you can get or stay with the factory edge, six months with out sharpening is outstanding. That may be my benchmark. Using the Lansky last week @ 20 degrees, they shave the hair off your arm. I hope I'm as fortunate as you.
jpaulg
Senior Cook
This is the top of the range model:Buy the Furi Tech Edge Knife Sharpening System Online in Australia and Save!
The key to using it is to only apply gentle pressure when pulling through. The diamond and steel fingers were all I used as my knives never got dull enough to use the carbide edge restorer, so I can't comment on that part of the system.
I'd use the steel fingers mainly and would only switch in the diamond fingers once the steel fingers weren't getting the knife sharp.
sketch182
Cook
As I understand it, the best knives are from Germany or Japan. The German steel is softer and the Japanese is harder. German steel sharpens easier, but dulls faster. Japanese is harder, but is tougher to sharpen. According to the Whustoff representative whom gave me a lesson on sharpening, use a sharpening wheel for German knives and a honing stone for Japanese. Of course, there as many theories and methods as there are knives. A "steel" or sometimes "ceramic" tool isn't good at sharpening. What it actually does is to re-allign the fibres in the edge, therefore making it seem sharper.
justplainbill
Executive Chef
Yeah, I also use the Spyderco. It's a terrific sharpener, with a few caveats. First, it's not idea for sharpening knives that are really dull, especially if they're hardened to the degree that most Japanese knives are (60+ Rockwell). Also it's a bit more "technique sensitive" than the Edgemaker Pro. It also requires some maintenance; the rods have to be cleaned periodically. Most people use Comet or Barkeepers Friend. I myself use a large art eraser or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Lastly the Spyderco is a bit spendy compared to the Edgemaker Pro (I think I paid $60 for mine). All that aside the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is a great tool and I'd hate to be without mine.
Obviously freehand on a stone is a great way to sharpen but to be completely honest only about 1 person in 100 that does it is really any good at it, IMOHO. The learning curve is steep and even then it's really a talent, and one that not everyone is capable of cultivating.
Ultimately I'm a knifegeek...I love it all, the knives, the sharpening gear and the ritual. But not everyone is. Just as some people like to work on cars while others just want their car to run. Not everyone has the desire to putter endlessly with sharpening- they just want sharp knives. No shame in that! That's what the gadgets are for!
Ceramic stones can also be cleaned up nicely without much mess or fuss by using a crepe abrasive belt cleaning block like the $ 5.95 one available from Grizzly.com
G1511 Pro-Stik® Abrasive Belt Disc Cleaner 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 8-1/2"
freefallin1309
Senior Cook
I think it has to do with how serious you are about your knives. Being that you bought Wusthof, you have an eye for good culinary knives, or perhaps someone told you about them. I've recently been trying different methods myself as well as doing research. My grandfather was a knife collector, he had thousands of them of all shapes, sizes, and uses. He also had a sharpening wheel, a headband magnifying glass, and lighting set up to look closely at his blades. I watched him a lot growing up and found nothing beats the stone. Whether it's the sharpening wheel if you have the money, or a $5 whetstone, once you get the angle down and the pressure, you will have near surgical sharpness.
I haven't tried some of the more expensive methods on here though, as I've only recently gotten interested (or rather obsessed) in sharpening. But I've heard good things about them all except the push-pull idea. It was mentioned about "chattering" and I agree, you can feel it when you go through and it sets my teeth on edge I've heard good things about the triangle sharpener too.
I haven't tried some of the more expensive methods on here though, as I've only recently gotten interested (or rather obsessed) in sharpening. But I've heard good things about them all except the push-pull idea. It was mentioned about "chattering" and I agree, you can feel it when you go through and it sets my teeth on edge
I've heard good things about the triangle sharpener too.linicx
Senior Cook
I still use the same steel I got with my set of knives 30 years ago and it still does a doog job of keeping the edge.
msmofet
Chef Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2009
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i have been using chef's choice sharpener for 20 years and the steel that came with my first cheapo set of knives (which works just fine for 30 years) for in-between honing.
Grovite
Assistant Cook
Ultimately I'm a knifegeek...I love it all, the knives, the sharpening gear and the ritual. But not everyone is. Just as some people like to work on cars while others just want their car to run. Not everyone has the desire to putter endlessly with sharpening- they just want sharp knives. No shame in that! That's what the gadgets are for!
Preach it brother!
Nice to see another Edgemaker Pro fan as well.
I am one of those knife nerds that has to try out everything just so I can get a better understanding of what is being offered on the market. Given all that though, I have been using stones for 25 years and I will continue to do so...and I must say, I'm pretty **** good at it
Have you tried the new Kuhn Rikon pull throughs that sport a Kyocera ceramic wheel? They remind me a simplified version of a Minosharp (not that that needed to be simplified). I'm interested in folks opinions about this new device.
