Noob needs guidance sharpening knives

[sb59]

 
I never understood the need for surgical sharp blades for the kitchen, unless you are a professional sushi chef.

A relatively sharp knife is all you need for effective cutting and slicing.

I also don't understand why it is such a high art to sharpen a knife. It is very discouraging for many to even try.

Not to disparage knife enthusiasts and hobbyists, for the typical kitchen sharpening, it all boils down to: rough stone for quick metal removal, and fine stone for final edge, just keep the same angle while you are sharpening, don't worry about convex, concave, compound angles, hollow ground, stropping, etc. Not a rocket science to have very sharp knives in the kitchen.

It is not that difficult to be able to sharpen at the same angle. Use a Sharpie/marker to mark the edge, start grinding with a sharper angle, and gradually increase the angle until you see the mark on the edge just disappeared and that would be the final correct angle for that particular knife. Try to keep that same angle as you are moving the knife on the stone.

dcarch

 
Thats where I had the issue with it.  The cheif choice is outstandingly easy for doing large cheif knives,with the magnet holding the perfect angle, you just drag it through the guide, ..but for my filet knives and small pocket knives, where the tip is very important for me, I found it to be some what awkward.Thats where my comment comes from about eating away too much material.  Knives will eventally get a rounded tip before you notice it.  So for years I kept the cheif choice handy for my kitchen knives, but wouldnt go near it with my more valuable knives, and always used the stone or diamond paper on them.  The work sharp , for me, gives me better control over the entire length of the blade and now I find myself using it more than any other sharpener I own. And its fun to use.

This is my point. I've never tried every system, and they all probably work when done correctly. I used to use strictly the Lansky system, but even then I seldom used more then the finest stone. If you do more then hone up the burr every time you resharpen then you are waiting to long to resharpen! No matter what the system, even separate stones,steels & strops blade loss should be minimal. Most times you should be only straighting the burr.

 

[ribwizzard]