Work Sharp

[Gonna Smoke]

My BIL is here this week and he brought his Ken Onion edition of the Work Sharp tool sharpener. He's had it for about 3 years and never opened it and I have no experience with it so time to try it out.

I was impressed with it and looked into maybe getting my own. Well Bass Pro has the original on sale for $100. That's $40 off. They have a 2nd generation out that's $170 so I guess they are trying to get rid of the older model.

Not to be an enabler , but...

https://www.basspro.com/p/work-sharp-ken-onion-knife-and-tool-sharpener

I have always hand sharpened my knives with stones, but I was impressed with this and how quickly and easily it did the job...

 

[SmokinAl]

Blade Grinding Attachment for Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2™

Elevate your sharpening experience with the Blade Grinding Attachment for the Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2™ (Ken Onion Mk.2 sharpener not included). This attachment expands your sharpening system to provide more control on every knife you sharpen with horizontal benchtop...

worksharptools.com

If you really want to up your game add this to the KO. Also go to Red Label Abrasives for your belts. They are great quality & price.
Have fun!
Al

 

[SmokinEdge]

Blade Grinding Attachment for Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2™

Elevate your sharpening experience with the Blade Grinding Attachment for the Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2™ (Ken Onion Mk.2 sharpener not included). This attachment expands your sharpening system to provide more control on every knife you sharpen with horizontal benchtop...

worksharptools.com

If you really want to up your game add this to the KO. Also go to Red Label Abrasives for your belts. They are great quality & price.
Have fun!
Al

Yes sir, I started out with the original KO then bought this attachment a couple years ago, much better setup, I really like it.

 

[uncle eddie]

Love my Worksharp MK2 - second version. (Looks identical to the above)
Got it from Amazon for my birthday.

It does get the edge sharp - but I go two more steps:

• using a sharpening steel and then
• a leather strap.

Figure 5 minutes - max - per knife if really bad.

My arm hairs were missing/shaved-off after I sharpened everything

 

[jcam222]

I think I listed a Ken Onion for sale in the classifieds here once but no bites. It's in my office somewhere lol. Used it once or twice but it's very awkward for a lefty.

 

[Steve H]

I think I listed a Ken Onion for sale in the classifieds here once but no bites. It's in my office somewhere lol. Used it once or twice but it's very awkward for a lefty.

I'm surprised nobody snapped it up.

 

[SmokinEdge]

With the blade grinding attachment you have 3 places to sharpen. One is the longer belt run in the back which is more like the original and gives a convex edge. The other is up top between the short run of belt between rollers, this is a more firm belt run and produces a semi-convex edge. The third is in the front where you have a vertical platen backing up the belt, here you can belt sharpen just like on a stone for a conventional bevel edge. So three different ways to sharpen on the same belt system. I sharpen most on the short belt run but some I go straight to the flat platen for bevel edge.

The attachment is the most versatile belt sharpener out there for home use. It does require “free hand” with no real guide so you do need to be familiar with standard stone sharpening to use it well.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Also another word of caution. When sharpening on a belt system Never run the point or tip of knife off the belt as you pass. Always stop the pass when the tip/point is in the middle of the belt and pull it off straight away. Running off the edge of the belt will round the point off.

 

[Fueling Around]

I asked my friend that has a meat shop on his opinion of the Work Sharp.
"Put the crap knives on the belt and save the good knives for a steel and stone."

 

[rexster314]

Also another word of caution. When sharpening on a belt system Never run the point or tip of knife off the belt as you pass. Always stop the pass when the tip/point is in the middle of the belt and pull it off straight away. Running off the edge of the belt will round the point off.

Using the blade grinding attachment alleviates a lot of that Been using this setup for years and never rounded a tip off

 

[seenred]

I was always pretty bad at knife sharpening...never could master a stone. And I tried a couple different sharpening systems that didn't work very well either. I got a WS MK.2 a couple Christmases ago, and can finally get a decent edge on my kitchen knives. Maybe not a perfect system -especially for the pros, but it gives us "remedial" knife sharpeners a chance lol.

Red

 

[schlotz]

I've gone through many types of sharpening systems all in the hope to discover a solution that works for me. Older hands etc.... I did for a while use the WS but without the new addition I just learned about here and for me changing belts was a pain. Having the knives professionally sharpened definitely got the best results. I have some higher end Zwilling/Henckel blades that are 15º. I just purchased a Chef's Choice 15XV and spent time yesterday running all my knives thru the process. Results were so close to the pro sharpening service. Tomato and paper tests were on par with the pro service. Finally, for me, I've got a solution.

 

[uncle eddie]

I've gone through many types of sharpening systems all in the hope to discover a solution that works for me. Older hands etc.... I did for a while use the WS but without the new addition I just learned about here and for me changing belts was a pain. Having the knives professionally sharpened definitely got the best results. I have some higher end Zwilling/Henckel blades that are 15º. I just purchased a Chef's Choice 15XV and spent time yesterday running all my knives thru the process. Results were so close to the pro sharpening service. Tomato and paper tests were on par with the pro service. Finally, for me, I've got a solution.

schlotz
I use the Chefs Choice "manual" version of the 15XV.
After I put the good edge on with my WS MK2, I tune it up, as needed, with the Chefs Choice.

I find I only need to use the WS MK2 about once per year to get the fine, easy to maintain, edge on. I maintain it with the manual Chefs Choice and a sharpening steel and - if I am really ambitious - a leather strap.

 

[normanaj]

I just purchased a Chef's Choice 15XV and spent time yesterday running all my knives thru the process. Results were so close to the pro sharpening service. Tomato and paper tests were on par with the pro service. Finally, for me, I've got a solution.

This was also the best solution for me,the only difference is I went with the 130 as I only have 20° knives.I do have the manual 4643 model which will sharpen both but I really only use to maintain the edge as doing a full sharpening by hand is time consuming and after a while will cause some hand fatigue which is why I ended up with the electric model.

 

[nlife]

I think I listed a Ken Onion for sale in the classifieds here once but no bites. It's in my office somewhere lol. Used it once or twice but it's very awkward for a lefty.

I can see how the WS by itself would be awkward for a lefty. The KO attachment takes care of that problem.

 

[jcam222]

I can see how the WS by itself would be awkward for a lefty. The KO attachment takes care of that problem.

I have the KO attachment but still find it awkward, hell maybe I'm just awkward LOL

 

[nlife]

I have the KO attachment but still find it awkward, hell maybe I'm just awkward LOL

Ah! Lol. I found it awkward when I first started using my left hand to sharpen the other side of the blade, but I've gotten used to it now.