You demonstrated a good way to sharpen a knife. Thank You. I was a machinist for 32 years and had to work with sharp tools every day. Remember before you rub your fingers across a blade that you can be right a thousand times, but you only have to be wrong once.

"this knife is completely dull" *fingers fall off* lol

Thanks Scout. I have SCARS from childhood to prove how sharp his knives were and how stupid I was from not listening when Pappaw said...NOW Son...that's SHARP boy, be careful! I miss him so bad and love him so much. Every time I sharpen anything he's there. It's his legacy for me.

My grandfather was in the textile industry all his life. He has some ceramic rods that were coated with a glaze very much like a modern coffee cup. Now dude, you talk about stupid sharp? If you couldn't shave with it, he wouldn't carry it. Those hones were so smooth, I mean you bled looking at his old CASE TRAPPERS! The thing I learned most from him is that if you keep a knife honed up, you sharpen far less. Sharpening is necessary but destructive. Honing and straightening an edge on a regular basis AFTER its been sharpened properly is the secret to super keen edges that last!

I can hear it now His wife barges in and yells "ARE YOU CUTTING MY SPONGES UP AGAIN"

You can tell you have the correct angle when your blade starts to pick up water on the top surface of the blade. Works for me anyway.

Sharpening stone used ⬇️ amzn.to/2fNpdQb Knife used⬇️ amzn.to/2xKnaiB Knives plus stropblock ⬇️ amzn.to/2xfpNxP These are Amazon affiliate links

Just a follow up, I started watching your videos when I got my Benchmade 940 Osborne and rounded the edge after breaking down some heavy retail cardboard. Using your techniques I was able to restore it’s hair popping edge and without the funky second angle I used to have halfway along the edge. Many thanks for the work you put in to your videos!

"This knife is actually completely dull." Next video, ER ride to the hospital.

I want learn to make my knife so sharp that it can cut air to make a portal to another universe

When you do the paper test, the sound and the finish cut of the paper is what you are looking for. While a butter knife will cut paper, it will leave a jagged edge and sound really rough. The quieter the blade goes through and the cleaner the finish cut is, the sharper your blade is. The test is still useful if you know what to look for

title: "DON'T BUY EXPENSIVE JAPANESE WATERSTONES!" me, who just got my japanese waterstones delivered and is watching this to learn how to use them: 👁👄👁

Hey those were perfectly good Harbor Freight coupons lol

Thank you for the video 👍👍 Your videos are made to actually be used unlike alot of the knife videos online that are incorrect info clickbait!! You've helped me make and finish my first knife with your videos. I'm very grateful!! Keep up the good work 👊

Thank you so much! I finally got it right watching this video. As a result i have been able to shave the hair off of my arm and now I can begin working on a new hobby - whittling. Thanks again!

I just started sharpening my knives, and love watching how too's videos, After a month of research I've come to the conclusion the best way for an amateur like me to sharpen a knife, is lansky system, a small clamp, 1000 grit wetstone and a strop in order to get your knife from from flat to paper curl sharp. Once the angle is establish, it's a lot easier to maintain the sharpness with a sharpening stone.

The top edge of car window is good for honing as well. Then strop with my belt. Ready to shave my face with my old Buck knife!

I think the alternating strokes should be an even number. But that's just my OCD talking, and I'm sure it doesn't hurt the knife any. Cheers.

It's good to see how far your channel has come. Congrats on 5 years.

Thanks a lot. You saved me a lot of money and time. It was very hard for me to find a good video on KZfaq on how to sharpen my Hair Clipper and trimmer blades. I had to read a couple of articles i found on Google to get the right idea and even went as far as watching a Japanese man on their expensive stones.

I own a Lightsaber. Do I need to sharpen it too?

I use the polished back of a ceramic tile. Works great!

Finally someone did a budget sharpening guide. I just want to thank you for making this video.

ha ha, I've carried a pocket knife since I was a wee lad. didn't carry a sharp knife till I could sharpen it.

The angle on which to sharpen the knife depends also of the intended use of the knife. Knife intended for cutting meat has a different edge than a knife intended for wood. The method shown how to find the angle of a particular knife is good, but if you want to make the knife excel in a specified role, you have to take the angle into account. Also the angle matters when you think of how well the knife will hold the edge: shallower angle tends to lose the sharpness faster, requiring more honing during use, while steeper one holds the sharpness better, but isn't as cutting as the other. All comes down to consistency: the more consistent the sharpening is across the blade, the better the overall sharpening is. Coarser stone creates the edge, smoother ones just hone it up to stropping, which is just polishing the edge and removing the last remains of the burr.

Why are there comments being so angry and defensive? It's just a guy showing how to sharpen a knife haha

This video will definitely help me in learning how to sharpen since I’m new to knife collecting!

I use paper like I use my finger nail. It helps make sure the edge has no nicks or burrs. I cut slow a fell the edge. Thanks for sharing.

My first knife i got at about 7, I sharpened so much that when I was flipping it it cut clean through the webbing of my pinky and ring finger, but it healed great, I have the smallest scar because of how clean of a cut it was 😂

dry paper dead easy try wet paper it's a lot harder

I never thought to buy edge pro stones, hmmm, they look to travel well too!!!!!! I sharpen on full sized splash and go's, these did help me a little vs the small Double stuff I have(Pretty sweet setup), Shapton sells the Kuromako series(ceramic, they will work on the super steels, and HAP40!)), most are $35, the 1000 grit is mostly what I use, works with kitchen knifes too. My set has 320 and 5000 grit too, cost $120, can't touch your $25 setup! Thanks for sharing. I just looked, so many edge pro stones to chose from, good selection!!

Not usually one to comment on videos, but I have to say I watched all your knife sharpening videos. Out of the ones if seen best on KZfaq. Technics and pointers allowed me to start sharpening knives to a decent and not ruin my knives. ThankS outdoors55

Funny that every knife video not done by some knife saint draws a very high percentage of folks who want to teach you or at least impress you. We must be the hardest heads out there. There are a thousand ways to sharpen a knife and I like your demeanor better than that of the saints. Well done.

I don't see how these three stones for 25 dollars are a better deal than "expensive" stones that will give you over 5x the thickness and nearly 3x the area with which to sharpen. Everything for it's purpose. If you're sharpening SV30 from Spyderco on their tiny EDC knives this will certainly do. If you want to sharpen a cheap Farberware chef knife with Molybdenum to shaving sharp you'll likely want a bigger stone. Most things in my experience can shave if properly bevel'd and stropped, even a Farberware 9" Chef knife. Also the paper test is much less about the ability to destroy paper and more about the sound of the blade pushcutting through it. Most people with some experience could immediately hear lack of sharpness on that blade when you sliced through it. Some people use softer papers, like a papertowel or kleenex, to get a better test of sharpness. Cutting rolled cloth, denim, or sponge is another valid test. Most of those tests exceed what anyone realistically needs for EDC or even food prep usage. Not trying to hate on you or your videos; I've watched a lot of them and enjoyed nearly all of them. This video though has a point/message to it that I mostly disagree with. You can get cheap amazon whetstones for 11-23 bucks a piece to learn on that will get things shaving sharp. A cheap 200-600/1000-2000 grit with a strop is certainly all anyone needs I just wouldn't trust grit ratings past 3-4k at that pricepoint.

Im an absolute beginner at this & ur video is the best ive come across for teaching a beginner "excellent" Thanx:::)))

First video I have seen of your. I LOVE THAT YOU ARE LEFT HANDED! I have watched so many videos recently on how to sharpen since I rencently bought my first highish end knife (Benchmade Freek) and it makes so much more sense how to control the handles when sharpening watching you and how you hold the stone with your right. Thank you, that is all

I got some major ASMR when he first sharpened the knives.

I think the reason that this works so fast is because you are using a Spyderco tenacious which steel is 8 CR 13 mov that sharpens fairly quick and if you were to try this with a better Steel say s30v it would take much longer

One of the best sharpening vids I have watched. Been struggling with my m390 and 3v...

Okay, so I did buy a Wicked Edge Propack II system, and it's the absolute best system I've ever used, bar none. I have been sharpening all my life from hand sharpening to many different systems, and I'm 52 this year. Having said that, I've recently begun stopping my blades exactly as described here , and the edge is phenomenally sharp. I can take a piece of copy paper, fold in half with a crisp crease, open it up about halfway to where it will stand up by itself. I can then take my freshly stropped blade and cut down the middle of the crease, without holding the paper at all.... that is scary sharp

2000 sushi chefs disliked this video.

Best tip to sharpen any knife is to use very inexpensive high grid sandpaper that you would use for cars....I always take 3M sandpaper with me while traveling

Waterstone or some kind of Slate alike could sharpen any knife to super sharp. 1st time sharpening usually need 1 to 2 hours, subsequent sharpening 30 to 45 minutes. Persistence, direction, angle, and constant cold water flows creates super sharp blade add a little heart and soul it create a signature work. Some years ago I worked manually sharpening blade and considered best among piers. Myself and some others senior co-worker could recognize my work viewing or feeling the sharpness by touching the belly of blade.

This is one of the first sharpening videos i ever saw.... and i am still amazed on how easy you make it look.... :s

I love all the experts in the comment section, yet I don't see a single video from one of them

Those were perfectly good Harbor Freight coupons!

I have a 8000/1000 combo stone that works well for me. The 8000 is basically a strop. I have a 300/800 for garden tools which I bring along if having a "party" at a friend's house and I don't know how bad off their kitchen knives have gotten. A video I liked used a Sharpie: put a 2-3 mm line along the edge on both sides before you start to sharpen and it will let you know how much and how evenly you've taken your edge off. Use a steel for a few swipes every time before you start to cut something. And I agree: if it will easy slip through a tomato you'r close enough for standard kitchen work.

I love how he cuts up the Harbor Freight ad at the end of the magazine.

shaving hair off my arm is basically the only test I use.

"Remember before you rub your fingers across a blade that you can be right a thousand times, but you only have to be wrong once." Gladto Begone

I have often thought of buying some of those Chinese stones, but have too many stones already. In the old days, most kitchen used a board with a small sand box at the base. I don't know whether they used water or something to make the sand stick to the wood, but they use to just spread some sand on the length of wood and use it like a rough strop. Traveling salesmen would often sell the special sand, if there is such a thing. It would give a serviceable edge, but I don't know whether you would be able to shave arm hair, but that would depend on how fine the sand was, or if you had a normal strop to refine the edge. Thanks.

Exactly the same way my grandfather taught me. And reminded me people have been sharpening knives for a long time with low tech and great results. Keep it simple stupid is usually the best way to get though the day

When he rubbed his fingers accross the knife i got triggered and cringed super hard

I usually use a hard then soft Arkansas whetstone, WD-40 and an old leather belt. Use it properly and you'll be amazed by just how sharp and refined it is. And as far as the "expensive jap water stones", in my opinion the ones I get from Arkansas are just as good and a lot cheaper. I could literally shave my face with em'

I own both the Edge Pro (Apex) system as well as three Naniwa Chosera stones (400, 800 and 3,000 grit on those). I really do like your videos explaining how to bypass a lot of the BS crap regarding spending too much on getting the job done, but it also heavily depends on what the user wants. For the two major knives I use in my kitchen, a santoku and a pairing knife, I instinctively go to my stones... It's so ingrained into my muscle memory that it's on par with cleaning dishes (meaning, doesn't take long) to do. However if I am going to do my pocket or hunting knives I instantly go to my Edge Pro and take the time to just get the job done. Great video, just giving my thoughts.

That scraping sound is lullaby to my ears... good night

I nearly shit my pants when he showed it was dull

His way of thinking: I'ma just try to cut my fingers, and if they don't come off, then it ain't sharp. Ours: did that guy just test a knife by cutting himself?!

i actually use all my knives chisels etc... so sharpening and honing the keen edge is pretty natural.. oilstone wetstone etc... water stones r fast cutting. i generally go by feel on the stones once the edge is sharpened and profiled then homing takes a few secondsnper stone per blade. plus a few seconds on a stropp of some sort to polish sides of the edge profile and clean off any shavings oil etc... that may be still on it. for that i find auto body polish kits r an excellent option for compound

totally agree - the cutting paper thing doesn't show how sharp a knife is at all! Even a semi dull knife can cut paper like that

On the second step of alternation don't you have to do an even number to give each side the same?

Consistency is very important, that is why this does not work for me. My hands will not keep the same angle this way.

thanks for the video, it can help people out who know nothing about sharpening blades. well done sir

I have been doing that for years. Nice to see I am not alone. Cool!

I believe there called "whetstones"

I saw the begging and i was about to exit the video because i thought he was showing us how sharp his technique made it

One thing to note is that you can tell when the apex of the blade is on the stone because of how the water reacts with the edge

amazing video...I just got into blacksmithing about a month ago and imma use this method when I sharpen my knives and other tools.

YOU KILLED SPONGEBOBS GIRLFRIEND

Purchased a knife, now i can finnaly dig my plants

Thanks you saved me a ton of money. I always buy new knives when my old ones got dull.

You can buy a 2 sided japanese wetstone for like 20 bucks. Id prefer to have more stone to work with but im also sharpening kitchen knifes more often then pocket or utility knives. Ill probably buy these smaller ones for when i go hunting. Thanks, good video. I dont think you need to change the angle for the honing stone but i like to have the whole edge with a uniform polish. Also the burr can and i think should be removed on the sharpening stone. Honing stone should just be for refining the sharpened edge.

You scared the shit out of me when you moved your hand on that knife

surely you need to use even numbers.

Its critical to mention that the steel of the knife affects how often you will need to sharpen

fine for a pocket knife but on a 25cm folded steel blade requiring 16 hrs a day of work out those stones sure come in handy once in a while, of which 600 grit would chew up a whole lot of material unnecessarily, the paper test helps to test the consistency of a long blade from butt to tip, it's also much cheaper than household cleaning material. I agree that just for a bog standard pocket tool there's no necessity to fork out for high k grit full sized stones and stropping is a much neglected part of sharpening in my experience, a polished edge aids integrity and longevity no end.

What is your order of using the stone? I'm not sure if the video skipped a part.

This should be asmr

I use the bottom of a ceramic mug and it gets my knife sharp enough to shave if you're determined and have a bit of pain tolerance. It's not a perfect edge by any means but for using a kitchen dish it's hard to beat. You can also sharpen your knife and just about any smooth rock. Nothing beats a nice set of stones and a strop but if it's all you have and your knife is dull then it's better than nothing.

For a cheaper strop, you can use a piece of denim on a flat plate (such as a piece of glass). Apply metal polish (such as Mothers metal polish) and let dry.

The knife was tearing more than cutting the paper

0:19 - 0:22 i had a mini heart attack. Just because when i saw younger, i did that with scissors, and my god the pain was no joke!

Sharpening knives on different stones works but using the softest stone like the 10000 grit & sanding the edge sides backwards makes the edge that already toothy flatter & flatter then sharpening left & right on each side beside pushing forwards gives knives extremely best sharp edges,thats how katanas got sharp enough to shave & cut right through bamboo trees & was able to cut through apples without getting swung at them after moving katanas towards apples,layers on steels are microscopic.

I'm impressed how fast you get such great results. Th.x for the video

Don't buy waterstone!... Uses waterstone.

you can tell the knife wasnt sharp because of the noise it made going through the paper.

In general - it works, and its a good way to sharpen knife correctly.

I use my Benchmade to open tuna and baked bean cans, cut battery cables and gaylords. When I'm in a pinch it even comes in handy as a screwdriver or a chisel. Pro tip: I use a high speed bench grinder to sharpen it back up.

Says paper is a bad example to test how sharp a knife is but cuts paper after sharpening the knife.

no not the harbor freight coupons the money you coulda saved 😭😭. hahaha

Love that he sharpened it towards his fingers for the most part

Great video, destroyed the paper test, and very good sharpening tips. Thanks for the great info!

I'm twelve and my dad taught me how to sharpen when I was 8 or 9

Please don't show people running your fingers on a blade.... Do you not know how stupid people are now days?

Single ply toilet paper requires a hair whittling edge to do. You will likely cut less than an inch since it starts bending, but just getting that slice started from the edge of the paper tells you a lot. If you have to first poke the tip into the paper but still get clean cuts after that you are very close and have an edge that will give effortless shaves. Phonebook paper is just regular shaving sharp. It all requires technique, even shaving to a degree. The tests are mostly for the sharpener though.

Best use of a Harbor Freight catalog

It's ok for pocket knife or tools, but you don't want to use those stones in straight razor or a 300 kitchen knife, you will achieve a poor result on a forge Damascus carbon steel knife or razor with 62+ Rockwell.

When you can't afford a razor

bc of the title I learned something like JAPANESE WATER STONES exist and I need one now.

Nice technique sir. I learned new from you