Absolutely right. Once you see one gone used, you’ve practically seen all the steps. I made it uncut to show I wasn’t hiding any steps. I’m not the greatest at it, but for the systems cost and “little” time needed, no mass-produced factory edge knife is going to compare. Thanks for watching Happy New Year! -Nick

Thanks for the time saver

thx

Actually the Video put out a lot of info that some may knot not know.

He actually showed a lot of information that I did not know when it comes to this device, which I will be getting shortly

D, I'm glad you found the video useful. My work is done.. for now. Thanks for watching. -Nick

Yeah I didn't know that either, can't wait to try it

That’s exactly what I did! Nice to hear someone else supported my thought process.

Jeremy, thanks for the support! -Nick

Thanks, Zombie Slayer I can't remember where I came across that tip. There are so many resources to come by on the internet and books, I use the use the ones that I find most proficient. As I learn more, I'm sure my technique will change. I'm glad I could help. Happy New Years -Nick

Thank you much. The great thing about the Lansky System, is once the angle is set, touch ups only take a few minutes versus, I think, 46 minutes.

I just bought a guided system for the same reason. I can get a blinding edge by hand on Japanese waterstones -- but my apex will tend to vary a little over time. It makes no difference when it comes to cutting, but if I want to re-establish a factory style apex, guided systems are the way to go.

@Roger The Dodger Glad I could be of help. Thanks,

I made it for you. Glad a could help. Thanks for watching -Nick

Good point! Thanks for watching. -Nick

I totally agree with you. Coarse hones are mainly used for changing bevel angles or removing nicks from the edge. If I'm touching up an edge, I'm back to scary sharp in 5 minutes. With the diamond hones I use the fine and 1000 ceramic - the medium if it's been awhile. And yes, stropping is key! It's such an often overlooked step, but one on the most important. Thanks for the comment.

If the blade length is short enough, I tend to go more for balance. Using a vice, or bar clamp in my case, is great for decreasing the importance of balance. I still tend to keep the clamp more-so in the middle for the reason you mentioned, uniform bevel. If the blade is longer than the hones' range of motion, I clamp the blade so its lower maximum range is at the heel. After using all the hones, I mark the hones' upper maximum range and adjust the clamp to overlap the mark. I blend the two together but don't grind any more than I have to at the mark. Overgrinding there can lead to a divot. The tip of a knife tends to deflect more than the heel, so placing the clamp towards the tip mitigates the bowing. That's another reason why light pressure is good. A hot topic on clamp systems and bevels is if the angle changes when sharping the tip along its outside corner. I think there is a change in bevel angle for three reasons, neither of which I have fully explored. Reason 1) When sharpening a factory-edge, more material is required to be removed before the edge forms a bur. One possible reason is that the tip's edge is thicker than its belly. A counterpoint could be that the factory machine is highly calibrated and should keep the same angle along the blade. Reason 2) Blades have a tendency to slip and move in the clamp, especially when working on the tip. For me, it's when the handle is towards the left and I push the hone into the outside corner edge. It twists the handle closer to me and the tip away. I hypothesize this changes the angle. Reason 3) People who freehand sharp seem to change their angle towards the tip. I think they raise the handle, thus removing more steel (steeper angle). My knowledge of trigonometry is next to none so I may be completely wrong on this. KZfaqr, Simple Little Life, made two videos discussing this exact topic. I'm not in full agreement with his outcome, but I still think he did a great job tackling the topic and has the best explanation so far. I hope this helps. Thanks for the great question. More science needs to be involved to give us definitive proof.

Hi, Guinelle I can't personally speak on the performance of other sharpening systems, but from what I've seen I'd say there are some good systems out there. I much prefer the diamond hones over the basic hones. Price-wise, I think the Lansky system will probably be your least expensive way to go. The hones last for an extremely long time. I bought a new medium hone once since buying the system. I started out with the basic system you described, so I was able to use that clamp once I wore a deep enough groove into the other clamp. I haven't done any research on the prices of hones for other systems or how long they last, so check that if you're shopping around. You're probably not going to get a hair-whittling sharp knife with the Lansky - I think that's more of a flex than any real need. You will get an extremely nice edge with the diamonds though. I wouldn't mind trying out different clamping systems, but until that time comes, I'm perfectly satisfied with my diamond hones. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching Nick

I haven't used the Lionsteel, so I can't speak directly about it, but the first thing that comes to mind in your situation would be to use the Sharpie test. Mark the edge of the blade and see if both systems are removing the same amount. Going from the Lionsteel to the Lansky, should technically leave a line of marker at the edge. The Lansky system uses aluminum clamps, so after a hard years use grooves form in the angle slot used most. My 20deg is no longer 20degs. it may now be closer to 22-23deg. There are a few variables that can affect the angle (how deep the spine is in the clamp, the way the knife is clamped, if the degrees are even what the clamp says they are, etc). This is why the Sharpie test, to me, makes the most sense. Let me know what you figure out. Thanks for watching -Nick

@@crawfordcutlery9337 Thank you for your reply. The Lionsteel M4 is a knife and has a secondary bevel which may be 20 or 22 deg. So I am not sure whether it makes a difference if I sharpen it with the Lansky at 20 deg Sorry for not clarifying this earlier Cheers

You are correct. Originally I clamped the blade there for balancing purposes. After battling with the fulcrum issue you point out for longer than I care to admit, I switched to clamping the base in my drill press vise. No longer did I have to worry about knives tipping over as soon as I let go of the base and I could more accurately center the clamp. If my understanding is correct and I can explain this simply enough - I may have this completely wrong -, the pitch (angle) of the hone won't change when moving from the belly of the blade to the tip. So, that would mean the clamp location wouldn't affect blade geometry. Also, the longer the travel of the rod, the less deviation in pitch occurs. If my thinking is correct, I still don't know what length of travel would be considered long enough to mitigate deviation. I'm sure this is a straight forward geometry concept, but I never took geometry. Luckily, there are people out there that can comment more thoroughly. Thanks for watching. -N

Robert, I haven't noticed a difference with or without oil. The liquid is used as a way to carry metal shavings away from the abrasive. I think oil serves a higher purpose on standard hones and stones. Keep your hones washed and, possibly, a light brushing with a soft-bristled brush, and you're set for a long time. Thanks for watching, Nick

@deepsender I’m not sure. I doubt it would damage the blade. I’ve heard years and years ago that toothpaste could fix scratches in CDs. you may already be aware that rubbing compounds are different aggregate sizes mixed in a paste, e.g. toothpaste. If an auto rubbing compound has aggregate level as jeweler’s rouge, then I don’t see why not. Big box stores and hardware stores are the only places I bought rubbing compounds. I’m sure there is better products, but I’m satisfied with the results. Thanks for watching

That’s a great idea. Doing things cheaply but efficiently is the way to do it. It reminds me of a saying about engineers. A machine doesn’t have to be built the best, it just needs to be built good enough not to fail. Thanks for watching. Nick

Diamond hones are great for removing a lot of material quickly, especially in carbon steels with lower hardness. In some instances diamond hones are the only way to remove material effectively, i.e. super steels (S35VN, AEB-L, Nitro-V). The non diamond hones have been around for a long, long time and have put hair shaving edges on knives with no problems. They are made from cheaper materials that don't perform as efficiently as the diamond material. They cost much less, so may have a greater appeal to someone who doesn't want or need to spend extra money. My personal preference is diamond hones. They can be used with all the steels on the market and develop an edge quicker and finer. Thanks for the question. Happy New Years -Nick

The length of the video you just watched lol

@@jkstdstang the video is cut though so longer, i invested in diamond stones and can sharpen way faster than this system and it will be sharper. i am thinking of getting this just for the primary grinding of extremely dull blades as it is hard to do by hand. where i work they havent sharpened the knives for almost 30 years... have to completely grind a new edge

@@user-tr2dh4xx6u he is using diamond hones. I own this system and for the price point it offers a lot of value imo. I mostly use it for blades like you mentioned in need of a reprofile and it works well. I also own the ceramic kit and just ordered lapping film sheets to see how it does for a high mirror poilsh. I suspect the results will be on par with much more expensive systems.

I think you are referring to when I take the knife off the rest. If so, I'm just looking to see if a burr has formed. I can assure you no pertinent info is lost during those times. Thanks for watching

Yeah, I think the stand is a little gimmicky. The pin (dowel?) will unthread often. Loc-tite or lock washers could hold it better. I don’t think it would take much to fashion a pin to hold it. If you wanted to hold the clamp directly in the clamp you may get tired of releasing the clamp to sharpen the other side. Thanks for watching. -Nick

I have the 1000 grit hone (white ceramic with yellow top). I used to use it, but now it just sits on my shelf. There’s nothing wrong with using it. For me, it’s an extra step that I no longer do. Without doing any research, I think the results are negligible. I’m sure the 1000 grit would polish the edge quite nicely. I think I remember the edge becoming mirrored from the hone. I’ll have to dust it off some time to see if I can tell a difference. On the inside of my work belt I put stropping compound. It works pretty nicely to touch up the edge. Thanks for question. Nick

That’s not a bad idea. My Lansky system is still the system I use after all the years. I’m also still using the original clamps. I’m sure other users can back me up when I say the aluminum doesn’t hold up so well after all that time. I have some pretty decent grooves worn into the 20° slots. I don’t know to what affect the grooves have on the consistency. My best guess is that I’m now sharpening closer to an 18° or 19° angle. Would the protractor still be as useful in this case? If I take my time (10-15 minutes) to bring back an edge, I’m still get excited as if it were the first time. I’d love to make a video sometime in an as-close-to controlled environment as possible to test out a lot of the great suggestions below. Maybe we can finally narrow down the best way. Or at least determine is the most satisfied way good enough. Thanks for watching. -Nick

Hi, Andrei My hones will do the same after extensive use, so there may be a few reasons why yours have worn down quickly. The diamonds are glued on to the surface of the hone. Perhaps the glue is faulty and the diamonds fell off. I think what is more likely to have happened is you may be using too much pressure. That will cause the diamonds to wear down quickly. It takes some time to really wear them down, so you may have just broke them in. I think you should still be able to use them. It may take a few extra swipes before you can move onto the next hone. I hope that helps. Thanks

@@crawfordcutlery9337 Thank you.

This is due to the stone getting clogged. Clean stone with soapy water and an old toothbrush. Dry the stone well and you'll be all set

terry bouch I haven’t with these. I’ve rinsed them in plain water. I still don’t know if oil is beneficial for diamond hones. I did some quick research in the past. Some folks say no oil. Others say to use oil but with a high viscosity. Some claim the oil supplied is only good for the stones hones. I’ve also heard that once oil is used on you hones it must be added constantly afterwards, and water can’t be used from that point forward. So, water and a brushing and light tapping to unclog the diamonds is what method I use. I hope that helps. Best of luck,

DO NOT use oil on the diamond hones, it will clog it up and make it too smooth to use. If you go to Lansky's website all the info is there for when and how to use everything in the set.

Roy Munson thank you

Great catch! My belief in instructions is there is a time and place for them. If straying from the instructions does not cause an increased change in bodily harm, void a warranty, or damage equipment, I don’t see any reason not to change it up if the outcome is is what the user wishes. I get fantastic results by my method! I appreciate your comment. Thanks for watching.

@@crawfordcutlery9337 Got it and keep making videos...

what should you use for diamonds? Nothing?

@@MrOzzy281 yes nothing, that’s what is recommended by the manufacturer

@HAFGaming I agree with you. The strop will remove the burr. If it didn't, then more people would be using this technique. The block of wood is used to speed up the process. I like to think of it like walking through mud. Even though the boots (knife) are going to get caked with mud (burr), it feels nice to quickly scrape (wood block) them off, even though at the end of the day they're going to get a good cleaning (the strop). Thanks for the comment.

Good advice. Thanks for watching. -Nick

I do not use the oil with the diamond hones. I could be wrong, but I think the oil clogs the hones' cutting ability. If I were using an Arkansas stone or their standard stone hones, then I would use the oil to release the metal particles. I wash my diamond hones with water every so often and that seems to do the trick. Carbon (diamond) doesn't like heat. It will break down quicker when exposed to high heat, but I don't the friction heat gets hot enough to cause concern. Thanks for watching, Nick

Meh, the whole point of a video is so we don't have to read the instructions. I'm rather happy with the results derived from using the woodblock deburring method. I came across the technique in Chad Ward's book "An Edge in the Kitchen." It's a fantastic read. Thanks for watching.