+1 on the storage case.... spending $250 on a unit and storing it in a cardboard box doesn't make much sense.

We appreciate the feedback and rest assured we are listening and working on it! Stay tuned.

Agreed! A cover would be a great touch.

For your first time sharpening a knife you will likely be creating a new edge. You can also work to match the existing angle if you choose. My personal preference is to set the angle I want (one that I plan to maintain), and reprofile to that angle. It may take a bit of work to raise a burr that first time depending on the steel and how dull the knife was or how much you are reprofiling. Lighter jobs may take 15-25 passes on coarse grit, heavier jobs could be up to 40 passes per side. Sharpen one side until you reach a burr, then maintain the same number of passes on the opposing side to keep the bevels symmetrical.

For me its best to do up and down scrubbing with the 220 grit to reprofile the angle cause it will take forever if you are wanting to take a factory 20 degree knife down to 12-16 degrees and then I just use it cause its sharp enough but then the next time I will do only upward passes which does seem to make it sharper than scrubbing back and forth. It takes me about an hour for a knife I haven't sharpened but once I know the angle the sharpening after doesn't take long at all. I can use the same boning knife for a while just using the ceramic and strop and the 800 grit sometimes if it seems a little more dull and that only takes like 5-10 minutes to get it back to crazy sharp for meat cutting. Taking your time and not using a lot of pressure is the main thing that took me a while to get the hang of. Every time I have tried to match the angle it just doesn't work well you will just need to scrub enough until you have a good burr so you know the edge has been ground back enough. It is a lot easier sharpening pocket knives with this but compared to a belt sander my butcher knives are so much sharper so its worth the time it takes to sharpen for the sake of my hand not hurting after work. You can just do upward passes but with my experience if you are doing a knife 5" or longer it will take way too long

I started using water on mine and it works much better

@@TJBoogie Thanks, I plan on using it on mine as well. I'm not sure why they recommend not to?

I use a small amount of dawn soap mixed in a large spray bottle. Works great.

Exactly my question! This has been out for a while now so where are those finer grits so we can move into mirror polish realm? 🗡️👊🗡️

Good question, lets get you in touch with our Customer Service team. There a lots of factors at play . (blade shape, size, steel, etc) Our CS team can account for all of that and help find a solution. Start by sending an email to info@worksharptools.com and they will get you dialed in.

If it seems off you should contact our customer service team. You can reach them at info@worksharptools.com and someone will get back to you right away to see what the issue might be.

I have the exact same issue. Also no leather strop or compound material?

@@vwgtiron If yours didn't come with a leather strop then get in touch with customer service. info@worksharptools.com they will get you taken care of. The strop comes loaded with green compound.

Are you using the support piece under the clamp?

@@EZ_Case yup the support holds it up but not enough to prevent 2 degree tilt man so hard to explain in text, but I was informed that I was using too much pressure and once I backed off on pressure it worked like a charm… thx for reply

@@aylonewolf69I tried to post a link to a KZfaq video that covers this but my link was deleted. If you wrap a zip tie around the circumference of the clamp fitting it will eliminate the flex. It works great.

Good idea, it's something we are looking into. Don't wait on us though. A simple brush and rag can get the job done. We won't sell one unless we think we can bring you guys more value by making a Work Sharp specific kit.