Work Sharp knife sharpener

Well, I finally broke down and bought one of these. Ive had my eye on them for a while and I found one on clearance at Canadian Tire. Its an electric sharpener that uses small belts to sharpen.

All I can say is im angry I didnt do it sooner. I know some of you can pick up a stone off the driveway and make a hunk of leaf spring into a razor with a few strokes, but for the rest of us that struggle with keeping a sharp edge, its a god send.

Im seriously impressed and extremely happy with my purchase.

https://www.worksharptools.com/origi...sharpener.html

https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/Cab...id=460&hei=460

I have used one for a couple of years. I know the purists out there feel there are better options, but for my level of skill it rules. My knives are sharper than anyone I hang out with... Well maybe not you now...

I've got a 1" belt sander that I have a set of 3M Trizact belts for. I also bought a leather belt for honing. It does the same thing but doubles for woodworking as there are lots of cheap belts available.

I find that it is fantastic for restoring blades that have been abused. My hunting knives never get abused so I still just touch them up with the crock sticks now and then.

The trick is to get a good edge on the belts/stones at home/in camp, and have something to touch up the blade as you work. I really mean "as" you use it, not after three hours of skinning and butchering a moose.

I keep a couple of the cheap two sided sharpers with the carbide on one side and the Diamond rods on the other. After you have been cutting for awhile, just lightly slide the blade through the carbide side. If the blade catches, apply a little pressure and make a couple passes. Then hone the edge on the Diamond rods a couple times.

I have even used a hand held axe sharping tool to fix an edge before trying to sharpen a knife. It sure saves wear and tear on the expensive sharpeners.

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Originally Posted by benjhind

I've got a 1" belt sander that I have a set of 3M Trizact belts for. I also bought a leather belt for honing. It does the same thing but doubles for woodworking as there are lots of cheap belts available.

I find that it is fantastic for restoring blades that have been abused. My hunting knives never get abused so I still just touch them up with the crock sticks now and then.

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I have been hinting to Karen that a bench sander would be a great gift.
I have a recoil pad to shape, and some Ulu knives to make for Christmas/Birthday gifts just to start.

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Originally Posted by LeakyBoots

I have used one for a couple of years. I know the purists out there feel there are better options, but for my level of skill it rules. My knives are sharper than anyone I hang out with... Well maybe not you now...

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Ha!

Have you used it on an axe? Im curious how the belts will hold up

Just for fun I sharpened up a garden spade with my Worksharp. In the end I could shave with it... it sure did a nice job separating perennials in the garden.

The thing that makes the work sharp great for knives is the built in guide. Using it freehand it's just a nice little belt grinder. I am not happy with the price of the belts but my knives and such have never been sharper.

The beauty of using a regular sander is that belts are very cheap. Busy Bee sells a 1x30 sander (in London, Snowwalker). I see it is $80 now but I think I got mine for $60 or so. Regular aluminum oxide belts are $1.50 or $2.50 so you can sharpen an axe for pennies. I like the 3M trizact belts because they come in very fine grits and are exceptionally consistent for knife work. I think I got those from Princess Auto. They cost more but it isn't much for a set.

I have had one for a few years. They are great do a great job of sharpening knives or anything for that matter.
First time you do a knife it takes a bit to reshape the edge. After that i rarely pull out the coarse belts. Just a quick touch up and call it good.
Bought a bunch of belts the first year... i think 6 yrs ago and still have yet to wear any out. Thats sharpening everyones knives that have handled mine.
Yes there are better options as a 1inch belt sander but you need dedicated space for one. The WorkSharp fits nicely into a shoebox and onto a shelf.