Work Sharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener Tool - Adjustable Knife Sharpening System - For Knives, Scissors, Serrated Blades, & Tools

Been looking for sharpening tools or or services for a while, after watching on-line videos on the product and having a chance to use it - I have to say I picked the right tool. I do recommend their videos on best practices as they're much easier to understand than just the manual.With the right technique, which took a little to learn, it works great. I managed to put a top quality sharp edge on an almost ruined kitchen knife, and once i did that I moved on to our more expensive knives. My wife was very impressed with the restored sharpness of our entire knife set, and I too am happy to once again be able to cook with truly sharp knives.I moved on to sharpening some other tools and knives (some of which were never sharp) and it continued to work great.The adjustability and options to fine tune the sharpening angle on this model are great. The sharpener seems well built, and easy to use evn if it takes a little practice to get right. If you use your knives and tools a lot - this is a great way to extend thier usefull life, improve their performance - the tool is a great value.

I support the other reviewers: this machine is sturdy and it works very well, with no problem with continuous use in sharpening/honing a dozen less-sharp but not severely dull blades in a single session. Personally, my eye-hand coordination has always been a problem so maintaining the edge, even on a fine knife made from great steels has always been a problem for me. (You craftsmen out there can quit snickering...)I do a lot of knife work in an active kitchen and do some skinning and breaking down of carcasses if I 'get lucky' during hunting season. I have more than enough high quality/custom quality knives in my rack. Finally I 'wised up.' I didn't need more fine knives...I needed sharp knives.I tried a series of whetstones but my physical challenges led to that not working. Carbide sharpeners used up way too much metal and left coarse edges that dulled quickly. Angled and guided diamond hone machines were just okay...until the wheels plugged up with old metal filings. They are not designed to be cleaned. My spending on moderately-priced sharpening systems was adding up to serious money. So...I plunged for a Tormek grinding wheel that would do any craftsman proud. It proved too much for me to keep the stone 'trued' and to follow the blade-inking system for determining the correct angle...and then I only had one grit to work with.The knives I use every day were edged on a belt grinder and it made sense that they should be re-edged on a belt grinder. I agree with other reviewers that the 3/4 inch band set is best for kitchen and hunting knives, when compared to the half-inch bands on the earlier Work Sharp system. I still use the Tormek for heavy-duty items like axes and pruning shears. The Work Sharp system will work but your need for belts will build up.Speaking of the need for belts: at first you will have a rack or (heaven forbid, you keep them banging around in a drawer) of knives to work on. Naturally, the coarsest belts will show signs of wear after that initial flurry of use, reestablishing the bevel and beginning the sharpening process. After twelve or so kitchen and steak knife blades, I noticed that it was taking longer to remove stock than it had when the belt was 'fresh'. Work Sharp advises that the belt still has lots of use left but that more time and patience will be required to get the rapid benefit given by a fresh belt. My experience confirms their advice. Don't give up on a belt too soon, especially if you are working with knife edges that are not badly dulled or damaged. There are also measurable advantages to improving edges by using the recommended sequence of belts provided with the sharpener for each knife. Read the booklet that comes with the kit and look at the 'quick start' heavy cardboard 'how to' guide that ships with the kit. I learned that 'toothy' edges (professional description of a degree of sharpness)are more useful than finer, more easily damaged 'super sharp' edges for many tasks.The machine itself is easy to set up and easy to adjust and comfortable in the hand to use. The design is stable on a work bench or counter top. The 'continuous pressure' drive switch and variable speed control give a very useful degree of control over sharpening and polishing operations. PLUS the set comes with a fine CD of instructional advice (and it is mirrored on the company web site.) If you wonder how you might use/like this tool, visit the company web address and check out the videos for the earlier, light-duty product and for this 'Ken Onion' edition, heavier duty model. They helped me to decide which machine to purchase: I need to maintain or resharpen a good number of knives and a couple of models of kitchen shears on a regular basis. (The system works amazingly well for scissors, too). If you have fewer knives or just collect pocket knives, the Ken Onion system may be 'over-kill'...but I still would seriously consider the less expensive and lighter duty Work Sharp system for your needs. These tools are much faster and likely will be more precise than eye-hand-guided sharpening systems such as stones.I still use a diamond hone steel for touch ups because of its convenience: I don't keep the Ken Onion sharpening out on the countertop, equipped with a polishing band.But...after decades of looking, this is the VERY BEST SYSTEM for maintaining blades at home that I have found.

There are probably plenty of raving reviews about this product but this review is more geared towards 'how to use' properly and other views that aren't discussed. I've used it for work knives, kitchen knives, small carving tools and work swords (yes, swords). I've fixed 2 softer metal blades that I thought were going into a recycling bin. It is quick to setup, fairly easy to use and gives good, work fast results. Granted I still prefer stones and plates for my favorite, cherished tools but using those takes time, prep work and lots of work along with clean up and proper storage. I can get a better edge with them but that's because I can control the abrasive removal process easier. As always, wear protective gear as the removal process will create metal and abrasive dust. I always wear safety glasses and cut resistant gloves for larger blades.The WSKO edition is abrasive. It can take off more than you wanted and you will go through belts in little time. It does require some skill and for whatever reason do not test it on your favorite blades until you are comfortable. Even when using older sharpening processes I usually use a test blade before reaching for my good blades. With the WSKO it can take some time before you get a hang of it. I couldn't remove the bur on my first few attempts and I was tempted to just finish those with my nicer stones and polish but keep at it. Using a finer belt and switching edges works the best for the bur. I usually go slow and yes stop the unit early when you reach the tip.I've used this for sharpening my Condor Dadao and ZOMG even the awkward (long) pull gives me undeniably fast work sharp results compared to older methods. I will be purchasing the work tool attachments in the near future but for edged tools that you don't put down often it will save you time so you can continue to do (you got it) work. A huge advantage if you're out with the task and need a quick sharpening. If they had a battery powered version (that was also pluggable) then this would be the only sharpener I'd need. I'm not a hunter but I do butcher livestock. This would be undeniably useful for that alone or for a hunter who does not have access to electricity. *HINT HINT Worksharp, do it!*Overall, if you're looking for sushi stupid crazy bragging sharpness this could achieve it with enough practice. It'll still do it faster than plates/stones/polish but it may take off more than you'd like. It will go through belts sooner than you think and the sharper you want your blade(s) the more you'll pay for it. That's the trade off though and any mechanical belt sharpener will require new belts. I suggest purchasing a backup set and some polish for the hack (works pretty darn good).Even with some after thoughts I cannot believe how much time is saved. What usually took me a daylight's worth to finish a bucket of bladed tools is shortened to a few hours (sharpening 20"+ swords with plates, stones, polish is not as easy as it looks). If time is money or important then this is definitely worth the investment.