comments:
At some point about a year ago, I was determined to learn how to sharpen knives. I stumbled upon outdoors55 on youtube and got myself one of these: https://a.co/d/03Q4UrGS There is a larger version also available if budget isn’t as much of a concern. Also, if you can find the bundle that includes the strop, get that. I learned how to profile an edge, de-burr the blade, stropping, and most importantly; how all those things interact with each other and why each step is important. Then I just grabbed a bunch of knives and started getting a lot of practice in… it was a total game changer for me and completely worth the time and effort that I put into it IMHO. The learning curve with this method of sharpening is steeper, but once you get good at it, you’ll start sharpening stuff all over your house that you never even thought twice about previously and you’ll also notice your blades hold an edge longer. That’s what I chose to do because I wanted basic tools so that I could learn the actual process. Honestly, though, you can use whatever system you want but, the most value I got out of everything I learned is that properly de-burring the newly sharpened blade is the thing that really puts it over the top. I recommend the system above because it is difficult to properly de-burr a blade on any of the Worksharp systems out there. Some people swear by them, but, they’re not for me. Edit: I have an ARC. This is the method I use. At the correct angle, you don’t need to remove the thumb stud, although I admit the stud still kinda gets in the way sometimes.