Casual Review: Wicked Edge Knife Sharpener

[Kevin]

Now, I'm not going to say Contender is right about everything, but he was definitely right about how great a sharpener the Wicked Edge knife sharpener is.

One thing that makes it so nice, is you can get it with a big heavy base. Everything is solid and it ain't going to move one bit with this base. I do have a couple wishes however. You can get it with an aluminum base, or a quartz base, or even granite. I'd love to see them make bases out of different woods. Why can't I order an exotic wood base? It does come with a templet, so theoretically I can make my own base. I might get around to that sometime.

But everything is aluminum, so it's nice and rigid. The knife stays in one spot, and the sharpening stones do the movement. It's actually a very nice design. I just bought the Wicked Edge 100, which is just the basic design. I can see how the bigger, (and more expensive) sharpener setup would be even better. But for now, the 100 is good enough. I really only have a dozen or so knives that need sharpening on a regular basis.

Man, this thing is super nice though. I can definitely say it's worth the money. I was just sharpening one of my kitchen knives, It's a vintage Anton Winger from Germany. I've had it for years but was never able to successfully get it even close to being sharp...until tonight. And the bevel on the edge is consistent the length of the blade on both sides. I guess this is what impresses me. How balanced everything is. Both sides of the knife are sharpened at the same time, so the edge stays smack dab in the middle and it's even.

Anyway Contender, yes, you are right. Maybe next summer I'll upgrade my reloading bench...

Here are some pictures. But first, a couple dog pictures...
Their momma has been gone all week, so they are pretty lonely and bored. She gets home tonight though! I'm teaching them time, such as: "Your momma is coming home." Then I say: "Not now, but Later." They understand that they have to wait before she gets home.

Rainy:

Blizzard, waiting on his momma.

It sure comes in an impressive box.

Here, I'm getting it set up. The directions wern't very clear as to how to use this calibration guide. I'm not even sure what it's for.

Here is how you adjust the guide rods for the different angles. But my other wish is, they make this design easier to read.
Perhaps calibrate it so the degrees are on the outside, not the inside. This would help a lot.

Here it is with the vintage kitchen knife.

It's hard to photograph, but you can see the edge bevel down by my finger. And like I said, it's consistent on both sides the length of the blade.

Close up of the Anton Winger knife. I wish they still took the time to make knives like this today.
I guess they do but they are custom knives at that point. This knife even has a serial number.

I wondered how it would work on small pocket knives. It works great! No problem with clearance.
Sorry for the clutter. It's dog vitamins and other junk on the kitchen counter.

Here is the same Case knife, with the stone resting on the blade. You can just see how the stone clears the jaws of the knife holder.

 

[contender]

Thanks for the kind words Kevin. I'm too nice to say; "I told you so!" Well,,,, maybe not!

Seriously,, You got a good "starter" kit there. It's a later version than some of their earlier designs. They can be a little "interesting" in set-up,, but once you figure things out,, it's very easy. Square, solid, and making sure the blade is rigid before sharpening. Followed by making sure you use the same angles every time with a specific knife.
And I'm sure you can come up with a different base. Just make sure it's solid, and perfectly flat.
BTW; I have (6) sets of stones for mine.

But you have found that they really are a very good design, & will put an edge on things easily. Did you mark your blades with the felt tip marker to see your progress, and check your angle?

 

[Fox Mike]

Holy smoke! Might be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but for the price I could just buy a new set of knives.

 

[Kevin]

Holy smoke! Might be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but for the price I could just buy a new set of knives.

But that's just it. Sure, you could buy a cheap set of Chinese knives, but any set of quality kitchen knives will easily exceed the cost of this sharpener. Over the years, I've managed to get 4 custom kitchen knives and some other high quality knives. They will last my lifetime and my daughter's and her children etc... Well worth the investment.

But you have found that they really are a very good design, & will put an edge on things easily. Did you mark your blades with the felt tip marker to see your progress, and check your angle?

Yep, I sure did. That's such an easy trick to see if everything is lined up. I even re-profiled one of my knives. It had a really thin blade, so a narrow 17 degree bevel seemed appropriate on it. It must have been 20+ degrees from the factory. But that was no problem. This kit came with the 100/200 and 400/600 and 800/1000 and then the leather strop sharpening stones. So I do need the 1200/1600 and 1500/2200 stone sets.

Eventually, I still don't feel that 1000 will give me the edge on a kitchen knife that I want. Tomatoes and other delicate fruit/veggies need a nice clean slice, not a jagged tear.

I went to Culinary School, and one of my teachers was Japanese. He always talked about high quality custom knives are the only way to go. Any factory blade would just not compare to custom steel. He was an award winning chef and ice sculpturer before becoming a teacher. One competition he entered, he said he won because he took the time to peel the grapes for his plate. You need a really, really good knife to peel grapes. That's French cuisine for you.

Shoot. I must be getting old. That was the Seattle Culinary Academy. I just looked at their website. He must be retired. I don't see him listed as a Chef any longer.

 

[Fox Mike]

I have a set of Carvel Hall knives that I bought in the late'70s. Occasionally I will touch them up they still hold an edge like new.

 

[contender]

Frank,, I understand that many people will not spend the money on a system like the Wicked Edge.
That's perfectly fine.
I use my knives a lot,, and Miss Penny has an expensive Japanese set for the kitchen. (Shun's) I found the time I saved by getting the WE system, AND the excellent edge it puts on a blade is worth it to me.
I've killed (4) deer so far this year. I do my own butchering,, and as such,, boning out a deer, followed by careful cutting, trimming, & total processing,, I usually have about (4) knives out to use on one deer. I set up my WE system, and leave it set up during deer season, because I'll be touching up my edges after processing a deer.
And while it's set up, I'll also touch up any kitchen knives that need it.

I've tried learning to hand sharpen with just a whet stone, used other types of sharpeners, and even the Lansky system. None gave me the results I was seeking until I got my WE system.

 

[Fox Mike]

Years ago, while still in high school, I worked at John Trumpy & Sons yacht builders. I worked in the joiner shop and an old Italian gentleman taught me to properly sharpen chisels and knives. He said that if you learn how properly you can become a craftsman and if you are sloppy you will turn out junk. I took him to heart and learned. That was in 1954 and it has worked for me since

 

[Kevin]

Miss Penny has an expensive Japanese set for the kitchen. (Shun's)

Shun knives are very good. I’ve got and older one that isn’t their top of the line model, but whenever I go to the kitchen store I really notice them. Their newer knives are just beautiful!