Work Sharp Ken Onion Elite sharpening - Start to finish, plus a leather strop and BESS testing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.พ. 2021
- Sharpening a basic Henckel at 15dps using the Ken Onion Elite sharpener, plus a leather strop to finish.
Sharpness is quantified before and after using our BESS tester
www.greatedge.co.uk
instagram @greatedgeltd
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Favourite sharping channel for sure cheers mate great vid
I love that this kind of sharpening always grinds in a slightly convex “flat” initial bevel. It’s like an automatic upgrade to the blade’s edge grind while getting to keep the name “flat grind” when it’s actually slightly convexed (and better) now.
Wow! Pretty nice. Very informative video.
I like your technique.
Great video, in my experience, removing the burr after each belt works best ( xtra/coarse/medium) Just 4/6 passes under high angle on a regular leather belt …
That’s a very interesting idea! I will definitely experiment with that. Thank you.
Love the channel. You have unique content - not just the typical. Wish you were still making videos - subscribed anyways. Thanks.
Thank you very much - that is so kind. More videos coming soon, after a long hiatus!
They make a leather belt to add to the machine! Works awesome!
Where have you seen it ?
Link ? 😊
Brother, you have to pull the leather a bit harder ;) like that you have a much higher risk of rolling/bending over the very apex of the edge, just a tip ;)
Thank you, but I disagree. With a well executed honing prior to the strop, there is just the feather edge to deal with, and having some flex in the strop allows it to be fully removed… Proof is in the sharpness results - in all my work with a hanging strop I’ve never rolled an edge.
@@greatedgeltd knife sharpening is science ;) I'm gonna try your way
After the last belt, you can use the honing steel to deburr and than go to the leather strop. the result will shock you.
Thank you - this sounds intriguing!
Very interesting, thanks!! I often hear and have experienced at times the knife seeming to be duller after a leather belt or wheel. Sharpeners often talk about rolling the edge. Is that a misnomer? Does it have something to do with using compound on leather? It was helpful to see your test after using the leather and obviously even with a flexible belt you did not "roll the edge". Any thoughts to help better understand what is happening on the leather?
On rare occasions, people may convex/blunt/round or "roll" an edge while stropping because they strop at the same or steeper angle than what they sharpened to (convex in this case would only be a negative as it's creating a more obtuse angle). First, check your edge to make sure you *have* formed a proper apex by feeling for a burr on the entire length of the edge. Leather is a softer material than any sharpening stone, so if you strop at the same angle, especially if you use too much force, it may bend around your edge. The utility of the strop is to remove the burr left over from sharpening grits and to further polish the edge if compound is used. If you're noticably dulling your edge after sharpening, make sure the burr isn't the thing that's cutting as you may need to sharpen at a steeper angle to obtain the sharpness you want. On your last pass, use a light touch on low RPMs to get most of the burr off before stropping. Also be sure to be intentional about the pressure you use while sharpening on a belt system as it's easier to convex an edge which would cause the same issue as stated earlier. One thing to consider is if you're sharpening to too high of a grit as highly polished or mirror edges lack teeth that may be more useful in cutting what you need to. Most people I've spoken to find that around 1000 grit is plenty sharp for most uses and is easy enough to maintain. Tried to think of everything, so I hope this helps.
Wow, I can't believe you need to place the knife on that bottom flat part and lift it up freehand. This is supposed to be the world's best knife sharpener. Why don't they have an attachment that is higher and then all you need to do is slide the knife forward to the belt with the blade still resting on the flat rest. So much more accurate and easier.
I’ve thought about this point too, but actually in measuring edge angle afterwards, this system of working seems quite accurate. And there is a certain soothing rhythm to the process, at least for me 😎
Agree 100%
Hey, there actually is an attachment for it which does exactly that. You can print one yourself with a 3d printer. Look at "printables" for the worksharp and then its blue material on the picture and "2.0" in the title, easy to find
I am using it and love it! Wouldn't use the worksharp without!! It helps a lot!!
I used it in many of my videos if you want to check out
There are 2 rails you can slide on, then you can put the knife on it and stays there and you can sharpen like that but I most of the time use it without the rails
Great video. Could you make a video testing the Ken Onion Elite on a generator? If power goes out, you can still be in business. Do you think it could run off of a portable solar system? Thanks again for the great content!!
Thanks for tuning in1. I’m sure the KO would work off a generator - it draws only 1.5amps at 115V. I am not familiar with solar so couldn’t say for sure, but with that low of a draw, probably it would be fine, as long as it’s not cloudy at the farmers market ;)
So is that about the best you can get for edge sharpness on the Ken Onion blade grinder? Would it be better to rough in your knife angle with the grinder, then switch over to a manual knife sharpening system to get a razor edge?
It is a good question. I think more sharpness is possible with this KOBG. Manual might get sharper, tormek definitely can get sharper but both take longer. I would choose a method according to a combination of factors, time being an important one (for me). Thank you for tuning in!
this id great your a good leather have you a link or name for the leather strop thank you so much
Where did you get your leather strop from? Do you like that better the the Work sharp clothe belts they sell with the compound?
Purchased from Knife Grinders in Australia, but I don’t think they are produced anymore. I do like the cloth belts from Work Sharp, but even after using them I would finish with this kangaroo leather strop…
I found 4in wide, 70 Inch LONG leather for sale on Amazon. Untanned. Need some clamping devices. It's not kangaroo leather but it's very reasonably priced. Something like $37.
The link is in my most current comment
Why no chromium oxide (green clay) on the strop and then move to a linen strop?
Work sharp has cloth stropping and polishing belt set that comes with two compounds one for stropping and 1 for polishing.
Imo they are garbage. I get much better results with a strop
I tested both, the cloth belts and leather belts with white and green compound. In my opinion the cloth belts polish the edge more, but still leave quite a feather burr which will fold. Only the leather belts will remove that burr reliably.
I currently sharpen using DMT diamond stones, but was considering getting the Work Sharp Ken Onion Sharpener with the blade attachment that you feature here. I tried out the WEN's Tormek copy, but could never really get the feel for it and it was even more maintenance and setup than my previous whetstones.
I'm considering this machine because I have a small sharpening business and want to speed up my workflow without sacrificing quality. Would you recommend this tool instead of diamond stones?
In addition, does it "throw" metal shavings a good distance. Would it be ill-advised to use it in the kitchen?
I do really like this KO Elite sharpener and think it would be great for speeding up workflow in your business. In a lot of cases you could get very sharp results in just a few minutes. As for the dust, I wouldn’t recommend in a kitchen. After a session of a few knives there is a deposit of metal filings on the back side of the machine, and I get the feeling that some of them are airborne too (I’ve heard others talk about feeling a tickle in their throat when using the grinder and I get the same feeling sometimes too, though not sure if it isn’t just psychosomatic…
Thank you for tuning in and good luck with your sharpening!
@@greatedgeltd Thanks for the helpful info! I wouldn't discount the feeling of a tickle in your throat. I think belt grinders really necessitate the use of a respirator. I know most folks don't use them. But heavy metals in the lungs. Yikes.
Do you have any thoughts regarding sharpening on the KO Elite vs hand sharpening on DMT diamond stones?
@@JeffreyDavis82 unfortunately I don’t have experience with DMT stones so can’t help with the comparison. But I can vouch for the quality of the edge on a KO Elite, and I would think if throughput is the aim, mechanical sharpening would probably be the way to go.
That tickle is real! When i use it i use a dust mask to prevent breathing in the dust and that helps 100%
You mentioned the 100 gram reference weight.. I just found your channel and hopefully I don’t sound too unenlightened, but I use the same Bess tester and have never heard of incorporating a reference weight.
I use the test clips rather than the spool simply due to speed and ease of use.
Thanks for suggestions you might have
The 100g reference weight is an optional extra, since the tension of the test media is so important for BESS result. If you watch my video on using the BESS tester, at the end I play around with the tension to show how dramatically it affects the results. Nowadays I don’t use BESS results to compare with others at all because the results are so dependent on the user. People on TH-cam that thump their chest and brag about low BESS scores (~20-30) usually just don’t know how to use the tester properly.
I agree with you about using the clips as a way to standardise the results a bit, but even with them they can still be ‘gamed’ by chopping down aggressively. ..
I mention all of these because actually once I came to accept that BESS results can’t really be compared between users I stopped using the 100g weight except in rare cases because all I really need to do is be consistent within my own method, in order to compare from one of my sharpenings to the other…
Thanks for watching!
@@greatedgeltd I do the same thing. The 100g weight just adds more time and confusion. I've done enough knives and feel pretty confident that my pressure is pretty consistent. At the end of the day, it ain't rocket science. I use the Tormek, and if I get anything under 100 Bess, I'm super happy. They claim anything between 1 and 100 is double edge razor sharp, and that's good enough for me.
I've been debating between the Ken Onion Elite and the Professional Precision Adjust. In all of the videos I've seen, the KO is much quicker and produces as-good or better results in a fraction of the time. However, I'll be using this with my wife's expensive Japanese kitchen knives. A lot of people say they would never use a belt sharpener on those types of blades. Any have thoughts on that?
I would go for the KO Elite - it’s true that you have to be careful with technique to not overheat the knife, but I personally find that easy to do. The time difference between the two… If you want to be able to spend more time with your wife, get the KOE… If you want more time toiling in the workshop, go for the PPA 😉
@@greatedgeltd Thanks for the feedback! I really like the design of the KOE (which I can use for other sanding/grinding activities). With the Pro PA and other guided rod systems (or freehand for that matter), the whole process looks pretty tedious. I posed the same question to Work Sharp and they basically said the same thing: while it’s very difficult to mess up with the Pro PA, if you value speed and efficiency, go with the Ken Onion Elite.
Great video. What is the little device on the scale that tests the sharpness? Thx!
Thanks for tuning in. That device is called a BESS tester (BESS = Brubacher Edge Sharpness Score). I’ve done another video just about the BESS tester (pros/cons, how it works etc). If you have a look at my list of videos you’ll see it there. I tried posting the link for you but it seems to be beyond my skill set ;) …. Cheers
@@greatedgeltd hey thanks for the quick answer. Keep up the good work!
Found it quickly with a Google search. Many thanks!
In terms of price vs result vs ease of use vs time it takes, I doubt you can beat the Ken Onion Elite... The only real alternative would be a Wicked Edge, but that is way more expensive and a more involved process, never mind the other "manual" sharpeners, where you need to flip the knife after every few strokes! I have Work Sharps original belt system (the thin one) and after many many years of easy and convenient sharpening, I'm now considering the elite to make it even faster and more precise (thicker belt = more material per stroke / elite attachment = finer control over angle)
You won’t regret the Elite I don’t think. It is a great machine, maybe even a bit under appreciated even though it is widely loved.
Hello, where did you get your leather strop from Sir
Sorry for the slow reply - I bought these from Knife Grinders in Australia, but their shop is now closed (the man running it sadly passed away a few months ago).
Where did you get the strop? Did you make it? If you made it, where did you get the material? Thanks
Hello - purchased from Knife Grinders in Australia. Unfortunately they are no longer trading since the founder passed away (even though the website hasn’t been shut down yet). It is a 4” wide strip of Kangaroo leather.
Thank you.
@@greatedgeltd thank you for the information. Was the strip a certain thickness and length? It looks like you mounted handles, can you send a picture so I can construct it? Thanks again.
Who makes your strop?
It was purchased from the late Vadim Kraichuk (aka KnifeGrinders)… Unfortunately I don’t know of any current source of kangaroo tail hanging strops…
Totally worthless video. I clicked on it to get a basic idea of how the machine operates and what settings are available to use and how are those settings changed. NONE of that is here. I thought there was some kind of guide to help getting the right angle and maintaining it while you drag the edge over the belt. I left at 6 minutes.
I’ll go find a better video that shows those of us that are looking for a decent knife sharpener, how this one is better than the others and how easy it is to use.
Thank you for the feedback and sorry you didn’t make it all the way to the end. There are a lot of good videos on TH-cam about this sharpener that will be more focused on what you want to see. Look for ones with ‘review’ or comparison’ in the title. Happy sharpening!
Why didn't you use a leather stropping belt with compound, at the slow speed at the end?
Only because the leather belt for the WorkSharp wasn’t available to me (in UK) at the time of filming. But I do quite like the hanging strop I have - I don’t think it’s a limitation at all… Thank you for watching and for the good question!