Now, I am way to cheap to buy a tormek, but I do have a KME, and the base model of a Worksharp. But I've found myself sharpening with a cheap 1x30 belt grinder with an angle attachment for around $25.00 (USD). I may not be as precise, but it gets super sharp, super fast. Then a quick strop and I'm done. For the price, and speed that's what I'm using now. P.S. I'm a hobby knife maker, so I'm starting the knife from no edge at all. And I'm getting razor sharp within 10 minutes. Where as the work sharp takes me about an hour, and the KME can take upwards of 8 hours.
Great review Pete! But I'm sticking with my KME. Less expense. Less mess. Smaller footprint. Portable. Sharpens to brutally sharp. Excellent customer service. But then...my edc is a Buck 112!
Pete, I've watched your videos for years and it's about time I thanked you for all of the entertainment and good information you have provided. That being said I feel that sharpening systems in this price range are more than needed. By the time most of us could learn to set this up and used it at all I believe most people could learn to freehand sharpen very well. My current favorite set up is a Sharpal 3"x8", 325 grit one side and 1200 grit the other. For most of my sharpening I use the 325 side bring the knife a an apex and the strop using a homemade 2 1/2" x 10" leather, rough side up strop with 6 to 10 micron diamond paste compound. All for less than $150 US. I am machine stupid so have no choice but to go old school. Thanks again for all your work and best regards, Chris
On the work sharp you can move the belt wheel directly behind the cutting edge one step forward reducing the amount of flex between the two wheels. Also there’s a stiff belt kit that reduces flex even more. This adds up to a lot less of a convex edge on the worksharp.
Thanks for the info about the Tormek system - my local knife sharpening man uses the bigger one, so its great to understand its capabilities. Many thanks! 👍
Hey Pete, There’s an aftermarket 3D printed part for the Work Sharp called the Riser (search Work Sharp Blade Grinder Riser), that acts as a guide while the blade is in contact with the belt, meaning less margin of error. If you can find someone locally to 3D print the files for you might be worth a look. Edit: I think you can also move that front belt guide back to the hole behind it to reduce the amount of convexing.
I'm a long time KO user with the BGA, and I feel like the omission of all the extra grits (3k, 6k, ...) and aftermarket leather strop belts should be considered as well. I get absolutely ridiculously sharp edges going up to the work sharp 6K grit and the leather belt guy stropping belts, even though they are convexed.
Have you tried the blade grinding attachment with the movable pulley in the forward position with the stiff belts? It's supposed to reduce convexity. I have switched to leather stopping belts, also stiffer than the cloth. The aftermarket riser that you mentioned in your other vid works well to reduce distance of movement to belt. It's easily removable to access slack belt. The 80 grit belts come in handy.
I haven't read all comments, but tormek has upgraded their knife jiggs! The kj-45 for shorter knife bladed has a tapered (right word?) Indide on both of the blade clamps instead of just on one jaw. I bought that for my much cheaper knockoff. The knife blade is centered in the jigg, so the sharpened edge gets the same angle! The result is much better than using the model you have.
Little tip. If your convex edge doesn't feel as good as your v-edge try lowering the angle on the convex edge until it performs similarly. A convex edge will perform similarly to a v-edge with higher angle since it has the added support on the side. Next time try a 15 or 16 degree edge on the work sharp instead of the same 17 degrees from the tormek. P.S. Been a fan for many years you gave me a lot of basic clarity on knife steels over the years that I really appreciate. Thx for all the hard work over the years. 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Thanks for the thorough example. You maybe able to go into more detail. Such as scandi grind, hollow grind, serrated grind capabilities. You can compare the capabilities of the t-8 to the t-4 capabilities. Great review. Better than the companies example. Thanks for showing the attachments. Maybe you can go into depth of the stones and attachments use.
I have several pocket knives, different shapes and sizes. Some of them have small blades, because they fit in your pocket better, but my 3 stone Lanskey system doesn't hold the small blades all that great, would the Tormek have the same problem?
Wow...Granted I’ve had the Worksharp K. onion blade attachment for 5+ years, but I paid somewhere in the 180US range with an extra set of belts. And I remember the Tormek being very expensive even back then. Interesting...
Hi nice video. Your work is getting better and better. I own the bigger tormex and use it quite a bit with the optional and expensive Japanese water stone. In my opinion, with the water stone it is the best overall sharpener i have used. I own and use all of the others (including some I have never seen elsewhere) except wicked edge, so I have a basis for comparison.
That lifting the handle like you got yelled at for the tormek, also works better on the KO grinder too to keep the tip bevel width consistent. Despite WS saying to track it around. Jim Stewart taught me that quite a few years ago and if you look at most knives, the factory grind goes perpendicular to the blade all the way to the tip rather than following around the bend.
Could you do a scandi edge on the Tormek, so we can see how severe the concaveness is? I'm not really in the market for a sharpening system, just curious.
I never understood why a slowly rotating motor (yes, I mean the shaft and not the motor), should be anything but dirt cheap. Nearly every battery operated hand tool I use now-a-day comes with varying speed control and, if they rotate, they do it in two directions. What makes the Tormek different from a slow speed bench grinder costing 1/5 th price? Any constructive insight is appreciated.
It's made in sweden, so a lot of taxes to keep the aliens fed and not working. Plus, the stone is good quality and make most of the cost of the machine
Thank you, Pete! I have both machines. I love both. If I had to choose one, it would be the WorkSharp. Most probable due to its versatility (ability to sharpen many more tools much faster than Tormek)... greetings from Slovakia, heart of Europe. (Cool that both machines are widespreaded all over the world)
got mine 25 years ago for my profession i started then ( furniture maker) sharpening chisel and planer blades its perfect, but i wouldn´t sharpen knives anymore with it, angles comes out funny depending on the blade shape and you remove a lot of steel with it. i got a good belt grinder, i make knives, so my kitchen knives get sharp on this.
Man do i have a surprise for you - can you imagine that youtube offered me a Husk knife ad in the middle of your video? Oh the irony:) kind regards from Poland, mate!
I think if I wasn't a knife maker, the Tormek is definitely worth the money as they're a very well made machine and if I happened across a 2nd hand one for cheap I'd jump on it. But its kind of hard to justify the extra expense considering the variable speed grinders I've got and a wall full of very good (and expensive) belts that will put an edge on anything. The T4 would be worth it especially if you where a professional knife shapener though as I'd almost bet you'd pay it off in a couple of weeks.
Warning for anybody working around a machine. Don’t ever put your finger on a metal surface spinning from a machine. I sliced my finger on a polishing machine and did not notice until I saw blood. A small piece of metal will do allot of damage!!! Experience!!!!!
For most average folding knives the KME is the best IMO, but for large kitchen knives it just doesn't do the job. I prefer a flat diamond stone for them.
Didn't know you had this single wheel for the Tormek. Will be interesting to see that that diamond wheel does for you. Maxamet will be totally steamrolled--without the steam part 😂
Glad to see Pete is still finding excitement in the hobby one way or another. The knife game is a little shallow and wasteful, but the scientific aspect of sharpening ALMOST justifies it all
Nice video! Tormek info is a bit inaccurate. There isn’t any difference in capability between the T4 and T8. Even the stones an all Available for each and you can use either wheel on either machine which not a lot of people know!! The only difference is the motor. You can only run the T4 30minutes out of 60 without degrading the motor while on the T8 you can run continuously. It’s probably worth noting there will be some drawbacks using a 250mm wheel on a t4 as it will mess up your angle markers and you might not get as much rage in movement.
Hello Pete. As you said Belt Grinder for finishing an edge is a bad idea. It leaves a fatigued edge with remaining microburr and low durability. Convex edges can be thick and though but if you lay the knife on the grinder with very low angle it will create a very delicate and slicy geometry that may even be too thin to support the edge. For better results on Belt Grinder do a low angle convex V Zero and then remove burr and finish sharpening with a microbevel by doing alternating edge leading strokes on stone. The concave grind opens up different geometry options like S Grind that reduce food adhesion on kitchen knives. I think it's fun to play with geometry on cheap knives. I bought some just to mess around and see how much I can improve them.
How can you compare these two against each other? The Worksharp is a $300 not $700 belt knife sharpener whereas the Tormek is almost a grand and a wetstone??? Dude….apple and a orange. How is this video relevant in any way? 🤷🏼♂️
That's absolutely invaluable info for a buyers guide! At least you know what your buying into. Thanks Pete!
Now, I am way to cheap to buy a tormek, but I do have a KME, and the base model of a Worksharp. But I've found myself sharpening with a cheap 1x30 belt grinder with an angle attachment for around $25.00 (USD). I may not be as precise, but it gets super sharp, super fast. Then a quick strop and I'm done. For the price, and speed that's what I'm using now.
P.S. I'm a hobby knife maker, so I'm starting the knife from no edge at all. And I'm getting razor sharp within 10 minutes. Where as the work sharp takes me about an hour, and the KME can take upwards of 8 hours.
There’s a new holder by them that is self centering for even sharpening. FYI.
Great review Pete! But I'm sticking with my KME. Less expense. Less mess. Smaller footprint. Portable. Sharpens to brutally sharp. Excellent customer service. But then...my edc is a Buck 112!
Thanks!
thank you very much!
Pete, I've watched your videos for years and it's about time I thanked you for all of the entertainment and good information you have provided. That being said I feel that sharpening systems in this price range are more than needed. By the time most of us could learn to set this up and used it at all I believe most people could learn to freehand sharpen very well. My current favorite set up is a Sharpal 3"x8", 325 grit one side and 1200 grit the other. For most of my sharpening I use the 325 side bring the knife a an apex and the strop using a homemade 2 1/2" x 10" leather, rough side up strop with 6 to 10 micron diamond paste compound. All for less than $150 US. I am machine stupid so have no choice but to go old school. Thanks again for all your work and best regards, Chris
Thanks for showing how it's done, Pete! Now, I won't be yelled at by my new Tormek friends.
I need an updated review on the precision adjust and its other models.
On the work sharp you can move the belt wheel directly behind the cutting edge one step forward reducing the amount of flex between the two wheels. Also there’s a stiff belt kit that reduces flex even more. This adds up to a lot less of a convex edge on the worksharp.
The sound was fantastic. As was the production value. Bravo.
Thanks for the info about the Tormek system - my local knife sharpening man uses the bigger one, so its great to understand its capabilities. Many thanks! 👍
Hey Pete, There’s an aftermarket 3D printed part for the Work Sharp called the Riser (search Work Sharp Blade Grinder Riser), that acts as a guide while the blade is in contact with the belt, meaning less margin of error.
If you can find someone locally to 3D print the files for you might be worth a look.
Edit: I think you can also move that front belt guide back to the hole behind it to reduce the amount of convexing.
I'm a long time KO user with the BGA, and I feel like the omission of all the extra grits (3k, 6k, ...) and aftermarket leather strop belts should be considered as well.
I get absolutely ridiculously sharp edges going up to the work sharp 6K grit and the leather belt guy stropping belts, even though they are convexed.
I'm considering buying a tormek t-4 or a Tsprof pioneer guided sharpener. This video helped me a lot. Thank you so much. ♡
Tormek now makes a KS-123 knife angle setter that easily allows you to get precise angles that also take the stone diameter into account.
Have you tried the blade grinding attachment with the movable pulley in the forward position with the stiff belts? It's supposed to reduce convexity. I have switched to leather stopping belts, also stiffer than the cloth. The aftermarket riser that you mentioned in your other vid works well to reduce distance of movement to belt. It's easily removable to access slack belt. The 80 grit belts come in handy.
Great video mate!
So happy to come across this Australian vid !
Really appreciate you taking the time for this review !
I haven't read all comments, but tormek has upgraded their knife jiggs!
The kj-45 for shorter knife bladed has a tapered (right word?) Indide on both of the blade clamps instead of just on one jaw.
I bought that for my much cheaper knockoff.
The knife blade is centered in the jigg, so the sharpened edge gets the same angle!
The result is much better than using the model you have.
thank you for the detailed breakdown, always wondered how much better the tormek would be than my ken onion
Little tip. If your convex edge doesn't feel as good as your v-edge try lowering the angle on the convex edge until it performs similarly. A convex edge will perform similarly to a v-edge with higher angle since it has the added support on the side. Next time try a 15 or 16 degree edge on the work sharp instead of the same 17 degrees from the tormek. P.S. Been a fan for many years you gave me a lot of basic clarity on knife steels over the years that I really appreciate. Thx for all the hard work over the years.
👏👏👏👍👍👍
Thank you - solid small details and awesome video showing its use.
Thanks for the thorough example. You maybe able to go into more detail. Such as scandi grind, hollow grind, serrated grind capabilities. You can compare the capabilities of the t-8 to the t-4 capabilities. Great review. Better than the companies example. Thanks for showing the attachments. Maybe you can go into depth of the stones and attachments use.
I have several pocket knives, different shapes and sizes. Some of them have small blades, because they fit in your pocket better, but my 3 stone Lanskey system doesn't hold the small
blades all that great, would the Tormek have the same problem?
Wow...Granted I’ve had the Worksharp K. onion blade attachment for 5+ years, but I paid somewhere in the 180US range with an extra set of belts. And I remember the Tormek being very expensive even back then. Interesting...
KO Sharpener, KO blade attachment and extra belts...
Does or doesn't he take a shot like he did with Windex ?
Low odour WD-40, oooooh, fancy.😅
Hi nice video. Your work is getting better and better. I own the bigger tormex and use it quite a bit with the optional and expensive Japanese water stone. In my opinion, with the water stone it is the best overall sharpener i have used. I own and use all of the others (including some I have never seen elsewhere) except wicked edge, so I have a basis for comparison.
nice, do you go from the standard stone to set your edges and then swap to the japanese stone?
Great video Pete! Looking recharged on the knife game…😊
That lifting the handle like you got yelled at for the tormek, also works better on the KO grinder too to keep the tip bevel width consistent. Despite WS saying to track it around. Jim Stewart taught me that quite a few years ago and if you look at most knives, the factory grind goes perpendicular to the blade all the way to the tip rather than following around the bend.
Good to know!
Could you do a scandi edge on the Tormek, so we can see how severe the concaveness is? I'm not really in the market for a sharpening system, just curious.
sure thing I’ll do that in an upcoming video
I never understood why a slowly rotating motor (yes, I mean the shaft and not the motor), should be anything but dirt cheap. Nearly every battery operated hand tool I use now-a-day comes with varying speed control and, if they rotate, they do it in two directions. What makes the Tormek different from a slow speed bench grinder costing 1/5 th price? Any constructive insight is appreciated.
It's made in sweden, so a lot of taxes to keep the aliens fed and not working. Plus, the stone is good quality and make most of the cost of the machine
Thank you, Pete! I have both machines. I love both. If I had to choose one, it would be the WorkSharp. Most probable due to its versatility (ability to sharpen many more tools much faster than Tormek)... greetings from Slovakia, heart of Europe. (Cool that both machines are widespreaded all over the world)
Nedávno jsem si koupil work sharp, přinejmenším proti tormeku má tu výhodu že se dá lépe používat v bytě a je levnější
got mine 25 years ago for my profession i started then ( furniture maker) sharpening chisel and planer blades its perfect, but i wouldn´t sharpen knives anymore with it, angles comes out funny depending on the blade shape and you remove a lot of steel with it.
i got a good belt grinder, i make knives, so my kitchen knives get sharp on this.
Man do i have a surprise for you - can you imagine that youtube offered me a Husk knife ad in the middle of your video? Oh the irony:) kind regards from Poland, mate!
Have you tried CBN wheels for it?
4:09 Douglas Adams would be proud of you, Pete. Everyone needs a towel.
What about the paper wheel?
I think if I wasn't a knife maker, the Tormek is definitely worth the money as they're a very well made machine and if I happened across a 2nd hand one for cheap I'd jump on it. But its kind of hard to justify the extra expense considering the variable speed grinders I've got and a wall full of very good (and expensive) belts that will put an edge on anything. The T4 would be worth it especially if you where a professional knife shapener though as I'd almost bet you'd pay it off in a couple of weeks.
So does planing the stone mean removing diamonds or whichever abrasives it has?
yes it contributes to the gradual shrinking over the years of the stone
Warning for anybody working around a machine. Don’t ever put your finger on a metal surface spinning from a machine. I sliced my finger on a polishing machine and did not notice until I saw blood. A small piece of metal will do allot of damage!!! Experience!!!!!
For most average folding knives the KME is the best IMO, but for large kitchen knives it just doesn't do the job. I prefer a flat diamond stone for them.
Didn't know you had this single wheel for the Tormek. Will be interesting to see that that diamond wheel does for you. Maxamet will be totally steamrolled--without the steam part 😂
The Tormek, with its tray hydration system, seems to provide a better excuse to drink Windex while sharpening.
I could probably have a straw in there for me to sip on
Glad to see Pete is still finding excitement in the hobby one way or another. The knife game is a little shallow and wasteful, but the scientific aspect of sharpening ALMOST justifies it all
Yeah
us prices t4 is 527$ vs ken 200$ us
Don’t leave Tormek stone sitting in water when you’re finished or the stone will be out of shape faster
Never lose your temper with a blade, its not the blades fault!
20 cv that's nice .. Man I want to sharpen for fun LOL
Nice video! Tormek info is a bit inaccurate. There isn’t any difference in capability between the T4 and T8. Even the stones an all Available for each and you can use either wheel on either machine which not a lot of people know!! The only difference is the motor. You can only run the T4 30minutes out of 60 without degrading the motor while on the T8 you can run continuously. It’s probably worth noting there will be some drawbacks using a 250mm wheel on a t4 as it will mess up your angle markers and you might not get as much rage in movement.
I learned how not to get yelled at by wood workers and that this tool is not for me. Thank you.
And its a great video as usual
Convex…..or concave?
A slack belt (Ken Onion) gives a convex edge and a wheel (Tormek) gives a concave edge.
Hello Pete. As you said Belt Grinder for finishing an edge is a bad idea. It leaves a fatigued edge with remaining microburr and low durability.
Convex edges can be thick and though but if you lay the knife on the grinder with very low angle it will create a very delicate and slicy geometry that may even be too thin to support the edge.
For better results on Belt Grinder do a low angle convex V Zero and then remove burr and finish sharpening with a microbevel by doing alternating edge leading strokes on stone.
The concave grind opens up different geometry options like S Grind that reduce food adhesion on kitchen knives.
I think it's fun to play with geometry on cheap knives. I bought some just to mess around and see how much I can improve them.
Water COOLED dang that's a car engine LOL
If you can’t go Tormek there are many many choices out there much better than Worksharp!
Water Pffffffffffft, WINDEX
Brits love drinking WD40, by the way.
Bushcraft.........
ALL WILL BECOME AN ORB
I ha e the T8.
I am so superior......
the sound is terrible.
yeah, my acoustics in my shed suck, im trying a couple different mics
How can you compare these two against each other? The Worksharp is a $300 not $700 belt knife sharpener whereas the Tormek is almost a grand and a wetstone??? Dude….apple and a orange. How is this video relevant in any way? 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks!