Your favourite method for sharpening filet knives

[Joeytier]

I have a very nice folding Buck filet knife. Very impressed with it...blade stayed sharp for much longer than any other knife I've owned in the past however it is now quite dull. Never liked the multipurpose sharperners...I have a fine stone and some oil but I clearly don't know what I'm doing because I've yet to really see any results. What is your favourite method?

Edited June 5, 2013 by Joeytier

[Andy]

I don't seem to have much of a feel with a sharpening stone either. I'll try it if the knife is an absolute mess. Otherwise I just pull it thru one of those red Rapala ceramic stone sharpeners/hones, and if I have it handy, I touch it up with a steel after. Doing this whenever I feel the knife isn't what it used to be seems to keep them sharp enough for me.

[DanD]

The Lansky sharpening kit.

It comes with a jig that holds the knife, a set of various grit stones and a method of choosing what angle you want the knife’s edge to be sharpened at.

Google it there’s all kinds of vids showing how it works.

 

Dan.

[lew]

I no longer ever keep or clean fish, but when I did I always used the fine side of a wet stone with 3 & 1 oil and even now, I use the same stone for all my knives. I couldn't tell you what angle I use, it's just something you'll need to figure out for yourself. Once I have the edge I want, it's very easy to keep it with just a bit of work on the stone.

[aplumma]

I have over the years been searching for the perfect knife sharpening system and after trying Lasky, stones, scrapers, discs etc etc etc. I found this company http://www.wickededgeusa.com/ While they are pricey they work excellent and I use them on pocket knifes to 500.00 chef knifes and everyone is amazed at the edge they produce. I have chefs bring their knife rolls to me to sharpen for a fee of course and they keep coming back. If you have 2 or 3 friends that can slit the cost with you it will make it about the same price as a good set of oil stones. It actually becomes addictive to see how sharp you can get a knife I am now up to using .05 micron pastes to polish the edges to a mirror shine on some of the higher end knifes.

 

 

Art

[wormdunker]

X2 for the Lansky sharpening system. The trick is to sharpen your knife at the proper angle. The jig holds your knife at the proper angle. I've had very good results using the Lansky.

[Ainsley]

I use a 1x42 belt grinder and a series of progressively finer belts up to a compound loaded leather one.

I should add that I make my own knives so the investment in the machine and belts is worth it for me.

Before that I used the spyderco sharpener and was moderately happy with it.

[Fish4Eyes]

During school I worked at a restaurant for many years and I have yet to see a knife sharper than when you use the back of a ceramic plate. The restaurant owner would send the knives off to get "professionally sharpened" by Nella, but they were not as sharp as I was able to get them with the back of a ceramic plate. If you got an old ceramic dish laying around, give it a shot and see for yourself.

[Muskieman]

Speedy sharp , quick and easy .

[Muskieman]

Speedy sharp , quick and easy .

[FloatnFly]

proper angle is very important, that angle being 10 degrees, at the store, we have a belt grinder for sharpening our knives, its quick, but it will eat through a blade fairly quick. stones are the best, but keep the angle and use a steel before fileting fish, i usually have sharpen my kife every 3 weeks. as the saying goes, you'll never cut yourself with a sharp knife.

[T-Bone]

This is a very simple system that works really well; it can set poor / neglected knives straight and get them back to being very sharp and usable as well as hone fine knives to keep that razor edge on them. I've tried stones before and, like many of you, can't get the edge I'm looking for. This system is so simple and so effective. Check it out...

 

http://edgemaker.com/

[Ralph Field]

This is a very simple system that works really well; it can set poor / neglected knives straight and get them back to being very sharp and usable as well as hone fine knives to keep that razor edge on them. I've tried stones before and, like many of you, can't get the edge I'm looking for. This system is so simple and so effective. Check it out...

 

http://edgemaker.com/

 

x2

[Fisherman]

Lansky hasn't let me down in at least 25 years.

[Joeytier]

Speedy sharp , quick and easy .

I have one... But could never get it to perform like i think it should. Could just be an issue of angle though.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Im looking for razor sharp and that lansky system looks pretty slick, but i think i can get more performance out of my stone and gun oil setup if i can get more proficient with it.

[FloatnFly]

This is a very simple system that works really well; it can set poor / neglected knives straight and get them back to being very sharp and usable as well as hone fine knives to keep that razor edge on them. I've tried stones before and, like many of you, can't get the edge I'm looking for. This system is so simple and so effective. Check it out...

 

http://edgemaker.com/

 

 

only thing with that, is it says it "sharpens like a butchers steel", well, steels aren't for sharpening knives, they're for straightening the blade an honing between sharpenings, even using a product like this, eventually your knife will get to a point where it just won't hold and edge, and you'll have to use either a stone or belt. I have been a butcher for the last 15 years, and also sharpen my own knives.

[T-Bone]

only thing with that, is it says it "sharpens like a butchers steel", well, steels aren't for sharpening knives, they're for straightening the blade an honing between sharpenings, even using a product like this, eventually your knife will get to a point where it just won't hold and edge, and you'll have to use either a stone or belt. I have been a butcher for the last 15 years, and also sharpen my own knives.

 

My understanding is that a steel fine tunes an already sharp knife...used right before you're ready to start carving to fine-tune that good edge. I've used this system to take knives that would be considered 'dead' in any drawer and return them to extremely sharp, knick-free blades. I would guess most people associate a "butcher's steel" as the one tool they can relate to sharpen a knive's edge and the company is using that as a catch-all to sell the system. Again...my experience tells me this is WAY more than a steel...it's a whole "dull to razor's edge" system.

 

Good luck...

[SylvanOwner]

I'm kinda' reading into your original post a bit but one suggestion I would have is to not wait until your blade is dull but instead hone the edge every time you use it. This will help build and maintain a consistent angle. I use a lansky and I also use one of the red Rapala handheld "dohickies". I use the Rapala one the most and use it every time I use the knife (also a Rapala....they're good and inexpensive), always 2-5 swipes on the rough edge and then 2 or 3 with the fine side. If I'm doing a lot of fish then I'll touch up the blade at intervals, usually just the fine side.

 

My thoughts on angle are that it is very important, but not tha there is one that is right for every knife and every application. Angle seems to be a trade-off. The more acute the angle, the sharper the edge that is possible but also requires more maintenance. The less acute the angle, the less sharp it can be made but it is more durable. I like the filet knife very acute (and sharp) but a bread knife doesn't need to be like this. If you constantly use different methods you will likely be changing the angle each time and will not be able to get a good edge. Find something you are comfortable with, can do well and that you actually will use......stick with it.

 

disclaimer: there are people who have already posted that doubtless have more practical experience than I ever will but this works for me

[Burtess]

Spyderco Sharpmaker

 

Burt

[aplumma]

I found the issue with the Lasky system is it sharpens only one side of the knife and the guide is so wide that it allows for poor angle control. The angle of a knife is very dependant on it's use. A boning knife is trained at 18 degrees while a butcher knife is 24 degrees and a cleaver 28 degrees. A well trained knife is one where the edges are even and the spine is in line with cutting edge. A sharp knife that is done on a course stone will feel sharp but it has a tearing motion like microscopic edges which is good in most cases that people use a knife in. A polished blade down to the micron level does not tear but cleanly cuts thru the material like a scalpel. This edge is more for show knifes or fine cuts such as sushi knifes and a few of the other chefs knifes that have some really pricey price tags. The grinder methods or belt sanders are good for the tearing type of cutting blades if you want a quick and fast edge on cheap knifes. The down fall of them is they generate heat and pull the temper out of the knife so resharpening is needed more often. Because of the fast removal of material they also are easy to get the spine and the edge out of alignment making for a knife that over time is labor intensive to correct. The friction disc sharpeners rely on pulling off a layer of metal in a predetermined angle and as they wear they lose the angle and you lose the advantage of the specific angles needed for different cutting jobs. The plate method works well for those who have the knack and need to refresh the edge similar to what a steel can do. The steel is basically a tool to remove a burr or rolled edge from a blade that was used on an unforgiving cutting board. I personally advise only wood cutting boards and separate boards for meat and vegetables. I will also say that very few people need a knife as well trained and sharp as what you can accomplish with the wicked edge but if you get past the price you will not be disappointed by the end results.

 

 

Art

[Hooked]

Speedy sharp , quick and easy .

 

I've been using this for years and it works excellent. Fits in your pocket or tackle box no problem. Like everyone has mentioned its all about the angle.

[grimsbylander]

Step 1 - use knife until super dull.

Step 2 - go to C.T. and price out stones, oil, sharpening systems, etc.

Step 3 - notice brand new knife on sale.

Step 4 - buy and use until super dull.

Step 5 - repeat.

 

 

[Joeytier]

Step 1 - use knife until super dull.

Step 2 - go to C.T. and price out stones, oil, sharpening systems, etc.

Step 3 - notice brand new knife on sale.

Step 4 - buy and use until super dull.

Step 5 - repeat.

 

 

Those rapalas knives really are garbage. I dont bother trying to keep an edge on them either, but since i invested in a quality blade id like to develop some good skills on keeping it razor sharp

[krixxer]

kit starts at $25. I bought extra stones to last me a lifetime.

 

there are others that sell for less and have better stone selections. This I just the first one that showed up when I searched

 

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Update-Professional-Kitchen-Knife-Sharpener-System-Fix-angle-4-Stones-Version-II-/281110991117?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417385510d

 

Edited June 5, 2013 by krixxer

[Sinker]

I use an oil stone if its really bad, but I steel them every time I use them. The ceramic plate works good, and the edge of a stainless steel sink can hone one up in a pinch too.

 

I always have/will use the rapala knives. They work well, and they're fairly easy to sharpen.

 

S.