Finally got a sharpening system

[Surfingringo]

I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting a guided sharpening system for years but have never pulled the trigger. Well this year at Blade I took the time to go around and really check out all the devices. I’m a tight bastard and hate spending that $$ but this year I bit the bullet.

The system that appealed to me the most was the KME. I got to try them all and the kme just seemed the simplest and most intuitive to me. I also like that it uses diamond stones that will cut any steel and don’t need to be lapped or flattened.

I’ve already used it to reprofile a few knives and am very pleased with the results. I will still run microbevels on everything with my sharpmaker but it’s nice to have an option for getting perfect bevels when I reprofile. It’s not quite as fast as freehand sharpening but it definitely adds a greater degree of perfection/accuracy to my bevels. I’m very pleased with the KME and glad I finally took the plunge. Anybody else have this sharpener?

[Surfingringo]

I’m sorry guys, I meant to post this in the off topic forum. Maybe kristi or someone could move it over there? :o

[Pelagic]

Ahhh, I was hoping the word "system" was sarcasm and I'd see a picture of a new high dollar stone you purchased. Lol.

I'm sure you'll love the KME though. Seems awesome!

[Bdubs808]

So far I've sampled my KME on HAP40 Endura, VG10 Stretch, and S110V PM2. I still haven't got any mirror edges or whatever, but the final results worked out okay, after putting the micro bevel with my SM. So I still have a lot to figure out.

[Doc Dan]

I have looked at the pictures of that one but have not actually seen one. I have a Lansky and it is okay, but I have been looking for something else. I know I do not want one of those powered belt sharpeners: stones alone for me. I am glad to here this is working out for you. I saw KW is out of stock.

[Bloke]

Way to go Lance, glad you’re enjoying it! :cool:

I freehand like lightning hits the ground so a guided system opened up a whole new world for me. I could finally concentrate on sharpening and not how I was or wasn’t holding the knife. :)

I’ve no experience with the KME though I persevered with a Lansky for well over a decade but clamping full flat ground blades with distal tapers frustrated me no end and I moved on to the Hapstone Pro I’m currently using and I’ve been fairly happy with it though it’s time for another upgrade and I have a NC Robotic System like the one below on order from Germany.

[sal]

It's amazing how many systems are based on the original Loray system. Poor Ray Longbrake. Never got his due.

sal

[Pelagic]

I freehand like lightning hits the ground

Lol!

[Sharp Guy]

It's amazing how many systems are based on the original Loray system. Poor Ray Longbrake. Never got his due.

sal

That Loray system looks just like a Lansky. Or is it the other way around?

[ZrowsN1s]

.....
I’m very pleased with the KME and glad I finally took the plunge. Anybody else have this sharpener?

Been using it for a few years now. Love it. I'm glad to have the Sharpmaker for serrations and touch ups. But if I'm reprofileing or want a nice near mirror polish, the KME has been my go to. I'd like to try a wicked edge some day, but it's out of my price range for now.

I buy my stuff direct from kmesharp.com . Great customer service. Two best accessories I picked up were the low profile clamp, and the jewel stick sharpener. The jewel stick is slightly rounded and has three sides (coarse, medium, and fine). It's a time saver and it's great for little knives and curved knives. It's also longer than the normal stones so you can get a real consistent scratch pattern going heel to tip. Since I got it I hardly use the normal kme stones anymore. (and it's cheap) https://www.kmesharp.com/newfor20heje.html

[Larry_Mott]

Another happy KME owner here. I felt the WE was too much to spend, and offers really just one feature over the KME - the ability to sharpen both sides simultaneously. While i am lazy, i am not THAT lazy, i don't relly mind flipping the knife over manually. IMO the Lansky is too rickety-rackety for my taste.. I know guys who gets excellent results with them but i like the step-less angle adjustment and ball bushing on the KME.
Still use the Sharpmaker most though, after setting up a true and symmetric edge on the KME.

[Hopsbreath]

I went with an EdgePro when I lived in Oregon simply because they were local. Very similar setup so yeah, I guess Sal is right about Loray being the pioneer. Great for reprofiling, I’ve picked up a couple knives on eBay with damaged edges for cheap as a result. The 52100 PM2 I got was cheaper than a standard S30V and perfect other than an edge that looked like it had been used on concrete. Whipped it into shape in no time. Still use my Sharpmaker and a strop more often though, it’s more convenient for the quick touch up. It’s nice to have both.

[Mzen]

Another happy KME owner here. I felt the WE was too much to spend, and offers really just one feature over the KME - the ability to sharpen both sides simultaneously. While i am lazy, i am not THAT lazy, i don't relly mind flipping the knife over manually. IMO the Lansky is too rickety-rackety for my taste.. I know guys who gets excellent results with them but i like the step-less angle adjustment and ball bushing on the KME.
Still use the Sharpmaker most though, after setting up a true and symmetric edge on the KME.

I think that rickety-rackety is the perfect way to describe the Lansky system haha Whenever I watch Pete's videos on the Cedric & Ada YouTube channel I always cringe at the amount of noise that thing makes, but I certainly can't deny that it gets the job done pretty well.

So far I do my sharpening on the Sharpmaker, but I would love to get a KME, the bad part is that the shipping cost to Europe is a bit insane, so for now I need to wait.

Psssst... Hey Sal... I would really appreciate a Spyderco guided sharpening system. Keep that in mind :D

[mb1]

Oh no! My favorite DMT/Rubber band-modder has gone to the dark side!

I've been on the fence about one of these systems many times, but haven't pulled the trigger for various reasons.

[A.S.]

I've got a basic KME system and really like how easy it is to use considering my novice skills. I do have a Sharpmaker for touch ups. My question to those experienced with the KME system is what diamond hone would be best to buy first? Or will I eventually need a set of many different grits?

[Eli Chaps]

I've had a KME for several years, like back when they came stock with ceramics and there was a waiting list for the diamonds (which I now have).

Lance, I would recommend a few things:

1. On YouTube, find the videos by Dean O. they are excellent and very informative. His video on customizing his KME is great and I actually did some very similar things as he shows (different handles, etc.).

2. Buy the pen knife jaws. They come in handy for certain knives, not just wee little ones.

3. Try to always oil the "dimples" on the jaws where they click into the holder. Just a very light swipe, you have to partially rotate the jaws to do it and I use a Q-Tip. That's aluminum and it will eventually gall and/or start to slip. Granted, it will likely take a really long time but the jaws are meant to fail before the clamp and a teeny bit of oil might prevent it forever.

I have the translucent and ceramic stones, the diamonds to include a 100grit, and two strops (4um and 1.5um). There's not a lot I can't get done with these. Up to 8" and I'm pretty good to go. You may hear about thin knives like Spyderco FFG's not being good for the KME as they are too thin to hold properly. That's bunk! Give a good hard pinch on the jaw corner of the thinnest spot and tighten really well and it will likely be enough. If not, little tape on the spine will do the trick.

The KME is a great system made by, what has been my experience to be very nice folks.

Not sure there is really anything I can help with but if you or anyone else has questions, I'll do my best. But really, if you watch Dean O's videos, there isn't much left to talk about. BTW, I do not use an angle cube.

[sal]

It's amazing how many systems are based on the original Loray system. Poor Ray Longbrake. Never got his due.

sal

That Loray system looks just like a Lansky. Or is it the other way around?

Hi Sharp Guy,

Longbrake invented the system. Was brutally ripped off by many. 'Tis a shame how the "First" person to create a concept and follow through is often lost in the shuffle. I wish I had a penny for every clip out there.

sal

[FullCircleHook]

I went with the Wicked Edge. It was expensive, but so far I’m loving it. With 2 small kids, I just didn’t have the time to re-profile with the Sharpmaker. (Specifically M4/s110v blades)

Like others, I now re-profile with the WE, and use the Sharp Maker for touch ups.

[Sharp Guy]

It's amazing how many systems are based on the original Loray system. Poor Ray Longbrake. Never got his due.

sal

That Loray system looks just like a Lansky. Or is it the other way around?

Hi Sharp Guy,

Longbrake invented the system. Was brutally ripped off by many. 'Tis a shame how the "First" person to create a concept and follow through is often lost in the shuffle. I wish I had a penny for every clip out there.

sal

It never ceases to amaze me how ruthless some people can be, especially where money is involved.

[abbazaba]

The KME looks great. I hope to try one someday.

I bought a few over the years (Lansky, then Edge Pro, then Wicked Edge), but wasn't really blown away until I got the 2017 Gen III vise for my Wicked Edge. It is dead simple to get a perfect solid clamp on virtually any blade. I pretty much only use it for reprofiling, then standard touch ups on the Sharpmaker. If I knew how much I would invest in the WE beyond the initial purchase I may have gone another route, but the confidence I have now with the system is priceless I suppose when I slap a $500 knife on there for a full out reprofile.