Wicked Edge vs Edge Pro

[DCDesigns]

What about the professional Edge Pro VS the Apex? Is the Apex an adequate system with the same results at the big bro? Is it made of plastic, looks like it might be flimsy

[jackknifeh]

What about the professional Edge Pro VS the Apex? Is the Apex an adequate system with the same results at the big bro? Is it made of plastic, looks like it might be flimsy

The EP pro has some features that are nice. The pivot can be set to a lower angle than the Apex but there is a work around cheat to get lower angles on the Apex. There are a few other little advantages but I don't remember what they are. I do remember I felt they weren't worth the extra money. The pro model has a scissor attachment which I thought would be great if you sharpened a lot of scissors or sharpened things for money. But, the scissor attachment alone is about $125. Also, there is a work around cheat to sharpen scissors on the Apex that I learned about on this forum. It works. I sharpened all the scissors I could get my hands on when I saw how to do it. :)

Jack

[Brock O Lee]

My vote goes to the EP too, although I've never used the WE.

I had a Lansky for a few years, but got so frustrated with the clamping system (knife moving while clamped) that I vowed never to use a clamping system again.

What I like about the EP is that you can easily sharpen very long blades, like chef's knifes. On any clamp system you have to clamp a very long blade at different places to sharpen the whole edge eventually. Also, in practice the sharpening angle gets shallower as you sharpen further and further away from the clamp (i.e the tip of a long blade), so your edge angle is not very consistent.

[jackknifeh]

My vote goes to the EP too, although I've never used the WE.

I had a Lansky for a few years, but got so frustrated with the clamping system (knife moving while clamped) that I vowed never to use a clamping system again.

What I like about the EP is that you can easily sharpen very long blades, like chef's knifes. On any clamp system you have to clamp a very long blade at different places to sharpen the whole edge eventually. Also, in practice the sharpening angle gets shallower as you sharpen further and further away from the clamp (i.e the tip of a long blade), so your edge angle is not very consistent.

You just described one of my complaints about the clamp systems also. Most of the people that talk about having an EP, WE, etc. seem to have owned a clamp sharpening system first. They are really nice when you get used to them. I had the DMT aligner and it was great except for a few problems common to all of them. Not knowing much about any of the different systems I never would have bought the EP instead of the aligner because of price. It wasn't until after using the aligner that I was aware of the characteristics of that type. If I had never gotten an EP I still would be using the aligner and just dealing with the things I didn't like about it. But, my advice to anyone who hasn't used the different ones is this: Get the smallest Edge Pro Apex set. Then buy some stones from Congress Tools. They have lots to choose from and they are VERY inexpensive. If someone does that first they won't need to spend more money later. They will have the best (or one of them) sharpener first.

Jack

[Cuervo]

I chose the Wicked Edge system. Once past the learning curve, which all will have I am very happy with the results. I like being able to do both sides and believe it is easier to balance an edge, especially a new one with factory edge's that are off. You can stay on one side as long as you wish, and go right to the other, alternate once balanced. Two of each stone grit does raise the price, but that's twice as much stone life.

LOG

I researched the pros and cons for each for at least a month prior to purchasing. I'll freely admit the EP is also a fantastic system. That being said, I too chose the WEPS, pretty much for the above reasons, and I also didn't care for the additional maintenance and mess the EP stones made. I like being able to set up and sharpen while on hunting trips and at my family's ranch. I can do so easily with the WEPS, but I'd need more space for the EP.

Many mention clamping issues similar to a Lansky or Gatco. I can assure you, the WEPS is far more secure and accurate than either. The need to reclamp the blade is absolutely non-existant unless you have a "knife" longer than 17". Even after 17", the angle change is something like 1/10° I've logged probably 100+ knives and have yet to run into anything other than a machete that was that long.

The only negative thus far, is the inability to go lower than 30° inclusive. While it is a big negative, I knew that going in and also know that there's a fix in the works (although I must admit, I only have a couple "super steels" that I would take lower than that).

The initial price of the WEPS is higher than that of the ApexPro, but with the WEPS I don't have to replace stones or tapes. The only real consumable item for the WEPS are diamond pastes/sprays, if you choose to use them.

[mally]

the EP apex bad-scratched knifes,flattening stones,and messy
but man does it put a sweet edge on any size knife, multi bevel and polish blades easy to use
i have a sharpmaker bad-need to buy diamond hones,limited angles
but it makes things sharp very sharp and easy to use
i use the aligner clamp with full size dmt stones most often
you can reprofile and sharpen in about 10 min

[Bearcat1]

I have owned an EP pro for around 10 years and it is a great system. There seems to be quite a bit more aftermarket stones and accessories for the EP rather than the WE system. If you are interested take a look here:

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/edgepro.html

I think whatever system you choose will work out as long as you put some time in and get proficient with it.

I agree with Jack that Ben Dale is a great guy to deal with and he will go out of his way to explain his approach and work with you on answering your questions.

I like the EP as it is a product that I always appreciate using and feel that it is well made and a great product. :D

Jeff

[w3tnz]

I thought I'd contribute to this rather than continue my pointless thread.

Had been weighing up between the two, and the winner is:




My initial concerns about the system were that of some raised here, "it will have the same problems as the lansky" etc, but if you go to the WE website and read some back story it was designed specifically to eliminate the problems faced by clamp based angle sharpeners.

I purchased the pro kit, which comes with 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 stones, and 5 micron and 3.5 micron strops.

I like the low maintenance of the diamond stones, but they also offer ceramic 1200/1600 which I will be picking up, and a whole range of shapton pro and chosera stones if you out grow or want to upgrade the diamond base stones.

The only down side I can see is that the lowest you can go is 30 deg inclusive, 15 per side, but for my knives and cutting that is ample.
It was basically everything I was looking for in a sharpener, cant wait to take it for a test drive.

[rjowen0984]

Here is something I’ve noticed with edge pro... I needed to raise the pivot about ½ to 1 degree on the EP to get the stone to hit the bevel exactly the same as the EP stone. Picture in your mind if the DMT stone/blank combo was 1” thick, how high it would raise the stone holding arm on the EP which would be lowering the angle the stone would hit the edge. By raising the pivot on the EP rod with angle markings you would increase the edge angle until the stone is hitting the bevel correctly again. I went through all of that to hopefully get across the different angle a thicker stone in the EP would be putting on the blade edge.

Since over time the EP water stones get thinner through use and flattening your set of stones will be SLIGHTLY different in thickness. I had gotten a new 1000 grit stone about 2 months ago and when I switched from the 600 grit stone to the 1000 grit the stone was hitting the edge a little higher than the 600 and not touching the very edge at all. By raising the pivot on the EP I would then be hitting the edge bevel correctly. Since then I have used the sharpie to mark the edge every time I went from one grit to the next in sequence.

I’m interested in how many other people (if any) have noticed this on their EP or WEPS or any system.

Jack

Search google for "edge pro drill stop collar" or alternatively YouTube also has some good videos demonstrating the fix. Basically you attach a drill stop collar on the angle setting shaft(either above or below the handle shaft varies between apex and pro model) then set your angle guide, put stone between angle guind and drill stop collar, fasten drill stop collar, repeat with every stone. Using this method you will have the same angle every stone regardless of stone thickness.

Chefknivestogo sell them or you can search some hardware stores for the correct size.

[rjowen0984]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDsFi5os1LI

Here's the link for demo for pro model. MadRookie has actually taken the angle cube(different post!) and confirmed that using this method the angle is VERY accurate, regardless of stone thickness.

[jackknifeh]

Search google for "edge pro drill stop collar" or alternatively YouTube also has some good videos demonstrating the fix. Basically you attach a drill stop collar on the angle setting shaft(either above or below the handle shaft varies between apex and pro model) then set your angle guide, put stone between angle guind and drill stop collar, fasten drill stop collar, repeat with every stone. Using this method you will have the same angle every stone regardless of stone thickness.

Chefknivestogo sell them or you can search some hardware stores for the correct size.

Thanks for the input and you are right. I don't know when I wrote that post but I've been using the collar for a while now. It does work like a charm. In fact, I use it almost all the time by default now. When I first found out about it I figured it would be necessary when the stones were obviously different thicknesses. I bought a ceramic set of Spyderco stones (med & fine) for the EP. The med is 1/4" thick instead of 1/8" thick. I'm not sure the med is a "Spyderco" product but it is the same stone material. Anyway, that is an OBVIOUS difference in thickness. But it doesn't matter if you use the collar. My problem is adjusting the EP between every stone instead of just switching and stroking. I've done that a couple of times.

Jack

[rjowen0984]

LOL! I do the same! As I'm into the first or second stroke I realize... I havnt adjusted for stone thickness!!!

I've been thinking about designing a sharpner with all the good aspects of edge pro and wicked edge combined, then add a few things that they can be better at, don't know if it's a pipe dream but I'm sure it will be **** expensive just to have 1 made!

[jackknifeh]

LOL! I do the same! As I'm into the first or second stroke I realize... I havnt adjusted for stone thickness!!!

I've been thinking about designing a sharpner with all the good aspects of edge pro and wicked edge combined, then add a few things that they can be better at, don't know if it's a pipe dream but I'm sure it will be **** expensive just to have 1 made!

It is NOT a pipe dream. Do you think the best of any product type was the first one invented? No, I don't think so either. That's how we get EPs and WEs. That's how we got to the moon. We started by jumping off a barn and breaking our arms, now look. We fly everywhere. So, do your worst. I bet it will be a big hit here even if you have to file bankrupcy. :D

Two obvious "tricks" that have improved the EP's performance are the stop collar and my "edge guide blocks". I don't think anyone has tried my blocks but I love them. Soon, the collar may come in an EP set along with the different stones you get.

Jack

Jack

[Popsickle]

Wow Long time since I started this thread.... Long story short I use the wicked edge for all my knives

[Evil D]

I thought I'd contribute to this rather than continue my pointless thread.

Had been weighing up between the two, and the winner is:




My initial concerns about the system were that of some raised here, "it will have the same problems as the lansky" etc, but if you go to the WE website and read some back story it was designed specifically to eliminate the problems faced by clamp based angle sharpeners.

OK but it still doesn't eliminate any problems. It has a clamp, and THAT is the problem. Your blade can't move, and so your range of motion with the stones is limited to what the stones are allowed to do, which means on a long blade your bevel will be lower at the tip/tang than it is when it's closest to the clamp. This is where the EP is superior to any other sharpener on the market, because you can move the blade so that the stones are always hitting around where the blade is laying on the table, so your bevel will be perfect from tip to tang. Also, clamps don't clamp onto FFG blades worth a crap. If you only sharpen ~3 inch blades, you won't see much of an issue, as i never did with my Lansky. But, pull out a 10 inch kitchen knife and clamp it in there and you'll see where the WE has major issues.

[maa14]

OK but it still doesn't eliminate any problems. It has a clamp, and THAT is the problem. Your blade can't move, and so your range of motion with the stones is limited to what the stones are allowed to do, which means on a long blade your bevel will be lower at the tip/tang than it is when it's closest to the clamp. This is where the EP is superior to any other sharpener on the market, because you can move the blade so that the stones are always hitting around where the blade is laying on the table, so your bevel will be perfect from tip to tang. Also, clamps don't clamp onto FFG blades worth a crap. If you only sharpen ~3 inch blades, you won't see much of an issue, as i never did with my Lansky. But, pull out a 10 inch kitchen knife and clamp it in there and you'll see where the WE has major issues.

Well just by looking at the FAQ on the WE website it says that you can sharpen up to a 17" blade w/o re clamping in a different position and with a couple pieces of foam tape you can clamp a FFG blade just fine...

[C.L.L 97]

Even though I don't have either one, I would get the edgepro before I would get the WE. I hate clamp type sharpeners, and the EP looks somewhat easy to use.

I'll get an EP in the future, but not any time soon

[Popsickle]

OK but it still doesn't eliminate any problems. It has a clamp, and THAT is the problem. Your blade can't move, and so your range of motion with the stones is limited to what the stones are allowed to do, which means on a long blade your bevel will be lower at the tip/tang than it is when it's closest to the clamp. This is where the EP is superior to any other sharpener on the market, because you can move the blade so that the stones are always hitting around where the blade is laying on the table, so your bevel will be perfect from tip to tang. Also, clamps don't clamp onto FFG blades worth a crap. If you only sharpen ~3 inch blades, you won't see much of an issue, as i never did with my Lansky. But, pull out a 10 inch kitchen knife and clamp it in there and you'll see where the WE has major issues.

out of curiosity is this your personal experience? because i beg to differ . FFG is easily done with double sided foam tape. and kitchen knives are fine to.....

[Evil D]

out of curiosity is this your personal experience? because i beg to differ . FFG is easily done with double sided foam tape. and kitchen knives are fine to.....

Well, i don't own a WE but i own a Lansky and a Smith's which are both clamp style guides. The way i dealt with the FFG issue was to adjust the sides of the clamp so they sit flush on the blade, which then effects the angle you hit the bevel at, but i dealt with that because it wasn't that big of a change. You can work out tricks to make it work, but everything i've tried (and i've tried a LOT) ultimately came down to a blade that either wobbled and wasn't secure or was too tedious to set in the same place every time.

As for kitchen knives and long blades, you'll sharpen them but i don't see how the bevel can be even from tip to tang on a clamp setup. Maybe i've missed something about the WE.

[maa14]

out of curiosity is this your personal experience? because i beg to differ . FFG is easily done with double sided foam tape. and kitchen knives are fine to.....

This is what I was thinking, I mean, he(Clay Allison) sharpened a 17" Cold Steel kukri machete with out re-clamping the knife. And a FFG Delica with the foam tape and also a para 2 and I can guarantee many, many, more FFG knives just fine on it.