Sharpening angle

[Mextreme]

Have a few new user SAKs.
I like to use the Spyderco Sharpmaker to touch up the blade.
They do take a wicked edge using this system and then just a little strop.
I then maintain them a long while just with a steel and a strop.
However I notice the new victorinox blades come at a sharpening angle a bit over 15 degrees a side but less than 20. Maybe 17-18 degrees. Even the minimal blades on the 58mm. Using the 15 degree setting you don´t quite hit the edge.

The easy thing would be to go for 20 degrees and be happy. It would be minimal work and you could go for years without needing to reprofile the edge.

However it nags me a bit with such a thin nice edgeprofile would preform a little bit better at 15 degrees.
But then it will take more work everytime it needs a sharpening since you basicaly need to sharpen the whole edge bevel everytime. You could seay you reprofile every time.

I must say at both 15 and 20 they take a fantastic edge.

How do you go about it? What angle do you use?

[Philby]

I sharpen my knives by hand, following the bezel. If the bezel is gone to far, I hold the knife at 90 degrees, then reduce by a third to 30, half this to 15, then add a few more degrees. I feel 20 will give a less fine edge but be more resilient. Depends what you use it for, chefs knives tend to have a finer edge for slicing. I think 15 is too fine for a pocket knife. I think Victorinox recommend 15-20. If the only settings you have are 15 or 20, I would go with 20. Try it out on old beater knives first to test. Let us know how you get on.

[Sorel]

I use a Sharpmaker specifically in order to not have to think about angles. I use the 20 on all my knives, works great. A few minutes with the Sharpmaker recently put an edge on my brand-new Minichamp that somehow seemed even sharper than factory. I don't know if that's even possible or if I'm somehow deluding myself, but either way, the Sharpmaker's 20 setting works beautifully.

[neillcurrie]

I use a Lansky 5 stone system, though I often don't use the rougher stone(s), as required. I always use 25 degrees, and even convert chisel ground blades (LM Squirts, for example) to the same 25 degree total edge, but ground both sides now. The only edges I leave as chisel-ground, are where the flat edge buts cleanly up against another flat edge as edge/person protection......think CRKT "peck".
Afterwards I strop with about 12 to 15 inches of an old leather belt stuck to a piece of solid particle board. Leaves a wicked sharp edge.
Since I baby the blades afterwards, and don't put a nick in them hardly ever, all they need is an occasional stropping.

[Humppa]

I use the Spydie Sharpie on occasion. I use to sharpen my blades freehand.

But when it needs to get a little faster, I like the sharpie. Always use the 20 degree angle on this system. Never used the 15 degree. It works great and I realised, that this is quite the perfect angle for my blades. I really like the way the hold the edge and do not tend to chip or break out in any way.

[Mextreme]

Thank you guys!

Took your advice and put a nice 20 degree angle an all of them and now they are REALLY sharp and I'm sure it's the right choice.

[Philby]

  I've always sharpened free hand, but now you've got me wondering about getting a system!

[Sorel]

The Sharpmaker's good for the wounded egos of those of us who sharpen poorly by hand, because - you're still doing it by hand, but it works

[SAK Guy]

I've always sharpened free hand, but now you've got me wondering about getting a system!

Freehand (but it took 35 years or so to get fairly good at it)! I'm too impatient to use a system.

[neillcurrie]

I tried 20 degrees on the Lansky, but found that I was always grinding the corners of the Lansky rather than the blade. Obviously worst on the smaller blades.
Up a notch, and 25 degrees works fine(no corner grinding), even with the smallest Vic blades, still slices really well.

[microbe]

I tried 20 degrees on the Lansky, but found that I was always grinding the corners of the Lansky rather than the blade. Obviously worst on the smaller blades.
Up a notch, and 25 degrees works fine(no corner grinding), even with the smallest Vic blades, still slices really well.

Once the corners are off, the lansky is perfect at 20 degees.