[PeteG]

The Angle Cube is nice!  Works great on the EP, too.  Pete, have you tried Kangaroo leather paddles?  They're amazing!

Rob,
No I haven’t, but I definitely want to try them.

[Donald]

The Presto Eversharp is cheap and works very well for me. Use it on my Fish Filet Knives all the time. Not daily use, but at least weekly. Can be found for under $30 from a major retailer. 

[Tyson]

Got the WEPS in the other day and have been sharpening stuff like mad ever since.  OMFG this thing gets knives SHARP.  How sharp?  Well, I've already cut myself.  Not because I was careless either.  It was because I was finishing off a knife with the leather strops with the diamond paste in them.  When you first use the paste it's a bit messy and you have to wipe it off the blade. 

I was wiping off the edge of the blade with a triple-folded over rag and a bit of rubbing alcohol.  I made the mistake of wiping over the top of the blade.  In less than a quarter inch of movement the knife sliced through the triple folded rag and right into my finger.  I didn't even feel it till I noticed the blood. 

[PeteG]

Sorry to hear about the cut, you can get your knives wicked sharp with this system.

[Tyson]

Oh it's not a super deep cut, just a reminder to have serious levels of respect for my knives now....

[SET Man]

Oh it's not a super deep cut, just a reminder to have serious levels of respect for my knives now....

Hey!

   Well, since it was a sharp knife, the cut will heal faster and cleaner then cut from a dull knife.

    Actually I'm afraid of serrated bread knives then my 240mm gyuto 

Take care,
Buddy

[SET Man]

Here's my EP Pro on a marble pond made for me by Tom from Jende in Taiwan.  It was made for me to my specifications, and while it's not strictly necessary it's very pretty!  Makes sharpening more fun!

Hey!

   Man! That's one hell of a set up you've got there.

Take care,
Buddy

[Rob Babcock]

It gets the job done.

[Tyson]

Just another quick update.  I ordered the Field and Sport Travel version of the WEPS, and I noticed that the bevels were ending up a bit uneven.  One side was more acutely angled than the other.  The problem with the F&S version is that there's no way to make micro adjustments on it, and I did not realize that at the time I ordered it.  So the Wicked Edge people worked with me and I was able to adjust the unit so the arms were a lot closer together, and the angles almost perfectly symmetrical.  But still not "perfect".  Even though it's barely noticeable, and even though it has no effect on cutting performance, it still bothers me because I know its there.  After bringing it up with the WEPS people, they agreed to swap out my F&S unit for a regular unit that has the micro adjustments.  And for no charge.  Even though it was my mistake not realizing the F&S didn't have micro adjustments.  THAT's what I call customer service!

Oh, and one other thing - I got a pair of 800/1000 grit diamond stones, and a pair of 2000/3000 grit Ninawa Chosera stones and holy crap are they effective.  I never thought I'd ever get my Global knives anywhere close to the cutting ability of my Shun, but I'll be damned if they aren't right behind it.  And I'm still learning how to do things optimally with the WEPS.  I can't imagine how sharp I'll be able to get things in another couple of months.  Of course I'm having all my friends bring over their knives so I can get lots of practice!

[Rob Babcock]

I think the Naniwa Choceras are the best synthetic water stones on the market.  The feel is great on the stones and they leave a fantastic finish.  The WEPS does have one great virtue that probably becomes apparent when doing the Globals- by alternating strokes on both sides of the blade you're not creating a large burr.  Global knives are notorious for generating a burr that's very hard to remove.  So the trick is to not create one in the first place!  That's a very advanced concept and one that's tough to put into practice when you're freehanding on stones.

Tyson, I realize I'm gonna sound like an enabler (and I am! ) but if you want to take things to the next level, get whatever combination you need to get the Chocera 5k & 10k stones.  I can pretty much guarantee you've never seen anything as sharp as your knives will be off the 10k.  It's the closest a synthetic stone will probably get to the characteristics you will get with Japanese naturals; that stove gives an edge that's slippery yet "bitey" in a way that's really amazing.

[PeteG]

Tyson, glad it all worked out. My original WEPS was just a hair off not bad at all, now with the new arms/angle cube my angles are dead on now. When I had my EP Apex it did precise angles just over all I liked the WEPS better. Talk about uneven angels, I used sharpening wheels w/ low RPM motor for awhile now mostly use it for tools.



Rob, I’ll try and get a pair of Choceras 5k/10k this year.

[Rob Babcock]

The angle cube is really useful.  I still do tons of sharpening on a belt grinder, too.  One thing to note about even bevels- the majority of Japanese kitchen knives (and some other kinds of knives) are differentially ground.  They're not designed with even bevels in the first place.  Just something to keep in mind when sharpening.