[S Clark]

There are lots of fans of Japanese knives around here, and I'm sure some have asymmetric grinds.  I just picked up a 210mm Aogami Super blade that looks 70/30 or more.  Those of you with asymmetric blades, how do you sharpen them?

[S Clark]

I was hoping Rob Babcock would chime in, but I see he hasn't been around in a while.  The recommendation is that the optimum is sharpening at 13 degrees on the narrow grind side, and 10 degrees on the wider grind side.  A bit of a pain, and it means I'll be free handing.  Using my edge pro will be too much of a PITA. 

[mmurt]

You might consider calling Mark at Chefs knives To Go as they sharpen, sell the Edge Pro and this knife??

[SoCalWJS]

I guess freehand if you are really comfortable with it. I'd still go with the Edgepro and realize it's gonna be a bit of a PITA with an adjustment each time you flip the knife. Part of the reason I never wanted to buy a knife with different angles.

Have you ever watched this guy's videos?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jb15caDe1U

If I could start over and get the setup he uses..... The stone holder and basin look great and convenient. He gets into the various stones and comparing them. I don't know if I could justify it at this point. I'm starting to go back to a less sharp angle  (20-21 degrees) and German profiles and am pretty happy.

[S Clark]

You might consider calling Mark at Chefs knives To Go as they sharpen, sell the Edge Pro and this knife??

I did contact him.  Interestingly, when he sharpens this knife, he puts a 12*/12* symmetrical edge on them (easier?).  He is the one that had guessed that it was closer to 10*/13*, but acknowledged that they vary by knife. 

[Tyson]

I have a wicked edge system and it handles asymmetric knives, no problem.  It's because there's an arm on each side of the knife and the angles can be set independently.

[bladesmith]

15 to 20 degrees is typical for chef knives..

[S Clark]

I have a wicked edge system and it handles asymmetric knives, no problem.  It's because there's an arm on each side of the knife and the angles can be set independently.

Yep, your W.E. is definitely better than my EdgePro for this particular knife...

Bladesmith,  You are absolutley correct. Most of my Japanese knives are sharpened to 15* and what Germans I have left are at 22*.  This particular knife and steel will hold up to a much finer edge.  And it shows.  Out of the box, it's probably the sharpest thing in the kitchen.

[Tyson]

Yep, your W.E. is definitely better than my EdgePro for this particular knife...

It's not a perfect system, there are some irritating things about it.  But for non-standard blades like this, it's pretty nice.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Maybe I'm old school, but I've never like the idea using those expensive sharpener contraption. Anyway, I have Misono carbon knife with 70/30 and I use 1000 and 6000 stones and these work fine for me.

   As for the angle, you can get some idea of those are from the factory by put your fingers on the edge of the knife on a flat surface, keep tilting the knife until you feel that the edge is flat against the surface. Do this both side and you can see the angles of each side of the blade.

  By the way, after 8 years I still love my 240mm Misono carbon.

Buddy
 

[S Clark]

A friend of mine that was a C.I.A. grad and pro chef for a couple of decades had that Misono knife.  It's one of the reasons why I decided to try an asymmetric blade.  But his knife alway felt odd... custom reverse grind since he's a lefty.   

[bladesmith]

Asymmetrical blades are good for cutting
Sashimi.. but, I'm not sure if they are practical
For every day uses.. 
 

[S Clark]

It may turn out to be a poor buy.  I've been curious about Aogami steels.  I've several Shirogami White #2, and while they get screaming sharp, they don't really hold their edge as long as I'd like.  So, this was sort of an itch that I decided to scratch.  One of those, I had several Christmas presents to buy from the supplier, the knife I'd been watching was on sale...
I'll have lots of opportunity to put some use on it over the next month.  6 house guest over 3 days on New Year's Eve means lots of cooking and lots of wine consumed.  Knives and corkscrews will get a workout.

[bladesmith]

Using different blade designs will give you some enlightenment and enrich your knowledge.
 

[Rob Babcock]

I have been MIA for a while!  I will chime in with some suggestions when I get home and back to my PC. Hard to post a detailed message on my phone.