Apex 4 Pro Sharpening Kit

A friend of mine is trying to sell me his Apex 4 Sharpening kit. It seems decent enough for me to pick up im just curious about the difference between common whetstones and this apparatus on my knives edges. Anyone ever use this before? How would you compare them?

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davidattala

Let me qualify my statement by saying, I am a professional cook and do own an Apex sharpening system. I bought it before I had a better mastery of how to use a whetstone. The thinking was that this would provide the razor sharp edges we all love, without needing to spend hours of practice on whetstones. My experience was pretty lukewarm and I probably could've given it more of a chance. It did most certainly sharpen my knives, but I found it harder to get a lasting edge that was as sharp as I wanted. Eventually, I caved and just dedicated myself to learning how to properly maneuver my blades over a stone. I'm sure that someone with a lot of practice with the Apex can do a better job than I was doing, however there are a lot less people out there to teach you the nuances of it, whereas ChefSteps has developed its on knife sharpening course.

Melampus_3052

Little late to the party, but to answer your question, "[what is] the difference between common whetstones and this apparatus on my knives edges? How would you compare them?"

Ultimately, there is no difference of the effect on your edges between sharpening free hand on common whetstones, as you put it, or sharpening on a jig, the EdgePro, with the aforementioned whetstones. The EdgePro is simply a jig in which predetermines the angles in which you abrade your bevels; free handing, YOU are responsible for determining those angles. Either way, freehand sharpening on a Nubatama Ume 2k or EdgePro sharpening on a Nubatatma Ume 2k, your knife is being sharpened on a Nubatama Ume 2k. If I freehand @12dps or if one set the EdgePro to 12degrees, you're still going to end up with a 24 degree included final bevel. I have been sharpening on stones for 24 years & have no need nor desire for a jig to do my work for me, but for those w/o the ability to hold a steady angle, the EdgePro is designed to be idiot proof; it's so easy it's almost cheating.

http://youtu.be/x1mSRNJyX-8?list=UU9tGe5brL5_YpcJnJqp0-Lw

Matt_67991

One of the strengths is that you can get really good quality waterstones much cheaper, since they're way smaller. Chefknivestogo sells a bunch of different types.

Single bevel knives are definitely a weakness though. They take longer than symmetrical grinds