scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.

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11 years 5 months ago #26643 by 13fcolt
scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp. was created by 13fcolt
I've been a knife nut as much as I've been a gun nut. The thought of not having a blade of some kind handy is equivalent to leaving an arm or leg behind. Needless to say, I have spent many, many, countless hours of my life with stones of all shapes, sizes, & composition. I've resorted to down right snobbery in my ritual of forming an edge that could handle real world cutting tasks and hold up well between sharpening sessions. I've got quite the collection of stones and strops and edge making doodads, that I now believe may be forever useless.

Probably the most critical part of edge making is consistent angle. I've watched people waste good steel by wrecking the edge formed with one pass across a stone because it was at an imperceptibly different angle than the pass before it. Rolling the edge as the the stone nears the tip is another big one. If you hold the average hand sharpened knife against a straight edge, you'd see that it is not centered or symmetrical, and is more like a winding road from tang to tip. This lack of symmetry will allow a knife feel sharp, but its cutting ability will be greatly degraded. It will also wear faster as the angle change increases friction when slicing and stress when chopping.

I tried a Lansky, once. Fortunately, it was on a cheap knife of no importance. The Lansky suffers from poor build quality and has no repeatability. Every time I put the knife back in the clamp, the stones cut a different angle. Pointless waste of $$ I say.

So....I came across a used edge pro apex, complete with a couple extra stones for $40. A very good deal in my mind.
I've been eyeballing an edge pro for a couple years now, unsure if I wanted to spend that kind of money($170 ish to start). I can already make a knife as sharp as I have ever wanted, and add to that having already been burned by the last edge holding gizmo, I just needed a bit of proof that I would be getting my moneys worth.

Well, the short answer is yes. I can now say, with all honesty that the edge I have after the using the edge pro apex, is in fact sharper that I have ever accomplished by hand. There is really not much more that I can do for my knives at this point. The edge is straight, symmetrical, and centered down the blade. Best of all, it is completely repeatable. I am impressed, my only regret is having waited so long.

Pics and details to follow. There is a technique to getting it right and a couple modifications that are worthwhile and I will get into that later tonight or tomorrow.

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11 years 5 months ago #26652 by LebbenB
Replied by LebbenB on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
$40 for an Edge Pro Apex? SO FULL OF WIN! Good find, my friend. Truly well bought.

Since we're talking steel, what sort of edge do you prefer - both sides sharpened or only one?

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11 years 5 months ago #26653 by Sharkey
Replied by Sharkey on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
Just in case anyone is looking now, they have em on Amazon and this link takes you THRU the AR10t.com link which means the site WILL make a little percentage from the purchase with no increase in cost to the buyer... :thumbs:


www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13/192...edge+pro%2Caps%2C168


With such a raving review from one of our finest, I might have to start thinking about it myself.

Since I grew up as a butcher and a fisherman, I've grown to keep a few knives around myself although I've just always kept steels around for my fillet knives and stones for my tougher ones - never spent much time messing with the hard steel one though since I always have disposables all over the place anyway... :)

Thanks Colt, maybe I'll get one and see if I can put a slightly better edge of my bayonet... :laugh:

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11 years 5 months ago #26663 by 13fcolt
Replied by 13fcolt on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
Organizing a bunch of pics right now.
Leb, I sharpen both sides. I spent some time with chisel grind, and asymmetrical edges and always wind up going back to either a V or convex edge.

Sharkey, I keep a few junk knives around, usually in the truck that I don't spend any time on. I think a person needs both good quality blades that hold up well and cheap disposable blades for beating on.

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11 years 5 months ago #26666 by Sharkey
Replied by Sharkey on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.

13fcolt wrote: Organizing a bunch of pics right now.
Leb, I sharpen both sides. I spent some time with chisel grind, and asymmetrical edges and always wind up going back to either a V or convex edge.

Sharkey, I keep a few junk knives around, usually in the truck that I don't spend any time on. I think a person needs both good quality blades that hold up well and cheap disposable blades for beating on.


Since almost all of my knives, sooner or later, get exposed to the ocean, I try not to spend too much money on most of em. Salt water eats everything sooner or later so I normally prefer not to buy any knives I'm going to have to spend a world of time with to maintain since, well, if I like em, they will almost ALWAYS end up going fishing with me...

I'm near the ocean almost every single day too so, ya know....

I definitely have an appreciation for guys taking care of their blades though Colt and also a good edge....

Looking forward to seeing your review for sure... :thumbs:

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11 years 5 months ago #26702 by 13fcolt
Replied by 13fcolt on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
Alrighty, here it is with my Busse Combat FBM. I had a convex edge on it for several years now. Going back to a V grind required spending time with the 220 grit stone. I positioned the stone arm so the angle of the cut just took off the radius of the convex. There was a lot of marking the edge with a sharpie and watching closely to what was being removed and where. Doing this revealed just how inconsistent I had been, especially going around the curve to the tip.


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The first mod I did to the edge pro apex, was glue in some really freaking strong magnets. This made it a lot easier to hold a large heavy blade steady on the table. It also helped keep the blade flat against it, reducing the chance that I'd tilt the knife and hose the edge.

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This is my best attempt to photograph the edge. Not an easy pic to take. The edge pro allowed me to sharpen all the way to the tip at the exact same angle as the rest of the edge. This was the part of the blade that was the most revealing in how far off hand sharpening is. This is after a few passes of the 400 grit stone. Already a shiny, flesh hungry, finger eating, razor edge and I still have 600 & 1000 grit stones to go. I could stop now, but where is the fun in that?

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My favorite part is everything packs up in a nice case that's not too bulky. I'd ball park it around 18"x4"x1 1/2". There is room inside for several more stones.

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The following user(s) said Thank You: jtallen83

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11 years 5 months ago #26705 by Sharkey
Replied by Sharkey on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
If you're not gonna cut thru a length of galvanized pipe and then slice a tomato Colt, I'm sorry but the guy with the chef hat selling the ginsu might still have the edge...just sayin... :laugh:


Nice review Amigo. I'm gonna have to give this new tool some thought I believe... :thumbs:

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11 years 5 months ago - 11 years 5 months ago #26706 by Sharkey
Replied by Sharkey on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
I'm still looking for a knife that I can cut up an entire shark with and not have to sharpen it at ALL while doing so.

Shark skin will dull just about ANY knife faster than you can imagine. It's made up of something called "denticles" which is actually skin made up of millions of tiny teeth. If you run your hand from head to tail on a shark, your hand slides pretty well if you don't press down too hard. Try to run it tail to head though and you can't move your hand without ripping skin off.

It's one of those incredible inventions of nature that will destroy even the best blades in a matter of seconds...
Last edit: 11 years 5 months ago by Sharkey.

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11 years 5 months ago #26707 by 13fcolt
Replied by 13fcolt on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.
You know, I actually tried that with a Ginsu knife. It didn't work out like as seen on TV. Now grandams old set of CutCo knives, might pull it off.

There is a bit of a learning curve to the edge pro, but the videos on the website and youtube explain it better than I can. Once you get the hang of it, it's too easy.

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11 years 5 months ago - 11 years 5 months ago #26714 by jtallen83
Replied by jtallen83 on topic scored a used edge pro WOW! so this is sharp.

Sharkey wrote: I'm still looking for a knife that I can cut up an entire shark with and not have to sharpen it at ALL while doing so.

Shark skin will dull just about ANY knife faster than you can imagine. It's made up of something called "denticles" which is actually skin made up of millions of tiny teeth. If you run your hand from head to tail on a shark, your hand slides pretty well if you don't press down too hard. Try to run it tail to head though and you can't move your hand without ripping skin off.

It's one of those incredible inventions of nature that will destroy even the best blades in a matter of seconds...


Sharkskin was sold as an abrasive before sandpaper was invented, I've seen it listed in my 1901 Montgomery Wards catalog! I imagine it is about a good a test as you'll find for a knife edge! You should be able to freshen your edge on the skin as you go!
Last edit: 11 years 5 months ago by jtallen83.

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