Dull Knife to Sharp Knife Full Tutorial (Lansky System) 

Pro tip on the lansky, put some electrical tape on the inside of the clamps. really helps secure the knives and as a bonus, protect the coatings

I came home from work one day, when my mom was visiting, and I saw her scraping the weeds from between the sidewalk with one of my good knives. I had a flash back when you were scraping that knife on the concrete. Thanks for the memories.👍

Great tutorial. The music makes me feel like I'm waiting in a line at Universal Studios.

Just wanted to say thank you, I used this video to sharpen my first knife this afternoon and wow. This is an old knife my father gave to me about 15 years ago and was never in good condition and I damaged it to what I thought was beyond repair trying to sharpen it. But using the Lansky just how you showed it’s razor sharp now, it couldn’t cut open plastic bags before and now it glides through paper. Thanks so much.

CTS XHP cut test on concrete....0 cuts

I applied a few things that you have shown and my results have been getting better thank you

the dulling process made me want to die

Hello all. I am an "Old-fart", retired now. I sharpened knives for a bit over 48 years. People say I know a thing-or-two about making an edged device - cut. Our young feller here has the belief, as a lot do, that it makes no matter if you stroke in just one direction, as though you are cutting INTO the 'stone', like trying to whittle a piece of wood, or if you just go back-and-forth, sawing away in both directions. Hmm_ well it DOES make a difference, but normally only towards the latter parts of the function of getting that really FINE edge. See, during the COARSE and MEDIUM stages, you are really defining the SHAPING process. It's when you get to the FINE, EXTRA FINE and then the STROPPING that a body should start listening to the "Old-farts" regarding how to stroke. Which is ALWAYS CUTTING INWARD, prior to stropping with leather. When you are happy with the 1000, 2000. 5000 or maybe even 10,000 grit process, and then you go to THE STROP, you NEVER cut inward. You ALWAYS pull or push with the edge TRAILING. But the up-loader already knows this... RIGHT provider? Regarding the WHITE stropping compound he is using here, that is ALMOST the most course, BLACK being the lowest grit rating, followed by BROWN... USUALLY. Normally it goes something like: BLACK - BROWN - WHITE - GREEN - RED (mostly polishing, not much 'cutting'!). There is a usually BLUE compound, which might be a different color, that is only used if you want CRAZY sharp. Oh, if you are wondering what the 'grit' of the colors are...? Good luck finding out. All these years I have NEVER been able to get a straight answer. See, there are TONS of companies out in the world that make these 'colored' abrasives, and just like gasoline companies making the fuel that goes into engines, they ALL have their "SECRET FORMULA" for the color being made. To make matters more confusing, the USA uses the familiar 'grit' system, while pretty-much everywhere else they use the MICRON measurement system. Huh?!? MICRON? What's a MICRON? lol But the main thing to know is that most always the color is what's important - kind of universal now-a-days. So just remember it's BLACK - BROWN - WHITE - GREEN - RED - BLUE. Most times we just stop at RED. I have used the 'Lansky' system for many moons, but what I now do, instead of buying a new stone, is just purchase good quality wet/dry sandpaper and cut the correct size for the 'stones, and glue to the back side using a good RELEASE type of spry adhesive, such as from "3M" or such. The paper is a lot cheaper to use, and when it wears out, just peel off and replace. Just make sure the paper is FLAT on the surface, and always use water. Dip your finger in water and glide over the paper, then get with the stroking. I tend to use 80-100, then 300-500, then 800-1000 grits. Finally, I will maybe use 3000 to 5000 grit, finishing-up with the strop and the RED or BLUE compound. You know, I really have NO CLUE if the stropping is needed, but I sort of go into a ZEN frame of mind and feel better afterwards. Go figure. For all I know for SURE, that 10,000 grit sandpaper may be MUCH finer than even the BLUE compound. I THINK newspaper is around 50,000 grit. Tried it twice, but MAN is it slow!!! lol Oh, don't use the comics; ONLY the black text. The text (ink) is what does the sharpening, not-so-much the paper. Regarding stropping, you really are not SHARPENING as the general thought goes as to what that means, which is REMOVING the metal, but we are addressing rather the microscopic level of just re-aligning the ALREADY SHARP metal edge. You know that CHEF'S STEEL we sometimes see someone just going to town with that back-and-forth of the knife being pulled LEFT and then RIGHT and back and forth, back and forth...? The person is doing the same as stropping with a leather strap; re-aligning the edge, not taking off metal. Well, IF he or she is doing things correctly.

Just bought a Lansky, so watched this for a refresher! Thanks 😃

You mentioned the bit about the angle being measured at the bottom of the slot vs. the top. That is a correct observation. When I use my set, I loop my thumb up over the tail end of the rod where it protrudes through the slot and lightly hold the rod down against the bottom edge of the guide slot. This will maintain the exact angle and not allow the rod to rock back and forth between the upper and lower edges of the guide slot.

Every time you ran that blade over the concrete a ninja killed a puppy.....

I just bought that diamond coarse hone for my Lansky, along with the famous sapphire stone. Gonna get started as soon as I stop procrastinating!

Very good video mate. One of the best I have seen on the Lansky System.

New to your site my friend. Love the tutorials. Just ordered the lansky system and I'm looking forward to using it soon. I think with the help of your videos it will definitely have me off any running when it arrives. I love the material, keep up the good work and stay sharp, your friend from Arkansas, USA.......HT

Thanks for uploading this. I've been using the Lansky for right around a year and I'm always surprised at the different ways people use it to get great results. One point on the stones in your video - unless they've changed something recently the first blue stone you use isn't ceramic. It's the 600 fine grit from the basic sharpening set. It's the same grit as the stone you used previous to that one - the 600 grit fine diamond stone.

Thank you! I’ve been doing it all wrong. I take long swipes the length of the blade and I noticed that the heel of my blade are unsharpened about the width of the stones. It’s because the way I did it, the stone wasn’t moving against that portion of the edge. Now I know how to do it correctly. Thank you again! 😊

bravo! thanks for sacrificing your lawman. been using the diamond lansky since i can remember, and although a little awkward for my old hands, it'll get the job done. still thinking about a basic kme with a couple of diamond stones for a little easier time....

Thanks so much, helped me get my knife in touch from being battered and abused for several years!

Nicely done. I've got same kit. Haven't been able to get anything sharp yet. I've a lot to learn before attempting to sharpen my microtechs.

hahaha the sad music when you dulled the knife was perfect

I always save my metal knife sharpening bits to sprinkle on me fish and chips for extra flavor. Yum! :) Great review and excellent instruction, thanks mate from across the pond. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 I subbed.

Liked, saved and subbed. Just what I needed, and music was a nice bonus. Great video.

Pencil eraser cleans your ceramics and strops really fast chuck a couple in your kit and give it a go

Just bought mine off amazon. Sharpened up my everyday knife to able to shave arm hair in about 10 minutes. I need the leather strop then i have enough knives around the garage to keep me busy for a few years. Haha.

You can clean the ceramic stones with an eraser.

I have that exact same knife that I've just ordered this sharpening system for. I've got a 3 stone system I've used in the past but keeping the same angle is very hard to do. I look forward to getting this knife razor sharp. It came out of the box razor sharp & holds pretty good. On another note: It was painful watching you dull the knife like that.

Love the final fantasy music you put in your videos 😃

Nice work Pete!

Nice technique and awesome music.

Nice, full A to Z tutorial. Thks again

Thanks for the video. I use a lansky kit and my procedure is mostly the same. I want to mention that when you buy a new kit the guide bars must sometimes be bent so that they extend straight from the end since the bend that clamps into the stone is not always 90°. After the first time you won't have to do it again.

His way works well enough for sure, but I've found that long full strokes give you better results because you get a more even bevel and edge.

You have inspired me to buy a lansky system. I can get an okay edge on my norton stone but this seems way easier.

i clamp the sharpening stone in a small table vise and use sharpening system the way i use whet stones. also keep two parts of the clamp parallel if you care about degrees

Thanks for the detailed video.

ayyyy. Nice tutorial and nice FF9 music on your time lapse. (and FF12)

Love the golden retriever in the background

Thanks my Brother from the land down unda for this very cool tutorial. Learned a lot as usual from your vids. I guess I’m gonna have to stop giving myself blade Indian brush burns on my arm now! Darn! 🔪😷🇮🇪🇺🇸

Final fantasy 9 theme music. Awesome! Great and informative video. Thank you.

Bubby, you need to clean those poor ceramic stones. The honing oil is for lifting and cleaning debris. It will sharpen much easier.

Great video mate!

Now that I've watched it I'm pleased. I might not bother making a leather strop "stone", but just use the seperate strop. Plus would like to try a ceramic rod and even a diamond coated bar for taking afield. I want a toothy edge giving diamond coated rod.

I usually don't like music in the videos as it is distracting. But I appreciated the music when you ran that mail on the concrete. I go the chills with that concrete scaping - worse than fingers on a chalboard.

1:12 Nooooo!

Very informative video..I'm an inner city guy and my knives never really get dull.. Only so much to cut..The Sharpmaker has probably worked to touch up 12 out of 15 knives..A few probably had a greater angle then the 40 deg setting.. A lot of sharpening still eludes and confuses me....This was helpful... Thanks....

Why do you go back and forth with the stone on the blade? Every sharpening video I have seen, including the Lansky company video, instructs you to move the blade in one direction on the stone (or vice versa).

Love the fantasy vibe music.

Just got one of these and trying to get the hang of it.

Nice touch with the background music. Cosmo Canyon from FFVII is a great composition.

While I’m watching this video I found a chocobo somehow 😂

A tip regarding use of files that might apply here with the stones is to try to use the whole length of the file so you don't prematurely wear out the middle section. That way you get the longest service life from the tool. I guess it might be slow and awkward to try and do that with the wobbly jig and sharp edge next to your fingers, safer and quicker just to use the middle part?

I cried when you tried cutting that concrete step.

Nice one mate

If you put your left hand up a bit with your finger over the rod you can stabilize the sliding in the oval rod guide hole.

I wish this video was out about a year ago when I bought my lansky. I mean it is basic but any tips do help. I do the circular motions when honing the blade and use a freehand strop. I do most of my edges at 25 or 20 degrees and just strop it at the end of the day. Seems to stay sharper longer that way for me. Great informative video!!!

I was about to change channels... but then the music! ....The music started! WOW!

great video man hey so i can put a pretty ok edge on a blade with a combo wet stone but due to health issues my hands are getting pretty shaky and im noticing it in my edges now do you think the lanksy would help me or would it still suffer from my shaking hands?

Ah the old Chinese arm burn stalking the playground since 1954

Hi Pete, I have used the Lansky system for over 15 years and I love it. I make a small drawing in a notebook that I keep with the system. I draw a sketch of where I place the clamp on the blade and the angle degree used. It's very important to place the clamp in the same position when you re-sharpen the blade. If the clamp is in a different position, it will change the edge angle a little. Also, use the stones to "cut" going toward the edge and never pull the stone "down" the edge. Pulling the stone "down / away" from the edge can cause the edge to roll down.

I'm watching at work... And skipped ahead a few times, so I might have missed it... But did you ever mention how long you actually spent on that blade? Curious how long it took you to bring it back to sharp.

What's your favorite sharpening system regardless of price? Also what you find works best to maintaining a razor sharp edge? Jean strop, leather?

Do those stones still work as they did when they were new? Do you need to clean or flatten them ever?

When he did the concrete "I'mma kill my knife now" I about died inside

I have a Smith's sharpener which is an even cheaper version of this system. It can get cheap steels sharp but anything above like 8Cr13MoV is kinda meh. It also completely skews the edge on full flat grinds. To top it all off it only comes with two grits- a pretty fine diamond (it feels around 1000grit to me) and a really fine Arkansas stone. Needless to say, I think I'm gonna spring for a KME or something soon.

@Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors what do you think about using this system for Kershaw Knockout, or any other knives that don't have flat portions to clamp on?

FFX for the win!

2 questions. Do you spend the same amount of time for each stone? How long would this take without interruptions and explanations?

Eventually you might look into regrinding that thing. It’s pretty easy to do.

nice to see someone not be so anal about exact stroke numbers and get an amazing finish...nice vid

Thanks for the vid brother. I'm tired of stones. And don't want to drop 300$+ on an angled system

Screw base to a bigger block of wood to make it steadier or clamp on bench further from table edge.

Hold on im a little confused you said measuring from the top of the angle guide holes gave you around 15, but from the bottom its 17? shouldn't be something between 17-20 ?

Dude this is insane, I was just whistling the Balamb Garden theme to myself. Not even played the game for years then randomly click on this video to hear the same theme. Weird coincedence,

That’s impressive I need more practice.

My wife heard your background music and thought I was watching Disney video

A interesting test for you to try... right now your making the micro serrations go vertical with the edge. Not a bad thing at all. But Have you ever tried putting them from the Heel of the blade, going towards the tip? I know you do allot of rope cutting. Doing that would give you more aggression when doing a cut pulling back toward yourself. Your way is fine still. It’s when your pushing the stone from the tip to the heel, that’s when the serrations are going the wrong way for most thing. Not that may ppl cut something by putting the tip on something then pushing to the heel.

I treat this as a handheld system. I hold the stone in one hand and the knife in the other, and basically act like it's a pocket stone with an angle guide (if that makes sense).

Love the video, I just wish you'd close your aperture down a few stops on your camera! It'll stop your camera from hunting for focus so much. Cheers!

I just received my KME System. I was looking for a better system than Lansky. From what I could see the Lansky system was ok but I wanted something more precise

Great video as I just bought the Lansky 4-Stone Deluxe Diamond System with additional 1000grit yellow diamond. I also have the Lionsteel M4 which I measured ~22deg secondary bevel and thinking if the 20deg marked on the lansky bracket is close enough? Cheers

My practical advice is to insert those wires into the stone holders once, and just leave them. Don't take them apart to put them away. The threads for the thumbscrews will last longer.

I can't believe lansky made the new system with no rubber in the clamps. Can you believe that? And of course if you tape it it tends to slide around and not want to stay put very easy. I have a kme now and do free hand but I have a brand new lansky in the box that I am giving to my brother in law to get him into it and so I he can sharpen his own knives for a change! Lol

Love the FF soundtracks! Melodies of life!

Great vid as always ! I've been waiting for your tutorial impatiently. Could you please tell me how do the diamond stones hold up? I heard that they remove material quicker but also wear out faster than regular lansky stones ..

And cool music

What if there is no flat spot to in the clamp?I have a fiest and it is pretty round on the spine and the rubber pads keep slipping out of the clamp.

10:50 Final Fantasy VII Cosmo Canyon song playing in the background!?

That knife edge against the concrete will haunt me for a few days.

How would you put a spyderco PM2 on this there is very little flat spot

I'm thrown that your sharpening a big knife like that on a 17 degree angle and not a higher angle like the 20 or 25.

Im Super New to this System are you grinding on the blade with the Up and Down Stroke each time Correct ??? Thanks in Advance

Hey great vid. I'm looking to buy this system. Will the clamp work with a knife with no flat? Like a full flat ground spydie? Thanks.

Do I need the medium diamond one and the strop one to get a good edge?

everytime you ran that knife on that concrete my soul died a little more

Sapphire is 2000 grit, not 3000.

It would be nice if you told us how much time u invested in sharping from start to finish ? Thank you Howie 🔪

Watches due to listed content..."oh a puppy!..puppyyyy!...what was I here for again?

You need to check out the d2 fura knife from GB. Ti framelock with flipper and the steel is something else. Price 29 bucks.

Do you still use this at all after getting your nice KME? I bought one these for my buddy. Great sharpener.

On the Josco polishing compound, or as you called it “cutting compound”. Is that mainly an Aussie product? I found their website with a .au located down under apparently. I also found a Josco demo video with the same white brick you were using. And the Josco said the white compound is for aluminum. And there seems to be different color compounds for different metals. Can you elaborate on this a bit? And why rough up the leather strop? And what were u using to rough it up? Standard blade on you Swiss Army? Thanks Mate.