OUTDOORS55 when putting your stone holder and Rod together you got to have them both setting on a flat surface that way you get the same depth every time once they're both sitting on a flat surface then tighten the wing nut to secure the rod that way you have a consistent angle each time if not the results will be so and so and not very good well now when sharpening angle consistency is everything absolutely I hope you read this so you can get the full maximum efficiency out of your Lansky clamp system
For better consistency it helps to lay the stone face down with the Rod loose so it hits the table in line with the stone face. Then tighten and bend the rod down if needed so it lays flat the whole way. The idea is to have the rod an extension of the stone face for easier touch ups. Also good idea to write down the angle and the knife for easy touch ups too. I've had one for around 20 years and it's still going. If you break a stone Lansky will replace them too. They also sell a couple different bench mounts that make it easier to use.
Yeah I saw the base on amazon. Ill probably just use a bench vise if I continue to use this. I agree I mounted the rods wrong..haha. I still must have had them pretty consistent though..or at least consistently wrong as it still worked pretty well. Its nice to hear yours lasted that long. The quality on the surface doesn't seem great. Also didn't know about them replacing broken stones. Thanks for the info👍
yep at 5 minutes and you can see your blue stone sitting there see how the rod is up in the air it should be sitting flush on the wooden table at the same depth as the surface of your sharpening stone if that makes sense so all you have to do is loosen the rod let it drop down then retighten
Alex, thanks for the tip. I bought this set on your recommendation and I ordered the stand at the same time. I’m happy with the entire package and I’ve sharpened about 20 of my EDC knives with it so far with no discernible amount of wear on any of the stones. Use lots of water while sharpening because the stones (especially the coarser ones) will load quickly.
I bought a cheap crab $12 from china, the stones aren't the grit they say they are, the 70 120 and 280 seem ok, "600" and "1000" just screw up your blade, becomes duller than on 280. Good advice now I at least have the grits I wanted.
@@taitrunkl7086 better to buy a edge pro clone at $20.. i bought a ruixin brand, it the same as edge pro and the grit that included seem work fine.. but the best thing using the edge pro design is the aftermarket stone availability.. there a lot variety of polishing stone available for this sharpener..even the 3000grit ruby stone and 8000grit jade is available at only $4 each.
I use 10X magnification to inspect the edge as I sharpen it. It's amazing how many imperfections you can see and it helps you know when to keep going and when you've gone far enough. You can get a burr on a portion of the blade and still have knicks and flat spots on other areas. When you see a perfect apex without any dings, then you got yourself a sharp blade.
I got one of the deluxe systems. Where I ran into an issue was when I got down to the fine stone, the blue one and my knife literally shaved off the surface of the stone. And that was with light pressure. Any ideas? What am I doing wrong?
I have this sharpening thing and my blades do not get any sharper how the fuck do i use it my blades cant even cut threw butter!wth am i doing wrong plz tell me
looks cool, I agree that mount needs a base, maybe the idea is you can make your own base, I have the Lansky Blade Medic that came with the Lansky Responder (440C steel), if I had this system which stone would be best to start with for a 440C blade?
The sets generally come with 5 different grits (coarseness of stone ) depending on how blunt your knife is you would start coarse and work up to a fine , if it's not to blunt then you can skip a stone or 2 .
I found the base on amazon. Ill probably just use a bench vise if I continue to use this system though. It depends on how dull your blade is. You can't hurt anything by starting too coarse. Just apex on the coarsest grit and work up from there. Once you form a burr its on to the next grit. Thats just how I do it. Hope this helps.😀
As stated earlier, the best stone to start off with depends on the condition of the edge. A beat up edge may need the 220 or the 180 grit stone. Never start with the 80 grit unless you're rebeveling your knife to be re-profiled. Whereas a general sharpening job could get away with the 600 grit stone. I've sharpened so many knives it'll make your head spin. Knowing that, with this setup, particularly the deluxe, I have sharpened everything from 8cr13mov to Elmax and M390 with no problems. Also, I do trash the system portion and just freehand with them, but when I did use the mount, I just held the handle like a regular knife and the stone face up and sharpened in a free hand fashion while still attached to the mount. Worked the best of any way, including the base. Also, after close to over five years, I've only needed to flatten them twice. And I'm a high end knife collector with some pretty tough steels that don't always like sharpening. So for the money, these are great stones.
I've had mine for at least 15 years and still going strong. Nice to see it work with S30V. Was working fine on D2 so figured S30V wouldn't be a problem. Been thinking about moving up to the diamond set, but maybe not necessary after all. Hardest steels I have are S30V, D2, and Elmax, and I have the 5 stone set. Thanks for a well done vid!
Nice to hear they are lasting that long. Id like to see an older one and compare it to a new one. It seems to work fine on s30v it does take some time though. The diamond stones may be a better bet of s30v and harder but I'm not sure. Thanks for the kind words my friend😀
@@OUTDOORS55I know it's a bit late but I have one that's probably about 25+ years old and a brand new one. The plastic is a bit cheaper feeling but the stones and clamp are identical and still sharpens just as good. I use it to sharpen just about every knife I have. The plastic case as cheap as it feels is still in one piece after all those years.
Thanks for the review. I have the diamond set and it works crazy well. You really need a stand and you will find it 100 times easier. Also I will out a finger right behind the rack hole to secure the angle. Nice video as always!! You deserve more subscribersssss! Great job!
I don’t know if it’s been mentioned previously but not only did you mount the rods incorrectly but In useing the Lansky for many years and found the only way to keep the jaws from scratching blades this to use some type of plastic tape such as electricians tape on the inside ends of the clamp. This is sort of the poor man’s KME.
Yeah it's been mentioned. I got a handle on it now lol. I don't really care about scratches on my blades. If sharpening for someone else than yes. Thanks for the comment 👍
Awesome..”No skill involved” is exactly what I need! 7 years in the US Army Infantry (11Bs do it harder) and if I stare at a sharp knife it cringes and dulls itself. If I touch it the blades dulls out of shame....so yeah...this is made for me. Thank you again Alex.
This is a great "no skill" system. Takes all the guess work out. It works better with oil though. I use mineral oil. I have also heard water and dish soap work well too. Ive been using mine a lot lately and its still going strong👍 Thanks for watching my friend!
I had this sharpener, but after trying my damndest to use it, it just got annoying. Having to switch everything around and the fact that the clamp barely held onto the blades, I sold it. A while back I want to an outdoors store and bought a Smith's dual grit diamond stone/knife combo pack. I've since given the knife to my brother because it was trash, but the sharpener itself works and produces a shaving edge 95% of the time. The reason why i love my Smith's dual grit diamond stone is because it gives me practice to maintain my angle, takes 10 passes on both grits to sharpen a knife decently and is incredibly simple to use. I'm probably gonna do a review on my channel of the sharpener with a decent knife.
I'd really love you to test the deluxe version bc it uses diamond plates...yes, it's like this, but you could "grade" the quality of the diamond plates included.
It does work. It does come with some negatives though. The stones have a tendency to load up and require cleaning often. Build quality isn't great..although some have said it has lasted them for years. And it could use a stand. Something you have to buy extra. Or diy a stand. It does make some good edges though.
YOU MOUNTED THE BLADE IN THE CLAMP WRONG!! I've been using this system for about 5 years and it's awesome. There is a channel, notch, groove at the end of the clamp that the edge of the blade fits in to properly mount. In this way the distance between the vertical slotted piece and the edge of the blade is the same EVERY TIME you use the sharpening system, thus cutting down on how much metal you remove from the blade on successive sharpenings. Your method doesn't have any reference and you might end up mounting the blade in a different position on successive sharpenings. In addition I make a small mark on the back edge of the blade with a fine file, so I mount my knife, in the same position each time, horizontally, same reason.
I stand corrected. I just watched the instructional video from Lansky and they mounted only narrow blades in the notch I mentioned. For the size knife you used, they mounted it as you did. I don't necessarily agree, for the reason I stated originally, how is one going to keep the distance to the vertical part of the guide the same on successive sharpenings??? If that distance changes, so does the angle of the stone/knife edge, the WHOLE POINT of this system. I see no downside of mounting even larger blades in the notch at the end. An alternative would be to make a mark, with a scribe so one positions the blade in the same place each time. My apologies for assuming you were incorrect. Sincerely, JG, Hollis NH
Yes they metion that the edge of the blade should be 5/8" away from the front of the jaw. At least thats the way I under stand it. The notch is too small for most things I sharpen. im not sure why they still put it there. IMO it gets in the way more than I help. Simply measuring the distance to the edge of the blade from the edge of the jaw is easier in most situations. Just my opinion. Thanks for the comment👍
I've wanted a Lansky set up for years but wont get one till my Gatco set up finally dies. They are pretty much the same but the Lansky stones are better. They hold up to stronger steels. My extra courses and extra fine stones are lansky stones. But my Gatco is still going fine after 20yrs and I cant count the amount of knives I've sharpened with it
I've owned this system for a good number of years. Sometimes I could get somewhat of a result on pocket knifes. But could never shave with it at all, not even close. This video taught me to get a strop, so I'll go ahead and do that! It's pretty much useless for bigger blades like kitchen knifes. So in my opinion you would be better of with a stone that also can handle bigger blades.
You obviously did not read the instructions carefully. The knife is clamped incorrectly and the guide rods have to be secured flush with the hone (using a flat surface) not screwed all the way in the hole.
I know it's not the system, and I'm 99% sure it's not my knives, but I can't get those razor, hair whittling edges with this so it must be my technique.
Anyone know the max size knives this will sharpen, I suck a sharpening with stones and think this would be great but i own larger knives and not many small pocket knives
I have this system and it works well. But the quality of the tool itself is pretty crappy. I would pay more money for a quality tool that actually holds the blade securely.
I use this sistem for over 3 years now. And they still service me as well as they are new. Don't forget to lapping your stone to make sure your Lansky stone flat every time you notice the bevel not in the consistence angle.
Hey man, I just wanna say, to me, your videos are the most concise, and easily understood. You have a great, no nonsense way of explaining things, and with a good, friendly sense if humor. Thank you. I'm considering buying this sharpening system, but the deluxe diamond hone kit. After watching this, I'm definitely gonna get it, no that I understand how to best use it. I was thinking I could use lapping films with this system by attaching the films to the Lansky hones somehow. I'm looking to achieve a mirror edge finish. Any ideas? Also, it would be awesome if you made a how-to video on achieving a mirror polished edge. Thanks again my fellow knife bro.
they should have never sold that model. The cost is what it is, taking out the mount and pedestal bar and call it a cheaper kit is like selling a car without tires.
when you insert the rod, the instructions say to say to lay it flat on the work space so the metal rod and the sharpening stone are at the same level.. I noticed you didn't do that. I have an older one that still works great. Thanks
I had one if these many years ago when I was younger. Around 10 or so. All the old timers at the hunting camp would scoff when a young kid whipped out an old timer stockman,.... that is until theirs got dull and they had to use mine and realized that the knife would whittle hair Into shavings and then whittle the shavings Into more shavings. This thing is cheap, and easy to use. And it leaves a perfect edge every time. I freehand sharpen now, and I like to think I'm pretty good. But I'm no match for the lansky. It lasted for atleast 10 years, and I lost some pieces and never bought another because I'd learned to freehand my knives. I recommend this to anyone . Beginner or experienced. I was 10 years old and was using this. It's that easy. I give it a 9/10 , deducting one point because the case is garbage, and I'd STILL have the system today had the case held up and I could have kept up with thepieces.. no doubt in my mind that I'd still be sharpening with it today if I could have kept track of it all.
I subscribed to your channel because you sharpened the same Spyderco Sage I own with another Lansky Sharpening system you demonstrated. Until then I was never able to get a good edge on that knife. Thanks man, keep making great videos.
I bought a Edge Pro Apex Clone for $23 about 2yrs ago on Ebay and never looked back . It's a awesome machine, comes with 4 cheap Chinese stones that are pretty good, but you can buy the real EPA stones on Amazon for about $17ea that work excellent. They sell 3 or 4 different sharpeners, I have the one with the suction base, it has a chrome lever , when you flip it -it sticks to the table, flip it the other way and it releases. Now I repro file all my knives, no matter what steel there made of, and when needed I use my Spyderco sharp maker to touch then up. It's a great machine when you learn how to use it , and for $23 or so, you can't go wrong . The real ones start at about $200. I highly recommend it !! Go check them out.
Thanks for the recommendation👍 This is my first controlled angle system, and I do like it. I can see why people like them so much. It would be nice to have some higher quality stones with it though. Although you can buy different stones for this system extra. I actually use the edge pro stones by hand. I have some videos using them. They are great little stones. Thanks for the comment👍
OUTDOORS55 The Chinese Rip Off is Called MOLIBAO. Although, I think they have had some legal issues... I really struggled to find one for sale.. I did get one for £12 in the end.. The stones are some weirdness. The "600"grit stone seems to Foam up and dissolve like clay when using water.. The " 120" seems to be like Sintered brake pads and magnetizes little bits of metal fur onto the blade! Most of the stones get dirty real quick and are quite hard to clean... But it works! So I will now start to buy Genuine Lansky soon!
Matthew M yeah I have a lot of shapton pro stones however I onley go to about 5,000 grit i use those for convex and scandi edges and im getting a kme soon for everything else
Hi Alex. Great videos, please continue. I have a couple of questions for you. I noticed you sometimes only pushed the stone over the blade and other times pushed and pulled. What's best? The other question regards something I don't recall you discussing. When do I use the hone that was part of my kitchen knife set and does it serve roughly for a strop?
Theres not really a best direction. For freehand sharpening use whatever direction you feel most comfortable. For this system it doesn't really matter. I don't have a lot of experience with knife steels/hones. Theres a number of reasons they are in kitchens instead of strops. For one they can be cleaned. Leather with compound in a kitchen would get nasty real fast. Kitchen knives are usually sharpened at a much steeper angle than edc knives. Those steep angles, combined with the knife hitting a cutting board can roll an edge fairly easily. A steel will straighten a rolled edge easier than a strop will. There may be other reasons as well. Hope this helps😀
I have owned one of the original Lansky kits for approximately 25 years now, and though it is not fancy, it continues to turn out very sharp knives, year after year. The strop is indeed an important step. My original kit came with a small, hand held ceramic honing rod, that is also good for final finish, as well as touch up work.
I have a video where I tested zdp 189 which is a super high carbon super steel. Not a specific sharpening video, more of an edge retention video. I will be doing more with that knife (spyderco endura zdp-189) in the future. Thanks for watching 😀
Thanks. I prefer the convex edge my Ken Orion worksharp, but for my blades with secondary bevels, this will be perfect. Lansky should give you a cut...
You can buy the base for 10 bucks I have the complete diamond and ceramic stones wouldn't trade it for any 300.00 sets out there now anyone who believes you have to buy a 2 or 300.00 sharpener is insane
Thanks for the info👍 Nice to hear someone else has had good results with it. Id like to try the different stones as well. I found the base on amazon but will probably just use a bench vise going forward. I agree, some of the systems are insanely priced. Just look at the wicked edge haha. But I guess if your using it all day every day in a professional environment its worth it. Thanks for the comment my friend😀
OUTDOORS55 i think I'll go for the turnbox because it seems higher quality and i don't need the added control. This is great for 20 dollars though and it's even harder to mess up on this then on the turnbox, plus the added control
Honestly you've convinced me to get this. I definitely like the added control and how its even harder to fuck up on this then the turnbox. Plus this comes with more (although lower quality) stones and i have a clamp i can use to mount it so it isnt inconvenient to use. Its cool to have an edgepro type appliance for 20 bucks
I have this...I agree for the money, you can't go wrong and the nice thing is you can always buy different stones even diamond ones to expand the system.
Diamond atones If not too expensive.I personally love Diamond stones, however they remove a lot of metal fast if your not paying attention.... Those are small stones in that system. Good video! Thank you and aloha
Good video... I’ve never tried a angle guided System, I learned free hand. I bought an edge pro a couple a months ago and I think I’m selling it. Not as much fun and frustrating
They do sell a stand which makes it easier to use. I use it mainly to reprofile rather than touch ups. I agree with your comments. Its not so great for knives over 5 inches I found. Nice job!
Sounds like it's not bad at all for under $30. (Makes you wonder why most others with an angle guide are stupidly expensive.) Also looks like using it would be made easier with a bench vise.
Yes a bench vise is what ill use if I continue to use this system. Its not bad for just over $20. The stones are pretty low quality but will work just fine. They load up somewhat and need cleaning often. No big deal. They do sell higher quality stones separate so thats always an option. Its definitely fun to play around with👍
OUTDOORS55, as you said, it's not bad for just over 20$. Converting our currency it starts at 65-70$. No way i would buy it for that money... Sadly, amazon doesn't ship to Russia! But thanks to you i bought lancky turn box, and totally satisfied with it! Nice videos, keep up the good work!
I got the deluxe kit with the base (makes it so much more easier) but I have to say that it's being doing great work for me and I got it delivered to my door for like €45
the Lansky system is good, but does NOT work on small(narrow) knives. also what I like to do is, run a Sharpie marker along the sharpened edge and then re-hit the knife with the lansky sharpener. you can see where you missed. and for the record you can find a lansky sharpening system for under $50((USED)),, NEW cost around $75 - $80 or more.
I have the Gatco system, I find it similar, but you are not buying the name and the stones come with rods slide into them, so you slide the rods out to length you need then slide in for packing. You eliminate the burr by doing it equal strokes after you start. I use course stone if need be lets say 10 time each side then 8, 6,4,2,1 each side that eliminates the burr as you are cleaning it off as you finish off. I do the same with all three stones in my kit so they get and stay very sharp, I do not have a strop. I have a drag through tool I keep handy when out hunting, but that is just a touch it up , and do the proper sharpening with my stones or Gatco . I have had it 20 years and still going strong. Thanks for the video
I use this lansky myself and the first knife I sharpened (a cheap whittling knife) it brought the edge right back and my more expensive pocket knife which wasn’t a perfect sharpening as I haven’t much experience is very sharp but not shaving sharp. I will try to apex the edge better though it doesn’t seem to burr. I knocked off a lot of metal to get a chip out and it didn’t burr one bit
