Thanks for this. I also buy the cheaper third party blades but have thought about getting a sharpener. But I just didn’t want to faff about with one of these and now I’m not even going to bother!!
I have the last two you showed and I’m not impressed either. I will sharpen it longer like you did and try again! They are expensive and worth it to try again. Thanks for your help
I just bought the cheapy blades from Amazon a couple months ago. So far the one I’ve used has lasted as long as the expensive ones (premier blades, several to a pack).
Steven thank you for the demo/review of theses products. I’ve often wondered about these. Very informative. Material is expensive and our time is valuable. A bad cut or half cut can really mess up a project. As well as physical fatigue on our hands/necks… as we do our cutting.
I too have been researching sharpeners. There are 2 serious flaws in your methodology: you fail to use proper lubrication, and you fail to clean the abrasives after a sharpening pass. The motorized unit (TrueCut TrueSharp Power Sharpener) has an oil to be applied to the sharpening stones for each sharpening pass; then after pulling the blade to change sides, clear the filings by wiping the stones. Likewise, the "sandpaper unit" reviewed 3rd (by Colonial Needle, marketed by several companies) is built with automotive wet-sandpaper, and you need to spread a drop of water over the paper before sharpening; otherwise the paper will clog with metal debris, and it will not sharpen; this is evidenced by the "staining/wearing" on your sandpaper discs. As with the other unit, after a sharpening cycle, you should wipe the debris from the disc. Visually it looks like your sandpaper may already be compromised, so try cleaning them. This unit appears to be the most effective solution on the market from all the research I've done. As for that 2nd unit (TrueCut True Sharp Linear Sharpener): it has been replaced by a newer model which does not get very good reviews; it may also suffer from the lack of lubrication and cleaning, which is much harder to do in that unit. Perhaps by cleaning the sharpeners and lubricating them as per instructions, and repeating the tests, you may find that they all do better?
I was thinking about getting a sharpener years ago. But then I realized that Fabricland quite often will have some pretty good sales on blades many times throughout the year. So, I just buy new blades. Sometimes the blade and handle combo come on sale. So, I've ended up with 3 rotary blades in total.
Thank you for this tutorial. This is one notion I do not have; but wrote it on a list of 'must haves' from "Just Get it Done Quilts" (for over a year now).
Enjoyed your clip on sharpening blades. Question …. What are your comments on bobbin winders.? My machine does not like prewound bobbins so I’m contemplating buying one, especially if they wind on more thread than your sewing machine puts onto the bobbin.
I bought a sharpener once, years ago. It wasn't worth a single penny. Similar to your power one, only manual turned. I do find that flipping the blades, cleaning and a drop of oil will give me some extra life.
You might use some honing oil on the motorized one. Mine works that way, does take more than one time on each side. It also comes with fine and course stones, which did you use?
I totally agree with you, I too have tried to sharpen my blades with the same sharpener you used last, it’s ok but not that impressive, I just get blades that are best price at the time of looking. I also find it’s not that safe using it either! Good to know it’s not just me!
