The Robert Sorby Pro Edge Deluxe Sharpening System - An in depth Overview 

Great review Mike, I purchased my Pro Edge as the first major investment after my first lathe, for me it was a game changer. I purchased most of the optional attachments available at the time, but have not used them all yet. I’ve always felt as though there are not enough tutorials online so your video helps to fill that gap. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days with Chris Pouncy from Sorby recently and he helped hone my skills (pun intended). Thanks for sharing.

What an awesome sharpening system, Mike. Unfortunately, SWMBO thinks my Tormek will have to do. How very narrow minded. She's also the reason I'm not driving that Lamborghini. Then again, she may be the reason I'm able to drive anything! She seems to think I buy too many tools!!! Did I say narrow minded?? Great review, Mike! Take care, .....Gord

Very handy review Mike looks a great setup

Hi, Mike - great review The Proedge is the only system that I've had. I saw Clive from Robert Sorby demonstrate it and bought one - absolutely no regrets. I moved to the Trizact belt but do not think the cost worth it for ordinary woodturning, so am now buying another 120 G Ceramic belt. I got fed up with the metal dust over the bench when re-profiling or batch touch - ups, so placed a couple of small rare earth magnets below the belt, and they collect the dust very well. Cheers, Brian

I'm delighted this purchase has worked well for you. I noticed that the attachments seem to have tighter tolerances than the original type I have and I could see no slop in the boss and leg attachment so that's a big improvement. I agree on the belts... I use 60/120 ceramic and nothing else and find that the belts last a very long time. I clean mine with one of those belt rubber things from time to time and it does seem to improve performance. Happy sharpening. Best Wishes, Brendan.

Hi Mike!! Looks like a good bit of kit that , Robert sorby has always been good quality. Their factory is just down the road from where I used to live in Sheffield. I have at long last filmed and edited my 1st video and am attempting to get it onto RU-vid, I am not very good at tech stuff. I will let you know the title if I manage it, ha ha. All the best.....Andy

Hi Mike, What a great informative video. I’ve just bought my ProEdge Delux and this is a perfect tutorial. Thanks a million.

Need to show this to the wife and buy her flowers lol

I have had this system for a year now, and I can say it is tops and I rarely use my slow speed CBN wheels now. But it still does not help me with my skew chisel technique ;)

Hi Mike! Convenient sharpening machine!

Thanks for this educational video. I am considering buying this Pro Edge. Problem is that we do not have a wide variety of Robert Sorby products in South Africa and importing products from UK is very expensive. How often would one need to replace these belts and will the aluminium belts be okey for sharpening my HSS tools?

Thanks for all the tips and advice from a newbie Turner, got myself a pro edge deluxe, then followed the guides to reprofile my tools, the difference I have found is fantastic gone from hard work turning to nice ease to turning. The time to reprofile did take time, but by doing it let’s you get comfortable using Pro Edge. Once again many thanks for your teaching videos

Welcome to the world of the machine that saved my woodturning life. I couldn’t replicate angles on a grinding wheel, since I bought a pro edge I never looked back.

A great review, Mike - helpful and informative and very clear, as always. I love my proedge!

Thanks for a great review, Mike. I love my Pro Edge, too, and, probably more by luck than judgement, have come to the same conclusions as you regarding grits, bevel angles, etc. A useful addition to the video would be a demonstration of re-profiling a standard grind bowl gouge to a swept back grind. Thanks again.

Thanks Mike I used the tormek 8 and have just bought the pro edge ,now to sell the tormek

Great review Mike. I love my pro edge. I us the diamond belt which is amazing

Mike that was an amazing review thanks for sharing ! i was about to get one of those one day but a friend gift me the Tormek T8 that is also good !!! thanks for sharing !!

This machine has gotten terrible reviews here in the USA. I can see one or 2 but over 75% bad. Nothing more than a poorly made belt sander. Quality control apparently is not a priority. Considered it after watching your video, but then did some research and have decided to keep what I have. I'd rather spend the money on something that works out of the box.

Fantastic video on the Pro Edge System, I now and a owner of one.

I've been looking at sharpening systems trying to choose the right one for me and your review and your enthusiasm for this system has really helped me decide which one to go for - many thanks Mike!

I’ve had one for years and I love it.

Tormec is okay as long as you don't mind a hollow grind. I wish I had found this first!

Hi Mike. I've got one of these and wondered if there is any benefit to changing the angle on some my gouge's. They are primarily Robert Sorby gouges with 45 degree angles and I've tended to stick with that. Thanks for the demo as I have learnt a lot already about using it. E.G. I've been using the V Block to sharpen my bowl and splindle gouges when maybe I should be using jigs.

Having just bought one of these, this was an extremely helpful video, many thanks. 🙂

Agree Mike, its a great bit of kit. If I have one slight gripe it is that in my unheated garage workshop the bright metalwork is more prone to surface rust, than other iron metalwork, including the lathe bed, and needs oiling to reduce it.

can you do a video on your process of turning wet log in to blank and how you store your wood and how you stop the wood from cracking.

Jon Siegel, who is primarily a spindle specialist recommended belt sharpening a decade or so ago. I'll never go back to a wheel system, after trying sharpening just once with a lowly Harbor Freight 1x30 machine and silicon carbide belts. And for tools that work best without a hollow ground edge, the belt system is superior.

Well, been meaning to take the plunge also and just might now. Too many modifications got a bench grinder this machine is ready out of the box to sharpen anything. Nice!

Excellent review Mike. I’ve had mine for almost three years & it’s been the best investment my wife has made (lol !!) & one of the best birthday presents I have received - ever. Cheers Geof

Great information Mike, thanks. As a new woodturner I found a very gentle learning curve for the pro edge and still gives good results.

I have mine 3 yes, yes a game changer, Re metal dust, I took the round magnet from a magnetic tray from Aldi/Lidl and placed it on the base under the bottom of the belt. It collects 95% .

Thanks Mike after having had one for 4 year now I can at last (following your advice and demonstrations) get a good edge on my skews . Many thanks, keep the videos coming.

Only just found this machine as a sharpening system, I was thinking tormeck, would this be suitable for drawknives?, plane irons?, chisels? Thanks for any help, regards Darren

Hi Mike, great review, now thinking of selling my Tormek T7 (not everything is great with the hollow grind) and getting one of these. 1 question...when sharpening the skew, could you not have put the guide in upside down to grind the other side of the gouge, this would have negated the need to lower the bed as you would have been going from the same side, or have I got that mental picture wrong...or does it not fit upside down ??

Thanks Mike, I've been using this system for 18 months and do find it so simple. I think it's the repeatability that makes it easy. Thanks for sharing with us.

VERY useful video, thanks so much.

Just the basic system without any jigs is over $750 here in Aus and the deluxe version neer $1000

What direction is the belt moving? Is it coming down on the cutting edge of the gauge?

How long do the belts last? How many sharpenings can you get on the 120 grit?

Nice review Mike Glad your loving your ProEdge

I cut a small plastic rectangle with a little water and put it under the belt it collects the dust. It collects most of the dust

Hi Mike. I literally can't find any USA sellers that have the fingernail jig? I can only seem to find the long arm "boss" but not the whole jig. Do you know where I can get it? I inherited a Proedge

Hello Mike, nice demonstration. Can you tell me where you got that dinky little flexible light from? Best regards.

Question: Why is there an open square slot at the bottom of the lower belt pulley?

I got to get me one of these, I'm headed over to Harbor Freight to get one.

Hello Mike, Calling you from Pennsylvania USA.... I've been a free hand tool sharpener for my turning tools for decades. No systems used. Your video convinced me to purchase the pro edge deluxe with all the accessories. I love the repeatability! I'm doing a lot of reprofiling of coarse. Can you please share with me your nose angles for bowl and spindle gouges? Also, the top angle settings for the different fingernail grinds? I could probably bury you with a lot of pro edge questions but this is a start. Not enough detailed videos about this system on you tube. You video is awesome! I wish you all the best, be safe. I enjoy all you videos! Thank you very much, Gary

Hello instead of the proset can you use the tormek setter

I love using my Pro-Edge, wouldn’t be without it. See you soon mate. Cheers Jim

One of favorite tools...for simplicity.

Thanks for posting the link Mike, Just put my order through this morning, although they are currently waiting for stock to be delivered the guy I spoke to was a very pleasant chap & assured me they would be in next week & he'd give me a call if there was any holdup.

Thank you Mike - I think you’ve sold it to me!

Very good sharpening system...does not leave concavity in the chiesel... Greetings Mr. Mike

Great review Mike! I'm using the grinder, CBN wheels, and wolverine system and it does a good enough job, but I like how quickly you can you get repeatable results on the Pro Edge. Looks like my wish list just grew by one! - Ed

It is a nice machine. I just wished it had two speeds.

Do you recomend the hooner wheel? Great video ,

Hey Mike. I’m having trouble even with doing a standard gouge grind with the V groove. Once I hit the belt I seem to get some sort of vibration because it’s hard to keep the gouge seated in the groove. This leads to an uneven grind. Any recommendations?

Have seen this video 4 times no , ossum 👍

Thanks mike what a great info video on the pro edge. I have just ordered mine a few days ago as I have been using the bench grinder which I haven’t been happy using. I have been looking at the pro edge for a while now but like you unsure about its capabilities but after talking to a few people at makers central I thought I would take the plunge. Now I have seen this video i and think I have made the right choice. Thanks again for the great information.

Hi mike, can you tell me or anyone else tell me what angle the for holding the bowl gouge is set at please

Can you set it so the belt is positioned flat, horizontal to the table?

That machine still available?

After many years of wood turning I bought the proedge hated it & went back to my CBN wheel

Thanks for sharing Mike, waiting for ProEdge to arrive here in Australia. Unfortunately, the accessories for the Bowl Gouge Long Grind are not in stock for at least 6 months at all the places I could order those from here. Looking at making my own, Sid (Sid's Re-purposing has helped me out with measurements). Looking forward to upgrading from a grinder, CBN wheel, and my broken jig (overuse I think fatigued the alloy of the bowl gouge jig).

Thank you, the video is very helpful.

Mike , I was wanting to up my sharpening game and after much consideration I went for the Robert Sorby Pro Edge. I really replied on your video to make my decision and I must say your advice was "Spot On" !! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!! Keep it coming!!

Thanks for the review - saw the light (as they say) and bought the Pro Edge Deluxe! Robert Sorby suggest 120g for sharpening (60g for profiling) HSS woodturning tools and 240g for sharpening carbon steel chisel/plane blades. They suggest the relative longevity of the belts is 1x Aluminium Oxide, 2x Zirconium and 4-6x for Ceramic, so the slightly more expensive Ceramic belts are really the best value (as replacement) belts for HSS woodturning tools. The "lengths" for different angles for the fingernail profiler jig were not documented in the manual, however the Pro Set and long arm jig were "freebies", which makes a complete woodturning setup. Perfect results!

From another newbie who has just bought the proedge, Thanks, a cracking video Mike👍👏👏😀

A very thorough review, Mike. Thanks! See you at MC!

purchased the Pro-Edge and could not be happier. Have been using the slow speed grinder and CBN for quite a while but made the switch because I wanted the best thanks for the in-depth review.

Great review with bags of info, thank you. I got my Pro Edge today and look forward to getting out in the workshop to use it and improve my skills at a perfect edge, something I struggled to do with a grinding wheel and jig. I will be re-watching this video no doubt!

I have a question, what would you recommend for a bowl scraper? I use a sorby heavy duty bowl scraper but it doesnt always give me the finish I think its capable of. I currently just us an 80 degree bevel with no negative rake. Would a 25 degree negative rake and an 80 degree bevel be better or should I do 25/50 or 25/40? Mostly working on hardwood bowls, I find tearout takes a while to shift.

Thanks Mike, for 25 mins. of solid and valuable information. I have been musing over such a system for some time, but being one who cannot resist a design challenge, at the expense of turning time, I had built up my own comprehensive equipment for

Mike, an excellent review. Really more of a tutorial I think. You are very clear in your explanations. I have a CBN / Wolverine system and am mostly pleased but you demonstrated several points on the Sorby that overcome my few objections to the Wolverine. I don't think I am ready to make a change but when and if I ever do the Sorby will be at the top of the list of possibilities. I do think that the adjustment of the table angle could stand a bit of improvement. Perhaps replace the tightening arm with a large knurled knob. Thank you for sharing. One question: Why do you not use the 240 grit belt? Wouldn't that give a bit finer edge?

Hi Mike I watched both your vid here and on the record power grinder. I commented and bought the 8 inch record power grudgingly because of the cost difference. What a mistake, its wheels where so unbalanced it shook half my workshop. Luckily I could return it. I saved a couple of months more and am a proud owner of the pro edge. I bought second hand tools and just sorted out the worst skew in 10 min to a perfect edge. What a tool it's just amazing and no blueing on the chisel either, just had to share. If your reading this go buy it, it's worth every cent. Thankyou for this vid it sent me down the right path

Great review Mike. I really enjoy your channel. I am new to turning and I’m thinking about purchasing this machine. I am curious as if you’re still liking and using it. Thanks

A very helpful and great review for me, thank you Mike. I bought this nice machine at Olivers Woodturning due to your recommendation and I'm quite happy for the fast and reliable service. A happy new year and best wishes from Germany.

Seems a great bit of kit. If you decide to 'upgrade' you know my address. :) Hi Mike. It has been a while between one thing and another including ruptured gallbladder. Good news is that we have the tools (5 sets) for the fine woodworking school for indigent children. Our house is 90% finished and we are living upstairs since Christmas. Ciara is 4 yo now and going to school. Yesterday she was using a Ryoba saw. Don't be a stranger.

Great review Mike. When reprofiling a bowl gouge, Sorby recommend creating a half moon by grinding the gouge upside down, at 45 deg for a standard grind, then using that half moon as a guide for reprofiling. My question is - if you use the long grind jig, the actual angle is now not 45 deg but 50 or 55 - so when you reprofile do you create the half moon at 50 or 55 rather than 45? Hope this not too confusing.

Thank you, Mike. Although I am only a few months into woodturning I have come to the conclusion that sharpening by hand is not my forte'. Sometimes my gouge cuts like a knife through butter, then after another sharpen, it's almost useless. I have been thinking about the Sorby for a few weeks now, listened to Martin and now your thoughts on this system and I'm sold. Getting one next weekend.. Thank you for your thoughts and explanations.

Hello Mike, I bought the ProEdge from Olivers Woodturning. Superb! Only had it a week and it is really great.

Quite possibly one of the most used tools in my workshop! I use it for everything. It makes a brilliant job of sharpening drill bits, restoring screw driver tips and general metalwork grinding duties. The 3000 belt gets blades to scary shaving sharpness. I have the buffing mop spindle and use it with buffing and scotch mops to restore even the most neglected of tools back to fine useable condition. The build quality of the machine is top notch and of very high quality materials. It is easily up to hard daily use in a busy commercial workshop. Mine will never be up for sale! ,at new price it's a real bargain.

Mike, I've had the pro-edge for 2 years now and I agree with every word and every sentiment you expressed. Because of the ease of use and the how quickly it sharpens, I use it without thinking . Putting the tool to the pro-edge is as natural as putting it to the work. I would add that you don't need a pot of water for cooling as there is very little heat. (Maybe yes for major reprofiling, but even there it is only to prevent you fingers getting uncomfortable, nothing to do with the steel). Thanks.

Looks great Mike, I can see you're well satisfied. Am I alone in being impressed with the maual having a colour cover. I thought it was mandatory for all manuals to be photo-copied black and white in lots of languages with English being poorly translated. 😉

Thanks Mike- as a new turner I asked around at my club and the dominant view was the Pro Edge so I went with it and it is exactly as you say - simplicity itself to use and very effective. However you showed me some new things today I didn't know and not in the manual- thank you. By the way I have now been using the FU230 for several weeks and it is brilliant= thanks a million. The only real issue I now have is splitting wood- I was given four trees about two months ago- have started to make into bowl blanks and turned the first one yesterday into a rough bowl - about 12 inches- it split on the lathe over night!. What do I do? I have a turned a mortice but a crack has gone into it from the rim so presume it is now not safe to turn? another great video - Thanks again , Mark

Many thanks for this review. I’ve been thinking about the Proedge. I went over to a CBN wheel on my grinder last year and have been pleased with the edge I get. It is fiddly to change the angles. I wondered about this Proedge and whether it would be easier and still give as good results. Many club members use them. Reckon that you’ve sold on the fact that it’s pretty much idiot proof which is what I need being the town clown. Me thinks I’ll need to find some shekels! Thanks again.

I took the plunge with the Pro edge at the Newark show as I wasn't happy with the wet stone system I had......Boy its made a difference....Great unbiased review

Thank you for this

Entirely agree with you I have just purchased the deluxe model from Yandles & Son it is a superb machine as I was having trouble with my wet stone grinder as I have arthritis in my hands, this sharpener is very easy to use and I am delighted. Brilliant video very well explained thanks for sharing .

Fabulous review Mike. Might have to break into the piggy bank for this upgrade, but can't wait to add this to my shop. Regards!

Superb review as usual Mike. I bought my Pro Edge about 6 months ago but am not yet convinced that it produces as good an "edge" as my old CBN. I cant come to terms with the bounce you get as the joint in the belt passes over

Mike, a great presentation as usual, to play devils advocate here, this system doesn't do anything different to grinder sharpening, to set one up from scratch is as good as setting up a grinder system. The Tormec stuff, while being very good is also very expensive so this is where the Sorby system is a better set up option. As you point out you replaced your old with the Sorby at little or no cost. Regards Stephen

This machine has been responsible for improving my standards and enjoyment of wood turning in equal measure. I would not be without it. Thanks for sharing

hi, you seem very pleased with your Sorby sharpening system, there is just one thing I would like to meton, with your grinder and CN wheels, this is a one time purchase , but with the sorby system, you will have to replace the belts from time to time, in the long run this will cost you more to run than the CN wheels , I was very surprised to hear you say that you have sold the grinder and CN wheels, now you have left your self with no backup. Just my opinion, keep up the good work.

Thank you taking the time to make this very informative video. It was the deciding factor for me before making the purchase. I got a great deal on eBay and also purchased the other two parts.

Aside from a lesson from Martin Saban-Smith the ProEdge has had the biggest impact on my turning, it really is an awesome piece of kit!

Great review of a very versatile tool. I'm not much of a wood turner and just use a home made head in my metal lathe. I usually used my grinder for my chisels which again are home made ( and could be harder), I have always found the radius only requires touching very occasionally and is handy for stoning the edge with my little Arkansas stone due to the tiny amount of material needing to be removed and the easy seating on the heel and edge. Is there any need for stoning with thjs device. Thanks Mike.

Amazing video thank you. Was unsure whether to buy this system but seeing this video I have no doubt and now know exactly how to use it. Thank you

I find the 240g belt a better option than the 120g a s you get a sharper edge which means that you do not have to push the tool as much and get a cleaner cut with an edge that lasts longer. The skew jig is very hit and miss as yo can still run up the belt and lenghten the bevel, as well they produce a oval skew and you still are not able to sharpen properly.

Brilliant Mike, you really brings out the value of this immense sharpener. I dug deep, early on, to get one and have never looked back.