This Knife Sharpener Just Blew My Mind 

leave it to the West Coast guys to shave their arms

You west coast boys be sure to have your husbands help you with this.

I've had mine for around 15 years. I learned about it from a professional saddle maker. I bought a used Ryobi grinder, and reversed the base so the switch is in front, but the wheel turns away from you. That really is a game changer, and much safer. I sharpen everything with it. I even re-sharpen my utility knife blades because it is faster to re-sharpen them than to replace them! I would advise reading the instructions once.

"If you're an east coast guy just stand behind your fat wife" LMAO that caught me off guard.

Hi Cody! I've used that type of wheel for about 30 years or so. They are awesome! I've found that if you will work from the front of the wheel closest to you and lock your elbows against your sides, looking down at the contact point between knife and wheel, you can maintain a steady hand and see the angle better. It takes practice but its totally worth it. 🇺🇸😎

When he took the knife across the file, my stomach clinched up. Great video. Thank you.

Thank god theres someone out there what just wants a sharp knife not a maths class thank you great video. 👍

I could be mistaken, but doesn’t the Mason-Dixon Line run East/west? That would make you a north-south guy not a East-leftist coast guy.

Lol “hey bro why is your dads arm shaved” -Jack “oh he’s from Portland, keep Portland weird”

Us East coast guys would use the bottom side of the wheel.

I love how this guy is consistently shocked by tools and processes that have been around a long time and portrays them as something new.

I bought one of these many years ago and haven't used it yet as I never got round to getting a bench grinder to leave it set up on. you've shown me it is worth the effort for the results.thank you.

Thanks ken, we would love for you to be on the channel someday!!!

Well i live south of the Mississippi river so im good.

"what are these exactly" your daughter is so sweet and articulate. You and Mrs W have done a great job with you children. An inspiration to many 🌿

you can always tell a "knife guy" by the random bare spots all over thier arms...

Man that hurt my soul seeing that knife go across that file.

love it - thanks for sharing the struggles and attempts for _sharp_ pokey things. Really love the east-coast jabs. That one fit in so effortlessly.

So I had bought this several years ago and I still love it today. One step further I use a cotton buffing wheel with a cutting compound and then I have near perfection in under a minute. Even with a very dull blade. As well I sharpen everything with it.

I've had this sharpening system for a few years. Like you just saw, it does create a sharp edge quickly. I sharpened a lot of knives with this system and learned a few things. Like Wranglestar said, this is not for beginner sharpeners. Because of the grinder/buffer speed things happen quickly; combine that with very aggressive 120 grit silicon carbide and you can dicker up a blade in about one second- literally. One second of dwell time on the same spot, with a little pressure, gets you a big divot in your blade. Also because of the wheel speed, heat build up happens quickly. I found this to be a big drawback to the system. Overheating the blade takes no time at all- the blade has to be constantly moving or it overheats. Also means you can't correct problem spots on the blade by grinding in one place. The way Wranglestar showed it is the only way the system can be used. Eventually the grit on the grinding wheel wears out, and quicker than you would like. Silicon carbide is crazy hard (you can grind tungsten carbide with it) but it's also very friable and breaks down quickly. But it cuts like a light saber when it's fresh, which is why that abrasive medium was probably picked. There's a process to replace it with the container of 120 grit silicon carbide provided with the kit, and it's a huge pain in the rear. First, getting the old stuff off is near impossible. It may be worn out and dull but it's still silicon carbide and one of the harder materials known to man. Basically there's nothing you can use to wear away the old grit. You have to use something to dig past it and wear away the wheel itself. I eventually used 30 grit sandpaper and lots of swearing. Afterwards the wheel had to be trued. The rest of the process is no better getting the silicon carbide back on. I've done the process twice and it's never worked as well as new. Very hard to get the new stuff on in a thin, even layer. Still, with all the issues, it does put a sharp edge on a knife quickly. If you think this system is for you because of its speed, I recommend a couple things. One, use a grinder with variable speed. The slower you can get it to go the better your results will be. Second, practice with a few knives you're willing to damage until you get the hang of how fast you have to move and how little pressure you need to use.

I saw a video about this before. People doing the exact same thing but cutting the circle out of an MDF sheet.. I always wondered if someone would sell a pre-made option for the lazy people like me!

Best "East Coast Guys" joke to date. You're killin me Cody. 🤣

Us no coast guys are over here sharpening our tools on a flat rock. You west coast guys have all the luxuries.

Thanks for the simplicity of this demo. What may help is learning using the part of the wheel below the axel in opposition of above, then you would be on the right way having the wheel turning away from your cutting edge, the way you use to. Just an idea that I've been practicing and it does work, too.

You ever go in the house, have Mrs W see your arm and say "oh, sharpening video again today?" :)

I run the sharpening department at the Smoky mountain knife works, and this is what we use to sharpen 100s of knives a day. Hard to beat!

"Start it and just touch it." A West Coast saying for when a boy begins manhood :)

I'm an East Coast guy and the fat wife comment was HILARIOUS!

Made my own wheel. Harbor Freight polishing compounds. Been doing this for years.

I just made these kinda wheels today out of some scrap pieces of mdf. Works perfectly fine👍🏼

Thanks for reviewing this. We used these during the trappers course in northern Canada. I found it was much more comfortable when turned around so that they wheel is rotating away from you. It's also a little safer.

I am with you on function vs getting the perfect angles. As long as it get the knife sharp and does not require a ton of effort I am in. Any kind of tool like this that can speed up productivity is a huge bonus. I am a bit late to the party, but it would be nice to see you sharpen some common woodworking tools such as a chisel or plane blade, and maybe some other tools you would use out in the field such has an axe or hatchet. Thanks for sharing!

I live in New Jersey. That is East Coast. Someone from Ohio or anywhere in the Midwest are just that: Midwesterners, not from the East Coast. In fact, those whose state does not border the Atlantic Ocean are not from the East Coast. I'd like to see an ax and lawn mower blades sharpened. They are such heavy iron, not like a knife blade. I would seem like they would be more than the grinder wheels could handle.

"East" of the Masson Dixon line? Ah, someone needs a geography lesson.

I've been using the MDF system for years, everything from my fine wood carving tools to my axe. Now I make my own by roughing out rounds on my band saw and then refining them on the lathe. BEST SYSTEM EVER. I know you purest will bash this but nothing beats the simplicity and quality.

instead of paying $65 on those wheels go to the shop and cut out a 6" circle out off MDF, mount it on your grinder and apply some rouge. It does the exact same thing. been doing it for awhile now.

Really need a warning about the blade on the file, oh deary me

You mentioned sharpening axes. (13:43), try that. It would he cool to see how it does against a beefy edge.

The Art of Weapons guy was raving about MDF sharpeners way back when -- They work great!

West coast guys use loofa sponges in the shower, East coast guys use Brillo

You were on the right track. I turned my grinder around and it’s much easier to use.

Do what I did. Unbolt the motor, rotate it back to front and rebolt it. then it will spin away from you and it is much easier to use. Love mine!

Cody, I'm from the Midwest now living in western PA (Yankees live here, and I married a great one). Thanks for wearing the hat! Very funny comments. Great vid, thanks for the humor.

Definitely turn the grinder around. It really helps out. It also makes me feel safer knowing the wheel is spinning away from me. Personally for me I just sharpen the knife using stones, sandpaper, etc. and strop on leather whenever it gets dull. I carry the leather with me for a quick touch up.

I was raised in Atlanta. Unashamed East Coaster getting rich off the labor and natural resources of the west coast. Keep working hard guys! 🤙🤙

7:43, turn the base around, have it rotate away from you, or change the polarity of the motor.

I remember few years ago you weren't that good in these kind of stuff but you surely tought yourself and others in the process excellent work keep it up sir.

I made my own disks out of MDF on a bandsaw. However I also elevated the grinder a full 3". Which enables me to hold the blade at a downwards angle that's a lot more comfortable to use at around 120° down from TDC. This sweet spot also makes it easier to built an angle Jig up front for that precision edge. Hope this info is of use guys

Turn the grinder around! I have a dedicated grinder for this in my garage. Not awkward at all.

I've wanted to try that system. Why not compare it side-by-side to the Worksharp belt sander?

I’ve been on the fence on getting the Para 3 and you have no clue how excited I just got that it’s your new EDC, I’m extatic! PLEASE do a full review!!!

I bought this system 4 days ago. Sharpened every knife i have in my kitchen, shop, work trailer and travel trailer, my buddies entire kitchen knife set and another friends. We all love cooking so our collections are extensive. I am 100% a newbie to sharpening and we were able to slice a tomato about the thickness of 3 pieces of paper. It’s incredible how easy it is. And i shaved my arm as a test. 1000% recommend. But definitely read the instructions and I found it easier to ise the grinder flipped around.

“Just stand behind your fat wife”. 😂😂😂. As an east coast guy, “East” of the mason dixon line... I resemble that remark! Bless you bro. Love your vids, your humor, and your integrity.

I use a piece of 3/4 marine ply that I cut out with a 6" hole saw and a $4 buffing wheel. Both with 800 grit valve grinding compound. That's been on my bench for 30+ years. Leave it to a West Coast Guy to reinvent the wheel.

I have always used a 150mm x 50mm felt wheel to sharpen knives with. It is functionally as hard as MDF. It does a perfect job of sharpening because it does not remove metal, merely pushes it around the blade and polishes it to razor sharpness.

I saw somebody on RU-vid a couple years ago use the a plywood disc and jewelers rouge. This guy refined it and packaged it. Kudos to him

Turn the grinder around on the bench!!! I know it is mounted but trust me it will be worth the effort!!!!!

When the first Bass Pro Shop open in Springfield Missouri this is the system that they would use to sharpen your knife and they would actually sell you the cardboard wheels with a lifetime guarantee. I have used these for many years. I'm sure you figured it out by now but here's a different way to do it. Stand directly in front of the buffer having the wheels turning toward you rotating from ceiling to floor. Making sure to always have the knife Edge pointed towards the floor. Holding the knife in front of you about waist height you bring the knife edge to the apex of the wheel closest to you at your waist. This now allows you to look down between the wheel and the knife edge allowing you to easily View the exact angle where's the blade meets the wheel. I always brought the knife to the edge of the wheel very lightly doing a few Strokes in each Direction on the grinding wheel till you will feel the wire Edge come up on one side of the blade and then the other . when you have a wire edge completely from Hilt to tip on both sides of the knife move to the buffing wheel and do an even number of Strokes on each side until the wire edge is removed from both sides of the knife you are now sharp. you can always stropp it on some leather if you just want to show off LOL. It might take a minutes for the whole process depending on what shape the knife is in from that point on you can pretty much keep it sharp just on the stropping Wheel. I'm sure you probably read the instructions and have figured out how to resurface the wheel. In the old days they would have you take a piece of newspaper opened it up and sprinkled your valve grinding dust on The newspaper in a strip about 1 and 1/2 inches wide and about a foot long and about a quarter inch deep you would then take Elmer's Glue wipe it on to the edge of the wheel with your finger then after cleaning your finger off roll the edge of the wheel through the valve grinding dust. you do not need to make the wheel sloppy wet with the glue but you do need to use enough to let the valve grinding dust adhere to the wheel and seat. lay it on its side let it dry good at least overnight and you are now ready to go. shake the excess valve grinding dust into the fold of the newspaper in pour it back into it's cup. a tip for the wax. they used to call it bear Grease it is easy to overdo the wax apply it very lightly you can always add more but you cannot remove it if you have too much on the grit will not cut the steel of your knife you will add more and more pressure just causing things to heat up the wax should be used very lightly and when you have the right amount the grit wheel will still cut easily but with very little Heat never let your blade heat up. Angles or bevels. while you will easily be able to make your knife and any other tool shave hair you will find that a fine Edge will dull rather quickly this is no problem if you can get your Edge again but is a great problem if you're going to be out in the field for a while. I hope a few of these tips helped. there are plenty of tips online to learn how to get a more convex Edge if you need one. Simon

People on RU-vid are so obsessed with knife sharpening, with all the different systems and geometry and angles etc. I’m with you, I just want a sharp knife!

I made this system myself, cut the wheels using a bandsaw. After mounting them I turned 'em like I would on a lathe, works just fine. My shop has low humidity, but instead of MDF I'm sure you could use any kind layered wood, as long as the glue between the layers is waterproof.

The way you moved the camera down I thought you were going to do an east coast shave. I was thought I was going to have to turn the video off.😨

Hey Cody, sharpen another butter knife with those wheels!

Hey Cody, if you are going to make it a dedicated sharpener, just mount the grinder facing backwards. Then your wheels spin in a more natural direction. Not hard to rig the switch to be easy to operate from the back side

Been using this very paper wheel sharpening system for years! Originally bought it to sharpen traditional broad heads for deer hunting... quickly realized the effectiveness and started using on knives. Can sharpen the old lady’s whole kitchen knife set to shave hair in 20 min. I don’t sharpen my expensive folding knives on it unless it’s time to reprofile... otherwise Spyderco sharpmaker to remove as lil metal as possible. Love that set up. Is noisy as hell though from the vibration.

My ex wife told me she felt bad because she was getting fat, then asked me for a complement to make her feel better. I told her she had perfect eye sight.

I always thought states that touch the Atlantic Ocean were East Coasters.

I've used paper wheels for a few years now and have been real happy with them. I got a cheap Harbor Freight grinder and turned it around on it's base. You can get a perfect angle by keeping the blade perfectly horizontal and adjusting the height that you touch the blade to the wheel. If you have to re-grit the wheel, apply white glue and roll it in the grit. Use a metal tool on the spinning wheel to get rid of the excess grit. It may not be the ultimate sharpener but will give you a nice edge in a few seconds without any BS.

I have owned one of these for 5 years and they work well. The wheel should turn away from you to avoid injury. The 180 grit coarse wheel sets a new edge. You can use various compounds on the slotted wheel for finishing and polishing and glue new 180 grit particles on the regular wheel when needed( which come with the kit). The results are good, but I always end up with a razor strop to do the final sharpening. Hang the strop in a convenient place in the kitchen and use it frequently on knives you cook with, which will make food preparation so much more pleasant. You can do all your knives in about 30-45 minutes. Just spend extra time stropping at the end so they are "wicked shahp"! Spoken by an east coast man from mid-coast Maine. Ayunh!

“I don’t have the attention span for it”🤣🤣🤣

“Hey my wife not fat, she’s just has her own gravitational pull”

I use this method. Turned the MDF myself though. I seperated my base on my grinder and turned the motor around. I don't want a knife flying at me. I've been sharpening knives like this for a few years. It works very well.

I grew up sharpening knives in my Uncles stores, Excalibur and with that I feel like I’ve used every sharpener on the planet. While this isn’t my favorite it’s absolutely the most used in my shop. For all my pocket knives and cheaper knives I use this system which is 90% of the sharpening I do any more. I absolutely love the buffer. I seldom use the grit wheel as it is aggressive and can heat the blade if not careful. The buffing wheel however, I use all the time to bring back an edge that still in good shape just a little dull. My two cents, if you do you the grit wheel, use light pressure and have a glass of ice water to help keep the blade cold.

What about making a "poor man's knife sharpener" with mdf discs???? Would be awesome to see.

That system removes a good amount of metal from your blade. I've known of a guy sharpening knives at the local gunshow who has ruined so to speak, created several very p---ed off people in his wake. I've had that system for many years and it sets unused on a shelf, and has been for a long time.

I've heard of this system before. But, this was the best demo I've seen of it. Would've liked a link to buy it maybe?

I've had a set of these for a couple of years. Definitely do flip the grinder around 180, it's far easier (and safer) with the wheel rotating away from you. Unless a knife is really dull I don't use the carbide wheel, because the carbide comes off pretty easily and putting it back on is annoying. To get me started on angles I printed out protractors on paper and glued them to the wheels, but once I got a feel for it I stopped looking at those.

"I caught it on fire one time"

Loving the vids they are helping me set up my workshop

I just bought an All American Sharpener kit for my mower blades. Cost about $200 delivered from the factory. A little expensive, but I have 4 mowers to keep up with (about 50 blades in the rotation). Yes it's a dedicated setup, but probably necessary for consistency. This looks like a nice little setup for EDC knives, kitchen knives and all the little blades that we carry around. Probably well worth the $60 for an average guy on either coast

I didn’t expect jokes!! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. Hahaha

6:04 - Cody's impression of Jeremy Clarkson?

8:15 "This is very awkward" Yeah, it is rly akward to use the sharpener in a *wrong* direction.

I have been using this system for over 30 years the more you practice the better you get and the blades you sharpen will be sharper each time you do it again I love the system be careful and don't get your lax on safety it will hurt you bad !!!

Back in the 90's I picked up a set of these at a gun show and decided to sharpen my new girlfriend's knife set. It sharpened the knifes so well that it literally cut threw the cutting board sheet just slicing up a tomato. You could get a knife so sharp with a little attention that you would just about have to be careful shaving your arm. Best sharpener i have ever found so far, and I have tried most every one.

There's a reason things come with instructions. Had you bothered to read them you know those things you said you couldn't be bothered with; you would see that the rotation of the wheel matters. Grinding wheels typically always rotate down. In the instructions you'll see that it requires upward rotation. Doing so will not only make it not so awkward to use as it will be grinding with the blade pointing away from you; but it's also for safety reasons. If that knife were to get out of your grip and the grinding wheel were to throw it where do you think it's going to go if it's rotating toward you. That's the secondary reason why they're supposed to be facing away from you so that if it does catch or get loose from your hand it is thrown away from you not toward you. There is however one thing I do not like about these sharpeners. Although it is very subtle; The edge that they put on them is mildly concave due to the circular shape of the wheel. This leaves a hollow grind that holds up a lot less than a convex edge. I would almost always rather if I'm going to use rotation for sharpening a blade; use a belt so that I have a convex edge. Hollow grinds are only good on certain types of knives and a rotating wheel will always leave you with a mild hollow grind unless you have large Wheels. They are great for certain types of blades; but a convex edge will hold up longer and stand more abuse without breakage or chipping; which you would assume one would want for their EDC or field knife. Just my opinion

Point of order: The Mason-Dixon runs East -West. So being “East of the Mason-Dixon Line would put someone in the Atlantic Ocean. Us East coast boys know this. :-) Love the videos.

I made a couple of wheels out of MDF and it works great. It might have been easier to have just bought a set, but in the end am happy with the results.

Looks good, it's small enough that you could store it in the house out of the humidity. Also look into making some tables to hold the angle out of plywood set it up so the plywood will seat around the base then build the top table part to where you need it. Make several for the different knives,axes etc. CHEERS!

The way I sees it the regions of the us are east coast, west coast, mountain, cold, and tornado

0:23 "If you are east of the Mason-Dixon line...". Impossible. You cannot be east of a line that runs predominately east and west. You are north or south of it, NOT east or west of it. From Georgia, definitely SOUTH of the Mason-Dixon Line...Bob

These grinder sharpeners are all my dad uses to sharpen me and his knives. He used way back when he worked in his sheet metal shop to sharpen his snips, scissors and other tools

My Dad and I use to sharpen knives at the park and swap 35 years ago and we used the paper wheels that I now have. the thing that makes them so good is the slotted wheel polishes the edge so it stays sharper longer.

"oh i can't be bothered with this" I never empathised with you more.

[Makes fun of East Coasters] - - [Shaves his arms]

I just made a wheel out of MDF today, got into sharpening and got dmt diamond stones , a naniwa 3000 grit cost £80 and got okay results, but I had a spare bench grinder in the shed and made a wheel,I did reverse the grinder which makes sharpening much more controlled, covered my mdf wheel with green compound , it took 2 mins to get a razor edge on an old knife. I also brought a cheap silverline power file and found it just great with a 240 grit belt to sharpen axes machettes and to take loads of meat off blunt heavy duty knives, I totally agree with you Mr Wranglestar , there are so many knife snobs out there that pay 100s for a knife then 100s more for a sharpening system that takes hours to use to full potential, then they put the thing in a cabinet cause they are scared to use it , Like your videos you keep it real for guys like me , I am in England on lockdown so got time to watch loads of your stuff thankyou Sir

Been using this style of sharpenin system 4 many years n man does it work. U might wanna b aware of the angles 4 ur application but it works

East coast guy would turn the grinder around if he wanted to reverse the rotation.

Yeah I’m just gonna stick with my fixed angle sharpener but its perfect for a guy who doesnt even have the attention span to read instructions

Loved your method and conclusions about this Wrangler. Quick and Dirty works for me. Don't need too much scientifical stuff to get the job done!

my grandpaw worked in a saddle shop for over 30 years. this is how they sharpened knives. they cut dry thick leather all day long. He takes it one step further though. he makes a few more light passes on a fine buffing wheel. His knives are more than scary sharp. ps he is an east coast man lol