We've just released the new Wicked Edge Field & Sport knife sharpener. It's a portable, robust unit with grits 100#, 200#, 400# and 600#, all in diamond. The kit comes with an easy mount riser and C-clamp, carrying case, and is manufactured in our facility in St. Johnsbury, VT. Here are some pictures to get started, hopefully a video is forthcoming this week:

sweet!! what kind of joints are those for the arms? I like the vise... seems like there's less material to get in the way of the stones! =)

razoredgeknives wrote:


The Lucite collar rotates around the base rod which is grooved every two degrees. A pin through the collar keeps it in place in the selected groove. The collars can only slide along the rod and change angles when they're upside down. The guide rod is pinned to the collar, allowing it to pivot as well and giving a full range of motion.

I purchased this kit on my last visit to Wicked Edge. Here's my quick take on it...

As usual, quality build, should last a long time. The arm/joint design works smooth. Angles are in 2 degree increments 12-30 deg., and were within .5 degree on a few knives I checked during sharpening. No problem getting consistent, even bevels. On the knives I tried (3-4 inch pocket and hunting style), the lowest I could go was 16 deg. without hitting the clamp. Since this was lower than the bevel on the knives, I didn't spin any time dwelling on this to see if I could go lower. Instead of the key/depth gauge setup on the original WE, this version has a small notch or shelf cut on the inside of the clamp you can use as a guide.

While I understand the C-clamp (to keep it all in a compact kit), after a couple of uses, I abandoned it, and used a 6" quick release clamp. (I actually abandoned the C-clamp when I couldn't tighten it down on my kitchen counter... I didn't have enough clearance to easily turn it.) I set it up in various places (kitchen counter, dining room table, workbench) and other than the C-clamp problem, there were no other issues. I also bolted it to the top of a toolbox (there's a hole drilled in the bottom of the base), and used it there... no problem. It's quick and easy to setup... slide the arms on, and get started.

You can get a nice workable edge off the 600g stones, but I added a small ceramic rod that fit in the kit. The rod works great for cleaning up the edge, and removing any burr if a stubborn knife is encountered. But even without it, I could get an edge that would shave arm hair, or slice paper... no problem.

All in all, with the exception of being able to set a more precise angle, I could see little difference in use between this and the original WE. The jaws are designed a little different, which may translate into not being able to set as low an angle on this model, but I didn't actually check this so can't say for sure. And there's no "knife brace" to assist in sharpening thin/flexible knives. But it put great edges on the knives I tried!!

Good stuff!

cbw

Hello Clay,

Just curious, why do you feature in the photos and in the recent video FALLKNIVEN F1 which normally has convex grind. That created a lot of puzzlement on Ukrainian knife forums where I posted both photos and vid, most people do not think it is possible to do convex in sharpener systems and while I know that it is possible with WE (I read FAQ) and attracted their attention to that fact still I am curious why F1?

Hey Taras,

Good question. I noticed when I received my F1 that while the total grind was convex, there was actually a small micro-bevel on the blade, so not a true convex grind to convex edge. So, I decided to stick with the way the factory had sharpened it. Here's a picture of it just out of the box:



I'm glad I kept the photo, suspected it would come in handy one day. You're right about being able to create the convex edge with the sharpener - for me to turn that little micro-bevel into a convex edge would only take a moment with the strops. I'd simple lower the angle by a couple of degrees and begin stropping to blend the blade grind into the edge and erase the shoulder of the bevel.

TarasShevchenko wrote:

Thanks Clay, it explanes a lot, things are not always as they seem to naked eye

For those that haven't seen it yet, here is the brief video to which Taras is referring:

Seriously??? You take a field trip, and this is all we get?

The rest is TOP SECRET. Well, not really, not all of it anyway. Some was just working on details of the case for the Field & Sport and a few other little R&D projects.

cbwx34 wrote: