Generation 4 Pro

5-stars and the new Gen 4 Pro deserves every one of them. It is a dream, a vast improvement over my original Wicked Edge unit. It's like driving a smooth, quiet, comfortable Mercedes instead of an old balloon-tire bicycle. Both will get you there, but one is a pleasure to drive.

Here's what I especially like. First and foremost, setting the bevel angle is vastly improved. On the old version, you usually needed a magnifying lens to read the angle markers and you also frequently had to re-tighten the set screws. It was a tedious and finicky system. On the new Gen 4, all you need do is depress the button and slide to an easily-readable angle marker. All set, no sweat.

My old base was a clunky and heavy marble slab, difficult to pick up, hard to store. The new unit has a (very nicely-machined) metal plate, easy to carry and store, yet sturdy enough to keep the sharpener steady when using.

I also like the accessory extender for small knives. The old unit did not have that capability and I truly missed the ability to sharpen my pocket knife. Potential buyers should note that this accessory renders the bevel angle indicator significantly off, so the Digital Angle Gauge option is extremely useful.

I'm not crazy about the new plastic grid that's designed to replicate the placement of knives with a pronounced curve, because most of my knives are straight kitchen knives for which that is not an issue. Boning, paring, carving, steak and chef's knives do not have the curve and are typically too long for that grid to be useful.

Any way you slice it, the new Gen 4 Pro is a wonderful unit and a vast improvement on the old system. 5 stars for sure.

Love it

As a novice knife sharpener I wanted a good, easy to use sharpener that lets you create a sharp blade. I had tried several other much cheaper sharpeners but wasn’t happy with the results so invested in this. I’m very happy with the results. Plus great videos on how to use it. Worth the cost.

Couple of Wicked Edges

As I promised, I am providing thoughts on the Gen 4 at my first opportunity. Just received it today. I recently received a Damascus blade ZT knife which despite only being factory sharp is rapidly becoming a favorite EDC. I have been looking forward to getting it sharp on the Gen 4 Pro.

My first impression of the Gen 4 is the engineering. I got the one with the newer iteration of micro adjustment option. I am not sure why one would spend the money for such an expensive device and not get this option, as it is the real difference maker. Flat base similar to my Obsidian. The footprint of this base is actually a little smaller, but just as solid as the WE66. Just screwing in the arms into the pivots screamed precision! The threads are exact. There is no slop in the arms and they stop at every position, but there is no effort in moving them. The angle adjustment system is impressive. Finding the exact angle and sweet spot on the knife was quicker than on the WE66. My factory sharp blade was turned into an arm hair shaving blade in just a few minutes with the 800 and 1000 grit stones, followed by a quick strop.

Is the Gen 4 necessary. Yes if you are a little OCD, a perfectionist lacking the patience to sharpen manually. It is difficult to be critical of the Obsidian, because it does a great job. I just have a little more confidence in the micro adjustments on the Gen 4, and I can see it being a little quicker to set up a knife, which would add up over time if you were providing a knife sharpening business. When you get to the best, only the individual can decide if the last few steps are necessary. This has got to be near the very top. Outside of storage, I don’t see much advantage tothe shelf option and would alter my position for using the sharpener significantly.