Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Vises and bench grinders?

Wow. You guys are serious. And educational. I thank you.

I absolutely believe that the stone, belt-sander and Mike's Wheelie System prove outstanding, state-of-the-art edges.

We have Forschner and Henckels knives. I've been using the Chef's Choice electric sharpener for years.

Here's why: I actually USE it. A couple times a week, at least. Doing so takes no setup, no trip to the garage, and no skill.

If I tried to switch to one of those other, better systems, I would simply find them too much trouble, and would sharpen the knives less frequently.

So, this is an instance where I have decided to forsake "the perfect" for "the good".

I can't believe that I'm the guy who ISN'T taking some process to its extreme. Occasionally, you guys make my level of tense look good to my wife. Thanks for that.

Well Tom I reckon I better tell the story.... I am much like you. Unless the blade is one of my hunting blades, sharp is good enough. In a past life, I was a commercial fisherman, then I spent a great deal of time under water in the service. Fisherman and divers know that a knife is not just a tool, but something that will be needed some day to save their lives, or someone else's life. But after that life was over, I learned the value of time. Good enough is sometimes good enough. The reason I went all high tech with this is because my buddy got me into it. About ten years ago, his wife, and my then wife, now ex-wife got suckered into waterless cookware packaged with some high dollar knifes. By buddy and I got stuck with the bill (about five grand each). The damn knife sets were $1200, but bundled with the cookware, "A smokin' deal at $800!" - ya right... Excellent knives, but extremely difficult to put an edge on them, and even harder to keep an edge. I don't know what grade SS they are, or what temper, but they suck to sharpen. Over the years my bud and I would often commensurate over these G-damn knives and our G-damn wives and their G-damn 'waterless' cookware that we paid a fortune for, but yet the G-damn women would always use oil or water with the "waterless cookware" they JUST HAD TO HAVE. Then one day my bud told me to bring my G-damn kitchen knife set over and he would put an edge on them for me. Of course I thought he was full of shit, because I couldn't ever seam to do that, but I gave it a whirl. End of story, I bought a cheap 10" grinder and these wheels. I run the knives through them about every six months, or more. I use a steel on them before I use them.

Good story, except for the appalling lack of alcohol.

....I can't tell those stories on this sight.

Damn you, Mike. Now I'm looking at those Razor Sharp wheels.

I'm a man of few words, but each carries more weight... you know, like a mid-70s Elvis.

Bren R.