Best Filet Knife Sharpener???

Never even heard of this... As said before good quality steel is of major importance.
I have a double grade Oregon stone I have had for years, one of the best chefs I ever worked for showed me how to use a stone properly, once every 3 months or so I re establish the edge and then hone with a steel before each and every job and during if needed. Mainly kitchen knives.
The edge is now just how it cuts best for me.
I so hear yah on there being a definite technique
for using a stone, very interesting little machines by the sounds of it.
 
Got the "Fiskers splitting axe", the chef choice 130 will be here 1 Aug, what's next? Nogs spoons?

Got to stay off this forum for a while. :). ......BB
 
Got the sharpener today and went at it with our cheapy house knives. They are scary sharp now. I've just finished doing up a large batch of cold smoked salmon and with a small paring knife, I can now cut the salmon to restaurant grade thinness that you can almost see through. I can even do the "pull through paper" trick now.

I found that running them slowly through Stage 1 at least 10x per side really cleaned up the edge -- some of the knives in our drawer were brutal. Using the Steeled Edge Stage 2 process after Stage 1 on butcher knives etc really gives them a super sharp bite. Thinking I should set up a Knife Sharpening Stand on the dock :-)

Will take the sharpener to the boat with me next time I go. I have about 6 filet knives that need a big treatment.

The first time you run knives that have not been through the machine before you will have to make quite a few passes on phase #1. This sets the edge up for 2 and 3 and has be for me a fairly heavy grind until you can see that the bevel is to the edge. After that you will not have to go back to it often.

Makes you wonder what so special about a knife sharpening company after using one of these units. lol
 
Yeah, i've run the chef's choice 130 for several years. It's paid for it's self many times over for me. 2 thumbs up!
 
You can't beat a knife sharpened by a true professional, but there are a lot of untrue ones out there. That, combined with the fact that I never remember to sharpen my knives until the moment I need them, left me getting the Chef's Choice 120.
I looked at their whole line, but went with the 120 because I have (and know how to use) good steels, and because I wanted the heavier grit wheel for abused & neglected blades (I'm not the only one who uses the knives).
While not perfectly sharp, the knives are easily as sharp as good blades a couple or few uses after good sharpening. Which is a long time before they go back out for sharpening.
 
You can't beat a knife sharpened by a true professional, but there are a lot of untrue ones out there. That, combined with the fact that I never remember to sharpen my knives until the moment I need them, left me getting the Chef's Choice 120.
I looked at their whole line, but went with the 120 because I have (and know how to use) good steels, and because I wanted the heavier grit wheel for abused & neglected blades (I'm not the only one who uses the knives).
While not perfectly sharp, the knives are easily as sharp as good blades a couple or few uses after good sharpening. Which is a long time before they go back out for sharpening.
Good points on the 120!!
 
frost steel is excellent, and you cannot get a good edge with crappy steel. I have a very inexpensive method I developed after getting frustrated with dull knives.
1- staple a 12" long emery cloth 150 gr and finer depending on how dull your knife is and staple it to a two by four or similar. work the blade on both sides until all scores are no longer visible and you have a good uniform edge along each side. Ensure the angle you use is also uniform.
2- use a leather belt secured also to a two by four and work valve grinding compound into the leather. Then once again work your edges along the belt until polished.

I can shave with my knives now and require only a few swipes along the strop after every couple uses.
 
Rumor has it that Santa has ordered me the "130" for Christmas. Looking forward to giving it a good workout.
 
I got to try one this past year. I prefer my Chef Choice 130.....

The 130 does seem like a better quality machine and the Work Sharp bands are small and don't last too long but are easy and cheap to replace. The cool thing about both is that once you do the initial shaping and sharpening (I did about 20 knives in an hour last Christmas with the Work Sharp), it only takes 2-3 passes to touch them up down the road. Work Sharp can do other things like lawn mowers, shovels, and removing the broken nub off a hook when the barb breaks while pinching. Undoubtedly would be excellent for wart, mole, and tattoo removal as well, but like anything there are other tools and techniques more suited to specific jobs.
 
Why not buy a bench grinder and a knife sharpener?

There is no way I am sharpening my knifes on the same sharpener I am grinding my lawnmower and shovels with.

The work sharp is interesting but as you said the belts are small and don't last long. How long will they be available for?

Go into any butcher shop, or kitchen the doesn't have a sharpening contract tell me what sharpener you see on thier table. Often its a Chefs Choice, some stones, steels etc..... It not a banded multi purpose tool for grinding lawnmowers LOL
 
I have both a worksharp and a Chef's choice. I prefer the worksharp for my fillet knives as it's way faster. I prefer the Chef's choice for my kitchen knives as it's easy to remove more metal than desired with the worksharp. My kitchen knives are more expensive than my fillet knives. I usually use Dexter fillet knives and I keep 5-6 on board the boat. I sharpen them all at once and then use them until they are all in need of a touch up. It's quick work to get them all back in shape with the worksharp. But over a couple of seasons, I fillet enough fish (mine and everyone else's on board) that I plan on replacing the fillet knives every 2-3 years.
 
I am totally with Dogbreath on the sharpening stone.
See post number 3 on first page.

I have one too and it outperform everything I have tried.
Few quick strokes each side. NO POWER required. Knives last longer as you only sharpen as needed.
I have it nearby when processing fish and always have water handy. The one I have looks same, mine was purchased from sushi supply store in Australia. It is made in Japan.

Try it for 27 $
I plan to get a second one for the boat.
 
I just bought myself an early Christmas gift of a Chef's Choice 130. I am an avid woodworker, hunter, and fisherman and I know how to sharpen everything from chisels to hand saws. The problem is I hate doing it. Solution... The Chef's Choice 130. Yes, I can get a knife sharper on my Shapton glass stones, but it takes a lot longer. After unpacking and reading the instructions, I sharpened a half dozen kitchen knives in about 15 minutes, and now I have a lot less hair on my arms. Just to test it out, I took a couple of the knives into the shop and worked them up to 30,000 grit to polish the edge. It took another 15 minutes or so to work through the grits but honestly, it isn't worth it. Straight off the 130 is plenty sharp for every day work.

Now... If it would only sharpen my carcase saw and my chisels and my plane irons...


Franko

MILF (Man, I Love Fishing)
 
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