Took a while , = Bad weather ! ( Hot N Humid )
SyTools K10 guided system .
Why Guided Systems :
A) For accuracy
1- Good clean straight bevel
2- Known angle ( Moe precise )
3- For me , easier / faster and more accurate than hand sharpening
4- Edge retention
5. Less material loss ( longer lasting knife )
6. Less of a learning curve
Ok , for some strange reason there is some sort of stigma attached to guided / fixed angle sharpeners . Why would anyone be opposed to a superior edge ? Not everyone can free hand like a machine ! ( I cant ) .
I never had issue making a knife sharp ! Where an issue arose was when I got interested in Stays Sharp ! ( Edge Retention ) For me ( speaking for myself ) ! Free hand could not compete with guided sharpening .
Convex edges ? Free hand usually ends up being convex 'ed to some degree ! Unless your like a legendary sharpening machine . Now I have tested a few convex edges against guided / wet stone grinder edges and there is no contest in regards to edge retention . The straight cut edges win every time ( for me - in regard to stays sharp ) . Where convex works is - FEELS on wood ! Convex carves wood real nice , maybe 5% to 10% better than a normal straight edge / bevel . ( Feels / feathers ) Unfortunately you will take a 50% performance hit with that convex edge ( My experience ) .... Possibly because I cant hand sharpen to legendary standards .
Anyway , I like the k10 sharpener .
The split knife holder / forks / grips are nice because each fork self aligns . This makes for a better grip and better stability for the knife in the sharpener . Most sharpeners with a large single tine / fork / grip have issue with alignment , especially if you have a funky blade with odd angles .. ( Looks good , but is bad for stuff like guided / clamped systems )
At the moment I am trying to asses how good or BAD my sharpening is . Unfortunately I am finding it difficult to find people to play Keeps Sharp with me .. I though I got a bite with HomeSlice , but he seems to have gone silent ( or is too busy ???? ) . What level is my sharpening at ?
Good / bad / ugly ? I think it's decent , but how do I know .. So few people play Keeps Sharp !