Wet Knife Sharpener ( Not a review ) Rather edge performance as a result of

[old4570]

Yeah , got me a new toy / tool !
It is a wet stone knife sharpening machine .
This is not a product review , but rather putting the cart before the horse . Or rather in this case the results before any review .
I have a collection of what I consider junk knives and pulling out a few I used them to practice and develop a technique to sharpen knives on the grinder .

I will say , you do need to develop a technique or skill to get the best from the machine .
I got my technique to the point I can get the knife off the machine shaving sharp without de burring / stropping the knife .
And to that end - we need ( I did ) to test the resulting edge .

The edge under magnification looks as rough as a saw blade , it looks horrible ( 30x ) .... Butt ! It cuts !
Previously my Ruike 661 had done :

1500 grit = 40 slices of rope
180 grit diamond cut edge = 110 slices of rope
Wet Stone Grinder = I stopped @ 170 slices because it had kicked 110 to the curb .

When I came back inside I was easily able to slice paper in a relaxed stress free environment .. But I could feel the drag .
I have a leather strop with some polishing compound on it ( green stuff ) and after half a dozen passes on the strop the edge was back . It sliced the paper with ease . And this is what I was looking for , a method of sharpening a knife that then allows for easy edge maintenance ( like stropping ) to bring back the edge .

Obviously , if your a $10 knife man your probably not going to want to spend $$$ to put a edge on your knife - Maybe .
My experience to date :
If your knife has good steel , then it will take a polished edge ( finer finish ) . Butt and it's a huge butt ! If your knife has rubbish for a blade , then a fine / polished edge is a waste of time and in my experience a rougher edge will last / cut longer . Obviously how well the edge was made has something to do with that as well and that's where a wet stone sharpener like this can do a really sweet job .
In this case what really maters is that it works for me and in no shape or form am I pushing this on anyone . Simply sharing the results of some rope cutting .

[Modernflame]

I appreciate the close up shot of your edge bevel. I'd be curious to see a similar shot of a fresh edge without stropping, compared to the same edge after stropping. No cutting in between. Also, what is the grit level of that grindstone? And are you using a knife jig or going freehand?

[old4570]

I have ordered a USB microscope to get a decent shot of knife edges . In the video it is a 1:1 macro cropped 50% making it 2:1 macro .. ( Not good enough )
A) That is a fresh off the grinder edge ( pictures of the Ruike )
B) I dont do polished edges , just not worth the effort - Especially with budget ( nasty ) steels .
C) If you have a knife with decent steel ( higher end ) then polishing ( fine finish ) might be worth while ..

Some people do a mirror edge and thats great ! But I have no interest in spending hours to put a polish on an edge . Especially a budget knife .
If you had a $500 to $1000 knife , I could see some one spending an hour or two putting a polished edge on it .
And for me personally , I only strop to remove a bur or to bring back an edge . And to photograph that I will most likely need a microscope ( which I have ordered ) .

[markr6]

I would like to try something like this. I have tried so many times to sharpen my carbon Mora on a stone and I swear I make it worse. I've watched all the videos but still no luck.

[old4570]

I would like to try something like this. I have tried so many times to sharpen my carbon Mora on a stone and I swear I make it worse. I've watched all the videos but still no luck.

Scandi grind = Can be a PITA .. One way around that is a micro bevel . It certainly is tricky , thats for sure . ( re sharpening ) I have done it , but I dont like doing it as I use very small flat stones .. Easier to keep flat ! But bad ju-ju for your fingers .

[Modernflame]

I have ordered a USB microscope to get a decent shot of knife edges...

Thank you. Your efforts are deeply appreciated, but I hope that my post doesn't put you to any extra expense. The photo you posted is high enough in quality for our purposes. Sometimes lighting can effect the appearance of an edge. I wondered if a controlled set of photos before and after stropping could add value to this thread.

[old4570]

Been meaning to get one for a long time ( A cheap one )
The photo , really does not do the edge justice at all . Under decent magnification the edge looks a little like a saw blade .
+ I plan on doing a decent edge bla-bla ( story ) on edge finish and to do that I need to be able to show the edge properly .
To that end I plan on using a decent blade and putting a range of different finishes on it and seeing what effect there is on edge retention .
Also good steel VS bad steel .. That old saying about polishing a turd !
So lots of plans for 21 .