KME Sharpening kit
- Thread starter Janne
- Start date
A scandi knife might be able to be done. If you watch Dean O on youtube he has a lot of videos about the KME. One of which is about sharpening a mora clipper but due to it having an uneven grind he had to re-profile it. Typically you can only take it as low as 17 degrees but if you flip the bearing over then you can take it to about 13 degrees. This is only one of the limitations of the KME and one of the two reasons why I sold mine off and got an edge pro. For example: there is an issue with sharpening narrow blades such as you would find on a smaller SAK or pen knife. That is sharpening angle limitation of about 22 degrees due to the jaws. Now this issues can be remedied with the advent of the small knife jaws but still limits you to about 20 degrees. I am more of a 15-18 degrees kind of guy.
Now, for most people this is not an issue as they are going to sharpen their knives at or close to factory angles. Even for me it was not an over the top issue as I can sharpen my Japanese and woodworking knives freehand. (Most of them have 10-12 degree per side angle.) The reason I switched out to the edge pro is that by simply drilling a whole in your sharpening table you can make your edge pro go down as low as 9 degrees and with a few simply mods you can make it go down to zero.
That being said, all fixed sharpening systems have their ups and downs. The biggest upside to the KME is the jaws so it is truly a fixed system whereas with the edge pro you do have to hold the knife. The only time I find this to be problematic is when you are making knives and cutting a bevel from scratch. In which case the KME has yet another advantage, the 50 grit diamond plate. You want to talk about a time saver! I would say the other advantage to the KME is price. All in it is worlds cheaper than the wicked edge and fairly cheaper than the edge pro.
In the end, the KME is a very capable system that I think you will enjoy for years to come. I do have a suggestion or two that you may or may not already be aware of. Firstly, if you mix stone types and or add tapes and strops you will have to readjust the angle as the thickness of the sharpening medium will change thus changing the angle. In which case I would suggest getting an Angle cube. It is worth the investment at around $30. Next, be careful not to do a sharpening sweep with your strop as it only takes one to destroy it. It took me awhile to get used to this so I switched to a cheap balsa strop that I can correct with the sander should things go wrong. Finally, you probably have already done so but if not investing in a few freehand stones for your scandi and other single bevel knives is a plus as well.
Have fun with your KME and be sure to share your experiences with us as I am sure I am not the only one that is interested in hearing them.
Now, for most people this is not an issue as they are going to sharpen their knives at or close to factory angles. Even for me it was not an over the top issue as I can sharpen my Japanese and woodworking knives freehand. (Most of them have 10-12 degree per side angle.) The reason I switched out to the edge pro is that by simply drilling a whole in your sharpening table you can make your edge pro go down as low as 9 degrees and with a few simply mods you can make it go down to zero.
That being said, all fixed sharpening systems have their ups and downs. The biggest upside to the KME is the jaws so it is truly a fixed system whereas with the edge pro you do have to hold the knife. The only time I find this to be problematic is when you are making knives and cutting a bevel from scratch. In which case the KME has yet another advantage, the 50 grit diamond plate. You want to talk about a time saver! I would say the other advantage to the KME is price. All in it is worlds cheaper than the wicked edge and fairly cheaper than the edge pro.
In the end, the KME is a very capable system that I think you will enjoy for years to come. I do have a suggestion or two that you may or may not already be aware of. Firstly, if you mix stone types and or add tapes and strops you will have to readjust the angle as the thickness of the sharpening medium will change thus changing the angle. In which case I would suggest getting an Angle cube. It is worth the investment at around $30. Next, be careful not to do a sharpening sweep with your strop as it only takes one to destroy it. It took me awhile to get used to this so I switched to a cheap balsa strop that I can correct with the sander should things go wrong. Finally, you probably have already done so but if not investing in a few freehand stones for your scandi and other single bevel knives is a plus as well.
Have fun with your KME and be sure to share your experiences with us as I am sure I am not the only one that is interested in hearing them.
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