Has anyone used one of these sharpeners and have any feedback on it?
Or have other recommendations for something similar?
To my eternal shame I am only just passable at freehand sharpening and would like something that is quick, effective, repeatable and requires minimal talent or practice to perfect. Wondered if this might be it?
The KMFS Vantaedge integral sharpening system is the latest evolution of the sharpening tool. This sharpening system is the first in the world.
heinnie.com
Bit late to the party but I thought I'd shoot you a reply as I bought one of these recently...
Firstly, the comments re limitations in DPS are correct. You can only choose between 15, 17.5, 20 and 22.5 with the included rod, however you can purchase an additional rod which allows for 1 degree increments from 10-29 degrees. I'll be ordering one of these as I have some knives that I want to match the existing bevel angles to.
Some thoughts on how it performs:
The main and only real benefit to the system over any other fixed edge sharpener is what they call 'reverse kinematics'. Essentially the stone will automatically find the selected angle, no matter how you clamp the knife, which means even bevels on both sides and no slight variation between the tip and flat part of the bevel. In reality, whilst this definitely does work, it also takes some practice and requires very slight downward pressure to get the correct registration point. It took me 5-6 sharpening to get this down, but now it's second nature. I would add here that they've now released a spring (which will presumably be included with new kits) that makes this angle registration 10 x easier (apparently).
The clamps work amazingly well as they use spherical bronze bushings and have been able to clamp all sorts of odd shaped blades without an issue. I imagine a small blade with an angle less than 15 DPS may cause problems with the stone abrading the clamps. The benefit of the system is that you can re-clamp and it will maintain the exact angle you've already been sharpening at. I've sharpened pocket knives and chef's knives up to 35cm so far.
It's a compact system and was possibly designed for field use originally (you can hand hold it). The base is very small but has screw holes so I suggest a large piece of wood or metal is used to secure it as larger knives will topple quite happily otherwise... The clamps are free floating on the base, which means you may have to hold the unit steady with one hand whilst you sharpen. This can get quite tiring and awkward if you're doing a few knives so I wish they'd have included a locking mechanism.
The only other issue is that the included diamond stones have a bit of flex when secured so will become ever so slightly convex. They cut very well but long term I'll be using higher quality stones.
Overall it's a beautiful machined and precise unit, and definitely worth the 260 quid I paid. You'll notice that all the other fixed angle sharpeners have a plethora of dials and adjustable rods/knobs. This does away with all of that and makes set-up a breeze.
Feel free to ask questions if I've missed anything.
