Wicked Edge GO Precision Knife Sharpener - WE60

My wife sent me to a knife sharpening class a few years ago in the futile hope of having sharp knives. The class taught me the basics of high end whetstone knife sharpening. Unfortunately it's such a pain and a mess that I didn't do it often enough to become proficient, and when I did spend the time I had trouble getting a sharp edge. The problem with whetstones is that you never quite know whether it's your angle, your technique, or you just need more time per stone for a given knife. This is even worse with high-end knives made from very hard steel... Recently, I decided to try again, and after a bunch of research I bought the wicked edge we60. Long story short, a bunch of our knives are extremely sharp now, even some of the harder steel versions, and I'm writing this review. Marital harmony has been restored. Caveat being that I would recommend getting a digital angle gauge, the 800/1000 grit stones (extra $$), and maybe a cheap leather strop (no need to get the expensive WE version). After sharpening a few knives with the included 200/600 grit stones, they were obviously sharper than when I started, but not "wave it at a piece of paper and it falls to the floor in ribbons" sharp. After I got the 800/1000 stones and the strop, they are really that sharp. The benefit of this kit over whetstones is that it takes the technique guesswork out of the equation -- I know that every stroke is the same angle, so if I'm having trouble creating a burr, I just need to keep going, it's not a failing of my technique. It still takes a bunch of time per knife, btw, at least for a new user. Don't believe the videos that show sharp knives in 10m... I was able to fully re-profile and sharpen a softer knife in about an hour, but a better (harder steel) knife took longer than that. Possibly more practice or maybe the 100 grit stone would have helped, but it seems silly to buy that for something you really only need to do the first time. For those new to knife sharpening, just make sure there's a full length heel-to-tip burr on both sides on the first stone and you won't have any problems. Watch some videos and read the WE forum to understand the geometry of the thing for different shaped knives as well. The one issue I had was that the plastic shim that holds the bottom of the metal rod fell out after my first use and I lost it. Turns out there's a reason that they ship the unit with white plastic balls holding everything in place. Keep either the balls or the rods in place at all time to avoid this issue. WE was great, btw, they immediately shipped me new shims under warranty. Have fun!

Very excellent knife sharpener, with accurately marked guide rods that make it easy to use. I wish that the item came with a better instruction guide. The use of YouTube videos is versatile and I appreciate their function, as they can be adapted based on customer feedback over time for safety and accuracy, but after the initial set-up video, one has to search around for them and hopefully play them in order to get the best results. I used this on several knifes now, ranging from hunting knives, pocket knives, kitchen knives and I am pleased overall with the results. They are very sharp knives now. I purchased an extra set of stones (1500/2200) for refining the edge on the kitchen knives, which I especially find satisfying. The accuracy of the guide rods especially is a great point for me. One of the issues I had was that the tip of longer knives, like my chef knife, would bend away from the stone, which I fixed with placing the knife in the vise back further and putting less pressure on the stone. The stone can do the work without extra pressure. Overall this puts on a fine edge. I do want to get a good strop to finish honing the edge.

It’s definitely overkill for your average knife collector, but if you care about build quality and are into knives with more exotic steels this is the only way to go. Finally bought one when I got my first knife in S90v and I’m glad I did. I’ve had 0 trouble getting it razor sharp and once you get used to it it doesn’t take long to go through and sharpen all your knives. I love it and use it way more than I thought I would. Super easy to use, perfect angle and amazing build quality. The only issue is the steep price tag, but it’s worth every penny.

I was able to get an edge on my knife HOWEVER the the Wicked Edge doesn’t hold either smaller knives or larger knives very well causing an inconsistent edge... If you're spending this kind of money for a knife sharpener you likely have already made a significant investment in your knives... I expected the unit to be higher quality...

The Wicked Edge sharpening system creates the most effective, most consistent edge that I have ever seen in a home knife sharpener. The angles are easily repeated and maintaining the edge cannot be easier. The 200/600 stones that the unit came with are more than adequate to sharpen knives right out of the box. Adding the 800/1000 takes the system to another level of sharpness. There are higher grit stones if you are looking for a mirrored edge but that is beyond my needs. The price is higher than some others but the unmatched quality is what you’re paying for. The cutting edges are repeatable and allow the knives to last longer by not wasting blade steel with varying angles from other sharpeners. Cannot say enough great things about it.

More complicated than I anticipated. But after watching videos a couple of times and following the instructions I was able to put a sharp edge on what had been a very dull knife.

Very pricy against comparable sharpeners, but so easy a caveman could do it. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole how to video series. It answers every question clearly and concisely and makes using the sharpener a breeze. I would highly recommend this for anyone who has given up on plain whetstone sharpening and has a lot of knives.

Well-built knife sharpening system. My only complaint is that it does not come with a storage box, at its price I assumed it would but I was wrong.