automatic knife sharpener on indiegogo?

[pugslyyy]

So I'll go ahead and admit that I've already signed up / paid for this product - it is basically a CNC'ed knifesharpener combined with a scanner that profiles the blade and a camera that checks for burr formation. I like having sharp knives but am not a big fan of sharpening them (and my wife has probably 20 kitchen knives), so I'm looking forward to it.

They are at 400% of goal on indiegogo, so they are going to get funded.

So what do you think? Cool idea? Waste of $279?

Knife Robot: World's First Auto Knife Sharpener

 

[rnArmy]

I'll bite. I could never justify spending that much money on a knife sharpener for my own personal use.

 

[pugslyyy]

I'll bite. I could never justify spending that much money on a knife sharpener for my own personal use.

Fair enough, never said it was a great deal...but a manual knife sharpener similar to this is $89 from Cabelas, so what is the right price for the automation?

I just like the idea of sticking a knife in dull and pulling it out sharp, but not sure how realistic that is.

 

[tgreening]

I wouldn't be opposed to spending that much. My wife has a slew of kitchen knives and I have just about as many multi-tools as socks. My only issue is the notion that you "buy" a product when giving your money to these places because in reality you don't. You're funding an idea, investing in a startup, that even if fully funded stands a real chance of and likely failure leaving you out your money. As long as a person understands this going in more power to them, just don't think you're buying something more than a chance, because that's really all it is.

 

[rnArmy]

Fair enough, never said it was a great deal...but a manual knife sharpener similar to this is $89 from Cabelas, so what is the right price for the automation?

I just like the idea of sticking a knife in dull and pulling it out sharp, but not sure how realistic that is.

But I'm also the guy that spent just over $500+ for a new rifle to take overlanding (Rossi model 92 44 Mag lever action 16" barrel in stainless steel), put maybe two dozen rounds through it, and then spent another $500+ on modifications (big loop, smoothed action, etc.) and haven't fired it since - it is sitting in my gun cabinet. But I like it, and it is mine. We did take it on a three-week trip up into Canada though. I'm also the guy that bolted a tent-cot to the lid of his trailer, and then spent $400 at an upholstery shop to have a cover made. It is all in your priorities.

Electric knife sharpeners: https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_58mat2os2f_e

 

[workerdrone]

Wow that looks kind of neat in concept, really big though - I would buy one to start a sharpening business maybe

Anybody try some of the better Chef's Choice models? I prefer to sharpen everything freehand, been doing it my whole life, but I got one for my mom a few years ago, I'm really impressed with it - great and foolproof for kitchen knives. Not so much for small blades like pocket or paring knives.

Right now I'm backpacking and staying in Airbnb's and such, did not pack any stones, got tired of dull kitchen knives so I got a couple sheets of wet/dry automotive sandpaper in the local Mexican hardware shop - lay them on a plate glass table or any nice hard flat surface and in a few minutes work I have razors in the kitchen ready to slice and dice ;-)

 

[TwinStick]

It is what it is, & your into what your into, period. I am a knife guy. I am sure I have close to 100 outdoor knives. IMHO, it is a good thing to learn how to sharpen by hand first. It is a thing that will serve you well for the rest of your days. That being said, my go to system now is a HF 4"x36" belt/disc sander (to get the angle) & a 1"x30" HF belt sander (to convex the edge). Both have Diablo sanding belts on them. The final step is a 14" Dexter-Russell butchers steel, to take the burr off. Simple, easy peasy. I can have most anything razor sharp in less than 60 seconds, literally. I also have just about every other sharpening devise known to man (except the uber expensive stuff like the "wicked edge" system). I have stones, the puck, sticks for serrations, ceramic sticks, tungsten carbide sharpener, up to 6000 grit paper, diamond sharpeners & the top line Gatco diamond sharpening system w/handle, etc.. . They all have their place & I still use them all every now & then. But once you have the angle down, I really honestly don't have to sharpen them very often again, sometimes not at all, because every time I am done using one of my blades, I literally just swipe it once on each side on the butchers steel before I put it away. You really don't need a camera for burr formation, you can easily feel it with your finger. Another trick is to use a black sharpie marker, color just the edge of the blade, when the marker is gone, you know you took some metal off the entire edge. It does sound like a cool tool/toy though.

I also cook a lot, so our kitchen knives get the most sharpening. Maybe 2-4 times a year, do i take them all out to the garage & just touch them up on the belts, & get the angle back where I want it, use the butchers steel & I'm good to go for another 3-4 months. I don't have any high-end kitchen cutlery though. I would not put high end kitchen cutlery on the belts though. I would use the Gatco system for that.

If it don't work out, your wife can always use the camera part to check out her jewelry !!! LOL Just kidding I have to warn my wife when i sharpen the kitchen stuff. She rushes a lot & has accidents dropping, when washing & sometimes using knives. With just the 2 sanders & 14" butchers steel, I can sharpen a shoebox FULL of knives in about 15 min or less. My neighbor is amazed when he brings his over, they can't even rip paper & in less than 60 seconds I can have it shaving hair/paper. I enjoy it, it is therapy for me. LOL

 

[tarditi]

I've worked with a couple knife sharpening systems (Lansky, Spyderco sharpmaker, etc.) and I'm not sure how easily you can automate this - even the premier knife makers hand-sharpen with belts or paper wheels. Figure different blade designs, edge geometry, etc. and it can get very tricky. Just not sure I'm ready to believe it.

 

[Hilldweller]

I just use a steel....

 

[dwh]

Razor blades and scalpels are done by machine. Should work fine if they get the design right.

Don't see how the belt sander design would do anything with serrations other than grind them off. Which would be fine with me, I hate serrations.

 

[Bbasso]

I've been using the same stone for 25+ years, it always provides a sharp and long lasting edge on all of my knifes.
I've bought a few different sharpeners over the years but I always go back to the stone.