# Apex Edge Pro Knife Sharpener - REVIEW



## BR101 (Apr 17, 2013)

Today I am reviewing the Apex Edge Pro sharpener kit. Over the last couple of months I've had a lot of people ask what knife sharpener kit do I use? Having never sharpened a knife before it was something I was not sure I trusted myself doing. So I gave all my knives to a friend who would sharpen them. The catch with that was it typically took 2-3-4 weeks before I got them back.

After getting a bunch of inquires about sharpeners I started looking into different kits. After reading on the forums about different kits I kept reading about the Apex Edge Pro kit. So I did some research on the kit and even watched some of the videos the founder Ben Dale created. At this point I was 70% sold on one of these kits. It just seemed from the videos it was a very simplistic approach to sharpening your knives. I did have some further questions though about stone grits, blade steels etc.. So I gave Tim a call at Accurate Sharpening & Cutlery Sales since they are authorized dealers of the Edge Pro. I explained to Tim I never sharpened a knife before and gave him my thoughts that I've gathered from my research on the kit. Tim went over the kits with me in such a thorough manner that our phone call lasted almost half an hour. After that I was sold and placed my order.






Four days later I had the kit on my doorstep. Upon taking it out of the package I could tell this wasn't some flimsy plastic junk that was thrown together. Rather it is high quality materials built right here in the United States. The picture above shows my (used) Ultimate kit which includes:



Apex Edge Pro Sharpener
120 Stone
220 Stone
400 Stone
600 Stone
1000 Stone
2000 Grit Polishing Tapes
3000 Grit Polishing Tapes
Ceramic Hone (1200 grit)
DVD (Not shown in above pic)
Water Bottle
Instruction Manual








Immediately after unboxing it I wanted to use it. So I grabbed a Kershaw One Ton that I have been abusing for weeks on end. It was to the point that some of my butter knives had a better edge. So I took a sharpie and put marks on the edge bevel. It's a trick that I read about on the forums. If you haven't read about it contact me and I'll explain it to you. Anyhow, I marked the bevel on the edge and set the angle on the Edge Pro accordingly. After 2-3 clean passes on each side of the blade it was almost a night and day difference in sharpness. So I went on to the 400, 600 and finished off on the 1000. At this point the knife was WAY sharper than ever! I was totally impressed that right out of the box I could get such impressive results considering I've never sharpened a knife before.

Before:





After:





I started getting a mirror finish once I got to the 600 grit. 1000 grit really made it pop and then the 2000 and 3000 grit polish tapes was icing on the cake. Here is another before and after on my Zero Tolerance 0560.

Before:





After:





Some other notable things about this kit. There are four different colored indicator marks on the pivot arm. You will see a red, green, yellow and blue. These are degree marks. There three degrees between each one and red is 15 degree and blue is 24 degree. Another thing is if you are sharpening a blade that is pretty thin such as a kitchen knife. The plastic clip on the blade support is removable so you can get the angle just right. Here are two pictures illustrating that - Picture 1 , Picture 2

Overall I am thoroughly impressed with this kit. Now I really look forward to using my knives more because I don't have to wait a few weeks to get them back from my friend when they get dull.

And while the Edge Pro kits may not be the cheapest kits on the market, I feel that the quality results you can get from this kit and the fact that it's made right here in the United States with high quality parts makes this kit a worth while purchase. Coming from someone who has never sharpened a knife in my life. This kit really made it easy for me to obtain razor edges on even the toughest of steels like S30V, S35V, El Max etc. If you're in the market for a sharpening kit I would highly suggest you try out the Apex Edge Pro. 

Check out my *WEBSITE* for other cool reviews on gear.


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## KarstGhost (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for the review. I've started a small collection of knives and have no way to sharpen them yet. I'd love to give them that mirror finish.


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## BR101 (Apr 19, 2013)

KarstGhost said:


> Thanks for the review. I've started a small collection of knives and have no way to sharpen them yet. I'd love to give them that mirror finish.



The edge pro made it super simple for me to sharpen and give a mirror finish. I was very skeptical that I'd be able to even get a service edge on a knife, boy was I ever wrong!


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## 42 (Apr 22, 2013)

Great review. I swear by the Edge Pro Apex. I especially like the before and after photos. The thing that's the most fun about this sharpener is the realization that a brand new knife that easily shaves hair still has a lot of room for improvement, and that you have the means to make that happen. 


One additional trick to consider is the use of a strop afterwards and then after using a knife. It can really extend the time between sharpenings.


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## NonSenCe (Apr 22, 2013)

thanks for the review. 

have you had any knives with very dull tip to reprofile and resharpen with this system?

i have been trying to find a way to sharpen my blades all the way up to the tip.. but as free hand sharpener, i suck. so i bought the lansky sharpening system to try to "get more even results". and i still suck with the very tip of the blade. i can get almost whole blade with lansky razor sharp, but the last 5millimeters from point of the tip i cant get sharp with this one. so i am wondering if the edge pro could do it better.


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## BR101 (Apr 22, 2013)

NonSenCe said:


> thanks for the review.
> 
> have you had any knives with very dull tip to reprofile and resharpen with this system?
> 
> i have been trying to find a way to sharpen my blades all the way up to the tip.. but as free hand sharpener, i suck. so i bought the lansky sharpening system to try to "get more even results". and i still suck with the very tip of the blade. i can get almost whole blade with lansky razor sharp, but the last 5millimeters from point of the tip i cant get sharp with this one. so i am wondering if the edge pro could do it better.



I've not had to do any reprofiling yet myself. My buddy has with his Edge pro and said "if you can take a dull knife and make it razor sharp -- you can reprofile just as easy with this system".


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## 42 (Apr 23, 2013)

NonSenCe said:


> have you had any knives with very dull tip to reprofile and resharpen with this system?
> 
> i have been trying to find a way to sharpen my blades all the way up to the tip.. but as free hand sharpener, i suck. so i bought the lansky sharpening system to try to "get more even results". and i still suck with the very tip of the blade. i can get almost whole blade with lansky razor sharp, but the last 5millimeters from point of the tip i cant get sharp with this one. so i am wondering if the edge pro could do it better.



When I first got my Edge Pro Apex (EPA), for practice purposes I borrowed a bunch of "junk" knives from a couple friends with the *suggestion* that there was a *possibility* that they'd come back sharper than when they'd left. They consisted of badly abused kitchen knives and a few old, "dull as a butter knife" folders. Each of these knives had to be reprofiled (assuming by profiling you mean cutting a new bevel rather than changing a drop point into a tanto ) to one degree or another and it turned out that it wasn't a big deal. Reprofiling is just like sharpening, it just takes longer. I did wear the heck out of the 120 grit stone and wound up replacing it, although the stone itself can be revived, I just haven't had a chance to do it yet.


In general, any time you switch to a new sharpening system or sharpen a knife for the first time, you're going to be reprofiling to some extent. I think you're having problems with the blade tips because they're the most worn parts of the blade and require the most work to reprofile. While the EPA isn't a magic bullet, it does make the job a lot easier than doing it on a Lansky. I used Lanskys for over 30 years with varying results, and the EPA is easier, faster and does a much better job. Still, the harder the steel, the longer it will take. For instance I cringe when I have to sharpen an S30V blade for the first time, but subsequent sharpenings are a breeze.

Mark


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## Spherediving (Jul 26, 2013)

I have the Apex pro sharpener, the only problems I have had were when i first was using it (since I was sharpening everything in site) it started to work less efficiently.
At first I thought it was something I was doing wrong, and as it turned out I was Right, and wrong.

I was using only about 60% of the stones surface, also a little too much pressure (over zealous or impatient) but when I received my Apex pro (it was 2nd hand) it had already been used hard.
The stones were not level, I used Silicone carbide as directed, and when they were eventually flat again, I had to grind a lot away from the face of the stones, They were pretty thin.
I ordered more stones, and a Glass mounting plate for the tapes, and now I get a fantastic result.
I used to hand hone, or freehand sharpen everything, and that works fine for me, but being a bit of a perfectionist I love this system, its easier, and faster than anything else I have ever tried.

So keep rotating your stones so the wear evenly, level them once in a while before they really need it, and work slowly with out very much pressure, and you'll get great results.

Cheers
Duke


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