OK, I don’t want to disrespect a sponsor in any way, but I have to answer this. In retirement, I am a professional sharpener and I do not like a draw through sharpener of any sort. The draw through sharpener will make a concave profile on a straight edge and will ruin the shape of a knife blade over time. This is not noticeable on a Simmons bhd because of the concave profile of its blades. I have no problem with Simmons heads – just this type of sharpener.
Typically, sharpening is the process of removing the minimum amount of metal by grinding/honing at the best angle, raising a burr, and rolling that burr back and forth with finer honing or less pressure until it breaks off. Stropping or steeling properly can be part of this process(though most people do that wrong, too!) That produces a fine edge. However, for many years, my son and I killed a bunch of stuff with file sharpened Zwickeys, and that can be a tremendously effective way to sharpen a broadhead. In fact, after 40 years of bowhunting and almost 10 in the sharpening business, I can’t tell you one way is better than the other for a hunter. However, for me, the razor edge is what I want.
There are several problems with draw-thru sharpeners. I constantly have to correct some of these problems on chefs’ knives that have been sharpened on these. Believe it or not, correct pressure and proper angle control are not guaranteed with these. Worse yet, on the wheel and carbide type, the sharp edge you think you’re getting is not there! What you are doing is ripping a burr from the edge, tearing it “forward” on the blade”. Look at it through magnification: the steel is being torn off the bevel and the edge. At the same the angle of the sharpener never changes to allow continual resharpenings at the optimal angle(over time a blade must be thinned near the bevel, making it possible to resharpen at an angle that will work as it did when the tool was new.)
While those “forward” burrs feel sharp to your skin, they never fall off cleanly, leaving a razor edge. When you check to see if it shaves hair on your arm, does it scratch the skin? Your razor doesn’t do that to your face, right? A razor blade doesn’t have a burr on it.
Not everyone wants to study sharpening, and there is not a simple solution other than replaceable blades(ugh!). But, if you want to learn more about it, check this site:
www.razoredgesystems.com. The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by John Juranich, is a wonderful resource.
When asked for the best home knife and broadhead sharpener(small enough to fit in a pack, too!), I recommend the Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker. It’s available on line and at Sportsman’s Warehouse. Don’t judge too quickly: this is NOT your average crock stick sharpener! Learn to use this the right way, and you will swear by it. It will sharpen the Simmons concave edges, as well as convex, straight. I use one on every commercial bread knife I sharpen, and on other unusual edges. It will produce a fine, smooth edge without burrs.
If you want to know more about steel and strop, let me know.
Topic: Questions for Simmons wheelie sharpener users (Read 956 times)
