Hey eveyone.
I asked on a different thread about rotary blade sharpener advice. I was very surprised that no one had an opinion about them. So like i do, i have decided to investigate on my own. But since i am not made of money i was very choosy about what i "wasted" it on. And after some heavy reading about all the ones i could easily obtain in a short drive ( i like supporting Local even if it means supporting a larger/popular commercial unit; if the store goes away from lack of customers i have to go elsewhere/further away for my stuff thus I support local often.)
ANYwho ... I settled on the Dritz Rotary sharpener to start with. It was simple to understand and use, with no complicated mechanical parts to break down. Yet i read that a lot of people said it didn't work as advertised and were ticked off at buying it. This too made me curious ... "how can a basic sharpening technique fail?" And i think i have figured out WHY some people can't use this to its max effect. But first i wanted to do a Pro/Con for those that actually want to know about my thoughts.
NOTE: This will Not fix chipped/cracked/broken blades... Toss those for everyone safety.
Pro's: the blades Do come out almost new sharp (if done correctly), easy to use, no moving mechanical parts to Fail (vs "automatic" sharpeners), has already saved me money on blades (am in quilt #4 and have not needed to buy/use a new blade since sharpener purchase 1.5 weeks ago)
Con's: NOT young kid friendly at all, putting the blade on the handle screw and wiping off the 'sludge' is a bit 'threatening" because of how the blade is exposed and can cut you if your not being really mindful of what your doing, although the directions are very clear (hidden inside the packaging cardboard display hanger bit) it would be nice if there was a marking for which side of the ring was which - Fine or Course, centering the blade on the handles is a bit fiddly and will mess up your sharpening if you just stuff the blade willy-nilly onto the apparatus
Summery: if used correctly your blades will come out super sharp again. Dependent on your cutting volume and cut mat condition will determine how long the sharpening lasts. But if your a light to med user then this sharpener is wonderful and will save you money over time on your blades.
Why some think it sucks: I think i can boil it down to one question. "DO you understand the process of how Knives are sharpened? " IF yes then this gadget will make sense to you.
IF NO, then in there lies the rub in my opinion. Readers digest version: knives are sharpened on TWO grinding surfaces - a course and a fine stone. The stones are lightly dampened with a form of lubricant - oil or spit ( yes, i did say spit and Yep, it's a thing) and then the blade is stropped multiple time across each surface (course first , fine last) at the appropriate angles to achieve sharpness.
This sharpener has two sides- course(yellow) / fine(black). Once you get the blade centered between the two handles (fiddly but do able), you add a drop of preferred lubricant to appropriate grind surface and drop the blade into the well/hole and twist back and forth for several twists. I have found that if you give the whole tool a half turn in your hand and do a second twist set will get what most people will miss in the first shot. Flip the blade, repeat process. Next flip the Ring to fine grind and repeat the above process. CAREFULLY wipe edge with crap scrap fabric while still snugged in the handles, remove and put back into rotary cutter... This whole process takes about 2 mins IF your taking your time...
In any event, i hope this review was helpful to someone. IF you have questions/concerns about it and i can try it out/or anwser out right for you then let me know... Hugs and Love, Dee
I asked on a different thread about rotary blade sharpener advice. I was very surprised that no one had an opinion about them. So like i do, i have decided to investigate on my own. But since i am not made of money i was very choosy about what i "wasted" it on. And after some heavy reading about all the ones i could easily obtain in a short drive ( i like supporting Local even if it means supporting a larger/popular commercial unit; if the store goes away from lack of customers i have to go elsewhere/further away for my stuff thus I support local often.)
ANYwho ... I settled on the Dritz Rotary sharpener to start with. It was simple to understand and use, with no complicated mechanical parts to break down. Yet i read that a lot of people said it didn't work as advertised and were ticked off at buying it. This too made me curious ... "how can a basic sharpening technique fail?" And i think i have figured out WHY some people can't use this to its max effect. But first i wanted to do a Pro/Con for those that actually want to know about my thoughts.
NOTE: This will Not fix chipped/cracked/broken blades... Toss those for everyone safety.
Pro's: the blades Do come out almost new sharp (if done correctly), easy to use, no moving mechanical parts to Fail (vs "automatic" sharpeners), has already saved me money on blades (am in quilt #4 and have not needed to buy/use a new blade since sharpener purchase 1.5 weeks ago)
Con's: NOT young kid friendly at all, putting the blade on the handle screw and wiping off the 'sludge' is a bit 'threatening" because of how the blade is exposed and can cut you if your not being really mindful of what your doing, although the directions are very clear (hidden inside the packaging cardboard display hanger bit) it would be nice if there was a marking for which side of the ring was which - Fine or Course, centering the blade on the handles is a bit fiddly and will mess up your sharpening if you just stuff the blade willy-nilly onto the apparatus
Summery: if used correctly your blades will come out super sharp again. Dependent on your cutting volume and cut mat condition will determine how long the sharpening lasts. But if your a light to med user then this sharpener is wonderful and will save you money over time on your blades.
Why some think it sucks: I think i can boil it down to one question. "DO you understand the process of how Knives are sharpened? " IF yes then this gadget will make sense to you.
IF NO, then in there lies the rub in my opinion. Readers digest version: knives are sharpened on TWO grinding surfaces - a course and a fine stone. The stones are lightly dampened with a form of lubricant - oil or spit ( yes, i did say spit and Yep, it's a thing) and then the blade is stropped multiple time across each surface (course first , fine last) at the appropriate angles to achieve sharpness.
This sharpener has two sides- course(yellow) / fine(black). Once you get the blade centered between the two handles (fiddly but do able), you add a drop of preferred lubricant to appropriate grind surface and drop the blade into the well/hole and twist back and forth for several twists. I have found that if you give the whole tool a half turn in your hand and do a second twist set will get what most people will miss in the first shot. Flip the blade, repeat process. Next flip the Ring to fine grind and repeat the above process. CAREFULLY wipe edge with crap scrap fabric while still snugged in the handles, remove and put back into rotary cutter... This whole process takes about 2 mins IF your taking your time...
In any event, i hope this review was helpful to someone. IF you have questions/concerns about it and i can try it out/or anwser out right for you then let me know... Hugs and Love, Dee
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