Reddit mentions of IMAGE Professional Kitchen Knife Sharpener System Kit Fix-angle Version II With 4 Stones

I've had the Fibrox for years & sharpened with a regular stone. Just before Thanksgiving I got the Image System and love it. It's a knockoff of some made-in-America product. The manual is written in bad Engrish but eventually I figured it out - the pictures helped. It's wonderful - basically a set of stones & a jig that holds them at exactly the right angle.

NOt op, but I use this. It's the cheap knock off of the edge pro apex system. 1) it's easy to use after about 5 minutes of practice, 2) you set the angle you want, so can go very shallow for a sharp edge or steep for a long lasting one, 3) it gets knives insanely sharp. Basically you decide how sharp it gets.

Downsides are it takes about 5-10 minutes per knife, so it's not quick. But I love it

Thought I should add that Lansky also makes a turn-box style kit (the type a Sharpmaker is) for like less than $25 that you can use for a quick touch up, so with a Lansky guided system and turn-box you would still be under $100.

If you tried I'd imagine you could get both for less than a Sharpmaker (I have seen the basic Lansky guided set for under $35 USD and the Lansky turn box for about $12 or so).

I'm not endorsing the Lansky guided system (just because I have not used one, not because I think it is bad) but the Turn-box I do own and it is quite handy for pocket knives, I wouldn't recommend it for kitchen knives since it is pretty small.

For larger knives, I have used other guided systems, including ones similar to the Lansky, but the one I currently use is an Edge Pro knock-off (it was like $40 I think with 5 stock meh stones) that I have upgraded with better stones.

It is great for larger knives but was pretty tough to use for smaller pocket knives (which I prefer). So I glued a couple of Neodymium magnets underneath the deck and it's quite a bit easier to sharp-up the little guys now.

I've got a sharpening system that makes it easy to keep a straight edge and that comes with basically all the stones you need. They aren't the best though but they do the job.

Here is the link to it on Amazon.

And here is the video that should give you an idea on how it works.

Not off of Ali per se, but I bought this bad boy and have used it to sharpen a few kitchen knives with great success. It can accept other stones, but so far the ones that came with it have been good enough for my purposes.

It's hard to directly compare because I have never used the real deal. I can't imagine how the legit EPA could perform dramatically better. The clone does a fine job of holding the authentic stones. The stones it comes with are pretty poor quality. I suppose the clone is more likely to break because of inferior materials/quality control but I can replace it several times and still come out ahead. This is the one I got.

So I’ve been looking at different options. Whetstone, yes, but it’s a skill that takes time to perfect. It is a useful skill, but don’t expect super sharp knives overnight (unless you are literally spending all night on it, haha).

Professional knife sharpening: honestly, I’d recommend this for getting an initial sharp. It’s easier to maintain an edge than creat an edge

Another sort of midway option that is not highly recommended here, but I think I’m headed that way is a knife sharpening system. And I don’t mean the draw through POS that you get from the department store. I have those and don’t think they work. I’m thinking of getting an Edge Pro clone and chosera stones. I don’t have a lot of knives and don’t plan on spending a lot of time honing my sharpening skills. And I think that’s the best option for me right now. There are others out there like Lansky that are good. I just like the variable angle on the Edge Pro and similar products.

I’m thinking something like this knowing that I’ll need to mod it to make it more sturdy as well as pick up some chosera stones for it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CGVJ4YO/

You should hone every time you use your knife. Always use a proper cutting board (don't cut something on the granite countertop like I've seen many do). Store your knife in a knife block or on a magnetic strip. And yes, definitely stay away from automatic sharpeners. Learn to use a waterstone. You can even get a kit that can help you fix the sharpening angle (disclaimer: I'm not necessarily recommending the one in the link, it's just an example.).

1. learn the differance between a hone and a sharpener
   
   A hone is a stick usualy made of out harden stainless steel or Ceramic which is used to restraighten the edge, it does not sharpen or polish, just gets the edge straight, all it does is realign the edge, it does NOTHING for sharpness. Also besare of diamond dust hones which do sharpen to some extent.
   
   
2. decide if you want to sharpen them yourself or have someone else do it for you, if you do it yourself theres a learning curve and you have to know if you have french or japanese style knifes for the angle. some good king japanese stones do the trick nicly, if you want to let a pro do it, he will probobly do it for half the price of the stones more or less.
   
   
3. you can use tools which will make it a lot easier, this tool makes it quite a easy job, theres a video on youtube showing you how to do it and keep your knives in good shape.
   
   
4. time between sharpening depends, for a guy whos on his feet in a kitchen knife in hand 14-18 hours a day... monthly, the avarage home cook, 6 to 12 months depending on how much you abuse them.

yearly? you don't cook much. Knives need to be sharpened way more than that. Buy a good knife sharpening kit, and sharpen them once a month.

something like this:

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGVJ4YO/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00CGVJ4YO&pd_rd_w=3RLpc&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=B0gom&pf_rd_r=08Q8KNMGCCFRKGHJ5KDP&pd_rd_r=a74c98ad-869a-4743-8431-0b00e760cbf7&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSkZOT1ZIR1laMEFLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg3MTg5U044OTlVRFpESDNVJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4NTg1MDkxWElXTE9IVzBNMDVCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

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that will give you a professionial edge, that's what they are using anyways. The expensive one is $300, i forget the brand. These cheap ones, are the same thing. I'm not vouching for this $30 one. I have one I paid about $80 for. It's phenomenal.

edit:

u/spiceywoff named the expensive one. edge pro professional.

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Point is, GET A GOOD SHARPENER. Use it once a month.