Knife Sharpening Made Easy

I only gave 4 stars because the book is primarily for people presently using $15 pull through sharpeners. Little new information is available for the average amateur sharpener. Some sections are excellent, others cursory. An additional 50 pages would have allowed more thorough examination of alternative systems.Pros:1. The discussion of steel metallurgy is excellent and relevant. I wish there was a table of common household knives (Cutco, Chicago Cutlery, Rada etc.) showing steel type, hardness, bevel angles, sharpness possible and edge retention. This probably represents at least 80% of the knives used in the average home.2. The coverage of the sharpening systems discussed is good (Lansky, Sharpmaker and Wicked Edge). More information can be found in the manufacturer’s material and didn't need to be in this book.3. The section on manual sharpening was very good and was the highlight for me.4. The book was well organizes and photographs and graphs were excellent.Cons;1. Controlled angle sharpening systems is limited to Lansky and Wicked Edge. Both work but others are available such as Edgepro, DMT, Gatco and Worksharp to name a few. These should at least be mentioned.2. Use of a honing steel is discussed. Most other authorities suggest not using on modern knives because of the hardness of the knife. Little discussion is made on ceramic hones, my preference.3. Many explanations are brief and assume more knowledge than the reader may have.As an introduction to knife sharpening the book is a success, as an advanced discussion of technique and systems it could use some work.

This book is nice. It covers everything from sharpening stone selection, to a bit about the metallurgy of blades, to sharpening, to different styles of grinds to look for, as well as how to sharpen some oddities around the home.I don't believe any "one book" alone has all the answers when it comes to learning how to sharpen knives. My suggestion is to obtain as much literature on the topic as you can and read them all until you start to see the similarities in what everyone is saying. Then you can refine and develop your own sharpening style.I would recommend this book.

I got this as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend. He's always wanted to sharpen his kitchen knives and our pocket knives ourselves. I got him a nice sharpening stone to go with it. He was excited to read it and we both looked through it. Great stuff, very useful. I highly recommend!

As a rank amateur in knife sharpening, I find this book to be an excellent introduction to knife sharpening. I’ve had whetstones for years, but this book showed me how to use them correctly; an excellent first book. If you want to go deeper in the subject, other books will be needed...have at it and enjoy!

Basic stuff - good if you are new to sharpening. there are better books if you really want to learn about water stones

very good basic book,lots of good info,very practical.

A good resource for the learning sharpener or honer.Basic to advanced will find something within .

Good book informative

I really enjoyed this book and found it most informative. It is an introduction to the subject which is broad rather than deep, and as an introduction it works really well. At the end of it the reader knows the range of sharpening methods and their associated pros and cons in sufficient detail to decide on a route to take. There are a few minor editing errors but nothing that detracts too much from the flow. Good read.

This book talks about all the different systems and methods of sharpening a knife. However it doesn't give you any detailed information of how to actually sharpen them. A general book that isn't very informative. Wouldn't buy it again or recommend it to anyone.

Lots of useful information in this book