# Sharp Edge (Review) - Precision Tool Sharpening System from G Sharp Tools Ltd.



## lumbermeister

Nice review. Why will this system not work for a new tool?


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## lumberjoe

That actually looks terrible.

1- you have to change your angle after each grit. They do not appear to be indexed so it's best guess.

2 - There is nothing securing the chisel down or holding it flat - or keeping it in the same position against the stone. Not very repeatable (especially on smaller chisels)

3 - Burnishing the back? No thanks. You actually rounded over the edge once or twice between each grit. Plus you are trusting the back of your chisel is a flat reference surface.

4 - about 87$ US and ships from the UK


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## CoolToolShed

@lumbermeister I have used it one new ones but I was told it's not recommended.


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## CoolToolShed

@lumberjoe Thanks for your opinion! I'm assuming you use your chisels on regular basis?? I do not and did this review as a person who does not. In the past I have thrown away chisels because of dings and dull edges thinking I needed to buy many stones and spend a lot of time sharpening. For the amount I use my chisels, it didn't seem cost effective.

1. The degrees are indexed on the machine which was shown in the first 2+ minutes of the review.

2. The base has quite the flat surface for your chisel to lay on. Plus in the video it shows that there is a "spacer" block which can be used to help stabilize the chisel on the sides.

3. You are correct that I am trusting the back of my chisel to be flat. Not sure that I rounded over the edge. Pretty sure that the same premise is used when you use a leather strop. As you drag your chisel across the strop you cause the same effect to the chisel at its point. (I have never used one but have watched it done, speaking from a viewers perspective)

4. You are right, around $87 with shipping from the UK. Are there only US users here on LumberJocks? If so I will take my review down.

All in all, the review was done from an inexperienced chisel user and one that didn't want to spend lots of money and time on a sharpening system. I realize that this system was given to me in return for a review, but it has extended the life of my chisels that I use on occasion, brought one back from the dead and I was offering my opinion on an alternative to others who use theirs rarely as well. I know there are other many other options out there as well.

With your first two points, I'm assuming you were disinterested with the review from the get go and either stopped watching or were just half paying attention because these were shown in the video.

I respect your opinion! I hope you respect my retort to it as well!

For someone who does not do woodworking for a living, you have some nice projects at first glance! I will go through them in the near future to really check them out!


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## b2rtch

CoolToolShed, you certainly are very gracious, thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to post this review and for the video.


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## b2rtch

Contrary to Lumberjoe I believe that this tool could be useful for someone like my father or my 90 years old neighbor who desire to sharpen their chisels but who have no idea how to do it.
This is not precision machine, it does not pretend to be one but it is good enough for for the vast majority of those who use chisels.
People like Lumberjoe and most of us who are a part of this forum are the exception when it comes to use wood chisels, most people do not know the difference between a wood chisel and pry bar or screw driver.


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## CoolToolShed

@b2rtch Bert! Thanks for the kind words! You are right that most do not know how to sharpen a chisel. I did not know for the longest time. I still do not use my chisels as much as I'd like but have used them much more recently. Not because of the sharpener, but because of my desire to learn!


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## lumberjoe

I do sharpen often and I use chisels/planes a lot. Sharpening makes all the difference between a frustrating experience and mediocre results and a pleasurable experience with excellent results. One of the biggest "no-no's" is how you remove the burr here. You want to work it off on successively higher grits (called chasing the burr). With this tool you are snapping it off - and thus taking the sharpest part of your edge with it. I use waterstones for general honing. Initial sharpening, bevel establishment, and nick removal I switch to scary sharp (sandpaper). On a proper (wood backed) strop you still have a very flat reference to work with and there should be no burr left by the time you are ready to strop

I see where the graduations are marked, but I couldn't tell if there were positive stops (indexes) or you just align a marker and clamp it. A consistent bevel angle through grits is really key. I have tried a similar set-up made by trend with far less than acceptable results.

However to your point, I would agree that this definitely makes sharpening easy for the occasional user. I would prefer the worksharp WS2000 at around 10$ less for similar tasks though.


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## wseand

Next time I would give a short synopsis and then the video. I am not going to watch a ten minute video, so I goggled a shorter one. HERE:

I will give you my review, it's too expensive for what it does. It looks like a cheap tool you might buy at Harbor Freight and will only last for a few uses. It looks like cheap Chinese made tools.


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## CoolToolShed

@wseand Thanks for your opinion! I will take our "synopsis" idea into consideration on my next review of a product. I have seen that video, it was made by the inventor of the product.

As you probably well know, looks can be deceiving.


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## gervase

I thought the Black & Decker workmate was just a gimmick when it 1st came out until I used one. Now look how popular that became and how many copies came on the market!!

Making peoples lives easier to do a task sometimes has to take a different turn to the way it's been done in the past.

Don't knock it before you've tried it, you never know


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