A common oddity of any pastime: justifying the gear costs to these on the surface. Mountain bikers get to clarify why their dream downhill bike prices greater than a motorbike. Ultralighters get to clarify to informal hikers why a pack that faucets out at 15 kilos prices a number of hundred {dollars}. For knife aficionados, there’s justifying a sharpener that begins at a grand.
The Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional isn’t the quickest choice for heavy sharpening, and it’s not best for instruments like axes. Getting probably the most out of it requires loads of additional equipment. But, the Gen 4 is one in all my prime picks, even amongst our roundup of the very best knife sharpeners available on the market.
Of the numerous angle-guided sharpening methods, it’s by far the simplest to make use of. It’s quicker than the overwhelming majority of guide sharpeners. And most of all, it’s simply rattling properly constructed. A beginning value of $1,000 is a excessive bar to clear to be deemed value it, however the Gen 4 Professional rightfully sails over it.
Briefly: The Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional is the holy grail of knife aficionados for good motive. It’s not probably the most versatile sharpening system available on the market, however nonetheless, its mixture of construct high quality, effectivity, ease of use, and precision makes it simpler to get professional-grade edges with the Gen 4 than simply about some other sharpening system.
To match the Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional to the opposite knife sharpeners on the market, take a look at GearJunkie’s Greatest Knife Sharpeners Purchaser’s Information.
-
Sharpener Sort
Handbook, double-sided, clamped, angle-guided -
Angle Vary
12-28 levels per aspect; 12-33 with Micro-Regulate -
Grits
100/200, 400/600, 800/1000 -
Dimension
7 x 11 x 11.5” -
Greatest For
Skilled-level knife sharpening -
Ability Degree
2 out of 5
-
Ease of use -
Consistency -
Vary of equipment -
Built-in storage choices -
Construct high quality
-
Inventory vice solely accommodates blades below 5 mm thick -
Costly -
Equipment required for acute and mirror-polished edges
Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional: Assessment
Depraved Edge sharpeners’ central theme is that two fingers are higher than one. There are lots of guide angle-guided sharpening methods, and most maintain the blade horizontally within the jaws of a clamp. They sometimes have a information arm that may maintain a stone of some kind. The pivot level of the information arm may be raised or lowered to regulate the sharpening angle.
The draw back to this strategy: Hitting both aspect of a blade, particularly lengthy ones that have to be repositioned within the clamp, is usually a bit clumsy.
The clamps normally pivot to make this simpler. Nonetheless, blades, particularly lengthy ones, typically have to hold off the sting of a desk or countertop to have room to pivot. Even with practiced fingers, I’ve nicked myself a time or two on a blade hanging in area, pointed towards me.
Depraved Edge sharpeners as a substitute clamp blades vertically. Information arms on both aspect imply you possibly can put each fingers to work, alternatively sharpening both aspect of a blade in a clean, steady movement — no pivot vital. The Gen 4 Professional elevates that strategy with next-level engineering.
A heavy base anchors it to any floor. A sliding dial makes minute changes to the sharpening angle extremely straightforward. The strong, sturdy clamp may be engaged and disengaged by a deal with that folds to the aspect and stowed out of the best way. This makes it a breeze to sharpen lengthy blades that should be sharpened part by part.
A Lower Above the Competitors
The best approach to perceive what the Gen 4 brings to the desk is to stack it up towards the competitors. In comparison with two of GearJunkie’s different favourite clamp base sharpeners, the KME Deluxe and Work Sharp Precision Regulate Elite, the Gen 4’s clamp opens and closes probably the most simply — permitting blades to be far more rapidly secured and adjusted. Totally flat-ground blades, like chef’s knives, extra simply and persistently sit completely perpendicular.
Depraved Edge’s twin guide-arm design does require two stones of any grit in comparison with the one in all most guide sharpeners. Nevertheless, the double-sided design permits for smaller, double-sided stones. The angle adjustment system is simpler and extra fine-tunable.
With out being clamped or mounted to a floor, the KME and Precision Regulate Professional typically want a hand to regular them. The bottom of Gen 4, in the meantime, holds even the biggest blades steadily, with out the sting near you.
Edge Professional’s Professional and Apex methods, OGs amongst guide angle-guided sharpeners, require holding and drawing blades alongside a desk as you sharpen. Comparatively, the Gen 4’s set-it-and-forget-it clamp and extra granular angle changes are far simpler.
The Gen 4 can also be a lot less complicated than most electrical choices. Whetstone grinders just like the Tormek T-4 can value across the similar when all is alleged and completed. They’re quicker, however they’re extra technical, requiring setup, area, know-how, and equipment to stand up and operating.
Angle-guided belt sanding methods just like the Work Sharp Ken Onion and Elite Knife Sharpening Resolution are speedy however loud, kick out metal mud, favor convexed edges, and might overheat a blade. The Gen 4 affords extra precision, with much less room for errors.
Clamp Conundrums
As well-engineered because the Gen 4 is, it shares the professionals and cons of any clamp-based sharpener. These kind of methods are restricted by the width of the blades they’ll settle for. Within the Gen 4’s case, that’s 3/16 inches. Depraved Edge affords various jaws for thicker blades, however these too faucet out at ¼ inch. The overwhelming majority of blades make that reduce, however thick, heavy choppers like khukuris won’t match.
The precise sharpening angle of clamp-based methods additionally hardly ever matches these listed. It depends upon how far a blade protrudes from the clamp. With closely curved blades, this additionally implies that the sharpening angle will change barely from base to tip.
For a lot of, having a 30-degree edge on the base of a blade and a 34-degree edge on the tip is a nonissue. A sharpened edge is a pointy edge. Nevertheless, anybody dropping over a grand on a sharpener, particularly in the event that they’re sharpening for purchasers, might be a stickler for precision.
The Gen 4 is healthier than most in that regard. The information arms’ pivots are comparatively removed from the clamp. So, there’s much less variation in angle alongside the size and curve of a blade.
Likewise, the Gen 4 has, by far, the simplest and most sturdy clamp. Nevertheless, its bulk makes sharpening blades with shallow angles, like Japanese chef’s knives, troublesome. For that, you’ll nonetheless want a low-angle adaptor, an angle finder, and doubtlessly even longer information rods.
Price Issues
The Technology Professional 4 falls squarely into the “I must justify this” value bracket. For that, two questions reign supreme: “What’s the worth to me?” and, “How does it stack as much as different choices?”
That first query depends upon how closely you weigh satisfaction. Ask any pocket knife collector — there’s simply one thing satisfying about good engineering. Subsequent to my aquarium and quiches, the Gen 4 is probably the most stunning factor on my countertop. It’s exceptionally properly constructed and by far the very best compromise between high quality and ease of use of any sharpener I’ve ever used.
As somebody who sharpens professionally for collectors, industrial kitchens, and landscapers alike, it’s a combined bag. For many knives, it’s unbelievable. Resharpening even the toughest steels is simple. Cutlery takes no time. And over the previous couple of months, I’ve used it extra for my very own blades than some other system I personal.
Nevertheless, that has as a lot to do with the equipment as the bottom system. I opted for built-in storage to neatly home all the stones and equipment. That’s an additional $300. Mine has a micro-adjust, to broaden the vary of angles it will probably hit, and make matching present angles simpler. However that was one other $200. I even have additional stones that may take an edge from fairly broken to mirror-polished, however that was one other $250.
I sometimes sharpen for a sushi restaurant. The Gen 4 is unbelievable for this — with a Low Angle Package that runs one other $141.
Nevertheless, for knocking on the door of almost 2 grand, it suffers in versatility. Restoring closely broken edges on axes and instruments? It’s removed from best. Utterly regrinding the perimeters of tremendous laborious steels? It’s sluggish. Thick, uncommon instruments like chisels and wood-turning gear are all however off the desk. So, at that value, how does it stack up?
Different Sharpeners to Take into account
What does the Gen 4 do this others don’t? Nicely, it’s extra streamlined than different clamp-based methods. Work Sharp’s Precision Regulate Professional is extra unwieldy, slower, and has a extra finicky clamp, nevertheless it additionally affords angle micro-adjustments with an angle finder.
The KME affords a lot much less granularity for angle changes, requires a hand to regular the bottom, and may be extra awkward. Nevertheless, it’s extra moveable and comes with a large grit vary of diamond stones that makes it simply as quick because the Gen 4 at taking an edge from uninteresting or broken to polished.
Edge Professional simply has probably the most concerned guide methods. All of them forgo a clamp, requiring one hand to carry and draw a blade alongside a desk. The bottom of their Apex mannequin, particularly, is way much less safe. Its inventory whetstones are arguably the slowest within the lineup, require soaking earlier than use, and have to be leveled usually.
Nevertheless, Edge Professional’s design implies that so long as the sting of a blade is simply over the sting of the desk, the sharpening angle is strictly what it says it’s. In addition they provide a glut of equipment, together with diamond stones, that make it straightforward to get a top quality system up entrance, and improve it over time for a lot much less.
In comparison with electrical methods, the Gen 4 is a sluggish, detail-oriented specialist. Work Sharp’s Elite Knife Sharpening Resolution is loud, messy, and fewer exact — however an economical beast for heavy regrinding jobs, lengthy or awkward blades, and heavy-duty instruments like axes.
The Tormkek T-4 is well some of the complicated powered sharpeners round. Getting probably the most out of it requires additional wheels and jigs, placing it near the Gen 4’s value vary. Finally, although, from wood-turning gear to santokus, there are valuable few instruments that the T-4 can’t sharpen.
Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional: Lower to the Chase
The title of the Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional’s recreation is an up-front premium for excellent steadiness. There’s no scarcity of guide, angle-guided sharpeners available on the market, and the Gen 4 is solidly atop the plenty. It’s faster and extra exact than most of them, and it’s simpler to make use of (and arguably safer) than all of them.
There’s little leeway to get a primary model up entrance and package it out later. That will imply getting a unique Depraved Edge platform fully. However handy options just like the storage shelf and micro alter may be sacrificed for probably the most utilitarian extras like extra stones and the low-angle adapter.
After I must fully regrind laborious metal or closely sharpen instruments — lawnmower blades, machetes, hatchets, chisels, and the like — I nonetheless attain for my T-4 or Work Sharp Elite. I’ll have the job completed in a 3rd of the time.
However from my favourite gyuto chef’s knife and standby EDC to the blades of purchasers who’re choosy about their edges — the sushi cooks down the road, vintage collector associates, the regulars I bartend for who need mirror polish on their newest piece — the Gen 4 is my first alternative.
It’s large. It’s costly. If I didn’t actually put my nostril to grindstones as a aspect gig — it’d be laborious to justify. However with half an excuse, boy, if it isn’t satisfying, and damned if it doesn’t make getting a depraved edge so simple as it ever may very well be. There are myriad guide angle-guided sharpeners available on the market, however the Depraved Edge Technology 4 Professional is the very best I’ve used to date.
