Work Sharp Cullinary

[Rupert Lucius]

Belt machines - have not seen one.  

Yes, I know too many "L's" in culinary.

http://www.worksharpculinary.com/how-to-...sharpener/

[grepper]

Huh. I've never seen one of those either. I have the regular Worksharp with the 1/4" belt if I remember correctly. It chews through belts very quickly, but it does work. I prefer the Kally.

[Rupert Lucius]

The WorkSharp Culinary M-3 will be directed toward the Kitchen Market.

Has a handle, diamond rod, ceramic rod AND something else that may work - the handle contains exclusive  MicroForge™ Technology.

Work Sharp Culinary’s MicroForge technology creates a longer lasting, more durable edge with greater cutting control. MicroForge can be applied to any knife, enhancing it's cutting versatility by creating micro-facets along the cutting edge.  Learn more about MicroForge here.  MicroForge is a component of the M3 handle.

The MicroForged edge may be the edge that we have been searching for, since Max sent us looking for the "Holy Grail" of knife edges.

Rupert

[Jan]

Interesting approach Mr. Ruppert!

Please, how are the micro-facets created? Is there a toothed wheel in the handle?

Jan

[Rupert Lucius]

Interesting approach Mr. Ruppert!

Please, how are the micro-facets created? Is there a toothed wheel in the handle?

Jan

I, ordered one yesterday, that will ship Sept. 1, 2017.

Let us hope that it creates "the edge" that we are looking for?

There has to be a toothed wheel in that handle?

Please note that somewhere in their limited info: the sharpened edge is then pushed through the guide on the handle, then the ceramic rod is inserted into the handle and the operator refines the micro facets.

Rupert

[grepper]

Here's what they say they are doing.  Basically converting a flat edge into an edge with small serrations.  An at home serrated edge maker.

   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe1DJLSwmeM

Interesting that even Work Sharp is bailing on a smooth edge. Not sure I would want to do that with all my knives, but a very interesting idea.  If it works well it very well might have it's place.  I wonder what the edge looks like after you have done it a few times.

---

Discussion on Blade Forums:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/micr...y.1474900/

I really wonder what happens to the edge after a few sharpenings. I suspect that the previous serrations must be completely ground away before applying new ones or the edge would be a mess.  Nonetheless, it is a very toothy edge!

[Rupert Lucius]

Somewhere in September we will have some answers.

I, am a player -

Rupert

[grepper]

More info:

   

Thanks for posting this Mr. Rupert!  Looking forward to a real review so we can see through the advertising hype.

[Work Sharp Culinary]

The E5 and E3 use the same abrasives and belt technology as the standard Work Sharp line but were designed specifically for use in the kitchen. The guides are set to accommodate smaller angles (17 degrees comes standard, there is an optional expansion to 15 and 20 degrees for the E5) that are leather-lined to help keep grit from marring the edge of your knives. The angle is also built to remove the rounding of tips some inexperienced users have with our standard line. They also feature an internal vacuum system with magnets to pull any material and grit into the machine instead of on your counter. The E3 runs at two speeds (Shape and Refine). The E5 has three timed stages to entirely remove the guesswork for "am I sharp", and includes MicroForge.

The M3 also has MicroForge.

MicroForge is achieved by running the blade across a proprietary stationary wheel in the handle of the rod. It applies tiny facets to one side of the blade, giving you a straight edge on one side and a faceted edge on the other. 

Here's a photo of an 8' chef's knife we applied MicroForge to the bottom half of the blade-






Close up

While we have a complete battery of tests to perform with different edges and steels before we would make official claims, one of our engineers ran six identical 154CM blades with a 15 degree angle through a CATRA tester at the Benchmade engineering office with no MicroForge, light MicroForge (gentle pressure used in the MicroForge process), and heavy MicroForge (assertive pressure used in MicroForge process). 

The results revealed slightly less sharpness in the first couple of cuts with the MicroForged knives, but by the third test cycle the lightly MicroForged knife was at equal sharpness with the original edge and by the fifth test cycle the MicroForged edge was actually sharper. By the 20th test cycle the MicroForged edge was significantly sharper than the original edge in all cases. The heavily MicroForged knives started out slightly less sharp than the straight and light MicroForge but tested sharper than the straight edge by the sixth test cycle and sharper than the lightly MicroForged edges by the 10th test cycle and ended the sharpest of the blades. 

So what does all that mean? In this test, MicroForge stayed sharp for longer than a straight edge. All knives passed the paper cutting test at the beginning of the trial, so the difference in sharpness at the beginning wasn't  enough for most users to notice, but by the 20th cycle the heavily MicroForge edge tested sharper than the straight edge was in the 11th test cycle.

How does MicroForge feel? In a paper test, there is a slightly "zippery" feel but it doesn't snag nor perform worse than a straight edge.

MicroForge excels at cutting fibrous foods like peppers, meats, and especially useful for people who don't want to regularly upkeep their knives.

[grepper]

Mr. Work Sharp Culinary, thanks for the post, and welcome to the forum!
 
While a polished, smooth edge has its places, I am an advocate of a “toothy” edge for most general use knives and kitchen cutlery. As you mention, they have superior performance on anything fibrous.  Additionally, they work better and have superior useful edge retention for smooth skin like a tomato or broccoli stems, etc.  Nothing is more frustrating that what seems to be a sharp, smooth edge that just rides on the surface of something you are trying to cut.
 
MicroForge is interesting to me because it looks to produce an edge more than just toothy, but less than a basic serrated blade and because by applying more or less pressure it can produce varying levels of serrations.
 
How does this perform on harder steels RHC 60+ that are prone to chipping?  What was the hardness of the blades that you tested?
 
You mentioned, “It applies tiny facets to one side of the blade, giving you a straight edge on one side and a faceted edge on the other.”   The image you posted appears to show the facets more like a saw blade that extends through the edge rather than just scallops on one side.  Are the facets just on one side of the blade?
 
Do you have any microscopy of the edge?
 
The technology and the edge it produces look interesting.  Any additional information you wish to share would be appreciated.