Pro Knife Sharpening with SB-250

[Travis G]

Hi there,

Recently, we've been exploring the possibility of using a T-7 for our main sharpening machine in our knife shops. I've been very impressed with the finished edge quality, the quietness, and the entire water-cooled nature of the Tormek machine. Although it does have its limitations (reshaping tips, etc.), other staff and I are confident it's the right tool for our uses. Typical usage includes kitchen knives, hunting knives, and scissors (both fabric and haircutting).

On our tester machine, we're about 6 months into use and have brought the stone down approximately 20mm in diameter (10mm of wear). With the high carbon stainless alloys that we're sharpening, I'm wondering if the SB-250 would stand up better to this sort of use?

I've read that it may not sharpen some steels as quickly, but the wear resistance of the SB-250 sounds quite high.

I'd love to hear some input on the subject.

Thanks,

Travis

[Black Mamba]

Reading your post, I'm more than mildly surprised that you would use the Tormek to sharpen salon scissors. I've owned and operated a professional sharpening business for years. Our primary emphasis is on the salon trade.  The Tormek machine fits well into our program for a multitude of sharpening needs....however, sharpening salon scissors is not one of them. There are a number of systems far better suited to that task. In fact, when I bought the Tormek, the dealer ( who didn't know I sharpened salon scissors professionally ) specifically advised me to NOT use the Tormek for such purposes.

Tom

[Travis G]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the input. We tend to sharpen consumer-grade haircutting scissors on this system and others (Wolff Twice as Sharp, for example), and we point professional hairdressers to other avenues that can better service their high end "salon" scissors. With more than 10 locations, it's not feasible to have a vast quantity of different sharpening systems at each location, but the Tormek we've found works well for the variety of implements (mainly knives) we receive for service on a regular basis.

It sounds like you've got a fair amount of experience with the Tormek. Any thoughts on the use of the SB-250 wheel as a high-wear alternative to the potentially quick wear of the SG-250?

Thanks,

Travis