a practical combination

[Ken S]

For a while we seemed to have a number of posts concerning the SVM vs KJ knife jigs. Like many of us, I have accumulated a number of knife jigs, including three KJ jigs. For those of us who are contemplating acquiring several knife jigs, here are some thoughts:

Consider the number of and the kind of knives you plan to sharpen. For the sharpener who basically sharpens his own half a dozen knives, just one regular jig will probably suffice. If you are concerned about self centering, make it the KJ-45.While the adjustable end stop of the SVM jigs may seem essential for high volume sharpening, it is hardly essential for just a few knives. If you actually sharpen flexible long fillet knives, you may also want a longer jig. In my case, my boning knife is too short for the 140mm jigs, but that's just me. Flexible knives are not thick knives, so self centering is not a big factor for them.For very small knives, a homemade small platform or SVM-00 may be useful.

Among my knife jigs are two modified with Woorz's milling idea (,5 and 1.0 mm). I believe the KJ-45 can easily handle thicker bushcraft knives in smaller volume; however, higher volume sharpeners who sharpen a lot of these knives might feel the modified SVM jigs more efficient.

For anyone sharpening a number of longer kitchen knives, I would recommend acquiring a US-430 before more jigs.

Ken