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I purchased the same knives thirty years ago. I agree with Sir Amwell.  I have always used 15° per side.
My  old Henckels have good steel; 15° per side works fine.

Ken

Thanks for the reply

I think for a ZWILLING Henckels that 15 degrees per side will be fine even though some might say that 20 degrees per side for that sort of steel gives a more robust edge. Anywhere in between will be fine too!
Maybe some basic lessons in knife care for your daughter would be more important than the edge geometry?

Ok so the 18* should be just fine. As for learning some basic knife care. Not going to happen. Lol she is as stubborn as I am and as such will learn on her own. She is easily flustered as well. I am sure she will let me know when it is dull. Hopefully it lasts a good while!
I will however suggest a vid or two on honing steel usage!

Thanks for your reply

Good day!

I have been learning to sharpen kitchen knives now since I ran out of chisels to grind on. I have several older (20+yrs) JA Henckle (now called Zwilling) pro S knives that have been ground on by a so called professional many, many years ago. Let's just say I never went back to them as the honing steel did a better job. These knives were recently replaced and I have been wanting to fix them for a very long time now and pass them on to my daughter. In my last visit to her home I needed a knive and found her Walmart "special" knives to be very dull, thin, and dangerous! This was part of my reasoning behind the T8 purchase.
I managed to find info on the knife angle on their site and it states these are set to 18*. I sharpened one of the chef knives to this angle on both sides but it's not the same as my new Zwilling Pro chef knives. The edge seems to be deeper vs the shallower angle of the new set. I am worried the edge won't last for her. If it was for me it wouldn't be an issue, just sharpen it again on the T8 but with her being on the other side of the country it's not ideal! I have watched, read and found some to say set the angle to 22*, 20*, 15* for standard kitchen knives.

I know ultimately that the abgle is not so important for most. I would like to choose an angle that is both sharp and durable.

Can someone shed some light on this for me please?

Thanks

Just a quick update if anyone was interested.

Tormet is replacing the leather honing wheel for me after I sent them pictures that clearly showed the glue joint was indeed recessed and slightly separated.
It will be interesting to see where it is sent from since I am in Canada. I would assume they have a wearhouse in north America. 

Hi everyone!
Yesterday I spent several hours learning my new T8 sharpening some old chisels. I noticed the leather wheels seam is very deep and when honing the blades I am using drop into this dip with a very pronounced thud. I noticed this is causing issues and my blades are not as sharp as hand stopping. When the tip of the blade drops into the seam this tips the blade forward which to me is killing the edge by folding it.

Is there a way to fix this?



Thanks

Most of the complaints I've seen is a "bump" usually from the glue, that can be sanded down a bit.  I think your issue might be one for Tormek Support to address.

Thank you for your reply!
I did send them an email

Hi everyone!
Yesterday I spent several hours learning my new T8 sharpening some old chisels. I noticed the leather wheels seam is very deep and when honing the blades I am using drop into this dip with a very pronounced thud. I noticed this is causing issues and my blades are not as sharp as hand stopping. When the tip of the blade drops into the seam this tips the blade forward which to me is killing the edge by folding it.

Is there a way to fix this?



Thanks

I took the plunge and purchased a T8 this past sunday!
I have yet to sharpen anything but have some old chisels and plane to practice on. I did do some honing on my hand sharpened chisels to see if the leather wheel would be better then a leather stop. I must say there is a clear difference. The chisels cut much cleaner. I look forward to restoring a few kitchen knives we have had for over 20yrs (will gift to our daughter).

Dan,

Two thoughts: the fifty year warranty and grits.

I have no clue about how things will be with Tormek (or anything else) in fifty years. I will share my experience with Tormek service as an indicator as to how  things might be then. I purchased one of the first SB-250 blackstones. My knife sharpening mentor had switched to it and was very pleased with its longevity. Mine kept gumming up. After I reached my fill of frustration, I left it on the shelf. Years later, I decided to inquire about it with Tormek. I sent an email to Håkan, Tormek's abrasive expert and CEO. I thought I was doing something wrong, as two distinguished experts I knew were using the SB quite successfully. Håkan quickly replied that he thought my problem might be my SB and that he would like to send me another new one at no charge. Tormek warrantees its grinding wheels for two years. My SB was ten years old. That solved my problem. That stellar service is the basis of my faith in Tormek.

I don't worry much about grits. My 360 grit diamond wheel cuts faster than my 220 grit SG. There are other factors beside grit in how a wheel cuts.

I would suggest you skip the Anniversary model in favor of an Original T8. The T8 should give you a lifetime of service. It is mechanically identical to the Anniversary model. The SG is the ideal grinding wheel to learn on and, with the leather honing wheel, should fit your needs. It has an eight year warranty (5+3 if registered) and will last longer than that. In that time, you may wish to upgrade to whatever the flagship Tormek is at the time.

Go with a regular T8 and enjoy your sharp tools.

Ken

Ken
Our thoughts are aligned. I just don't see the point of the anniversary edition that costs more but gives less then its original counter part.
Currently looking at either a T8 or T4 at this point.just need to sort out the differences beyond size.

Thanks for the reply.
Check out knife grinders Australia on YouTube. He did. Great vid on it.

Thank you for your reply!

The anniversary edition in Canada comes with the same. The one site I could find shows it at $1363.99 + tax and shipping.
It's my understanding that the composite wheel is 600 grit. If the df250 is 600 grit what's the point of the composite wheel?
I would be using the Tormek for knifes, chisels and plane blades for myself and family. I currently do this by hand and admittedly am not very good at it lol.

Idk
I read your post about the warranty but transferring it was not my concern here at all but rather what is actually covered. The warranty statement is very vague! Maybe this is intentional.

If all they are going to cover is manufacturing defects, what's the point of a 50yrs warranty? Any defects would present itself within the first year of usage! Seems to me this is nothing but a marketing thing really. I doupt very much if/when the bearings in the motor goes they will cover it. If I am wrong please correct me!
If I am to pay extra for a limited edition machine, I expect more then the standard machine offers out of the box! I mean it doesn't even come with any jigs to get me going!

I know it sounds like I am talking myself out of the purchase but I am just trying to justify paying aprox $1400+tax cdn for a machine that can not be used out of the box without additional out of pocket expense. Would be nice to own a limited edition but not if the standard offers more. Maybe I am expecting too much for my money in this.

Hi peeps,
New guy from Canada looking to purchase my first Tormek.
I saw the anniversary edition and looked at the warranty but am a bit a miss. The warranty statement is not at all clear. It only states the warranty covers defects and you must have the receipt. Who has receipts for 50 yrs? Say I have an issue years after purchase. What's to stop Tormek simply saying it's wear and tear? What I am getting at is the warranty doesn't seem to be a full bumper to bumper coverage. Also you get no guides to start out with. I would be out of pocket just to be able to do anything other then freehand. I mean if I am going to free hand why on earth would I buy a Tormek?!
In viewing a ton of vids on YouTube I noticed the leather wheel is the wheel to have since the composite wheel is equal to 600 grit. Is this correct?
Is the anniversary edition even worth looking at?


Any insight is appreciated!