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[Bad news:]

#11

Knife Sharpening / Re: SG-250 Question

Last post by RichColvin - December 18, 2025, 05:40:59 PM

David,

Bad news:  you need to add the stone grader (SP-650), and also the stone truing tool (TT-50).

Good news:  you will probably never need to replace these two.  My stone grader is 20+ years old and still working strongly.  I upgraded to the TT-50 truing tool, but re-used the diamond tip which came with my machine in 2003.

I know that this all adds up to a lot of money; however, I would challenge you to find another machine that is this well made at a better cost.  One similar type of machine was made by Accu-Finish (though it no longer is).  You were lucky to be able to get one 5 years ago for less than $3,000.  And it too required a lot of add-on pieces, so $4,000 - $5,000 was not an unusual investment.


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I had a low-end metal lathe which seemed like a good deal at the time.  I learned a lot about how it worked as it was often broken down.  I now have a nice Jet lathe for metal.

When I purchased my Tormek SuperGrind 2000 in 2002, it cost $549.  Certainly, I've had to replace worn grinding wheels over the years just like one must replace brake pads or tires.  But I've only had to replace two parts on that machine, adding another $139 to the cost.  (I wish my pickup truck were so reliable.)
 
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Finally, I think it is also key for all of us to remember how Tormek supports what they make.  There have been some nice improvements made over the years (from my SuperGrind 2000 to my T-8), but all the jigs and parts work on both machines equally well.  I don't know any other companies which provide such backwards compatibility.


Please don't give up hope on your Tormek.  It will serve you well for a long time.

#12

Knife Sharpening / Re: Did I make a mistake?

Last post by tgbto - December 18, 2025, 05:30:27 PM

Here is an article that discusses what I was describing. I think that since this was written the availability of symmetrical Japanese knives has increased dramatically for the Western market.

https://japaneseknifesharpening.blogspot.com/2012/03/asymmetry-real-deal.html
[/quote]

Well, to be honest I'm not sure what I should think after reading this blog post ...

Common terminology:

100/0 (single bevel) – yanagiba, usuba, etc

90/10 (double bevel) – honesuki, garasuki, etc

80/20 , 70/30, 60/40 (double bevel) – gyuto, nakiri, sujihiki, etc

50/50 (symmetric) – non Japanese knife

So if 50/50 is "symmetric", and therefore at the same angle, I don't see why 90/10 or 80/20 couldn't be just the relative sizes of the bevels on each side, but still with the same angle. It would still be assymetrical.

Notice that I didn't say that you had to use the same angle on each side of the knife nor did I say that you needed to change the angle for each side of the knife or to make each side different angled than one another?

All right... and when it comes to a 80/20 suji, good luck knowing when you're hitting the apex on the side with the tiny bevel. That being said, an advice given byJonatan Broida at the time was to sharpen at the same angle, very lightly on the backside, then add a microbevel on the backside only.

#13

General Tormek Questions / Re: Knife Steel Nerds

Last post by tgbto - December 18, 2025, 05:07:00 PM

Does anyone know of Magnacut chef knives ? Ideally a japanese yo-gyutou or the like... I couldn't find any, only pocket knives...

#14

Knife Sharpening / Re: SG-250 Question

Last post by ABall - December 18, 2025, 04:35:38 PM

So, I ordered the SG-250 so I can sharpen scissors and it didn't come with the stone grader?

If it's true, and the SG-250 does not include the stone grader, I have to say I am incredibly disappointed in Tormek. Why on earth would I buy a stone who's main feature is that It can change grits from course to fine but they don't supply the tool to do it? I am regretting more and more in investing in this company. Not a happy person if this is true and I have to go and order the stone grader.

I bought a new stone grader because my old one was very worn on the fine side, I went for a clone though so it was much cheaper. However, I havent used it, I bought a few cheap diamond plates, 80, 240, 1000 and they are fantastic, I bought 2 of each thinking they would wear quick but they havent, I dont see me ever using the stone grader again. A bonus with the plates is you have to true the stone a lot less frequently.

#15

Knife Sharpening / Re: SG-250 Question

Last post by GeoBoy - December 18, 2025, 03:42:15 PM

Why would Tormek include a stone grader when most Tormek users already have one? You opted to put together a custom unit that didn't include a SG-250 the required grading. Oh and by the way you are going to also need the TT-50 to keep the SG-250 flat and true.

#16

Knife Sharpening / Re: SG-250 Question

Last post by Dan - December 18, 2025, 09:35:40 AM

Hello,
if you had taken some time too read the Tormek site you would understand what exactly is included with whatever machine. They are pretty clear, in my opinion.

https://tormek.com/en/products/sharpening-machines/tormek-t-8-custom#h-Includedinthebox

https://tormek.com/en/products/sharpening-machines/tormek-t-8-original#h-Includedinthebox

The stone grader is included with the T-8 original. You decided to buy the T-8 Custom....
If someone wants a new wheel to replace a worn out wheel there is no point in including another wheel dresser.

In any case, the stone is only about 30-40$ if you want it.

You do realise that you will also need the TT-50 wheel dresser to keep the SG-250 wheel true !!

Danny

#17

Knife Sharpening / SG-250 Question

Last post by Rossy66 - December 18, 2025, 02:42:14 AM

So, I ordered the SG-250 so I can sharpen scissors and it didn't come with the stone grader?

If it's true, and the SG-250 does not include the stone grader, I have to say I am incredibly disappointed in Tormek. Why on earth would I buy a stone who's main feature is that It can change grits from course to fine but they don't supply the tool to do it? I am regretting more and more in investing in this company. Not a happy person if this is true and I have to go and order the stone grader.

#18

General Tormek Questions / Re: Knife Steel Nerds

Last post by Brock O Lee - December 18, 2025, 02:32:03 AM

A bit of background...

Larrin Thomas is a well-known PhD metallugist in the knife community. His father is Devin Thomas (known for his Damascus and pattern-welded forged steels). I know he is a member on Bladeforums and the Spyderco forum.

Larrin developed a few new steels in recent years, one of which was Magnacut. He worked with the USA foundry Crucible Steel and Niagra Speciality Metals to develop and bring CPM-Magnacut to the market. It is produced using a particle metallurgy approach. It's a high vanadium stainless steel, specifically developed for knife blades. It is popular for its unique balance of properties (corrosion resistance, wear resistance and toughness), and relatively high attainable hardness. It has similar properties to carbon tool steels (like CPM-4V), but is also very corrosion resistant at the same time, which is quite unique.

He also created other steels like Procut and CPM-MagnaMax. Both of these are quite new, and not widely available yet, as far as I know.

Knife Steel Nerds is his blog. He wrote a few books, which were well received. He knows his stuff. 👍

#19

Knife Sharpening / Re: Did I make a mistake?

Last post by John_B - December 17, 2025, 09:29:19 PM

a double bevel with each side at a unique angle.

I have several-plus japanese knives, but none is of that type. I own some with the same angle on both sides but sharpened assymetrically : the bevel on the left side is much smaller than on the right side. In order to keep them this way, I sharpen about 4 strokes on the wide side, one on the thin side. They have a very thin yet very sturdy blade, and are sharpened around 12.5dps. Edge retention is amazing.

One of these days I need to convert this to a data sheet for easy access.

This is one of the reasons I love TormekCalc so much : each knife has its own entry so you can select it with a single click then just set the right distances.

Here is an article that discusses what I was describing. I think that since this was written the availability of symmetrical Japanese knives has increased dramatically for the Western market.

https://japaneseknifesharpening.blogspot.com/2012/03/asymmetry-real-deal.html

#20

Knife Sharpening / Re: Did I make a mistake?

Last post by tgbto - December 17, 2025, 08:05:49 AM

a double bevel with each side at a unique angle.

I have several-plus japanese knives, but none is of that type. I own some with the same angle on both sides but sharpened assymetrically : the bevel on the left side is much smaller than on the right side. In order to keep them this way, I sharpen about 4 strokes on the wide side, one on the thin side. They have a very thin yet very sturdy blade, and are sharpened around 12.5dps. Edge retention is amazing.

One of these days I need to convert this to a data sheet for easy access.

This is one of the reasons I love TormekCalc so much : each knife has its own entry so you can select it with a single click then just set the right distances.