Which Tormek Sharpening Machine Should I Get?

[tgbto]

Although I see where you are coming from, I feel some of your information is outdated or not really applicable.

Read today, on Tormek's Website :

Tormek has developed a sharpening machine specifically designed for sharpening chef's knives – on site in the restaurant kitchen.

So it seems that the recommended use case for the T-2, as @Carly mentioned in their initial post is indeed chefs who want a quick, sharp result on site. It doesn't sound *that* outdated.

The T2 can also sharpen several kitchen accessories, as shown in the linked video. The T8 can not sharpen these.

Yes, mostly because there is no Tormek-made "platform jig" suitable for knives for the T-8, but as proven on this very forum, it would solve the S-knife issue. And also no rotary cutter jig for the T-8, but again more of a marketing choice than an actual technical issue.

By "the result will not be that good looking" do you mean an uneven bevel or will have scratches? Starting at 9:00 on the video, Johan demonstrates the knife he sharpened has an even bevel.Yes, it is a different technique, notusing tilt; however, it achieves the same even bevels.

I mean uneven bevels. The T-2 is a constant angle sharpener. We know full well that keeping a constant angle will usually (ie on most kitchen knives) result in a bevel that widens at the tip. Granted, there is no sharpness issue (it might even improve it a bit), it is just about looks. But it is the very reason why Tormek recommends to lift, not pivot. You can't have it both ways, geometry is kinda stubborn.
To be crystal clear, if you take a chef knife with an even-looking bevel and sharpen it on the T-2 using the sharpie trick in the middle of the blade, you will most likely witness that in the tip area you only remove sharpie on the shoulders, not all the way to the apex.
Some knives, geometry allowing, will be fine that way, some might even get a narrower bevel, if the spine is curving down insted of the edge curving up, while the tip area of the blade gets quite thin. But you don't control
that with the T-2, the "Advanced sharpening technique" video intro with all the edge geometries is precisely about all this.

I do not believe that, especially after extensive testing, Tormek would sell a product which would not meet its high quality standards.

I don't think I ever implied otherwise, I just find it odd that several topics tend to promote the T-2 as a good complement to a T-8 for a sharpening business, and try to counter geometrical arguments with "Tormek sells good products". As examplified here.

[Ken S]

Nick,

Tormek must fulfill the expectations of many users. The needs of the particular high end user which you represent are most certainly a vital part of the Tormek market. This group requires a machine not only capable of producing very sharp edges, but also very versatile and capable of producing very highly esthetic edges. I believe this forum has demonstrated the importance of this group in raising the level of sharpening for all Tormek users.

However, this group is not the only group of Tormek users. Another equally important group, perhaps best exemplified by the Swedish Culinary Team, is equally demanding of sharpness, but requires that sharpness in the demanding constraints of a fast paced restaurant environment . While these dedicated professionals would certainly not abuse their knives, knife sharpness is only a necessary part of very high end cooking. They do not have time to worry about high end sharpening concerns beyond sharpness and caring for their expensive knives. They certainly do not care about sharpening chisels or drill bits.

Most home users fall near this category. While they want sharp edges and do not want to abuse their knives, most would prefer not  to make the investment of learning time, space, or money in professional level equipment like a T8, especially if their knives are solid, but economical. For those in this group who also want to sharpen other tools, a T4 or T8 is the logical choice, or the T8 if they aspire to start a side business. For those who desire only knives, I think either a T2 or T1 is a logical option.

For a long term investment like a Tormek, I have never believed that saving a relatively few dollars should be a deciding factor. I do believe that matching the machine to the owner's needs and expectations should be the deciding factor.

Ken

[tgbto]

Ken,

I am not sure what you are replying to. The sentence that prompted my initial comment which you disagreed with was :

I would buy a T-2 plus the coarse wheel for a mobile knife sharpening business.

If a professional sharpener is not willing to invest time and money in professional equipment I am not sure this is going to end well. The members of the culinary teams are cooks, not professional sharpeners.

Never did I say the T-8 fitted everyone's budget or needs, nor that Tormek released low quality equipment 

[Ken S]

Nick,

I never intended to imply that you were making negative comments about Tormek. If you felt that way, I apologize.

In hindsight, some of my comments do seem a little short sighted. A busy professional sharpener should have a T8, even if his work was primarily knives. However, I do not believe that the T2 should be confined to being used solely by restaurant staff. The T2 online class mentioned steak knives. The T2 seems very logical for sharpening these. These should not require much time per knife, nor would esthetics be a high priority. The customer could be offered a volume discount. This could provide an additional source of revenue for the sharpener.

Some sharpeners offer a knife rental service. (Knife Grinders did.) A T2 could provide a very cost effective way of doing this.

I hope that anyone contemplating investing in a Tormek would not make that decision based on a single online recommendation. We have more sources available, including Tormek's online classes. 

Ken

[BaltoT]

Hi,
I am new to this forum. I keep reading/watching YouTube posts about the Tormek T-8, and I am seriously thinking about buying it.
Can you please advise what wheels and accessories I should get?
I will be primarily using it for the following:
- woodworking tools for timber frame construction: framing chisels, slicks, draw knives
- axes: tree-cutting axes, carpenter axes, etc.
- woodworking tools: chisels of various widths and hand plane blades
- knives: kitchen knives, etc.

[John Hancock Sr]

Can you please advise what wheels and accessories I should get?

The machine comes with se-77 which doe3s your slicks, chisels and plane irons. The Most cost effective way of getting the knife sharpening jigs, the axe jig and other misc jigs is to get the hand tool kit HTK-806. The Hand Tool kit may have jigs rarely used but you have them. The only one I don't use that much is the KJ-140.

As for your draw knife, depending on the style you *may* be able to use the knife jig but mine has a wide back and probably will not fit. If that is the case then the SVD-110 may work. I had sharpened my draw knife last time I used it and it has not been used since I got my Tormek so not sure whether I would hand sharpen still or use the SVD-110

From the HTK-806 kit spekks

The HTK-806 inludes:
- KJ-45 Centering Knife Jig (new model) <- essential
- KJ-140 Long Centering Knife Jig (new model) <- for longish flexible knives
- SVM-00 Small Knife Holder <- Pocket knives, paring jknives
- SVX-150 Scissors Jig
- SVA-170 Axe Jig
- SVS-38 Short Tool Jig

[BaltoT]

Thanks a lot!
I see there are some 'bundles' on sharpeningsupplies.com. Should I maybe get a 'bundle'? Is sharpeningsupplies.com a good site to buy?
How about wheels?

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, BaltoT. I spent the last week of August visiting Tormek in Sweden with a small group of six from the US. Throughout the week, I enjoyed several informal opportunities to chat with members of our group. Our group included John, the founder of Sharpening supplies, and Darren, the senior employee (15 years). I immediately liked and grew to trust both of them.

I have long recommended choosing a dealer based on expectations of outstanding service. I have full faith in Sharpening Supplies.

Ken