>>816502>how many stages of sharpening is bestAll of them and you get the perfect mirror finish with minimal effort. If you don't enjoy shapening, forget the mirror finish.
800 diamond and a fine arkansas stone for finishing is what I use. I believe proper stropping is more important than the grit of the last fine stone. Stropping is not necessary, but you can easily build a stropping paddle out of a piece of wood and a piece of leather. Just glue it on, add some stropping paste and there you go.
>What about non-scandi blades?Crock sticks with two sets of rods. For reprofiling expensive knives you should consider some guided sharpening system, I just don't know which one.
I have Lansky knife sharpening system and it's not good. I had to use a lot of tape to make a full flat grind knife "flat" and build a "cardboard angle measuring device" just to get the angle right. The whole thing is flimsy and useless for small knives because of stupid design. That being said I have sharpened a couple knives with it and I was happy with results.
If your knives are cheap, create less than 20 degree angle by hand and then use crock sticks for that perfect 20 degree angle. If you're not sure about the angle, use a sharpie to paint the bevel, pull both sides carefully through crock sticks and look where the black disappeared.
One last thing. Whatever the grit or sharpening tool, always use more force in the beginning and less towards the end. It makes the stone work like a slightly finer stone.
