So I have some Christmas money intended for a knife sharpener.

I have looked at some of the motorized sharpeners as well as the diamond stone/clamp/guide types but I am not sure which one works best (or quickest or easiest).

I have about $150 to spend.

Any advice on brands/models to look for or which type is superior?

I’ve done a fair bit of stone sharpening, though I don’t claim to be good at it. I’m not sure my edges hold as long as they should, so I’m not too proud to switch to a more foolproof system if there is such a thing.

I’d be using this for kitchen knives, EDC lockblades, deer field dressing knives and the occasional sharpening of larger fixed blade knives like KaBar’s and bowie’s. Ability to sharpen a machete or kukri would be a bonus but not absolutely required.

I have a bench grinder but am hesitant to put tempered knives to it.

PS - Sharpening chisels (wood) would be a nice bonus as well.

This works well for me.

Best by what metric?

You can't beat a Norton tri stone system if you are expert at hand sharpening with whetstones.

But that's near 900 bucks these days and results are entirely skill dependent.

I have a vintage example of one, from the 50s.  It's got to be a collector's item by now.

If you sharpen lawn mower blades, the best system is an angle grinder.  For machete sharpening I use a 6x48 belt sander.

For my kitchen knives, I use a Makita planer blade sharpener which is a wet stone system.   Follow it up with a quick strop on the buffer with green chrome polish, and the edge is utterly terrifying.

Some people use the Tormek, others, Sharpmaker,  others, Lansky, others, something else.

Start by determining what your budget is and do you want a powered system or a manual system?

What blade size and types will you be sharpening?    How sharp do you need to get them to?

I'll second that!

2x72 belt grinder

I tried the Worksharp Ken Onion edition and could never get the hang of it.  
Maybe Im not smart enough...

Anyways, my wife just got me the $35 Lansky system.

Wooo-- that sucker just works and is really really easy.

The first 2 knives I tried it on got scary sharp.

I just ordered the diamond stones, Super Sapphire finishing stone, and leather strope to get that last few percent of awesomeness.

I can't imagine a easier, better value sharpening system with a quick and easy learning curve.

The electric one are nice, but I still prefer a lansky style.  Get the good stones.

I love my edge pro.To me it’s relaxing to sharpen my knives while watching tv.

Whatever you settle on get a strop too it makes a big difference

Any thoughts on one of these spyderco types?

Triangle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener

Wicked edge go!

Love it. It’s what I use. Get the ultra fine stone as an extra.

Anything else I need to get started?

Attached File

This is what I started with.  It works great, especially if you aren't too particular about grind angles, etc.

Even after adding the fine (and possibly the diamond) rods it's still pretty economical.

No days I use a edgepro.  Which I also highly recommend.

Gritomatic Hapstone

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Knife-Sharpening-Stone-Set/dp/B074X7VB62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546613666&sr=8-1&keywords=knifeplanet

So far very happy with them.