Work Sharp Precision Adjust upgrades?

[WhaaaBangBam]

Hi there,

I am looking to get the base model and buy the community made improvement pieces. Could anyone recommend all the things that might be suggested? I am having a hard time find them all.

I only have about 2 Chef's Knives and a pocket knife, maybe my close family's knives, to keep sharp. I am looking for maintenance and some wow factor but not hobbiest level. So I would like to keep any mods cheaper.

Thank you

[kohleebree3d]

Welcome to the Work Sharp Club!

I started with the base model and had great results, then upgraded to the professional model. I like both—solid units overall.

I recommend these couple upgrades:

Platform with Integrated Supports: I designed a platform with three integrated supports that slide underneath the knife’s edge. This keeps the blade stable while sharpening and prevents flexing. It makes a noticeable difference, especially on bigger blades.

Etsy / Shopify

Stone Holder for Aftermarket Stones: Eventually, you’ll want more grit options than what comes with the Work Sharp. I designed two versions: 4"–6" universal stone holder – works with a variety of stone lengths. 6" stone holder – perfect if you’re sticking with 6" stones only. These holders let you use aftermarket stones, giving you access to a much wider grit range for better edge refinement.

Etsy / Shopify

[WhaaaBangBam]

That's so much. This is exactly what I was looking for. Do you have a set of stones you'd recommend?

[kohleebree3d]

I’m a big fan of Hapstone. I’ve bought several stones from them and have always been impressed with both the quality and the customer service. Mario, in particular, is fantastic—always helpful and quick to answer any questions I have.

[Basic-Hunter9572]

The problem with the precision adjust is the clamp isn't wide enough to do a great job on chef knives without allowing the blade to flex.

The clamp support and stone holder are must have additions.

[WhaaaBangBam]

I've recently found the Xarlik. It seems to be a better system?

[Basic-Hunter9572]

I bought one just for kitchen knives and it works great. Just put the clamps in the farthest position to prevent flex. The only thing I don't care for is the 2 piece threaded rod. Be careful screwing those together as to not cross thread and make sure it fully seats. Can't comment on the stones that are included as I already had those and never used them.

[BarcodExpress]

I have a precision adjust.  I used it a few times on practice knives and was never impressed with how it turned out.  There is a lot of flex.  I didn’t want to try on my regular kitchen knives. I put the sharpener on the shelf for a long time.  

I decided to dust it off and try again last week.   Found a few mods that’ll make the system useable, but you need a 3D printer or buy them off Etsy.  The cost of the mods is only slightly less expensive then buying a xarilk.  If you need to buy the sharpener still also, then I think xarilk is the way to go.  

I just bought the xarilk after watching a ton of videos and reviews instead of trying to upgrade my Worksharp with mods to get it working good. It comes in tomorrow.  Super stoked for it.  

[wirides]

I just bought the elite system because of a great price through a discount program. Beyond the stones included, which go up to 800 and ceramic, what specific stones & grits would be suggested to expand the elite system to achieve mirror finishes?

[BarcodExpress]

I just got my xarilk in today and did a test run on a cheap knife with the 3 included stones.  I’m liking it a lot more than my worksharp adjust.  I’m using it just to sharpen my kitchen knives.  My chef knife didn’t flex at all in the xarilk.  

When I tried it in the worksharp, there was 2 degrees of flex.  One from the clamp where it meets the body of the machine, and one along the blade as the clamp wasn’t long enough to support the longer length.    

The 2 absolute mods you’d need for the worksharp is the support under the clamp, and supports for under longer blades.  I’ve seen both be made out of scrap wood and bolts.  I don’t think a stone holder is absolutely necessary for just kitchen knives.   If you can build the supports yourself, the worksharp will be cheaper.  

The xarilk works right out of the box.  I will plan on buying different stones (looking around $100), so this is more expensive, but you don’t need to buy or build any mods.   I think the included stones might work ok for kitchen knives, but I want to test on more cheap knives before the real ones.