Topic: standard disk or extra fine?

[htaitl]

hi crowd,
someone experienced with the difference of the standard disc to the extra fine disc (DF-250, 1.200)? whats about the different results?
got my t2 yesterday and now curious if i need the second disc for improved results?
any recommendation?

[Ken S]

Welcome to the forum, Heinrich.

No, you don't need a second disk. The T2 is specifically designed for chefs like you. It is designed to be a complete unit in itself, not needing any accessories or extra disks (grinding wheels). All diamond wheels are a little more coarse than rated for the first few knives. This is perfectly normal. After six or eight knives, your wheel will settle in to its rated coarseness. Use very light grinding pressure all the time, especially during the break in period. Your diamond grains are very sharp; let them do the sharpening.

The standard grinding wheel for the T2 is designated DWF-200. (Diamond Wheel Fine, 200mm diameter, 600 grit). Presently Tormek only makes one extra wheel for the T2, the DWC-200 (Coarse, 360 grit). During development, one of Tormek's major customers in Sweden requested a more coarse wheel. Tormek originally planned to offer only the DWF-200. If you sharpen your knives regularly, you will not need the coarser wheel.

If you have not already found it, Tormek has made an excellent in depth video on its you tube channel. Like all of its online classes, there are versions in Swedish, German, French, and English. I highly recommend this video.

Please keep us posted.

Ken

[cbwx34]

hi crowd,
someone experienced with the difference of the standard disc to the extra fine disc (DF-250, 1.200)? whats about the different results?
got my t2 yesterday and now curious if i need the second disc for improved results?
any recommendation?

My question would be... what are your results so far, that you think you need one?

The T2 may not be as easy as the instructions seem... it can take a bit for the knife to be properly set up to maintain on the T2.  For example the wheel may not yet be reaching the edge, if the angles are different (which happens a lot).  There are steps you can take, for example mark your edge with a Sharpie to make sure you're reaching the edge.  Create a burr and properly remove it, etc.  (Not sure what your skill level is here).

Personally, I think the coarse wheel is more often needed... so the knives can be properly set up/sharpened... then maintained with the fine wheel.  I'd get that one before thinking of getting the extra fine. 

Also any wheel marked with "250" won't work on the T-2.  There are some wheels coming out for the T-4 that might work, but they haven't been tested yet.

[Ken S]

I disagree. The T2 is specifically designed for chefs and restaurant personnel with no training in sharpening. It is not designed for trained sharpeners. If you are having difficulty using it, the online class or Tormek support (support@tormek.se) can help.

Sharpening is like cooking. Cooking dishes which are routine now may have seemed difficult at first. You will soon master your T2; do not be intimidated.

Do not even think of purchasing the DWC-200 coarse wheel until you have proficiently sharpened at least one hundred knives. As you become more proficient with your T2, you will become accustomed to sharper knives. You will want to sharpen more frequently. Your knives will not get so dull so you may find you don't have as much need for the coarser wheel.

At present, there is no Tormek extra fine wheel for the T2. Tormek worked extensively with restaurants and chefs in Sweden  before introducing it into the general market. If Tormek thought the T2 should have an extra fine grinding wheel, they would have included one in the lineup.

Study the online T2 class. It is worth carefully watching several times. It is also worth emailing support with specific questions.

Übung macht den Meister.    (Work makes the master.)

[cbwx34]

The T-2, in reality, is not a sharpener... it's more of a maintainer.

But if you're using it to sharpen, especially knives that aren't already "at the same angle", (which is what the instructions say), then you need something better to set the edge.  It's a clue that customers asked for a more coarse wheel.

Telling someone to sharpen "one hundred knives" before getting anything else, I consider bad advice, mainly because there are reasons that the stock setup may not be up to the task. 

And if you don't know/learn a bit about sharpening, you won't know what is wrong when you don't end up with a sharp knife.  You are right, it wasn't really designed for that, but if someone buys one and wants to know why their knife isn't getting sharp, they're going to have to learn a bit.

[Ken S]

CB,

You make some interesting points. I suspect we are not far apart in our thinking.

You are correct; my "hundred knives" is probably overkill.
In my defense, I think that forming an opinion about the suitability of a grinding wheel in one day seems "underkill" to me. I like the DWC-200. When I first got mine, within a half hour, I was using it on my T4. Before Tormek introduced the 250mm diamond wheels, it was the only coarse wheel available from Tormek in either size. (I am pleased that Tormek has redesigned the 200 mm diamond wheels. A Tormek wheel for regular use really needs to be able to operate wet.)

My point about starting with just the 600 grit wheel is that I believe that is the quickest way to learn both its potential and limitations. There is nothing wrong with having both wheels at the start if it does not short circuit the learning process.

When I recommend a video resource, I prefer to refresh my knowledge of it by watching it again at the time of recommendation. I did that last night. Much of it is basic Tormek technique, including using the black marker to set the bevel angle. Within a certain angle range, matching the existing angle makes sense to me. Changing angles creates a lot more grinding. Unless there is a specific need for a particular angle, the extra work and wear and tear on the knife seems pointless to me. I stand by my recommendation; I believe it is well worth watching.

Heinrich, as a hobby chef, you have the advantage of regularly using your knives. There is no substitute for learning how your knives cut with food on your cutting board. CB makes a good point about the T2 being a good maintenance machine. As you use your T2, you will want to maintain your knives more often and keep them in top cutting form.

Ken

[htaitl]

tks to all for your recommendations.

my point to ask was that I get my knives sharp, but not razorsharp. so my thought was to change the wheel (to superfine) to get much better results.