GEN3 Guided Knife Sharpening System, Aluminium | Professional knife sharpener, Knife Sharpening Kit W / 3 Al Plates Diamond (320#, 800#, 2000#) for For Hunting & Kitchen Knives

Clone of a renowned Hobbyist/Professional sharpenerTLDR: If someone is looking for a smaller footprint precision knife sharping tool and is willing to spend a couple of hours or so adjusting the device and learning about it, it is a great deal and machine. This sharpener is very customizable, so the hobbyist or for professional backup users will appreciate and like it.The full review:I have been using fixed angle sharpeners for over 20 years. I am fairly familiar with them. After sharpening and reprofiling 12 knives and spending a few hours examining and learning the adjustments, I would say this sharpener is a hell of a deal. The Xarilk Gen3 is a clone of the TSPROF Kadet Pro, which is a $500 device. This unit is about 85% - 90% of the original it is cloning. The base is different, the height adjustment does not collapse for storage like the original and the stone holder is different. I actually like the way the guide rod and stone holder rod mate with the Xarilk Gen3, has a more solid connection. Both machines function identically. A lot of the TSPROF parts will fit the Xarilk Gen3, I will mention the ones that matter later.I can understand why some of the reviews are negative. Mine came with a screw not installed and inside the box (which effects the column lock mechanism). The three mechanisms that make this unit rock solid were not properly adjusted, which the original sometimes come like that. All can be easily adjusted and tuned by the end user. Yes none of this info is available when purchasing the unit. How to properly sharpen a blade is not explained. But remember this is a hobbyist to professional device. TSPROF has videos how to adjust their units (which is the same for the Xarilk Gen3). There are good tutorials on YouTube on how to sharpen. There are also a lot of people reviewing the Xarilk Gen3 and the original that have poor technique so be careful.Once the below adjustments and prep work for the device is made this machine does feel like a professional and high end machine. Will be rock solid, no flexing, no wobbling and the guide rod will feel like it is on bearings. I will try to touch on everything that matters:* Guide Rod:- For smoother operation “lightly” polish the back part of the guide rod that goes through the pivot bearing. I used Mothers MAG polish with a paper towel. Then clean off the metal polish with 91% or better isopropyl alcohol. What you are trying to do “is not” to remove a lot of the metal, you want to just polishing the surface. You will also want to lightly lubricate the part of the rod that slides in and out of the pivot bearing. I have tried different thickness lubricants and found thin/light lubricants work best.- You will want to rest the rod to the side for many reasons like inspecting the blade edge, take a break, switching stones, etc. I would recommend a solid object that is to the side, somewhere the hand guard can rest on. Some stones are heavy, especially with steel backplates. For pivot bearing longevity you do not want to put unnecessary strain on the pivot bearing or have the guide rod bouncing around. I found an elevated platform of some sort with a non-slip flat surface works best for me.- Some reviews mention the binding or sticking of the guide rod. The same happens on the original. The reason this happens is when the pivot bearing hole is not facing the direction of the rod movement. The easy remedy to this is when you take the rod from its resting place, is to swing the rod slightly past the movement area, which will re-center the pivot bearing. You want to make sure the pivot bearing is facing the direction of the rod movement.- Guide rod assembly is the two rods screwed together. I highly recommend blue Loctite to ensure the rod assembly stays securely attached. The back portion of the rear rod assembly has a part that screws off. By removing the back piece the rod can be detached from the pivot bearing for storage.* For precision in figuring out the edge angle you will need a decent to good digital angle gauge/finder. By decent to good I mean one that is capable to .1 - .2 degrees accuracy. I use a Klein 935DAG, they are about $30. Cell phones will not be accurate enough if you want precision. The pictures on the side of the level column are a basic guide only. The original has the same markings and the simple manual that comes with the Xarilk give you an general indication of angle ranges the markings depict.* 180 degree blade flip precision and keeping the blade secure in the clamps:My unit will keep the same angle when flipping the blade over. Here is what would cause it not to be the same when flipping the blade over:- When the clamps are mounted to the device either the clamp or device arm is not clean. This could throw the angle from one side to the other off.- I use blue painters tape on the knife to protect the knife finish and to get a more secure fit and grip inside the clamps.- The biggest culprit is how the knife is secured to the clamps. Often the blade bevels on knives are not symmetrical on both sides. So if you try and clamp to a non-flat area of the bevel you may have to compensate (like with an additional layer of painters tape on one side) and or re-adjust the position of the blade inside the clamp.* Adjustments that control how tight, smooth and precise the device is. There are 5 in total, do the adjustments in the following order:1) 2.5mm hex socket at the center, on the bottom side of the rotating bar. This bar is where the clamps attach to. Make sure this bolt is snug, do not over tighten. You can feel what this adjustment does buy rotating the bar.2) Small flat head bolt on the top of the portion that extends to the rotating bar. This extension is part of the height adjustment column, you can’t miss it. Only flat head bolt on the device and is super obvious. Again make sure this bolt is snug, do not over tighten. In the pics I provided the small flat head bolt is located in front of the round magnet I installed.3) If you open or pull the silver release lever to unlock the rotating bar, on each side of that internal rotating mechanism there is a 2mm socket. You need to tighten to snug on both sides. You will know how much to snug up, will effect how tight is the activation of the lever is. You only want to tighten until you feel the rotating bar is solid and there is no play. You may want to consider to later come back to this and use a bit of blue Loctite to make sure your adjustments stay this way once everything is to your liking.4 and 5) Effect how precise and tight the adjustments are during height adjustments using the knob at the height column. Also how tight and precise the lock lever is. There are two 2mm sockets located at the back of the column, not the two silver socket bolts on the side of the column. These can be adjusted to your liking, basically how tight or loose the rotational play is. I would adjust them so it is smooth and firm, not too tight that it is hard to move the arm up and down. The lever socket I would adjust so it is firm. The goal to adjustments 4 and 5 is so when the silver lever is placed into a position that is slightly more than vertical, you can adjust the column height with the dial to your desired angle, and when moving the lock lever all the way back to lock the angle, the angle does not change. You will need a digital angle finder to test this.* The Xarilk Gen3 like the original has a small base footprint. Can be used as a portable unit. For more stability my suggestion is to increase base size by using the included screws and attaching to a bigger wood base. Or for best results attach to a table or desk like I did. My setup is rock solid. No parts flex or move. Proper fixed angle sharpening technique is to allow the stones to do the work. Your job is to be consistent. The more stable and flex and movement free the machine is, the more consistent the edge. If the machine parts flex it will slightly change the angle.*** Improving the flexibility and use of the sharpener with accessories:- Guide rod movement range stoppers. Two of them that are spring loaded to keep movement of the guide rod to stone length. The guide rod is 6mm diameter.- Spare clamps that clamp at a different angle or differently to the clamps that come with the Xarilk Gen3. If you sharpen a lot of pocket knives a center clamp by TSPROF (shown in one of my pics) or by other brands that will work with TSPROF Kadet will also work. If you sharpen a lot of thin small knives you can get fillet single or double clamps by TSPROF or other brands.- Small hand driver that you can use hex bits. The clamps that come with this device use 4mm Hex bits. By using a driver instead of the hex tool that comes with the device will help avoid damaging the bolt heads. The driver allows for better control. I use a Wiha driver and metric hex bit set purchased from Amazon. You need 2mm, 2.5mm and 4mm metric bits for clamps and above adjustments. The TSPROF single center clamp I have also uses a 3mm bit, so maybe get a set.- TSPROF parts that will fit on the Xarilk Gen3 are the upgraded pivot bearing for Kadet, rod stoppers, all clamps that will work with Kadet/Kadet Pro, guide rod (Kadet uses 6mm diameter rod also), Clamp L-bracket but will need to buy additional parts to work. Yes, TSPROF parts are expensive, but they are quality. I really like the single center clamp shown in the pics.- The diamond stones that come with the Xarilk Gen3 are ok (at best) starter/practice set. The grit ratings are off and will not last but a few knives. The quality of the stones will directly effect the quality of the edge produced. You will eventually need to replace them. As noted by many reviewers, good stones will cost more than this device.- Install magnet or steel plate like I did for angle measuring. I use Gorilla double sided tape to secure the magnet and the steel plate in the pics. Makes it easier and more consistent when using the digital angle finder. Most digital angle finders are magnetic on the bottom of the device.*** EDIT: Since this review seems to be helping people, I have added a few more tips with pics regarding clamping and angle measuring.* I did not mention this previously and it is not mentioned in the manual. The thumb screw that tightens and holds secure the stone arm pivot, is a "stone height adjuster/compensator". Unless the stones you use are the same thickness, which is "rarely" the case, this is an incredibly useful feature. With all my knives from folders to kitchen, I use 5 different stones and then two wood strops. The stones and strops are of different thicknesses, which will throw off the angle every time I switch between the progression of stones then strops. To use this feature properly when setting up the sharpener to sharpen a knife, adjust for the thickness of the first stone. Then re-adjust each progression of stone before use. This will ensure your angle stays the same.* One of the pics shows a folder wrapped with self-adhering stretchable wrap. This is sold as a medical wrap and is inexpensive. I wrap folders to keep any metal particles and soapy water from getting into the pivot area. I use resin-bonded diamond stones which are essentially splash-and-go water stones. Water and metal particles getting into the pivot area will mess with the action of a folder.* Figuring out the angle: There are videos on YouTube on how to set the angle, most are incorrect or not precise. I found it very confusing when I researched how to properly adjust the angle on this or the TSPROF sharpener. If you follow most directions of zeroing out the angle finder at the stone arm, they instruct you to place the angle finder on the column and set the angle by adjusting the column, the angle will be off .5 or more degrees. Once you adjust the column the arm angle or stone changes also. I found the most precise way is 1) zero at the column (where the magnet is in my pics), 2) then place the angle finder on the stone arm as I do in the pic provided. If the angle is off and I want to adjust the angle further say by 1.5 degrees, I will zero the angle finder at the column and adjust in the direction by 1.5 degree change. Then do steps 1 and 2 above again. I want to sharpen at precise angles so re-sharpening is easy and fast. On this sharpener, the actual angle is the column angle and stone angle combined. You may have to do the above steps a couple of times to get the angle exactly where you want it.I hope this helps!

Had to order this unit twice because the first one I received was a used item with gouges and dirt, so that got sent back.The second one I received appears to be new and as far as I can tell, everything works.Overall, for the price paid (which was $79 on sale), it's a pretty good value and a good choice for someone who wants a decent sharpening system on a budget. There are much higher quality and better machined fixed angle systems like this, but are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. This unit seems to incorporate all the necessary and important features without breaking your wallet.PROS:- Easy to assemble.- Fit and finish, although not perfect, is adequate and functional.- When used properly, wIll put a nice edge on your blades.- Virtual clone of the TSProf Kadet Pro. Not as fancy and feature-packed, but operationally almost identical.CONS:- Instructions gave virtually no indication of how to properly sharpen.- Blade clamps do not have any type of padding or finish to protect the knife from scratches. However, if you don't over-tighten and are careful, so far I haven't scratched a knife, but would have liked to see the ends of the blade clamps made from a slightly softer material.- In order to get the correct angle, you will need a magnetic digital angle finder. The angle adjustment guide only provides pictures of different blades with crude markings. This is useless. Should show the actual angles in degrees instead of useless pictures.- Would have liked to see the sliding rod use a ball bearing system instead of a metal bushing. However, that would obviously add to the price.- The clamp that holds down the angle adjustment is not precise so that after you dial in the correct angle, pushing down on the clamp will cause the mechanism to readjust the angle by a little (about 0.3°)- The mechanism that rotates the blade clamp is not machined well, causing the sharpening angle to change each time you rotate. In my case, the angle changes by 1.5°. That may not sound like much, but if one side of the knife is sharpened to a 20° angle and the other is sharpened to a 21.5° angle, that can definitely affect overall performance of the blade. Each side of the blade really should be sharpened to the same angle. Because of this, each time I rotate the knife, I have to readjust the angle.It's a pain and it definitely slows down the sharpening process. In fact of anything, this is probably my biggest complaint is that this particular part of the system is poorly machined.Some of the cons are probably nitpicks especially at this price. But figured I'd mention them anyway.There are a couple decent YouTube videos showing proper usage of this Gen 3 unit which are worth watching.This system is a copy of the TSProf Kadet Pro. Not 100%, but pretty close. There are YouTube videos showing the usage of the Kadet Pro, so some of the procedures and techniques can be applied to this unit as they operate the same way.The stones that are included with the system I think are a good simple variety. I can't speak to the quality or longevity seeing as I have not sharpened many knives with it yet and I am also not even remotely a knife or sharpening expert. but so far the stones included seem to be fine and I've been able to put a nice edge on all the knives I've used it with.Xarilk also sells a multi-pack of diamond stones for only $20, which seems to be a pretty good deal.I'm aware that top quality stones cost significantly more, but I think it would be kind of pointless to spend double the price of the entire unit on stones. So even if the included stones are not supreme quality, as far as I can tell they are adequate and acceptable.Overall, I'm reasonably pleased with the system despite some of its shortcomings, but that's to be expected at this price. Upgrading to systems that fix all those nitpicks would cost 3 to 4 times the price of this unit. For example, the Kadet Pro is $500.TIPS:- I took the time to lightly spray all the joints and mechanisms with silicone spray lubricant and it helped make things move a little smoother.- Although it's not necessary, ideally you'll want to permanently attach the base to a workbench or table top. Screws are included. I don't have mine attached yet, so I hold the base steady with one hand while sharpening with the other which is not difficult.- In order to minimize the chance of the clamps marring the blade, I wrapped the ends of the clamp holders with 1-inch wide black Gorilla tape, which is thick enough to provide protection but still allow a secure hold with no wiggle.- Something that is not mentioned and I see frequently done improperly is the correct way to find the angle you're looking for. You will need a digital magnetic angle finder that can do relative measurements. I have the Klein 935DGGD and it works pretty good (Model 935DAG will also work).- Getting everything adjusted to the correct angle is actually a multi-step process. Basically you have the angle of the guide rod and then the angle that the actual knife is sitting at when clamped, which together produce the final angle. Only adjusting the main stem using the turning knob (and the useless pictures of different blades) will NOT give you the correct angle and could cause your actual angle to be off by 5° or more. This is why the dumbed down pictures along the main stem are useless if you're serious about getting the correct angle, which I assume you are. None of this is mentioned at all in the instructions.Step 1: Securely mount your knife in the blade clamps. Make sure it's snug, but don't over-tighten or you may risk marring the surface of your blade.Step 2: Adjust the height of the guide rod angle adjuster to the height of your sharpening stone and use the set screw to keep it at that position.Step 3: Install the sharpening stone and then rest the guide rod centered on top of the blade. You're now ready to measure angles.Step 4: Place the digital angle finder on top of the guide rod stem directly above the stone and once the measurement has settled, zero out the angle finder.Step 5: Now place the angle finder directly on top of the blade and use the adjusting knob on the stem of the unit to raise it up or down until you reach the exact angle you are looking for. The angle finder may jump around and it's probably not going to be absolutely perfect, but if you are within 0.1° or 0.2° you should be fine. depends on how much time you want to spend. Personally I adjust and readjust until the angle is spot-on.Step 6: Now that everything is at the correct angle, you can begin sharpening.There are many opinions about using some type of lubricant with diamond stones. Personally, I use Krud Kutter to lubricate the stones between each pass as well as using it to clean the stones after I'm done.Note: If during the sharpening process you change to a different height stone, all you need to do is readjust the guide rod stem to the height of the height of the new stone. By doing this, you will not have to readjust the angle of the entire blade clamp.However, if you always use the same height stone, you will only have to set the height of the guide rod stem once and you'll never need to change it again.