if I line the knife up dead center (aligned with the "aiming" notch) it forms a massive burr on the left side of the blade which
344144
The performance of this sharpener varies wildly depending on the profile of your knife. I have seen reviews saying that it works on any knife, but I have not found that to be true at all. It is also possible that mine is defective. The angle of the coarse steels seems to be more aggressive on the right side of the blade then the left. if I line the knife up dead center (aligned with the "aiming" notch) it forms a massive burr on the left side of the blade which is too aggressive for the fine steels to get rid of so I have to fix the edge using one of my other sharpeners.

when I use this on my outdoor knives which have a more shallow profile in general, I find the performance of the edgemaker to be hit or miss. sometimes great but usually awful. On kitchen knives It is a little more consistent, but still not as great as I had expected based on reviews I read. I know I am using it correctly having seen several youtube videos of people pitching this product, I read the instructions more than once, and I have seen the instructional videos on the manufacturers website. Its not rocket science and the device is pretty simple to use. So the only determination I can  make is that this product is not as good as people say it is or the one I purchased has misaligned steels. The latter is quite possible Since two of the steels are touching and the other two are not. This hardly seems like the precision I'd been hearing about from this company. On the knives it works on it REALLY works well but on 80% of my knives (and I have a bunch) this tool does more damage than good.
4127417
I like the rustic look of the knife. It comes with heat treat scale left on the blade like a Viking era blacksmith who was in a hurry to turn out a few knives might have done. The handle is a nice looking piece of wood, firmly fitted to the blade and it fits the hand tolerably well. Great sheath! The blade is laminated steel, two strips of soft steel for strength laminated onto each side of a core of hard steel for sharpness and edge holding. The knife's downfall is it's edge grind. They attempted to scandi grind the edge. I say "attempted" because they didn't get it done. The grind is visibly way off center, so far off that the hardened core of the blade is entirely on one side of the edge grind, not centered on the edge itself as it's supposed to be. The actual edge of the knife is on the soft steel lamination on the left side of the blade. The grinds on each side of the blade are even at very different angles. The whole effect is to make this a knife-shaped object because it cannot function as a knife in this condition. Unfortunately, one of our pups got hold of the sheath and chewed the leather thong off, or I would return the knife. Maybe I can get the edge reground properly, an operation that looks like would take about 1/8 - 1/4" off the width of the blade in order to center the edge on the hardened core. Or maybe I'll just leave it as-is in my collection as a reminder not to buy Helle knives again. VERY disappointing. One star is too much for this 'knife' so give it to the sheath instead.
1619961
Seems to take more metal off one side of the knife blade than on the other which is a problem. The sharpening elements are not perfectly centered as shown in the picture.
297002
This digger would get 5 stars if it were not for the horrible serrated edge that snags on the sheath every single time you go to put it away.  It is not like the jagged edge helps in any way whatsoever so I don't know why it is even there.  Other than that I like it just fine.
1042317
Might have been nice, but came with a gash in the cutting surface (deep and big enough that it will collect food that will be really hard to get out, or it will catch the tip/edge or knives).

Contracted Amazon, but out of inventory so cant be replaced. Refunded instead (apparently bottom of the barrel). Photo uploaded.
595642
Right out of the package the middle sized pair had a good sized nick in one of the blades. I could feel the blade hang up on closing and upon inspection I noticed an alost 1/8" nick in the left sided blade. How something like that happened during manufacturing I can't imagine, but someone in QC should have caught and corrected it. No telling how many came off the assembly line before someone noticed.
Don't expect much if you choose this product.
I'm very disappointed.

Update: I was able to file down the nick in the medium scissors, it's still visible, but not noticeable in the shearing action.
Looking closer at the large pair I've also noticed it's flawed as well. About an inch from the tip, there's about a 3/4"1/8" sliver that either didn't get the titanium powder coating, or was taken off by the sharpening grinder.
I think the Chinese manufacturers are getting a good laugh out of selling this junk to America.
688010
I had trouble seating the new blade.  I felt unusual resistance when tightening and I had difficulty removing ... after which, I noticed the area around the hole was visually 'altered'.

Took out the mic and measured the hole to be slighly under spec, about 0.0006-to-0.0012".  Since these holes are stamped and not machined, I took out some 600 grit emery cloth and dressed up the hole.  That seemed to solve the problem.

I checked another new Olshun that came today, the 50T combo, and found it had the same problem but to a lesser degree.

I've had these issues with previous Olshun blades [c 2010].
4471206
The materials are great. I love the zinc handle, and Gerber is one of the only companies who's 420hc ill buy. The problem with this knife is the blade contacts the lockbar when the knife is closed, and it causes a burr on the edge. I was slicing paper after receiving the knife and noticed a hiccup about a third of an inch from the tip. I reharpened the edge, and everything was good until i closed the knife, then the next time i opened it, the burr was back. This has happened four times. I like Gerber and i think they take too much heat over the admittedly awful Bear Gryhls line, but this knife is not a good example of Gerber's continued commitment to excellence.
3858401
Cutting food on a chopping board leaves a strong mark on the surface.
I know it can not be helped because it is plastic, but it is very serious.
677624
There are two pieces of hardened steel adjacent to the saw blade which provide a rest for the safety hardware.  The adhesive holding these steel pieces to the plastic is defective.  The steel vibrated loose sending a high speed projectile into my face just missing my ear.  I had safety glasses on at the time.

Contacted Bosch who sent another zero clearance insert but it appears to be of the same construction.  Only after a second inquiry Bosch responded that the adhesive was defective.  I am reluctant to use the replacement insert as a result.  The other piece of steel came loose on the first unit and I now use the insert without them attached.

I expect better from Bosch.
2495961
As a few others said, the interior slots were not sanded, so I found bit and pieces of frayed wood, mostly in the steak knife slots.  So I will sand it down somehow inside.  The major selling point for me was the clearly stated slot sizes, and how big they were.  I have a santoku, an 8' chef, and a 10" bread knife which had to be accomodated.  Next I will get a chinese cleaver so the biggest slot will get filled later on.  Anybody know what the notched slot on the upper left is for??  For a sharpening rod?  No explanation for that.  Good bang for your buck.
2278215
I love it! But...with 3 days of very little use both sides of the blade developed little speckled stains.
Has anyone else seen this? Wondering if I should return it or just live with it.
4280086
Love the knife love the wave opening. However the blade is not centered. I don't know if it's just mine or all of them. The blade actually touch the frame
4001907
I must strongly disagree with the previous poster. He was citing a boiler plate warning issued with every damascus knife I have ever owned.
Even my new Ka-Bar came with the same slip of paper. I went to see a metallurgist who is a professor at a nearby university. The man has a collection of knives you wouldn't believe. He looked the knife over, chuckled, and told me there was probably more lead in the air you breathe than in that knife. Further, he thought I had paid well over $100 for the knife. When I told him the price he went online and bought 2 of them.
This is a solid, beautiful knife. The edge is super sharp right out of the box. I'm seriously considering taking it to Ruth's Chris and using it to cut my NY Strip.
1425495
I like the knife, but unfortunately the back of the blade where the finger rests, including the bottom side of the bezel next to the handle, did not have the sharp edge removed during manufacture. This irritates my finger during use. Wusthof really needs to up its game on inspections. I will remove the sharpness myself with a very fine file rather than return the knife, but it is a shame the customer must do this. Wusthof quality is not what it used to be. I would have given this knife five stars but for the lack of attention to finishing out the detail.
3239768
The edge was on a first grind that showed fine grind marks, no final polish, the edge was unevenly ground with one side way more beveled than the other. I just bought another brand 67 layer damascus that was as sharp as a surgical scalpel. I didn't even try this out, I'm sending it back. I hope this wasn't a fluke, because I'm done with trying some of the other models I was going to get. I was disappointed, and expecting the highest degree of sharpness.
1531817
I just recently got it , and the wood part just doesn't look right ? I can't tell of its damaged or is that the way it goes , the wood doesn't look like it broke off , it just doesn't look exactly the same as the other side , overall the knife is beautiful but if it is damaged I'd send it back
, I paid a pretty penny for this and I want my money's worth