Originally Posted by
SuzzyQ
Just had this discussion yesterday at quilting. A member of the group brought in her power sharpener for us to try out. Conclusion was it's not really worth it. Some did turn the blade over before chucking it. We decided the best was to stock up on blades when there is a sale and change the dang things when they start to skip or get dull.
I think we wait to change the blade just to surprise ourselves when the new blade cuts so smoothly.
I've just started to carry extra blades to my quilting days and I also have sharps containers for both pins/needles and the blades. Toss when full - labeled.
I also have two kinds of blade sharpeners, oh, make that three. I got a cheap one that has you put two circle things on both sides of the blade and twist back and forth. It is okay in a pinch, but not really worth it. Don't waste your money.
I have an expensive blade sharpener that you put the blade into and add honing oil and then the gizmo has a crank and you turn it like a salad spinner. This one worked fairly well. You can get an extra mile out your blade. But really, it is such a hassle. I feel I have gotten my money out of it, but if you are going to do one blade, you might as well do a dozen blades because it can take time and get a little messy.
The blade sharpener that I almost forgot about is a ruler with a honing thingy in it. It looks like a regular ruler that you can cut your pieces with, but on the bottom it has something that is suppose to sharpen your blade as you pass the rotary cutter along the ruler. As I remember it was rather expensive, but fortunately, I got it on sale at half-price. Wouldn't have paid the price for it otherwise. I used it a few times, but for some reason put it away and I don't even remember where exactly it is.
Moral of the story: Just wait until the blades go on sale and buy a bunch of them. Less time spent on saving a few dollars and there is no mess or hassle.
By the way, I always keep a medicine bottle that is straight up and down to store my old blades in. If you are healthy and don't require any medicine, you can always ask the pharmacist for a medicine bottle that will fit your size blades. I like them because they are sturdy and you can put a whole bunch of blades in them before you have to toss the bottles. In fact, come to think of it, I have never filled one up and have never tossed one out.