Hello from Arkansas. I just ordered a rotary blade sharpener and can't seem to make it work right. Has anyone else had this problem?

which one?

Thanks for fast reply. It is USA Sharpeners

Never have had one but let me know how you like yours.

I've got one of the sharpeners and never had a whole lot of lot with the blades keeping their edge, so I just gave up and get my blades at House of Hanson-10/$35.00, no shipping and handling.

Hi, I live in AR too! Central area. You have a good sharpener. One thing you have to do is go in one direction with the sharpening stone, then you have to use the polishing side to finish it off. That's the honing process for any sharp edge. The rotary blade sharpeners that don't work are the ones that use sandpaper for the sharpening. A good sharpener will have the genuine honing stone. I use a round honing stone to soften the cuts on my cutting mat.

Forgot to say DH sharpens my blades using two round honing stones. You can buy the stones in millwright/tool and die shops or some auto supply/hardware stores. They last a lifetime. It's not a fast process but he likes doing it. :D

I have the sharpener and I find that even pressure makes the difference. It is not a great tool, but it does extend the life of a blade by a little. I take a close look at the blade edge and generally, I can see the areas that are still wonky after running it through the sharpener. Then I keep working it til all the burrs are smooth.

i bought one of those recently, too. i was very disappointed. i get much better results with the sandpaper sharpeners (although they required a LOT more elbow grease).

i'm looking around for a different brand of cutter, though, because i'm not sure the sharpener is the problem. when i find what i'm looking for, i'll either have discovered the blades are better sharpened than i think, or i'll have wasted yet more money on a new cutter. :lol:

The absolute best blades are the Gingher blades. They keep sharp almost forever unless you run over a pin or damage the edge. Costly but factor in buying blades, sharpeners, etc, you will save money in the long run. I know circumstances may be some can spend $10 now and not $30 but when you can, get the best.