Customer Reviews

Stanley 16-050 Sharpening System

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Having bought a Stanley honing jig a couple of years ago for personal use, I was pleased with it enough to buy one for work as well. However, what a difference a couple of years make! While the basic design is exactly the same, where it is made is not. The one I had originally bought was made in England. The castings were tight, clean and smooth. This one was made in, well two guesses as to where and the first one doesn't count. The castings a rougher and the angle gage wobbles so you never if you're truely square or not. As for the stone, it's too narrow. Any chisel over an inch and a half or plane iron greater than a number three can not be sharpened on this stone, which for most shops, makes it almost completely useless. Plus it soaks up too much oil and clogs too easily.
Now doen't think I'm jumping on the "Stanley sucks" bandwagon. Most of my tools are modern Stanley's and I'm more than pleased with their performance. But what I'm afraid of; is that pretty soon that won't be the case. As all the major manufacturers sell their souls to jump on the "Chinatastic" bandwagon too line their own (and their share holders too) pockets, we, the average consumer are left with inferior prducts at only a slightly cheaper (if that) price.
Final thought; it's ok for what it is, but it's not what it used to be, and doesn't bode well for what it will be, unless we do something to change it.

I consider this a total waste of money for the very simple reason that it is imposible to clamp a chisel or plane blade squarely. There is no straight edge to register the edge of the blade on. Also, the wheels are remarkably cheap plastic. I am going to buy one of the standerd "vise" style guides.

Do not waste your money on this product. The sharpening stone is extremely warped, and spending the time to flatten the stone would take days. The gauge is terribly cheap, and it is very difficult to keep your iron or chisel square.
There are better gauges out there for similar cost.

This simple sharpening set is worth every penny paid. Sure it could be better, be more precise, better made, larger stones.... and it could also have cost 3 or 4 times as much too.
For the price, this is the best thing I have found and it does, with careful use, do a good job!
I wish it had been made a touch more precise for setup and adjustment to keep the blade set just right, centered, and perfectly aligned..... but with a little extra care, this does an excellent job. I have not seen any better that you can afford to buy and use. I did my first chizle this week and you could shave with it when done. I would still buy it again.

I bought this mostly for the honing guide since I already have diamond sharpening stones. The honing guide works well but the quality is not there. It does work but your have to hold it carefully.
Just for kicks, I took a look at the stone and mine was totally flat so I didn't need to flatten the stone at all. I haven't used it yet but that was surprising since most cheap stones don't come completely flat.

If I could give it a 4.5, I would.

Compared to other sharpening jigs and their prices this system is worth the money. However, one does have to be careful to check the quality control on the stone. The first one I ordered locally had a crown with one side having a higher middle and the other side having higher ends. The second stone isn't perfect, but within acceptable specs.

The value of the kit is mainly the jig. The stone is a few dollar stone and small bottle of oil will keep you busy for 10-12 sharpenings. For those who say lining up the blade straight is difficult, slide the blade over to the side and use it as a straight edge. The wheels on the jig are wide enough to allow you to do this. You don't have to center the blade on this jig for it to work.

The flip out guide makes it easy to get a 25, 30, or 35 degree angle. Anything else and you'll have to do the math to figure out how long you need to put the blade through the clamps. The stone is wide enough to handle a standard No. 4 plane blade with a little extra room.

Excellent sharpening tool for plane blades. Got my Stanley block plane razor sharp. You just have to be careful and adjust the angle of the blade oil the stone and sharpen away. I got the blade sharp enough to cut paper easily. After sharpening the block plane never worked better.

Get it, Sharpen your blades but take your time to adjust it and put the blade back in the plane correctly.

This product worked well when used to sharpen several wood chisels and a blade for a small block plane. The device used to hold the end of the chisel/blade at the proper attitude relative to the sharpening stone worked really well.

original shipping envelope allowed stone to be broken in shipment. Amazon immediately replaced item (no charge) only with my notification by e-mail. I am very happy with sharpener and with buying from Amazon.
JS

I initially rated this stone highly but after using it for a few weeks I have found it to be too soft and dusty to be much use for chisels or blades. The size is awesome and I am able to sharpen blades fairly well but it is difficult, and spews powder residue all over on the rough side. The fine side is useless.
I really wanted it to be GOOD AMERICAN QUALITY
its not.

STANLEY should drop any poor suppliers ASAP while their name still has some shine on it. Their TOOLS so far are still good.
This stone is not.