Edge Pro Apex vs. Professional, which one is better?
The sharpening systems by Edge Pro are renowned for their user friendliness and exceptional sharpening qualities. The Edge Pro-family has now expanded with the Edge Pro Professional in addition to the Apex series. As the name suggests, this system is professionalized even further. But what are the differences between the Edge Pro Professional and the Edge Pro Apex? What are the benefits and which system is interesting for you?
Not a replacement
To start with, the Edge Pro Professional is not a replacement for the Edge Pro Apex. It is essentially the same system. You use the same sharpening stones and also the use of it is mostly identical. However there are, apart from the price, some important differences between the two systems.
The mount
The biggest difference between the two systems is the way that you mount it. The Apex used two regular suction cups, which you secure on a damp smooth surface, such as glass or a natural stone countertop. Next, you can adjust the work height to your preference with the leveler and then you can start sharpening. This base is made of plastic.
The Professional has a single heavy, sturdy suction cup. You vacuum clamp this mechanically to the work surface, making sure it's mounted very solid. It is a bit less picky about the surface that you can mount it on. For example, we noticed that it was secured perfectly even on a wooden table top. The mechanical part of the suction cup is made of metal, just like the rest of the base and the levelers. This makes sure that the Edge Pro Professional feels a lot more sturdy. This is a truly an important benefit of the Edge Pro Professional.
The stone holder
To change the stone on Edge Pro Apex, you release the stone by turning the dial on the sharpening arm and then slide it out. Many users have already come up with a trick for this; by placing a spring between the holder and the dial, you don't have to unscrew it anymore.
With the Edge Pro, the designers also picked this up. Therefore the Edge Pro Professional features a spring in the stone holder. When you want to change the sharpening stone, you simply slide open the stone holder. Did you put the next stone in the holder? Then you can secure it even better by tightening the screw. It also features a conducting plate. This helps to prevent the stone holder from hitting the edge of the knife.
Storage
The Edge Pro Apex comes in a nylon storage bag which has space for all the separate parts. The sharpening stones can be stored in a separate 'bag' within the cover and are not extra protected that way. Howeverk, this is a very compact way of storing your system.
The Edge Pro Professional comes with a hard scale plastic case with foam lining. This also features a plastic case for storing all your sharpening stones. Convenient even when one or several sharpening stones are still damp.
Price
Besides all the differences in quality and use, there is another important difference between the two systems: the price. Apex is considerably more inexpensive than the Professional. This is, of course due to the lighter version and use of cheaper materials. Include the difference in packaging and then it's easier to understand why one is more expensive than the other. Still, a price difference of a few hundred euro's is of course considerable.
