Are the sharpmaker uf rods worth picking up?

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Surfingringo

Surfingringo

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May 25, 2013
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I have a sm with the diamond rods and am extremely happy with it. I can get most any of my knives to tree topping sharp. I am going back to the states in a couple of weeks for a visit and I was wondering if it would be worth it to pick up the uf rods. Anyone here used them much? Do they make a big difference? Honestly, the edges I'm getting with the fine rods are beyond anything necessary for everyday use, so the uf rods would be more for playing around trying to get a bit more of a "novelty edge"...(which I kind of enjoy). Anyone have any experience with the uf rods?

Thanks,

Lance

P.s. It's worth mentioning that most of my blades right now are s30v which a lot of folks prefer with a lower grit finish. Don't know how they'd will respond to the uf rods

Edit: crap, meant to post that in e maintenance subforum, but is guess I should get good info here too.
 
Yes, I think they are. I use my UF rods a lot for touch ups. I set my bevels with the wicked edge then the UF rods to put the finishing touch on them.
 
I resisted getting the diamond and UF rods for a long time but now that I've got them they have made a huge difference.
The UF rods work great on S30V using a progression starting with diamond to properly set the bevel then working up to UF using all 4 sets of rods.
Getting the burr worked off on some steels can be a chore but I just go back to a coarser grit, work the burr off then move back to a finer grit until the burr is gone. Sometimes I'll strop to remove the burr but I'm not really proficient using a strop so I always find touching up with the UF rods in the end puts a keener edge on for me.
So I am glad I made the investment. The Sharpmaker almost got shelved until I upgraded, now it's my most used system. Eventually I'll step up to a WE but there are so many other places right now for me to spend that 700 bucks.
 
Lance I like to finish with the UF and go to a leather strop loaded with 1 micron diamond paste
to really dial in my edge. I would recommend getting the 306uf instead of the SM rods.
You can always prop it up on the rods if you need to.
 
The UF rods are a great addition to the SM setup.
I use mine a lot for touching up and then a final honing on the Washboard with paper and compound.

One of these days I would like check out the diamond rods and see how they work with my setup.
 
If you like polished edge, you should have it! As for s30v, after the UF and loaded strop i give few pass (microbevel) on the Fine stone and i am good to go.
 
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