Benchmade Osborne 940 S30V Sharpening Issues

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Kevin Mogee

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Aug 18, 2020
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I'm not sure this is limited to the Osborne, or whether it's a S30V issue (it's my only S30V, and my only Benchmade), but I am having the hardest time sharpening this knife. I've tried the Spyderco Tri-Angle system, a whetstone, and a strop with DMT diamond paste, but no matter what I do, it seems more dull than when I started. I have a bunch of other knives that are hair popping sharp, but this one is driving me crazy.

Any suggestions?
 
Without more detail I can only make some basic suggestions on what might help.

Use a sharpie and color the edge. Are you positive you are working the bevel to the apex?
 
If your knife isn't getting sharp, then you aren't hitting the apex of the edge (or you're leaving a burr on the edge). Benchmade factory edge angles are going to be more obtuse than what your sharpmaker is meant for (more than the 20 degrees per side or 15 degrees per side positions, at least), so you need to either tilt the knife away from the rods to compensate for the difference in edge angles or you need to keep grinding away until you've established an edge at 20 or 15 degrees per side.
 
S30V is notoriously difficult to sharpen, especially for beginners. Consider getting diamond rods for your sharpmaker, and set a 20 degree angle with them. Definitely use the sharpie trick that MolokiRider suggested.

It also depends on how old your knife is, older Benchmades tend to have obtuse angles, as marrenmiller marrenmiller said, but within the past year or two I've found that they've been shipping from the factory with a reasonable 15-20 dps edge.
 
use the mentality like you are trying to shave thin layers off the whetstone (even though you aren't), i believe its left to right, also try sharpening in reverse (edge facing you) makes it easier to keep the angle consistent, what you want to shoot for is a working serviceable edge that allows for cutting, the rest falls on technique, razor sharp takes many stages to get there and doesn't last long --- anyway these are the things i try, after years im still a novice, its definitely a hard skill to learn
 
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Silent H said:
S30V is notoriously difficult to sharpen, especially for beginners. Consider getting diamond rods for your sharpmaker, and set a 20 degree angle with them. Definitely use the sharpie trick that MolokiRider suggested.

It also depends on how old your knife is, older Benchmades tend to have obtuse angles, as marrenmiller marrenmiller said, but within the past year or two I've found that they've been shipping from the factory with a reasonable 15-20 dps edge.
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I've had about a dozen benchmades in the past few years and I don't think a single one of them came in under 20 dps, even straight from the custom shop. It was rare that any even came with a consistent angle at all. Have you measured any of yours or reprofiled any with a guided system?
 
marrenmiller said:
I've had about a dozen benchmades in the past few years and I don't think a single one of them came in under 20 dps, even straight from the custom shop. It was rare that any even came with a consistent angle at all. Have you measured any of yours or reprofiled any with a guided system?
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I have not. I don't have a guided system, but thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll give them a try. I thought about getting the diamond rods for the sharpmaker, but I wasn't sure if they were worth it. I'll definitely look into them. I never tried the sharpie idea, but I'm definitely going to try that.

Thanks!
 
Kevin Mogee said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll give them a try. I thought about getting the diamond rods for the sharpmaker, but I wasn't sure if they were worth it. I'll definitely look into them. I never tried the sharpie idea, but I'm definitely going to try that.

Thanks!
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The diamonds are definitely worth it, but even they will take a little while doing a reprofile. The good thing is you'll only have to do that once for that knife. After that everything is really quick.
 
Kevin Mogee said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll give them a try. I thought about getting the diamond rods for the sharpmaker, but I wasn't sure if they were worth it. I'll definitely look into them. I never tried the sharpie idea, but I'm definitely going to try that.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The sharpie trick really is key. Even experienced sharpeners do it because it's easy, fast, and shows you with certainty where your stone is contacting on the edge. I think you'll understand immediately what's going on once you try it. Let us know what you find :)
 
Unbelievable. Your suggestions worked! I put a sharpie on the blade, and changed the angle of the blade on the sharpmaker. After more than a few passes, the sharpie was all but gone, and the burr was so much more visible. I used the strop, and and now the Osborne will easily take hair off my arm.

Thanks everyone!
 
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