Best way to sharpen

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mtn.horge

Joined
Nov 27, 2009
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I was wondering what is the best way to sharpen a knife? What do you guys use? stones or a system like the lansky sharpeners...
Just want to know the best way to put an good edge on a knife.
thanks
 
This is a subject that has a lot of debate in it, different people like to use different stuff. Personally, I usually recommend that any newcomer looks at the Spyderco Triangle SharpMaker first. It's easy to use, easy to keep with you, and will put a razor edge on just about any blade with very little chance of messing up the angle too much.

But I would also encourage you to get a dirt cheap knife and some stones and learn to sharpen by hand. It's not something you will learn overnight, so keep practicing. Eventually you'll be able to get the same results freehand as you can with the SharpMaker. It's a skill that, in my opinion, is well worth learning.

But again, for ease of use I usually go for the SharpMaker, unless I've got some time on my hands, then I'll go for some stones. Each person is different though, find what you like and works for you and stick with it.

Good luck! :D
 
^+1 to that^

However I would recommend that you go straight to freehand. The sharpmaker has a good following, but learning to freehand is a timeless skill, and after you get past the learning curve it is the fastest way to sharpen. If you are really interested in sharpening freehand it will not take you very long to learn. That was the case for me, I just stuck to it and within a week of trying off and on I could put a killer edge on all my knives, and with more practice I am getting better and faster.

I started with a DMT diafold that had duel sides (fine/ x fine). I them moved up to an 8 inch DMT diamond stone that came with a nice base.

I am only a beginner at sharpening and there are tons of guys on this forum with way more experience than me. The most important thing to take away is that freehand sharpening is not as difficult as it may seem to someone who has never tried it. I was surprised how fast I learned.

Whatever you choose it will serve you well. Keep'em sharp
 
The Government said:
^+1 to that^

However I would recommend that you go straight to freehand. The sharpmaker has a good following, but learning to freehand is a timeless skill, and after you get past the learning curve it is the fastest way to sharpen. If you are really interested in sharpening freehand it will not take you very long to learn. That was the case for me, I just stuck to it and within a week of trying off and on I could put a killer edge on all my knives, and with more practice I am getting better and faster.

I started with a DMT diafold that had duel sides (fine/ x fine). I them moved up to an 8 inch DMT diamond stone that came with a nice base.

I am only a beginner at sharpening and there are tons of guys on this forum with way more experience than me. The most important thing to take away is that freehand sharpening is not as difficult as it may seem to someone who has never tried it. I was surprised how fast I learned.

Whatever you choose it will serve you well. Keep'em sharp
Click to expand...

I agree, and I should have been more clear in my first post (like I said in another thread tonight, my brain has left me for what I did to it last night :D).

What I meant was that if you have a knife that your worried about damaging with sharpening then go with the Spyderco. My comment about getting the cheap knife and learning freehand was supposed to take place immediately, not at a later time. And I only recommend that so that you do not damage your good knife in case you do screw up. For me, I say that because I tried to teach a friend of mine how to sharpen freehand with my SOG Trident.....and the poor blade has yet to take a good edge since that day. :grumpy:

But if you have a knife that your not too worried about then I would follow TG's recommendation and go straight to freehand. It's a skill that, in my opinion, is dying out with the general public....and that's a real shame.
 
De4thStr1ke said:
I agree, and I should have been more clear in my first post (like I said in another thread tonight, my brain has left me for what I did to it last night :D).

What I meant was that if you have a knife that your worried about damaging with sharpening then go with the Spyderco. My comment about getting the cheap knife and learning freehand was supposed to take place immediately, not at a later time. And I only recommend that so that you do not damage your good knife in case you do screw up. For me, I say that because I tried to teach a friend of mine how to sharpen freehand with my SOG Trident.....and the poor blade has yet to take a good edge since that day. :grumpy:

But if you have a knife that your not too worried about then I would follow TG's recommendation and go straight to freehand. It's a skill that, in my opinion, is dying out with the general public....and that's a real shame.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: I did not mention either, that when I started I used all of our cheap kitchen knives from Ross. Then I moved up to a cold steel Finn wolf and went up from there. Good recommendations.:)
 
If you're buying a first stone, I'd highly recommend either a Norton Course/Fine India stone, or a DMT Course/Fine set or combo stone, if DMT still makes combo stones. The Norton is much cheaper, the DMT's will cut any steel w/o question. If you have regular knives, the Norton will work fine. Cool state of the are super steels may require diamonds. The Norton Fine India is an excellent finish stone, and will give an edge that will whittle beard hair held between your fingers. The combo stone will give you this edge, with practice, in only 2 steps. Shape the edge and raise a burr on the coarse side, then raise the sharpening angle and remove the burr with alternating light strokes on the fine side. This edge will shave hair off your arm, catch hair on the back of your head, and eventually you can whittle pieces off a beard hair, though the last takes some practice. I used mine dry, but many recommend oil.
 
There really is no "best" way to sharpen. The best way is whichever method works for you. Each way has it's advantages and disadvantages. A system like the sharpmaker or crock sticks is easy to learn and has very little danger of messing up an edge badly. The downside is it's harder to reprofile an edge or remove nicks. Freehanding is harder to learn, but it also lends itself to being very portable by carrying a small stone with you or being able to improvise using the bottom of a coffee cup, brick, etc. Using a power sharpening method such as a belt sander or paper wheels on a grinder allow for quick sharpening of multiple knives, but neither are very portable and until you become proficient there is a chance of ruining a blade. It all just depends on what you're looking for.

Many people swear by freehanding and others love their sharpmakers. There are many ways to sharpen a knife and they all work just as well once you learn how to use that method properly. My advice is to pick one and stick with it for a while before giving up and moving on to something else. There's something really satisfying about being able to get that hair popping edge for the first time.:thumbup:

Good luck.
 
As much as I love stones (especially my new ones), the Sharpmaker is still a great tool. It can do things that stones don't have much of a chance on, like serrations and recurves.

I suggest you do pick up a Sharpmaker to use now and begin practicing on stones. The SM will give you a benchmark of angle and sharpness that you can then replicate freehand on your benchstones. Even if you prefer stones, the Sharpmaker will get used often for touchups and serrations/recurves.
 
I use mostly just sand paper. On real bad ones, the belt sander. If I want a new super edge, I often send them to one of our fine pro.s here on Blade Forums. When they get done, I can maintain the edge for a long time.

I also like the SharpMaker and Gatco diamond set with the guide.
 
I am currently looking at the DMT Aligner diamond sharpener system because:
- The price is reasonable (around $70 with 5 stones).
- Diamond whetstones can sharpen any steel quickly.
- There is an extra extra fine stone available which is about 8000 grit, this should be able to put a fine edge on a knife.
- The choice of 7 angles makes it versatile.
- The guided system makes it easy to get the angle consistant.
- There are curved stones for recurved blades and a rod for serrated blade sharpening.
- The parts of this system can be purchased separately, this is good if anything gets broken or lost (much better than having to buy a whole new system).

Maybe I could learn to sharpen freehand and wont need the guide, but the option of guided sharpening to keep the angle consistent couldn't hurt, surely? At the moment I don't have that many knives, but I'd like the ones I have to be kept sharp and I may buy some nice knives later with S30V or ZDP-189 or other harder steels that would benefit from diamond stones.
 
mtn.horge said:
I was wondering what is the best way to sharpen a knife? What do you guys use? stones or a system like the lansky sharpeners...
Just want to know the best way to put an good edge on a knife.
thanks
Click to expand...

Except for recurves and serrations - I convex sharpen my knives. Not only is this the easiest for me - it gives me the best results - beyond arm shaving - I like my knives sharp enough to shave off the print on a page of paper without cutting through the page.
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/pages/Sharpening-Videos
 
What are you going to use the knife for? This matters on how you will need to sharpen the knife and at what angle.

You have pocket knives, to kitchen knives to skinning knives to woods/survival knives, etc. etc.

What do you own and what do you plan on using your knives for? There is no single correct way, although there may be incorrect ways to sharpen certain blades.
 
mtn.horge, welcome to BF! There are many ways to sharpen. I use my 2x4 strops and sandpaper, Japanese waterstones, a cheap Gatco Edgemate Pro rail system, and the Sharpmaker.

Frankly, I would recommend getting started with a Sharpmaker, then moving on to stones. Unless you really dive in with some dedicated study, a sharpening noob could easily get frustrated with the lack of results on a stone. The Sharpmaker has a good DVD and you get excellent results quickly. When you're ready to try something else, take those lessons on geometry and steel and bring them to stones or strops.

I never really got anywhere with stones or strops until I mastered the Sharpmaker. When I did, the other methods fell into place.

It's far less intimidating to learn to drive on an auto, then switch to stick.
 
I usually sharpen on a belt grinder and then buff the edge. It's fast, simple and produces a great edge. I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker for quick touch ups. I've also used DMT stones and the Edge Pro system.
 
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