Blade Sharpening

nick681

nick681

Joined
Nov 22, 1999
Messages
1,933
I would like some suggetions on a blade sharpening system. I have looked at the Lansky, Spyderco, and Razor Edge sytems as well as some of the electric sharpeners. I know almost nothing about knife sharpening and would like to be able to maintain my knives properly. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have tried many different types, lansky, chefs choice electric, diamond stones and a few others. I settled on a Spyderco sharpmaker. It works very well for me and is easy to use. I also suggest you read here http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsharp.html

That should give you a good start.

Richard
 
Having recently aquired a Sharpmaker 204, I would highly recommend it. Read the sharpening FAQ as mentioned above, (well worth it) plunk down your 45.00 for a Sharpmaker, watch the excellent instructional video, and finally- proceed to sharpen everything you can get your hands on.

I tried to use my Gatco clamp/agle/rig deal- and I just wasn't happy with it. Seemed kind of clumsy. Could of been just me though! The 204 makes it real easy to obtain a nice edge fairly quickly. If you do get one, don't be discouraged if your first attempt doesn't go so well. The stones, especially the medium grit ones need to wear a bit before you can really tell they are cutting the metal of the blade. You'll be able to feel it.

The Sharpmaker is an excellent package and a great value when had from one of our "local" dealers. Try here: http://www.mjsknives.com
I think that most people who've got one tend to be very pleased with it. The first couple of knives I tried to do only came up "semi" scary sharp- even after putting in some serious time on them. I just finished touching up my Sebenza on it- wow, that's scary sharp again.

For a novice at sharpening, like myself,you'd be hard pressed to find a better performer than the 204. It just makes the whole process very clear and trouble free. You get a full color manual plus a cool video as well. Good Luck!

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I'll third the reccomendation for a Sharpmaker, especially for a novice. Nothing else is as effective while still being so simple. You may want to invest in a coarse bench stone at the same time though; one failing of the Sharpmaker is its inability to set a bevel. If your knives have very high angles on them (30 deg +), then the Sharpmaker won't work very well on them. You can use your coarse bench stone to grind away the excess metal and allow the Sharpmaker to do its job. This doesn't require any skill at hand sharpening, All you have to do is hold a somewhat consistent low angle and then move onto the Sharpmaker. Also, don't get carried away with what kind of stone to get; an 8" stone from the hardware store costs less than 10 bucks and will do all you need it for. I just mentioned this because many, many people have had similar problems with the Sharpmaker. I was one of them.

One other thing is how much do you want to spend? The Sharpmaker is great, and fairly inexpensive. But if you want the absolute sharpest edge money can buy, look at http://www.gorge.net/business/edgepro/ . The Apex system is a little less expensive, and with the stone upgrade kit, just as effective as the professional system. I have the Apex now and I couldn't be more satisfied. The Sharpmaker is also an excellent choice though, and also a must have if you have any serrated blades. Nothing else can sharpen serrated blades as well, IMHO. Good Luck and let us know how you make out!

[This message has been edited by Roadrunner (edited 03-25-2000).]
 
The sharpmaker seems to be relaly popular around here and you probably can't go wrong with it.
I really like to go free hand on bench stones though. Its how I learned nad it just sseems easiest now. It isn't that hard tofigure out, and things go pretty quick once your good at it. Check out the tri hone system at woodcraft. www.woodcraft.com . Its about $30, and has everything you need to get started.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Sharpmaker is a good start- thats what I did 2 years ago. Now I use my Razor's Edge pro system. I love it! It isn't as easy as a sharpmaker to use, but I find it more versatile because of the various things I sharpen. I have never gotten my knives sharper on anything else. I still use my sharpmaker on my serrated blades and sometimes I'll touch up the edge of my blades using the white stones. Pick something easy to use (i.e. sharpmaker) and go from there. You'll eventually end up laying down a bunch of $$$$ for an EdgePro or waterstones or a Razor's Edge kit. When you do, I can tell you that you would like the Razor's Edge kits. I almost sent mine back because I had problems using the guides, but now I have things down pat and I have a hairless arm to prove it!

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"Come What May..."
 
Everyone here seems to really like the sharp maker. How good is it for large knives? I have a Livesay ITK and I would like to put a nice edge on it. It seem slike that would be difficult with the sharpmaker. Although the sharpmaker seems like the way to go for serrated knives.
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the feed back.

"None of us is as smart as all of us"

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Arguing with a GRUNT is like wrestling with a pig. Everyone gets dirty and the little pig loves it.
 
I'm not sure how large your Livesay is, but I would bet the Sharpmaker could handle it ok. Spyderco really goes the distance to show you how versatile their system is. In the video, Sal Glesser sharpens up various large kitchen knives, a hatchet, serrated edges, potato peelers, etc. So long as your Livesay has an edge of some sort, and can be drawn through a cutting motion, you'll be fine.

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I just recently got hold of a stereo-microscope, so I checked some knife-edges @ 20x magnification.

Oh Golly, what did I see: junkyards of broken steel-bits and hacksaw like pattern.

So I checked, what a "pass" with the Spyderco 204 (white stone) would do. Using "some" pressure there was a lot of abrasion, using the lightest possible "touching", there was still significantly material taken off.
To get a "burr" off: one (rpt: one) VERY VERY light "touch" horizontally (i.e. along the edge) will do and give a sharpness never seen before. Tested with Crickett/serrated/ATS55.

Sharpening will never be as before....
tongue.gif
 
I like the Razor Edge System (the angle guide and two stones). It puts a sharper edge on my Randall #16 than the original "factory" edge.
 
shawn, I bought the Apex around New Year's. Haven't had hair on my arms or legs since.
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Just because I talk to myself does not make me crazy. Now, when I listen to myself, that makes me crazy.
 
You can't do inside the scallops with the Edge Pro, but you can sharpen the serrations by lightly grinding on the flat side.

-Cliff
 
I've tried and used a lot of sharpening systems.

For getting the burr, nothing beats the Razors Edge guide and hone.
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I really like their coarse and fine stones a lot!

For maintenance, I tend to go for the Sharpmaker 204.

Dan
 
Thanks a lot to everyone who posted with advice.

I am going with the majority opinion and ordering a Spyderco Sharpmaker from Cumberland. I will try it out and see how I like it. I also checked out the Razor Edge system and I will probably get one after I buy a few more knives. Have to maintain priorities.

I appreciate all the advice.

Nick681

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Arguing with a GRUNT is like wrestling with a pig. Everyone gets dirty and the little pig loves it.
 
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