Can anyone suggest a knife sharpening kit?

A

AC_23

Joined
Apr 17, 2000
Messages
307
My microtech minisocom is dulling. I have never tried to sharpen a knife.

Can anyone suggest a sharpening kit and the proper technique to sharpen a knife?
 
Not so fast there, JBP, you young whippersnapper! All the cool kids at my geriatric shoe store favor the Edge-Pro! And the owner and founder, Ben Dale, takes his own phone calls, and is a real stickler for customer service. For the price of two Duke Nukem PlayStation games, you can buy the Apex. Us 'rad' guys use 'The Professional.' Take it from me, every one of my friends has cut fingers...--OKG
 
The sharpmaker is great. Practice a bit with a cheap knife first 'cause it can blunt knife tips. To avoid blunting the tip avoid letting the tip fall off the edge and on to the flat. You can stop your stroke just before it reaches the tip and finish the tip on a benchstone.
 
The Sharpmaker is excellent.
Haven't tried the Edge-Pro.
Anybody got a link so I can check them out?
 
Thank you.

They're not for those of limited budget, are they? Might have to get myself one for Christmas.

[This message has been edited by Owen (edited 09-28-2000).]
 
First off, you have to ask yourself...how much have you spent on knives. I have spent thousands...so I have tried a few different systems, amounting to about the cost of one good knife.

Serrations are a real pain. I send my Spyderco's into the factory, and for a few bucks, they come back in tip-top shape. I think MicroTech does the same.

Plain edge-I love my Sharpmaker by Spyderco. It may be good with serrations, I just nvr really tried. I am able to draw a MEAN edge on most of my knives following the simple directions, and after watching the simple video Sal accompanies with the kit...it takes on a life of its own..sharpening I mean.

You begin to look foward to a dull knife, just so you can see HOW SHARP you can make it. My favorite steel to sharpen...ATS-34. Sharpens up MEAN!!


steve in nyc


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What we do today in life...echoes in eternity...
Every man dies...not every man lives...
 
I think the 204 rocks. Puts a mean edge on my plain edge blades and does well on serrations, too.

As for your technique, check out the tutorials link at the top of the page.

[This message has been edited by det (edited 09-28-2000).]
 
With the 204, once you get your bevel to match the 20 degrees on the 204, re-sharpening is fast and easy. And it puts a very sharp edge all your knives.
 
If you are just getting into sharpening, the 204 is pretty hard to beat. if you need to do a lot of metal removal on a blade because an edge is damaged or way too thick, go to Wal-Mart or sears and get a coarse stone. Wal-mart has a Norton combination stone- use the rough side for this.

I'll finish this later
smile.gif


O.K., I'm back, but Alberta Ed and Paracelsus pretty much said what I was going to say!

Sharpmaker is an easy way to get into sharpening and getting a norton stone from Wal-Mart is a quick way to grind in relief in prep for using the sharpmaker. If you don't know what relief is, do read John Juranich's book, "The Razor's Edge Book of Sharpening" and Joe T's FAQ.

From there you can branch off. I have a Razor's Edge Pro kit which I love for 2 reasons:

1) Comes with an awesome steel, great hones and guides that clamp on so you get an even angle- awesome for learning how to sharpen

2) Rigs anf jigs are great but you ought to learn how to sharpen freehand eventually. With this kit I can just leave the guides in the case and sharpen freehand anytime I want.


I love this kit but I am not done buying sharpening kit. I still want a x-coarse DMT diamond stone and the Spyderco ceramic stones and a strop. Then I will have all the kid I need until I teach myself how to sharpen with my belt sander. And then...
smile.gif



Starting with the sharpmaker is a great way to go. Promise yourself you will learn how to sharpen freehand and then either do a search, ask us, or ask a friend with a sharp knife who freehand sharpens what it to buy then.

E-mail me if you'd like for more info!!


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"Come What May..."


[This message has been edited by Crayola (edited 09-29-2000).]
 
I currently have a 204 and it works great for spydercos.I fail at anything else I try to sharpen on it.Im thinking of the edge pro professional. Is it easier to use then the spyderco?Is it "fool" proof? LoL
I cannot sharpen a knife to save my life!!

Thanks all
 
Ditch the kits. Get yourself a good set of diamond bench hones (DMT), Jurnavitch's book on sharpening or the one from Lee Valley tools. Or a set of oil stones or Japanese water stones if you don't mind the fuss. Sharpening isn't difficult once you understand the principles.
 
If anyone here is getting tired of their Spyderco Sharpmaker 204, I have a nice 4-hone Lansky Diamond Kit (with some "extras) that I'd trade you for your Sharpmaker.
smile.gif
.

I have an "old" Sharpmaker 203, and that thing makes my knives so sharp that I'm afraid to handle 'em now!.
biggrin.gif
.

E-mail me if interested in a trade.

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
I was home in California last week. Two of my brothers are knife knuts. They have sharpmakers, lansky systems, gatco systems, and a whole bunch of dull knives.

Alberta Ed is right, learning the basic concepts is the most important thing. Books may help. But practice will teach all that is necessary. I have paired down my sharpening essentials to three ceramic stones and a leather strop. I have a fine india stone for other peoples knives in an advanced stage of dullness, mine never get that stupid.

Paracelsus, who thinks the Sharpmaker is a very good thing, but won't solve problems between the ears
 
The Sharpmaker seems to get a lot of good reviews. I have never tried it.

I have a Gatco Edgemate System and I get very admirable results with it.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
I have been using some Sears 7in combination silicon carbide stones for awhile, they were about $6 or so, but I picked up some 8in Norton 'Quickcut' combination stones recently. They were $7.50 ea, and they work better than the Sears stones and another smaller Norton Crystolon combination silicon carbide stone that I have. The product number is UPB 8, and I don't see it in a Norton online catalog. I buy coarse stones in sets of three as I can grind them against one another to keep them flat. I follow up with Arkansas stones and then a charged length of scrap leather. Sometimes I'll use one of a few ceramic sticks that I have, especially on curved edges. I've noticed that the ceramic doens't load up as much and is easier to clean if I keep them oiled, something that few people evidently do.
 
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