Disappointed with Sharpmaker 204

I've had my Sharpmaker for at least a year, and think it's great. My only real grip is how it will blut a tip if you're not careful. I did have a stone break but, it was really my fault.
 
Hd2k_va,
Jeff and Steve have made very good points about unnatural selection probability at your dealer. And I have missed this point, excuse me please!

Yes, it’s quite right, ceramic is well known for warping in burning process. The question is only to select these warped pieces after burning. Someone probably could get access to them or sell again returned rods as new.

A lot of “wonders” sometimes occur when trying to cut down price below the reasonable level...
 
Although all the heat is over and the confusion is cleared up, I think we should be aware that we tend to use the wrong words when we communicate. It happens all the time, and we don't need to get all frustrated. I learned that reconstructing arguments (and I'm using arguments in a slightly different sense than the common connotation) is difficult especially when we try to fill in missing pieces and try to alter words.
Glad that Hd2k_va is finally satisfied... and I guess someone just made your blacklist ;)
 
Originally posted by Crayola
How are you putting convex bevels on your knives? I love convex edges myself! I am getting way better with my grinder/drill press used as a buffer. Grind in them bevels, buff off theburr, and BAM! Ultra-cutter :)
Click to expand...

I started sharpening almost like Juranich (the razor edge systems guy) recommends. First, would put a very shallow bevel all the way to the edge freehand on a rough stone. Then, I would strop out the roughness with some SiC grit on leather. Finally, I would touch up just the very edge on a medium or fine stone. None of the bevels are perfect because I do it all freehand.

Then the miracle occurred. I started maintaining my edges with strops, steels, and sandpaper on a mouse pad instead of stone. The next thing you know, there's no bevel. Not that I can see under 10x magnification. The blade just curves smoothly down to a super sharp edge.

In retrospect, I could have saved a lot of time by getting a table top belt sander!:D I've been eyeballing them, so it won't be long now ...
 
My grandfather gave me a Richartz Degen lockback when i was little, it is the only production knife I have gotten that came with convex bevels. Sadly Richartz only makes multipurpose knives now.:mad: I Never sharpened It when I was little, but I maintain that bevel using a translucent arkansas...$$$. Great little work knife.

Steve C.
 
Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but in using my sharpmaker today (2nd time), I kept feeling like my knife was not making full contact w/ the stones, on the flats.

As I was examining the stones, I put them flat face to flat face, and lo and behold it would rock back and forth. Other sides would reveal a gap between the stones.

If I contact Spyderco, do you think they would send me a new set?
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

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It can happen, one of my UF rods was pretty badly warped and in all honesty, it likely would not have mattered...I returned it anyways (or rather was told not to bother returning it and Spyderco send me a new one). So I had 11 rods of which one was warped. It happens during the firing, can happen in sintered products and quite honestly, that is something that is easy to overlook during QC. At the return rate of the first poster I got to wonder how warped are we talking about?
 
I have Spyderco medium and fine benchstones and there is a slight curvature, but I don't think it would ever affect sharpening.

One side of my fine stone benchstone and 3 of my rods (I have 2 UF, and 4 Fine) do have some type of small bumps on them. I just use the portions of the stones that don't have the small bumps.

I have been attempting to lap the fine stone. 3M 120 grit Sandblaster barely does anything to the stone, but I'm getting closer to smoothing it up.
 
I have just joined this forum and this thread is one of the first I have read. It prompted me to look at my 2 shapemakers. I have a 5 year old one that has only the 20 degree bevel and a 1 year old one with both 15 and 20 degrees. The max warpage in the white stones is less than half a mm in 180 mm. This is acceptable for a sintered product and would not produce an error in sharpening. The brown stones on the newer set are similar. But there is noticeable wear on the brown stones in the older set. About 1 mm in 90 mm on the corners of the triangle. The flats appear unworn. This amount of wear would be about half a degree variation from the stated angle. Given that the stones are a loose fit in the base, then the edge may be getting to the factory tolerance of +/- 1 degree. I will keep an eye on the wear on the older set as it may be coming time for a replacement set of brown stones. Some quick calcs leads me to believe that it may tolerate another mm of wear but no more.

If your original set of stones are within the same measurements as mine then I would be more concerned about long term wear on the softer stones. As an aside, I am a retired professional mechanical engineer and it seems to me that, as these are a uniform shape and size, then it should be possible for the factory to use an automatic gauging system to remove the obviously warped stones. The stones that prompted this thread were obviously warped to the naked eye and a gauge system would remove these from the suppply chain. Unfortunately, even then, some defects will get through. Which is why manufactuers have a return policy. Given all that, I am quite satisfied with the shapemaker as it creates a good edge and others in my family can use it. Takes the load off me in keeping the kitchen knives sharp. It gets a thumbs up from me.
 
OK folks I have patiently read all of the posts that you guys have lodged on this thread about "204 Sharpmaker apparent defects". Well let me give you all a little first hand testimony about what happened to me.

When the diamond stones first came out or should I say the first set that was available to me was back in Sept of 2002 at the Spirit of Steel knife show in a Dallas TX suburb. Well I started using the diamond stones quite a bit that following winter. Within 2 months all of the diamonds were literally coming off. Well I shelved the stones for a while and e-mailed Spyderco about it but for some reason didn't hear back from them. Probably a mix up of some sort. FAST FORWARD>>

When I went to the BLADE Show in ATlanta in June 2003 I took them straight to the man himself. Yes I took them to Sal Glesser at the Spyderco booth there at the show. He asked me if I would trust him to take the stones back to the Golden plant so he could see what went wrong with them. I left the stones with him after discussing the problem with him at length. He was obviously very concerned and very polite ( much unlike most other people I meet in the production knife business). Then Spyderco mailed me a brand new replacement set of them within 4 days after getting back from the BLADE show. I am still using that replacement set I might add with no problems.

Since that incident I go straight to Spyderco themselves when I have any problem ( which isn't that often) with anything I buy from them. And I get nothing but the utmost of respect and prompt service each time.

I guess what I am saying is>> I think that proves that going directly to them is the best way to resolve something concerning product defects and quality control. Because I am here to tell you first hand that Mr. Glesser is very concerned about any product of Spyderco's not being right. In the future go straight to them and get the problem resolved. And believe me they will go out of their way to resolve the problem I can assure. Because most of the cutlery dealers are only focused on moving merchandise>> they for the most part have no vested interest in "Problem Resolution". Next time take the problem to Spyderco.
 
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