DMT Aligner

Here are the specs from DMT:

-Glass reinforced polycarbonate clamp adjusts to seven honing angles
-Large thumb screw for easy clamping

One of the guys that sharpens knives in our showroom says that he has tested this item and found that if you were new to sharpening the fact that you can adjust the angle comes in very handy.

I have never used it myself though. Let me know if you need more info and I will dig it up for you.
 
I am amazed that a company that makes the quality of stones that DMT does would come up with such an inferior tool as their aligner. I have tried it and it is not the quality that some of the other kits use.
 
Originally posted by Walt2
I am amazed that a company that makes the quality of stones that DMT does would come up with such an inferior tool as their aligner. I have tried it and it is not the quality that some of the other kits use.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree.

I have been using one of these in conjunction with a sharpmaker and find that it is better than the Lanskey. And I used a Lanskey since about 1986.

Once you learn what the angles are in the adjustment arms it does a respectable job of keeping the angle.

The plastic clamp does not mar the steel like other similar products do, but it does not open wide enough, I have to force it on to some of my thicker pieces.

IMHO, this is not a one systems solution. I use mine to set my angle on new blades, clean up nicks or dings and to refresh a severly worn edge. Then I maintain with a sharpmaker.

The results I get are excellent and I no longer feel the need to find the ultimate sharpening system I used to always be looking for.

One negative is that it does not do recurve's, hawk bills and knives with a false edge very well.

I'd say buy one but plan to have another system to compliment it, even if that's just a set of 30deg crock sticks.


Edited to add:

BTW, I use the aligner kit that comes with the stones, rods and stone holder as well. Not sure if that's what you're looking at because I know they sell just the blade clamp by itself.
 
I bought a couple of the clamps by themselves and use them with bench stones. The hole part just drags on the table beside the stone. With smaller knives (under 3.5" blade), they are very handy and quick to use, no tools required. Not as good for big knives because the tension holding the knife is not as great as with a metal clamp. Sometimes the knife can move a little in the clamp. As stated above, they won't do everything, but I use them a lot. If you are working with smaller knives, they are well worth the purchase price.
 
They are only supposed to be for knives up to 1/8" thick. Otherwise, they work fine. I've used mine a lot. They won't work at all on knives with either a double edge, or a saber grind that tapers toward the spine (like my Sentinel) because the clamp just slips off the tapered spine. For most of my small to medium knives though (provided the blade is no more than 1/8" thick), they are the best thing going - IMHO of course.
 
LOL, you called my bluff :D

The only one I've figured out is the 30 Degree one because that is the angle I set on the knives I keep sharp with this and the sharpmaker.

To get that angle set the arms to the notch that is the 2nd closest to where the rod glides. It will leave one notch exposed on the upper section. Does that make sense, if not I'll post a picture.

I'm sure you can figure out the others if you work from there. I always thought it was a little dumb that they did not give you a little guide or chart to work from.

I'm not sure if this is exactly 30 degrees but I have gotten excellent results using it and the sharpmaker together.

Good luck!
 
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