Recommendation? First Time Sharpener

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Branden O'Donnell said:
Is the diamond for when the knife becomes "too dull"? Sorry I am really trying to understand. I appreciate your explanations!
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Among other things, the diamond and cbn rods will always cut more efficiently than the alumina rods that come with the sharpmaker. They can greatly speed up the sharpening process. I use them even when the edge is not “too dull”.

They are just another part of the tool kit that gives the system more versatility.
 
Branden O'Donnell said:
Not familiar with Lansky, is there a benefit? Seems similarly priced to the sharpmaker.
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Yeah they're different, I have a Sharpmaker and it's great for maintaining the edges I definitely recommend one, the lanksy though is a guided sharpener that can remove more metal a lot easier and really sharpen something that needs more than edge maintenance or even reprofile, hate when I get a knife and it has uneven grinds, that's why I'm considering one of those it's really the lowest priced guided system dmt makes one too I'm looking at called the aligner, in the same vein as like a wicked edge or KME which are a good amount more
 
the lansky is no doubt the most popular on the amazon . lots of happy campers on the youtube , and lots of good accessories available .
i still use the diamond rods of my exduct sharpener which is a comparable product .

good luck, unwatching now .
 
I have a lansky that I have just about worn out the original stones out on. I rarely ever use it (once in the past 13 years??

I use hand held diamond stones (course and fine) and spyderco sharp maker.

I also had a smith diamond and ceramic set (the ceramic rods fit under the diamond stone and it was handy and compact.

What ever you get, just practice... take it slow, and pay attention to where you are removing the steel from. Sharpie on the edge trick works.
Look up sharpening threads on here, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
 
Hey there,
Congratulations for taking the first steps towards sharpening!
I have found it to be extremely rewarding but I have a cautionary tale...
Unfortunately there was no internet when I began my sharpening saga so I ended up essentially struggling in the dark FOR DECADES before I understood what I was trying to do and was able to reproduce results.

Imo, the most important thing is to understand what is happening at the edge, which is difficult as it’s microscopic.

The two main concepts to understand are: Edge apex and Burrs.

Using a bright light to shine directly onto the edge and find reflections is a key technique. If the edge is reflecting light then it’s not sharp/apexed. An apexed edge WILL NOT REFLECT LIGHT, and only after you have apexed your edge should you consider moving from coarse to finer stones.

I won’t go into detail about burrs but learn what they’re about. Be aware that some will suggest that you “raise a burr” during the sharpening process, and while that can work, it’s not always necessary and I personally try to avoid raising a large burr unless I’m working on a machete or similar...

The problem with only using fine stones (and where I had problems with repeated sharpening on the Spyderco Sharp Maker I bought when I was 12 years old) is that while they’re great to touch up a slightly dull knife, over time and with repeated sharpenings, you will end up with a less and less acute edge angle. At that point (or if you just damaged your edge by cutting tough material) you’ll need to “reprofile” or “re-set” the edge. That just means that you’re going to take off more metal at a lower angle to make the edge more acute again. This is where coarse stones/diamonds come into play, and that’s why they’re definitely needed - even more than fine stones.

Coarse stones turn a dull knife into something that will cut. Fine stones take a knife that will ALREADY CUT and make it cut better. If you try to make a dull knife sharp with fine stones/ceramics, etc it will take magnitudes of time longer.

Remember, all you’re trying to do is make a microscopic wedge of steel. Keep that in mind as you go.
 
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Learn to freehand with a soft Arkansas and some light oil. Be patient. After years of building your skills you’ll likely find the “systems” lacking and will probably end up on Arkansas stones. Diamond plates are like a set of files: they cut fast with no feedback and can ruin an edge with too much pressure. Great for sharpening an axe or a machete though.
 
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Dave Dallam said:
Learn to freehand with a soft Arkansas and some light oil. Be patient. After years of building your skills you’ll find the “systems” lacking and will likely end up on only Arkansas. Diamond plates are life a set of files! They cut fast with no feedback and can ruin an edge with too much pressure. Great for sharpening ax axe or a machete.
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Thanks to everyone for your guidance. I caved and bought a stone and a strop. Should be here by Thursday. Hoping I can pick it up quickly. My knives currently have a great edge and I don't want to ruin anything.
I did pick up a "guide" too. Not sure how good that will be, but I figured it can't hurt.
 
Branden O'Donnell said:
Thanks to everyone for your guidance. I caved and bought a stone and a strop. Should be here by Thursday. Hoping I can pick it up quickly. My knives currently have a great edge and I don't want to ruin anything.
I did pick up a "guide" too. Not sure how good that will be, but I figured it can't hurt.
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Don't practice on your good knives.
 
If you want to make a hobby out of sharpening knives, getting all OCD deep into it, going the whole stones and what-not route makes sense.

If you want simply to get your knives as sharp as you'll ever need them to be, and keep them that way, the SharpMaker is where it's at.

Enjoy your stones.
 
Centuriator said:
If you want to make a hobby out of sharpening knives, getting all OCD deep into it, going the whole stones and what-not route makes sense.

If you want simply to get your knives as sharp as you'll ever need them to be, and keep them that way, the SharpMaker is where it's at.

Enjoy your stones.
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I understand this might be difficult, but just because you believe something for yourself, does not make the rest of us wrong.

The Sharpmaker is literally the same sharpening concepts as free hand bench stones. The same. In one application you hold the knife at an angle on flat stones, in the other you hold the knife flat on angled stones. Concepts are the same. You still need to maintain the correct angle and you're still raising burrs. It's the same thing. Further, the Sharpmaker is far more restrictive and I believe more apt to frustrate new sharperners who struggle to match the factory edge on the restricted angles of the Sharpmaker.

If you want to sing the praises of the Sharpmaker, that's great, but it does not need to coincide with derogatory comments about bench stones.

I can sharpen most any knife in minutes with my bench stones.
 
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Unfortunately, you began your comment with a false premise; namely that I think, "just because you believe something for yourself, does not make the rest of us wrong."

No, not at all.

You, sir, are a good example of what I'm talking about. You have invested yourself emotionally into sharpening knives. It is fun. Relaxing. Enjoyable. I did it myself for decades. But then I chose to invest in another interest.

For the overwhelmingly vast majority of knife owners the SharpMaker is a great tool and will provide them a razor-sharp knife. They will not obsess over the edge of their blades like you will.

That's ok.

Don't feel like you have to prove or justify your choice to me. I really, and truly, have been there and done that...and I just don't care.
 
Centuriator said:
Unfortunately, you began your comment with a false premise; namely that I think, "just because you believe something for yourself, does not make the rest of us wrong."

No, not at all.

You, sir, are a good example of what I'm talking about. You have invested yourself emotionally into sharpening knives. It is fun. Relaxing. Enjoyable. I did it myself for decades. But then I chose to invest in another interest.

For the overwhelmingly vast majority of knife owners the SharpMaker is a great tool and will provide them a razor-sharp knife. They will not obsess over the edge of their blades like you will.

That's ok.

Don't feel like you have to prove or justify your choice to me. I really, and truly, have been there and done that...and I just don't care.
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I have dozens of posts in this sub-forum spelling out the bare minimum gear they need to get started in sharpening and to not be intimidated about it and that they do not need to obsess over it to get good working edges. Obsessing over edges is a choice not a requirement of bench stones.

A Norton JB8, an old belt, and a Sharpie will take a lot of folks a long way and they may be forever satisfied. That means that very simple option was a good one.

When someone is trying to dip their toe into the sharpening world, a world in which far too many over dramatize the individual physical requirements needed to get sharp knives, they deserve to have options and pros and cons provided to them so that they can make an educated choice for themselves.

You contributed to the utterly incorrect notion that free hand sharpening requires some type of deep commitment. It doesn't and my recommendation for people to use bench stones is not rooted in my passion for sharpening. I have extensive experience using a sharpening system.

But again, you fail to address that the Sharpmaker and bench stones are the same thing.
 
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The Sharpmaker is a great system for folks who do not want to devote themselves to an obsessive compulsive blade sharpening hobby. I reserve my ODC hobbiest/geekiness to something else.

I was "all in" on stones and strops and...way into the hobbiest aspect.

But I realized for my needs: the Sharpmaker was perfect. I've field dressed large game, cut paper, shaved hair...it's all god.

If you choose not to, ok. Cool.

The fact that you get riled up when a person challenges your opinions is proof you are way into it, and that's cool, but...not for most people.
 
Centuriator said:
The Sharpmaker is a great system for folks who do not want to devote themselves to an obsessive compulsive blade sharpening hobby. I reserve my ODC hobbiest/geekiness to something else.

I was "all in" on stones and strops and...way into the hobbiest aspect.

But I realized for my needs: the Sharpmaker was perfect. I've field dressed large game, cut paper, shaved hair...it's all god.

If you choose not to, ok. Cool.

The fact that you get riled up when a person challenges your opinions is proof you are way into it, and that's cool, but...not for most people.
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You choose to completely miss the point. I'm done engaging you.
 
No, I know what you are trying to say: the Sharpmaker is the same as using stones.

You are, in one sense, correct, sure, you are using stones to sharpen a blade regardless.

Your woefully miss the point that most people do NOT need to buy stones and obsess over the sharpening process, as you have chosen to do. Get over it. Facts. The Sharpmaker provides people the precise angles they need and makes it very easy and save to sharpen knives.

For the vast majority of people who own blades the Sharpmaker helps them create and maintain a, literally, razor sharp edge. No need to invest in stones and obsess over strops and angles and various stones....it does the job.

I'm sorry you feel some how personally threatened by these facts and can't participate in a grown-up discussion.

Carry on.
 
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Centuriator said:
The Sharpmaker is a great system for folks who do not want to devote themselves to an obsessive compulsive blade sharpening hobby. I reserve my ODC hobbiest/geekiness to something else.

I was "all in" on stones and strops and...way into the hobbiest aspect.

But I realized for my needs: the Sharpmaker was perfect. I've field dressed large game, cut paper, shaved hair...it's all god.

If you choose not to, ok. Cool.

The fact that you get riled up when a person challenges your opinions is proof you are way into it, and that's cool, but...not for most people.
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Centuriator said:
No, I know what you are trying to say: the Sharpmaker is the same as using stones.

You are, in one sense, correct, sure, you are using stones to sharpen a blade regardless.

Your woefully miss the point that most people do NOT need to buy stones and obsess over the sharpening process, as you have chosen to do. Get over it. Facts. The Sharpmaker provides people the precise angles they need and makes it very easy and save to sharpen knives.

For the vast majority of people who own blades the Sharpmaker helps them create and maintain a, literally, razor sharp edge. No need to invest in stones and obsess over strops and angles and various stones....it does the job.

I'm sorry you feel some how personally threatened by these facts and can't participate in a grown-up discussion.

Carry on.
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Sharpmakers, and all of the other "fixture systems", are remarkably expensive, you get a very small stone or abrading material for your money, and you sure cannot shove them in your pocket. They're great though for people who struggle to master, or just don't have any interest in, the skill of holding an consistent angle on a bench or pocket stone.
 
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