Freehand to Sharpmaker?

[McFeeli]

For Christmas someone gave me a $50 Gift Certificate for Blade HQ. Which is great. And of course after seeing it a whole mess of knives on my imaginary “Want To Buy” list immediately jumped out. Instead of landing on one of those I kind of decided that a good sharpening system may be the better purchase. I know there’s a ton of people that stand behind the Sharpmaker so that’s the one that I’m really considering. It’s one of the most recommended sharpening systems out there, for good reason I imagine.


I have a Lansky set up as well as a small collection of stones, and I much prefer the stones. I never liked clamping my knives down, and I always figured at least I’m learning to hone my freehand skills through trial and error, and for the most part I’m happy with my edges. They aren’t the prettiest or the shiniest, but they cut well and I can maintain a pretty consistent edge. Which is why I haven’t really committed to any particular sharpening system as of yet.

It’d basically be a free Sharpmaker, though without the Gift Certificate I doubt I’d really even consider it(more money for knives, of course). So I’m asking you guys if it’s a worthwhile venture since I already have a decent knowledge of freehand sharpening, would a Sharpmaker benefit me, or would it turn out like my Lansky and sit in it’s case while I break out my stones instead?

 

[on_the_edge]

I currently have a Sharpmaker and an Edge Pro. I had at one time a very nice bunch of Shapton stones and I was decent at using them to sharpen my knives. Even so, I decided to sell the stones not because I could not get the hang of shapening with them, but because I found that the Sharpmaker was much more convenient to use, literally taking just a minute or two to touch up a knife. The Shapton stones had some advantages of course, but the Sharpmaker was good enough for 99% of my needs, which basically consist of keeping knives sharp rather than reprofiling. I do keep a diamond stone though for use with the super steels.

 

[McFeeli]

I currently have a Sharpmaker and an Edge Pro. I had at one time a very nice bunch of Shapton stones and I was decent at using them to sharpen my knives. Even so, I decided to sell the stones not because I could not get the hang of shapening with them, but because I found that the Sharpmaker was much more convenient to use, literally taking just a minute or two to touch up a knife. The Shapton stones had some advantages of course, but the Sharpmaker was good enough for 99% of my needs, which basically consist of keeping knives sharp rather than reprofiling. I do keep a diamond stone though for use with the super steels.

Thank you for the insight! That’s a tick in the Sharpmaker’s favor. I do have a diamond stone so any major reprofiling of M390 and up could be handled by hand. I do enjoy sharpening my knives freehand, but I’ll be the first to admit there are times where I get frustrated when I feel like I’m doing everything right, and it turns out wrong. The edge never lies. It does seem to be much more convenient as well, which would be a nice option to have.

 

[GatorFlash1]

So I’m asking you guys if it’s a worthwhile venture since I already have a decent knowledge of freehand sharpening, would a Sharpmaker benefit me, or would it turn out like my Lansky and sit in it’s case while I break out my stones instead?

Watch this explanation about cutting tools, blades, edges, and sharpening by the guy who invented the Sharpmaker, the first product made by Spyderco.

See all four videos if you are truly serious about knife sharpening.

 

[McFeeli]

So I’m asking you guys if it’s a worthwhile venture since I already have a decent knowledge of freehand sharpening, would a Sharpmaker benefit me, or would it turn out like my Lansky and sit in it’s case while I break out my stones instead?

Watch this explanation about cutting tools, blades, edges, and sharpening by the guy who invented the Sharpmaker, the first product made by Spyderco.

See all four videos if you are truly serious about knife sharpening.

Thank you for the videos. I decided to purchase the Sharpmaker tonight so it’ll be a good look into the system and the history. From everything I’ve already read on it I think I made a good decision. Looks like I’ll have to dull some of knives to get them ready for it, haha.

 

[tueller]

Yes. I have stones and the kme system, yet I tend to use the sharpmaker the most. Quick, easy, packs easy, does well with various blade designs (even recurves). After the sharpmaker I do like to finish with a strop (green compound) though. FWIW I use it routinely on 1095, D2, A2, S30V, VG-10, Hap-40. Works great. I have been meaning to pick up the ultra fine rods too. Now I just have the basic system.

 

[Night Rider]

Meh... Save up a bit more and get a KME unless you don't like laser straight edges every time.

 

[skyhorse]

All these systems are fine but imho you can't beat the simplicity of a sharp maker.

 

[sharp_edge]

For true knife users, sharpmaker + some freehand stones are hard to beat. For others who prefer crispy, dead even, and highly polished edges, they'd better look somewhere else.

 

[Night Rider]

^ That's my cue, I'm out....................

 

[uxo2]

Sharpmaker works for
most touch up needs.

 

[McFeeli]

Thanks everyone. So far you’ve definitely given me more confidence in making my purchase. I’m looking forward to giving it a go.


Night Rider No worries, I’d hope the KME is a more advanced system for the price increase. As long as it shaves, I’m content. I don’t need an edge that whacks the top of my hairs off even though it’d be fun to try, haha. Some day I’ll get an edge to that point.

 

[353]

After I learned how to free hand sharpen I never use the Sharpmaker.

I use the medium and fine benchstones from spyderco, and also some diamond stones if I'm doing more than a touch up. I finnish of on a strop with diamond spray.

If you buy the sharpmaker I think it will collect a lot of dust..

 

[Eli Chaps]

"For true knife users..."

Good grief.

 

[McFeeli]

After I learned how to free hand sharpen I never use the Sharpmaker.

I use the medium and fine benchstones from spyderco, and also some diamond stones if I'm doing more than a touch up. I finnish of on a strop with diamond spray.

If you buy the sharpmaker I think it will collect a lot of dust..

I do the same thing with my Lansky, I don’t use the system but I use the stones out of it all the time. On 85% of my knives I can sharpen them freehand with no issues at all, but there are a few that give me trouble. Overall I spent about $20 on it, and at that price it wasn’t hard to justify the purchase. Time will tell I suppose. Thanks for telling me your own experience, though!

 

[uxo2]

Just to add.

I free hand and also own a 25yr old SharpMaker.

Free hand is when I really buggared up the blade or need to re-profile.
The Sharpmaker is for when stropping a blade no longer works, touch up.

The Sharpmaker does exactly what I need. Put an edge on without removing to much
steel.

 

[McFeeli]

Just to add.

I free hand and also own a 25yr old SharpMaker.

Free hand is when I really buggared up the blade or need to re-profile.
The Sharpmaker is for when stropping a blade no longer works, touch up.

The Sharpmaker does exactly what I need. Put an edge on without removing to much
steel.

That’s actually why I wanted it. Basically to bring a somewhat dulled knife back to par without too much of a hassle. I won’t be reprofiling K390 on one or anything like that. That’s good news. I also think it will help with keeping my angles more consistent. Which is never a bad thing when it comes to sharpening.

All good information! Thanks again!

 

[353]

I do the same thing with my Lansky, I don’t use the system but I use the stones out of it all the time. On 85% of my knives I can sharpen them freehand with no issues at all, but there are a few that give me trouble. Overall I spent about $20 on it, and at that price it wasn’t hard to justify the purchase. Time will tell I suppose. Thanks for telling me your own experience, though!

No problem buddy. I just find the benchstones faster and easier to use once I found out how to use them properly.

I can see how someone would benefit from the Sharpmaker on touch ups though, but I just feel I finnish up faster with my benchstones and the strop.

So my SM is staying in the drawer.

 

[variant2]

Each sharpening tool has its pros and cons. Sharpmaker is fantastic for portability. It's a quick in-between approach for an edge that's too dull to strop but not dull enough to break out the stones.

Sharpmaker - Quick touch ups (especially for recurves)
Tormek - Edge reprofiling / repairing chips
Freehand - Majority of sharpening

 

[Shotgun]

I was never able to get the hang of the sharpmaker. It always felt odd to use. Like the body posture required just didn’t feel right to me. I’ve gotten better results freehand.