Good Beginner Sharpening System

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Mcoe01

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Aug 12, 2011
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I am just getting into the knife hobby after being introduced to more of the outdoors activities in Mid eastern Wisconsin. I currently own a Benchmade Griptillian and a Benchmade 851 Barrage. Recently my knives have become dull and was wondering what would be a good beginner, and relatively cheap (50-100) sharpening system that I could purchase. For reference my knives are made of 154 CM and M390 Steel in case that makes any difference in your recommendations. Thank you for your time in answering this question.

Edit: After some time I have found a few different options in the Lansky Standard Diamond/ Delux Kit, the DMT Aligner kit, the Gatco Edgemate Diamond Kit, or the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I have read all different arguments and they all seem to be good. It now comes down to which would be best for the steel I have and which would be best based on how much use I put them through in between honing/sharpening (which wouldn't be much). Any suggestions?
 
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Of those options, for serious re-sharpening, my vote would go to the DMT MagnaGuide. It's very similar to the Aligner, but it uses double-sided DiaFold hones as the sharpening surface. That means you can easily remove the hones and use them separate of the guide for portability or use as a slip-stone on garden tools, etc.

Can be had on Amazon for $65, with the Coarse, Fine, Efine and EEfine plates. That will easily take care of both of your knives.

The Sharpmaker is very good for dressing an edge or keeping it sharp, but if your knives are solidly dull to begin with, it'll take a LOT of time and work to get them up to standard again. It's a good system, but it's rods are very fine, and it is limited to only two angles (30 and 40 degrees, inclusive). That being said, I like mine for keeping my blades in condition if I don't have time to pull out the EdgePro. The Spyderco triangular stones also work well freehanded for touching up serrations.

EDIT: Incidentally, I just noticed that was your first post! Welcome to Bladeforums! If you happen to be in the central Washington area, you're more than welcome to crash my shop, I've got a fairly good selection of systems you're welcome to try out and see what you like before you buy something.
 
Ok well during the school year my knives won't be getting too much action though I will probably use them for the occasional bonfire or something. So no serious re-sharpening should be needed, but can the Magnaguide get the edge as sharp as the sharpmaker?
 
I would say yes, the EEF plate is a 3 micron abrasive size, which is HALF the particle side of the stock Sharpmaker "Fine" rods (6u). Now, the DMTs are diamonds versus the Spyderco ceramics, so they produce a slightly rougher finish for their grit, but yes, I would say it would be as sharp. It will certainly be as sharp or sharper than when it came from the factory, that's a given.
 
Ok. Any suggestions on how to get rid of that slightly rougher finish without buying an entirely new sharpener/honer? I have a friend who has a straight razor strop if that would help at all?
 
A strop is an excellent way to finish. Beyond the polishing, it also serves to ensure that no burrs are left over from the sharpening process. You can easily and inexpensively make your own strop from some scrap leather (check a local shoe repair shop, almost every town has one) and some hardware-store buffing compound. Get the green or white stuff, and 'crayon' it onto your leather. In the absence of leather, even a piece of cardboard from the back of a notebook can be pressed into service, and do just fine.

Also, when I say "rougher", I'm meaning rougher than it would be corresponding to a ceramic rod with the grit at the same size. In this case, it would be the "Extra Fine" rods that come as an aftermarket option for the Sharpmaker, and are not included in the original kit. Bearing in mind that both will leave a more highly polished finish than the factory edge.

Technique matters a lot when you get down to really fine finishing like that. Use as little pressure as you possibly can, less pressure and more strokes will generally produce a much nicer edge than lots of pressure and fewer strokes. That's especially true with diamonds. A LOT of pressure can actually cause the diamonds to be torn out of the plate. That's not much of a problem unless you're really pushing hard, though. Remember, sharpening is a finesse operation, not brute force.

EDIT: Also, the first couple uses will see your diamond hones 'breaking in'. The first couple times you use them, they will cut a LOT more aggressively than they're supposed to. After three or four sharpenings, they'll settle down to a more moderate finish, and stay that way for a long, long time.
 
So for a true beginner you would suggest the Magna-Guide over the sharpmaker. Cause so far that is what seems to be the most versatile option in terms of angles, uses, and the fact that I doubt I will be too hard pressed for time to set up the kit. Time for me isn't a factor for me at this point. Just getting a good blade edge is my goal.
 
They will BOTH give you good edges. The Magna-guide is a fair bit more versatile, and can handle repairing damage and re-profiling, where the Sharpmaker can not. They're both very fine systems, though. I actually use my Sharpmaker quite a lot, usually with only the "Fine" rods, to re-dress edges on knives that I don't wish to take the time to employ my EdgePro on. As long as you do not need to do any repairs, or re-profile a blade, the Sharpmaker is just fine.

There will be others offering input here too, I'd check back over the next couple of days before you buy anything, there's a LOT of great sharpening knowledge around here, and guys a lot more knowledgeable than me. They might come up with other options yet, for certain you'll have people suggesting a good bench stone or diamond plate, and convex sharpening with sandpaper on a mouse pad. There's a LOT of good ways to get to a sharp edge. :)
 
Sounds good. I just want something that will be reliable and something that is versatile. I hear the sharpmaker only has two angles which makes me wary of buying it. I am also worried about hand sharpening so the fact that the magna guide can do both guided and help me learn hand sharpening is by far a good advantage in my opinion.
 
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That is true, it does only have two angles, but the 30/40 pair is one of the most common out there, and is a very good general-use edge geometry. The only real weakness there is that if the angle on the blade DOESN'T match the 30/40, you need to either use the 40 and micro-bevel the edge itself, or you need to re-profile the edge, which is an extremely long process with the Sharpmaker's fine stones. There are a few ways around that, like clipping wet-or-dry sandpaper to the medium rods to make them coarser, but by-and-large it's a poor choice for any metal-removal operation.

If the edge IS a 30/40, though, it's a very easy way to quickly and efficiently sharpen it up again.
 
What are some of the downsides to having an extremely sharp blade, say 15 -10 degrees? I mean besides getting duller faster.
 
Mcoe01 said:
What are some of the downsides to having an extremely sharp blade, say 15 -10 degrees? I mean besides getting duller faster.
Click to expand...

If the steel is too soft to support such a thin edge, there's a danger of rolling the edge. If it's too hard, there's a danger of chipping the edge. Both outcomes require a lot more work to fix, as opposed to just sharpening more frequently. On the other hand, if you're smart about how you use that thin edge, there may not be much downside at all. If it's good quality steel with good heat treat, and you place more emphasis on fine slicing, instead of chopping, you may come to love a thin edge like that. I've preferred thinner edges on my knives, but I make sure not to abuse them. It's much more satisfying to make whisper-quiet, effortless slices into food, paper, etc. I've also found the wider bevels on thin edged blades are much easier to strop & resharpen; it's easier to 'feel' that wider contact area on a stone or strop.
 
Mostly it's just that the edge becomes absurdly fragile. Think of a straight razor: You can literally push-cut the wiry hairs off of your face with it, but you might have to strop it two or three times during the course of a single shave. There's a balance to be found between "sharp" and "durable" that varies for each steel and heat-treat. Personally I'm not particularly afraid to put a severe primary bevel on a knife, then if it starts to break down too fast, I just increase the angle of the microbevel at the edge until it holds acceptably.
 
if you want a setup for around $100. that will sharpen anything you have in about 2 minutes you can get a set of paper wheels. there are quite a few guys that have bought them and had good luck right off the bat but i suggest some practice first. here is a link to a thread i started on them and a post by a member who was so impressed at how well they work he bought a set. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9207988&postcount=710
 
you can get a variable speed buffer at lowes fairly cheap and you can pick up the wheels from any woodcraft store or from grizzly imports. for around $100. or less you can have a sharpening setup that will last you for many years. i have my first set that i bought back in 1991. check out some of the vids of how sharp you can get a knife on the wheels at my website. the link to my website is in my sig line
 
i just bought a DMT aligner system. and i love it!! guided sharpening so no guesswork...diamond stones last forever...cost me $50
 
I got a complete Sharpmaker setup, and it is true what they say about re-profiling. It took me a good bit of time to re-profile my D2 steel blade even using the diamond rods.
The upsides? With all the rods, you can get a great edge on any knife. I'm pretty proficient at freehand sharpening, but the Sharpmaker is a lot quicker and accurate than my own 2 hands.
I would recommend the Sharpmaker to anyone, especially people who dont have much experience sharpening knives.
 
when i had my ez sharp guided system i found out a lot of knives did not line back up when i went to sharpen them again. if a blade is a full flat grind without any flat spots to put the clamp on, its harder to get the knife lined back up if not impossible. i'll never go back to a guided system.
 
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