Help p,ease. How to go BEYOND "shaving" sharp with diamond stones

[Surfingringo]

Hey all, got my spyderco dragonfly salt in today! Happy with the knife, but honestly, haven't spent much time with it because I've been playing with my new dmt diafold for the last two hours. Ran out of pocket knives so I started grabbing kitchen knives! ;-).

I sharpened up my cheapies first and got them all "hair shaving" sharp, then worked on my mini grip and got a good edge on it too. Here's my problem...

My new spyderco arrived really sharp! Wicked sharp! So far I have been able to get my other knives sharp, but not like that. Serviceable edges, nothing more. They will shave my leg clean, but it takes em three passes. The new spyderco shaves it smooth in one pass. I can't get my other knives to that level...yet! Just looking for any tips or secrets, or is it just one of those "keep practicing" things?

Tanks in advance,

Lance

 

[bpeezer]

Keep practicing, and keep trying new methods. Some may disagree, but I say try as many orientations and methods as possible to get a good feel for sharpening in different ways. You will learn what works for you, and more importantly you will learn what doesn't work. Once you have enough experience with several different methods, you will get a pretty good idea of how to get a sharp edge.

One last thing, focus on good fundamentals more than anything else. You don't need perfect angle control, you don't need .01 micron refinement, and you don't need a white room. I'm no where near "experienced" at sharpening, but I can get a knife to shave my leg in one pass using just a 120 grit DMT stone.

Once you get a good feel for it, you'll know that your wicked sharp factory edge is no where near as sharp as you can make it

 

[Surfingringo]

Cool man, I like the sound of that last statement! I want to believe that's true! I am actually pretty happy with the results i got on day 1! I've got a very functional, hair shaving edge on all my knives...but now i want MORE! hehehe. Thanks for the tips...I'll keep at it.

 

[OHALLUM]

Uh oh! You have been bit now. No turning back once you achieve a "very functional, hair shaving edge". There will always be that next step up in what you can achieve. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride! Read, think, try, read some more, and try again. A never ending quest, but an enjoyable quest. Main thing is to have fun and look for that next step.

Blessings,

Omar