Honing with a Sharpmaker??

[SpacemanSpiff23]

If I just wanted to touch up a blade that was getting a little dull, would the sharpmaker work for this? From the review and videos I've seen, it seems like the sharpmaker is designed to sharpen, not hone. if I were to use it for honing, would I wear my blades down too fast? I've never bothered to own a sharpener of any sort, but when I saw this tool it looked like it would be very handy to have around.

Would the be all I need, or would I also need some sort of steel or honing rod for every day touch ups?

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Nah, i just use the white stones for touch up. I've had my sharpmaker for 6 or 7 years now, it came with a VHS! I still have the original sticks. You can use both, i do. But for minor touch ups after a days work i just use the white ones. Theyre for finishing the edge.

 

[Jason B.]

Not sure what your definition of honing is but for me its the same as sharpening. The sharpmaker also has the option of coarse diamond rods and ultra fine finishing rods, the UF is what I use for touchups they work very well and leave you with a very sharp edge.

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

Honing is straightening the blade. Sharpening is removing metal from the blade.

 

[matt321]

I think you are referring to this issue:

If the bevel edge of your knife is 20 degrees per side or less it will work great. (and you will waste less blade steel than many other methods since it is more accurate than freehand.)

However, if your knife's edge bevel is greater than 20 degrees (per side) the SharpMaker rods will only be touching the shoulders of the bevel and not the cutting edge. You would need to regrind the bevel to 20 degrees or less before the SharpMaker would be effective. The standard rods are not practical for this because they are not sufficiently aggressive. There are several work-arounds, but you need to understand this limitation.

Thus, folks say the SharpMaker is intended for touchups because the standard rods are designed for touchup work or for some minimal bevel grinding. Major steel removal will require using some other tricks.