I may be way off base, but after watching these jdavis882 youtubes I'm pretty much

C

Cackmandu

Joined
Aug 24, 2015
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196
set on how and what to purchase for the beginner sharpener!

I was sold on the Spyderco Sharpmaker all along, just needed some confirmation, looks like this is all you actually need to get a great everyday edge!
Jdavis sold me on his Amarillo Stropblock, for the money I don't see how you could lose with that piece!
The finishing touch and most expensive piece would be the Spyderco ultra fine bench stone 306UF, this piece will be added later because it is a little pricey and will be a good stone to learn freehanding on! The DMT stones could easily be added later without losing any investment except for the Sharpmaker which I'm sure would still be used or gifted!

Well that's what I've decided on, kind of anxious to see how it works out!
 
JDavis is really entertaining and knows a lot about sharpening. I've watched SO MANY of his videos.

But one thing you should know about his demonstration of the SharpMaker: He essentially just dulls a knife with perfect geometry and then resharpens it. As he demonstrates, you can bring back a blade that's "just dull" that's already had it's angles matched to the SharpMaker. You can do it reasonably quickly.

But don't mistake this for being able to sharpen an actually fully dull blade with the SharpMaker. In particular, if the blade's geometry is thicker than 20 dps, the SharpMaker won't touch it for sharpness until you get it reprofiled to 20dps or under. At some point, you're going to run into a blade like this. At that point, you are going to need something far more abrasive than the gray/brown rods that come with the SM. You'll want something nice and coarse. The diamond rods aren't a bad choice, but they wouldn't be mine. I'd want (in order) a DMT XXC, DMT XC, or Norton coarse Crystolon (silicon carbide). Or if you really have budget, an Atoma 140.

The Spyderco UltraFine stone is a real luxury item. It's wonderful! It's also totally nu-necessary to get a sharp functional blade. The 8x3 (306UF) that he demonstrates with seems so nice. I've wanted one for years, but never paid for it because I didn't "need" it. I recently got a crazy screaming deal on the 302UF (8" x 2") and had to buy it. It makes a REALLY polished, very fine edge. It's awesome! But totally un-necessary. I can make a blade phonebook paper slicing sharp with just the gray rods on the SM. I can get most blades mostly phonebook paper *push cutting* sharp with the white stones on the SM. This level of sharpness is impressive as hell, but won't hold up to any "real" knife use. The UF stone takes it to the next level and makes it that much more delicate.

I still like his "beginner freehand kit" that he shows here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtsDPVohg1k

But I think the DMT C isn't coarse enough for REALLY dull, damaged, and abused blades. Make no mistake: The DMT C cuts fast enough to leave behind metal dust on the plate after just a couple of passes. It cuts. It just doesn't cut quite fast enough for me for some jobs.

I'm writing all of this to give you ideas and make you think about what you might be sharpening. You can build your kit around your expected needs. The SharpMaker is a really nice tool to start with. You just have to understand it's limitations and intended uses.

Good luck to you.

Brian.
 
I started out with a Sharpmaker also, but got really frustrated early on with hit-n-miss results. It still takes a steady hand/arm/wrist, and is basically "freehanding" vertically. I then went to a few different guided systems, which taught me a LOT about the process. It may have just been the mental/emotional boost of getting multiple good results in a row, because the principles are still the same.

But now I go back to the Sharpmakers quite often. They really are a great set up, especially for fine edge touch ups. In fact I have two sets. I keep the diamond and course in one box, and the fine and extra fine in the other. I probably use the fine/x-fine more than any other rods. Probably because I'll use the KME if a knife needs a full sharpening or re-profile.

When you can afford it, do get the extra fine rods. They are the perfect step before the strops if you are really trying to refine an edge. Not completely necessary, but fun if you find that you enjoy learning the skill and want to take an edge further than you've gone before.

If you don't really enjoy the sharpening process, but just don't like dull knives. You will discover that the basic course rods are probably finer than most factory edges.

Good luck and enjoy. Be sure to return with your review and pics of your work. Who doesn't like edge pics and success stories? :)
 
bgentry said:
JDavis is really entertaining and knows a lot about sharpening. I've watched SO MANY of his videos.

But one thing you should know about his demonstration of the SharpMaker: He essentially just dulls a knife with perfect geometry and then resharpens it. As he demonstrates, you can bring back a blade that's "just dull" that's already had it's angles matched to the SharpMaker. You can do it reasonably quickly.

But don't mistake this for being able to sharpen an actually fully dull blade with the SharpMaker. In particular, if the blade's geometry is thicker than 20 dps, the SharpMaker won't touch it for sharpness until you get it reprofiled to 20dps or under. At some point, you're going to run into a blade like this. At that point, you are going to need something far more abrasive than the gray/brown rods that come with the SM. You'll want something nice and coarse. The diamond rods aren't a bad choice, but they wouldn't be mine. I'd want (in order) a DMT XXC, DMT XC, or Norton coarse Crystolon (silicon carbide). Or if you really have budget, an Atoma 140.

The Spyderco UltraFine stone is a real luxury item. It's wonderful! It's also totally nu-necessary to get a sharp functional blade. The 8x3 (306UF) that he demonstrates with seems so nice. I've wanted one for years, but never paid for it because I didn't "need" it. I recently got a crazy screaming deal on the 302UF (8" x 2") and had to buy it. It makes a REALLY polished, very fine edge. It's awesome! But totally un-necessary. I can make a blade phonebook paper slicing sharp with just the gray rods on the SM. I can get most blades mostly phonebook paper *push cutting* sharp with the white stones on the SM. This level of sharpness is impressive as hell, but won't hold up to any "real" knife use. The UF stone takes it to the next level and makes it that much more delicate.

I still like his "beginner freehand kit" that he shows here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtsDPVohg1k

But I think the DMT C isn't coarse enough for REALLY dull, damaged, and abused blades. Make no mistake: The DMT C cuts fast enough to leave behind metal dust on the plate after just a couple of passes. It cuts. It just doesn't cut quite fast enough for me for some jobs.

I'm writing all of this to give you ideas and make you think about what you might be sharpening. You can build your kit around your expected needs. The SharpMaker is a really nice tool to start with. You just have to understand it's limitations and intended uses.

Good luck to you.

Brian.
Click to expand...

+1. I think the diamond or CBN rods should come with the set. The UF rods aren't "must have" for most purposes, in my view, especially if cost is a factor.
 
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