I need a sharpening setup and I don't want to go the "guided" route

False Cast

False Cast

Joined
Jul 21, 2010
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130
As the title says, I need a sharpening setup and I don't want to drop the coin on an Edgepro or a Wicked Edge. Also, I want to learn the skill of sharpening my blades on a flat stone and I don't want to use a guided stone system. I have no idea where to start or what to look for. I'm not a collector and I only have 2 "users" -- a Randall #8 for a hunting/fishing/woods knife and a Gerber that I edc. I currently keep these blades in good shape with my KSF two-sided strop.

So, what are my options? I don't have a problem investing in something that is quality and will last, actually I'd prefer it, but I don't know where to start.

Thanks for your help!
 
This might help you out a little. You're going to want to learn to freehand at some point anyhow, even if you get a fancy sharpening system at some point. It's a lifelong skill that you can take with you anywhere, unlike a crazy guided setup. Just get some good quality flat stones and have at it. Start on some cheap kitchen knives for practice. :)
 
FTB: thanks for the link. Your reasoning is exactly what I had in mind. Portable and it's a skill that I want to learn. Could I get a "better" edge with a guided setup? Probably. But that's not the point. I want to learn the art.

Gaspumps: thank you for the suggestion. I will look them up.

What about grits? Also, I've heard of soft v. hard stones and dry stones v. stones that require some sort of lube. Advantages and disadvantages? Where do diamond stones play in?

I have no problem investing in quality that will last. I'm a "buy once -- cry once" kind of guy.
 
Definitely learn to freehand sharpen. It's just far more satisfying than any sort of jig. In terms of stones, you're going to want several. To start with you'll need a diamond stone or two for more major reprofiling. I recommend dmt diasharp stones for this. You can get a double sided (coarse/fine) one for around $40-50. Next you'll need several finer grits. The most popular seem to be the dmt diasharp is extra fine and extra-extra fine, or the spyderco ceramics which come in grits of medium, fine, and ultrafine. I personally use the spyderco ceramics bench stones in medium and fine and the 306uf ultrafine for polishing.. Ever way you go, try to make sure you are sticking with one type of stone for anything past major reprofiling. For example, you wouldn't want to go from Spyderco medium ceramic to dmt fine to spyderco ultrafine. If you go dmt stick with dmt, if you go spyderco stick with spyderco (aside from your diamond profiling stone of course). Sticking with one type of stone and progressing through the grits will give you a much finer, more even scratch pattern. In terms of stops you have several good choices. The knivesplus strop block is a favorite of many as is the stropman strops. I personally prefer the stropman hd compact with green and white compounds for its versatility and easy to handle size. Both of these strops can be had for around $20.

Good luck and happy sharpening. And remember to practice practice practice.
 
For coarse stones I like DMT diamonds, and for fines I like Spyderco ceramics. Just like mkjengren above. Good post, sir. :):thumbup:
 
mkjengren, very helpful post. Thank you so much! Would I be missing out on anything if I just stuck with one company for all of my stones (such as DMT)? That way I won't be tempted to switch brands in the progression of one blade or mix anything up. Or, does one manufacturer make a stone that does X job better than another and vice versa?

I have the two sided strop from Knivesshipfree(dot)com with the green (fine) and blackish-grey (coarse) compounds. It seems to be a quality product. Will it suffice or is there a better alternative?
 
I'm also partial to DMT diasharps. I'm still learning but the only way to do it right is by putting in the time. Sharpening isn't something you can just pick up and do, even though it's a pretty simple concept.
 
False Cast said:
mkjengren, very helpful post. Thank you so much! Would I be missing out on anything if I just stuck with one company for all of my stones (such as DMT)? That way I won't be tempted to switch brands in the progression of one blade or mix anything up. Or, does one manufacturer make a stone that does X job better than another and vice versa?

I have the two sided strop from Knivesshipfree(dot)com with the green (fine) and blackish-grey (coarse) compounds. It seems to be a quality product. Will it suffice or is there a better alternative?
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I find that diamonds are most effective in the coarse-to-medium grit ranges whilst ceramics are most effective in the medium-to-fine range. The reason for the two brands (DMT and Spyderco) is because they are amongst the finest representative brands for those stone types. :)
 
False Cast said:
mkjengren, very helpful post. Thank you so much! Would I be missing out on anything if I just stuck with one company for all of my stones (such as DMT)? That way I won't be tempted to switch brands in the progression of one blade or mix anything up. Or, does one manufacturer make a stone that does X job better than another and vice versa?

I have the two sided strop from Knivesshipfree(dot)com with the green (fine) and blackish-grey (coarse) compounds. It seems to be a quality product. Will it suffice or is there a better alternative?
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You would be fine sticking strictly to dmt stones, they are a very high quality product. Just keep in mind that diamonds cut harder and faster than ceramics, so something like a dmt fine would actually be coarser than a Spyderco medium ceramic. The dmt xxfine won't quite polish a bevel like the spyderco ultrafine ceramic will. The visible polish may be similar but the edge coming off the dmt will be slightly toothier. Some people like that, others don't. I personally use the double sided dmt in coarse then fine, then progress through the spyderco ceramics from medium to uf (dmt coarse->dmt fine->spyderco medium ->spyderco fine->spyderco ultrafine) and have thus far achieved some pretty impressive results.

The strop you already own is just fine. More important than the strop itself is the skill of the user. Just make sure you're using a very light touch, it's easy to ruin an edge with just one or two bad swipes.
 
i have the eze lap diamond sharpener and i love it comes in 5,10 and 12 inch i have the 5 but would recommend the 10. this thing is awesome it gets your knives razer sharp with not a lot of trying. hope this helps.
 
in my ever so humble opinion, and since the OP asked, I'd say he should buy a Norton Oil Bath three stone set up. Nothing out there will really do a better job, IF the user is trainable. :D
 
mkjellgren said:
You would be fine sticking strictly to dmt stones, they are a very high quality product. Just keep in mind that diamonds cut harder and faster than ceramics, so something like a dmt fine would actually be coarser than a Spyderco medium ceramic. The dmt xxfine won't quite polish a bevel like the spyderco ultrafine ceramic will. The visible polish may be similar but the edge coming off the dmt will be slightly toothier. Some people like that, others don't. I personally use the double sided dmt in coarse then fine, then progress through the spyderco ceramics from medium to uf (dmt coarse->dmt fine->spyderco medium ->spyderco fine->spyderco ultrafine) and have thus far achieved some pretty impressive results.

The strop you already own is just fine. More important than the strop itself is the skill of the user. Just make sure you're using a very light touch, it's easy to ruin an edge with just one or two bad swipes.
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Again, I completely agree. Sounds pretty much exactly like what I do, though these days I often stop at just the DMT fine if I only need "good" and not "exceptional" sharpness, which is honestly most of the time. :)
 
Wow. You guys have been extremely helpful and for that I am grateful. So it is established that I will be picking up one or two DMT stones. Double-sided most likely. What about grits? I don't cut cinder blocks or rebar with my knives so is an extra-course stone necessary? I cannot image I'll be doing much re-profiling but I'm a FNG so what do I know.

It seems that Sypderco is an established brand in the ceramic bench stone arena. What about those in reference to grits?

I'm pretty much looking for you guys to guide me to a quality utilitarian setup that will meet all of my needs for sharpening my hunting/fishing knife and my edc folder; all that I have now is my strop.
 
I say get the biggest stone you can find. I love my 11"x3" dual sided stone, $50, nothing fancy about it.

Remember that most of your sharpening should be done on the lowest grit, I usually find that if the edge isn't right, it's because I didn't do enough on step #1.
 
You'll find yourself really wishing you had an extra coarse if you ever put a nick in your edge. But otherwise regular coarse and fine will get you through 90% of what you need to do. Remember that 1 time out of every ten, though, you'll need something either coarser or finer! :D
 
False Cast said:
Wow. You guys have been extremely helpful and for that I am grateful. So it is established that I will be picking up one or two DMT stones. Double-sided most likely. What about grits? I don't cut cinder blocks or rebar with my knives so is an extra-course stone necessary? I cannot image I'll be doing much re-profiling but I'm a FNG so what do I know.

It seems that Sypderco is an established brand in the ceramic bench stone arena. What about those in reference to grits?

I'm pretty much looking for you guys to guide me to a quality utilitarian setup that will meet all of my needs for sharpening my hunting/fishing knife and my edc folder; all that I have now is my strop.
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Check out this video, it will give you a good idea of what to get:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtsDPVohg1k&list=PLB95E1C271CE6654B&index=50&feature=plpp_video

Jdavis882 (crimsontideshooter here in the forums) does a great job with these videos and his channel contains a wealth of information. You definitely owe it to yourself to check it out.

In reference to grits, you're right, you probably don't need an extra coarse dmt, coarse should be enough. After that it all depends on how polished you want your finished bevel. If you want a mirror polish you will need as many grits as possible all the way down to the spyderco ultrafine. You are, with each progressive grit, refining the scratch pattern made by the stone until you have your desired level of polish. In short, get as many stones in as many grits as you can afford.

The spyderco stones do not measure up to the traditional grit rating system (like sand paper) but are in general quite fine, especially the fine and ultrafine stones. I believe the uf ceramic is somewhere between 5000 and 10000 grit which is really really fine. Basically you can assume all of the spyderco stones are finer than all but the extra fine and extra-extra fine diamond stones. As I suggested previously, go with the coarse and fine dmt (the double sided one is 2"x6", which I find large enough, the larger ones are one sided and get expensive fast), then pick up all three grits of spyderco ceramics. As shown in jdavis882's video you can get away with skipping a couple steps but in doing so you lose a little bit if versatility and potential for refinement. Basically what it comes down to is buy as many grits as you can afford in the largest sizes you can afford but obviously that gets awfully pricey awfully fast. If you can't do that, I think you've got a good grasp of what you're looking for.
 
Oh and one more tip, when you get your dmts don't just go head first and start grinding away on your nicest knife. Diamond stones cut really fast and its easy to get carried away and screw something up if you aren't practiced up. The ceramics will cut much slower and be much more forgiving while you're learning. Definitely try and make a few passes on your finest ceramic just to get a feel for your angles and such before jumping into the diamonds.
 
The hardest part of it all is setting the bevel, once that is done maintaining the edge is usually pretty easy with the proper equipment that has been outlined in this thread already.

Practice is the only thing once will need, once the learning curve is bypassed the rest is really basic.

I can do either and use both for all my sharpening.
 
mkjellgren said:
Oh and one more tip, when you get your dmts don't just go head first and start grinding away on your nicest knife. Diamond stones cut really fast and its easy to get carried away and screw something up if you aren't practiced up. The ceramics will cut much slower and be much more forgiving while you're learning. Definitely try and make a few passes on your finest ceramic just to get a feel for your angles and such before jumping into the diamonds.
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Not only that, but diamond stones start off feeling way more coarse than they end up being because of extra diamond sitting on the surface of the stone. After a handful of sharpenings the excess will wear away, leaving the diamonds that are actually good and truly bonded to the surface. At that point it'll be at it's final "stable" grit, which is the one the factory references.

Ankerson said:
The hardest part of it all is setting the bevel, once that is done maintaining the edge is usually pretty easy with the proper equipment that has been outlined in this thread already.

Practice is the only thing once will need, once the learning curve is bypassed the rest is really basic.

I can do either and use both for all my sharpening.
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110% brother! Time on task does it all. Just remember, though--practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect. :D Take the time to learn things right the first time and it's smooth sailing from there, but develop bad habits early and they can plague you a long time. This applies to much more than sharpening, too. :p
 
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