Is anything other then a Sharpmaker excessive for me?

Misanthropia

Misanthropia

Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
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After finally starting to build a collection of quality knives only a few months ago, I now find myself in need of a sharpener. As the child of two very white collar parents, I'm useless at free hand sharpening. I've tried using a protractor to help guide the angles, I've done the sharpie trick, but all to no avail. I'm an avid collector of knives, but truthfully, as a college student in New England, they see very little hard use (if any). Also, they're all 3" or under to be compliant with state laws here. I'm neurotic when it comes to the maintenance of my knives, so I've been finding myself attracted to the more expensive/complex guided sharpening systems like the WEPS or the Edge Pro Apex due to the more comprehensive sharpening angles/stone options. I'm not as enthused with their price, however. I like the Sharpmaker quite a bit, but I'm also worried that I won't be able to reprofile harder steels on it (even with the diamond stones) that aren't 30 or 40 degrees.

So I ask you far more experienced members, am I thinking too much into this? Or will a Sharpmaker (with the extra stones) really be sufficient for me?
 
Personally, I don't believe that the Sharpmaker is sufficient for reprofiling jobs and such. Sandpaper helps (wrap sandpaper around the SM rods.)

If you can find the Norton Economy stone at Home Depot, that's a great benchstone for $6. I'm pretty sure it's Silicon Carbide (it may be Al-Ox), and it cuts metal pretty quickly.

If you want perfectly flat bevels, an Edge Pro or WEPS will work very well for you. But if you're looking to attain the skill of freehand sharpening, neither of those systems are going to give it to you.
 
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if you like your sharpmaker, you'll completely sh*t yourself when you move up to a better system! the guided systems are great for getting an exact angle but in real life, you don't need an exact angle. You need to get to the edge of your blade and you need to get to as high of a grit as humanly possible. look in to a motorized system if you dont wanna waste your time. try a paper wheel system if you already got a grinder, it cost like half as much as your prized sharpmaker and works wonders in a fraction of the time.

Oh yeah, if you just have a few knifes, send them to a pro to sharpen so you can see what a truely sharp knife feels like and what one can do.
 
Get the Sharpmaker and don't let your blades get too dull, and you won't need to reprofile every time. Even on new knives that don't match the Sharpmaker angles exactly, the 40 degree will give you a good working angle without much trouble.

It's worth buying because even with some super system later, the Sharpmaker is still ideal for touching up a knife, even kitchen knives. Also, I had no experience sharpening when I got the Sharpmaker, learned immediately, and soon after I found it was teaching me what was going on when I sharpened, and led me into freehand. People who have freehanded for years forget that it is not intuitive, and "just do it" is meaningless.
 
I used a Sharpmaker exclusively for years. But when I got into super steels I needed to enhance my sharpening kit. On the advice of a friend, I got myself a DMT benchstone (ultra fine one side, fine on the other) and a Spyderco fine benchstone. With this kit I can now sharpen any knife on the planet. Dont be too intimidated by the correct angle thing. The main thing is not to go too shallow, because then you are sharpening the shoulder of the bevel rather than the actual edge.

Just practice on people's kitchen knives and you'll get it right eventually. Not only that but you'll be the hero of your friends and family who now have a drawer full of sharp knives. (Bear in mind that most people simply buy a new knife when their old one gets dull.) The other indispensable sharpening tool is an exam pad. Turn it over and you have a nice big piece of cardboard. After sharpening your knife, strop it back it forth against the exam pad to 'polish' the edge and remove toothiness.

You'll get it, just persist. Its very rewarding when you master it. Last night my in-laws were over to dinner and they were stunned by how sharp our kitchen knives were...
 
Have you considered a Lansky kit?

I have both that and the SM with the diamond rods. I also have the ultra fine rods. Reprofiling harder steels is still a chore.

I have freehand abilities that I learned as a kid and usually reprofile on large Arkansas bench stones. The diamond rods for the SM are fine for 1095 carbon, CV and softer stuff like Victorinox steel. I tried to sharpen up a harder steel with them yesterday and they didn't really "do it" for me.

I am assuming that the grinder/paper wheel set up is outta the question if you are in a college/dorm type setting. The Lansky kit, in diamond, might be just what you are talking about. I'd get the kit with the extra fine stones...the deluxe kit...and that should take care of anything you want to do.

If you aren't concerned with reprofiling and just want to maintain sharp, the SM is great for that. You would be better off sticking with the basic kit and getting the Ultra fine rods and a good strop.
 
Get a wicked edge or edge pro apex. If you hate them or decide to go freehand you can always sell them. I like my sharpmaker but it's not great for fixing dull knives or reprofiling. I ordered a wicked edge pro pack with the code on the site for 30% off. It was under 300 and it comes with a lot of gear.
 
I tend to agree with Esav here. If your only task is to maintain knives with existing good edges, then the Sharpmaker is an easy way to early success. It's extremely easy to use, and does a very fine job of keeping an edge in good condition. Where it falls down is at reprofiling, even with the diamond sleeves it's still slow and painful. If you plan to do a lot of that, a more expensive system would be better suited. I have a WEPS, and and EP for manual sharpening, (along with a Sharpmaker that I use for serrations and touch-ups) and I think if I could only pick one it would be the WEPS.
 
Thanks for the input everyone, it's looking like I'm probably just going to go with the WEPS in order to be able to cover all my bases. I would much rather be over-prepared then under-prepared.
 
The Sharpmaker is pretty good. The diamond stones are much better than people give them credit for. I haven't used them the completely reprofile a knife made of a supersteel, so I can't speak to that, but I have used the diamond stones to reprofile a few badly dulled knives, and it went fairly quickly. They do cut well, the trick is to not use too much pressure. That's true of diamond stones, generally.

For a real reprofile job, you probably would indeed be better learning to freehand on a good DMX stone, for example. Cheers!
 
Misanthropia said:
but truthfully, as a college student in New England, they see very little hard use (if any).
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THIS is the key statement to your needs... You don't need a 'sharpening system' so much as a touch up system.

I'm also worried that I won't be able to reprofile harder steels on it (even with the diamond stones) that aren't 30 or 40 degrees.
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Why would you need to reprofile knives that will "see little hard use (if any?)" Reprofiling is for knives that have been used hard, sharpened many times changing their bevels, and need to get ready for MORE hard work. Reprofiling shouldn't be done just because a knife becomes dull. When a car has been run heavily for a year, you change the sparkplugs, oil, and filter. You do NOT rebuild the entire engine.

So I ask you far more experienced members, am I thinking too much into this? Or will a Sharpmaker (with the extra stones) really be sufficient for me?
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A Sharpmaker will work for you, as would a DMT Aligner, GATCO system, Lansky, or, as you said, your knives are all short blades, perhaps the very best would be the RazorEdge system using the 'Cub' clamp. That is PERFECT for 3" blades and is idiot proof!
 
+ one for the Spyderco Sharpmaker with the Diamond Rods and the Ultra fine rods added on is a very capable system. If you want to be really over prepared, buy a Dozier 2"x72" belt grinder.
 
I'm inclined to agree with the Sharpmaker recommendation. For someone with relatively simple sharpening needs (light use/wear on the blades, smallish blades, just beginning to learn), I think it fits the bill. Depending on just HOW small your blades are, that could make a big difference in how well some of the guided setups work. The downside of any clamped system is, the clamp can become an obstacle with small blades, such as found on traditional pocketknives (blades 1/2" or less in width). Very little room to hold the blade securely, and still keep the edge sufficiently accessible without the clamp getting in the way.

The Sharpmaker is at it's best with smaller blades anyway, right down to the tiny pen blades on SAKs & other pocketknives. And it'll still work well with blades up to 4" or 5", at least. And even longer blades (like kitchen knives), once you get a feel for it. Practice on knives that you can afford to 'goof' with (they'll still be fixable, with more practice). A suggestion, take a knife that's already got a good or even excellent edge, and practice the sharpening stroke to see if you can at least KEEP that edge in decent shape, without rounding or blunting it. That'll tell you if you're fairly close to maintaining steady angle & light pressure.

I'd also recommend a good/excellent magnifier (10X or better), used with lots of bright light, so you can SEE what's going on at the edge while you're learning the process. Makes a big difference when trying to figure out what adjustments need to be made with technique. Otherwise, with no experience under your belt, you're left pretty much trying to 'guess' what to do, by trial-and-error. 9 times out of 10, that'll just make for a lot of frustration, and little improvement in results. If you focus on closely watching what's going on, as opposed to just going blindly through the motions, the learning will go a lot quicker.
 
My experience with the SM has led me to the conclusion that it is a "touch up" tool, not a sharpener.

I would strongly recommend an Edge-Pro or WEPS.

While the SM can be somewhat useful for minor touching up of an already sharp blade, it has rather severe limitations. The Edge-Pro or WEPS is a lifetime investment, and will still be a useful tool when passed on to your children.
 
Ben Dover said:
My experience with the SM has led me to the conclusion that it is a "touch up" tool, not a sharpener.

I would strongly recommend an Edge-Pro or WEPS.

While the SM can be somewhat useful for minor touching up of an already sharp blade, it has rather severe limitations. The Edge-Pro or WEPS is a lifetime investment, and will still be a useful tool when passed on to your children.
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I think of an EP or WEPS as an investment as well. I really don't need one, but I have some dull knives I want to sharpen and the SM just isn't doing the job. The OP probably doesn't need anything expensive, but it's an investment that'll last a lifetime.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
The downside of any clamped system is, the clamp can become an obstacle with small blades, such as found on traditional pocketknives (blades 1/2" or less in width). Very little room to hold the blade securely, and still keep the edge sufficiently accessible without the clamp getting in the way.
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This is where the RazorEdge "Cub" really comes into its own. It can easily hold and sharpen the smallest pen blade on a Victorinox Compact (58mm) Key ring model. No trouble at all. The regular sized RazorEdge clamp does a perfect job with 4"-5" blades, while the 'Cub' handles everything smaller. While not as easy to change angles as other clamp systems, it still only takes 20 seconds to do so.

Nothing, and I'll repeat that, nothing (that is pocket-sized and portable) holds a small blade at a consistent angle as well as the RazorEdge Cub. If you've never tried it, and have very small blades that you find difficult to sharpen, you own it to yourself to give this a try.

You know that I have, and love, the EdgePro Apex with a full compliment of stones, a Sharpmaker, DMT Aligner, and a host of others, and use them all depending upon the blade and the place. When I have a pen blade that's only an inch long and 1/2 inch wide, and I want it to have a push-cut-paper edge... I do it with the RazorEdge 'Cub.' It works perfectly for that job.

Stitchawl
 
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