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Just bought a Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

N

No_b00st

Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
563
Here's hoping I come out of this with SOME air hair intact. Holy crap. This thing is amazing.

For years i've used a lame draw-through type for kitchen knives and then just tried to strop the burr off. I used a co-worker's "Smith's" lansky-style sharpener to reprofile a BM Mini-grip I had broken the tip off of using it wrong, and found it to be rather cumbersome and imprecise, even if it did the job - reprofiled the blade and put an edge on it.

Just doesn't come close at all to the Tri-Angle. I've NEVER used one of these before, I watched the DVD (Sal is quite the host, eh?) and within a half hour I had my waved Endura4 shaving hair. I'm sure my technique needs more refinement but geez, what a totally amazing tool.

now if I could just find the missing pivot washer and somehow get the oxidation off the blade of my ZDP189 Delica...
 
Pick up a set of the extra fine rods, they help take the blade sharpness up a level vs the basic set.
 
I would actually recommend picking up a set of the diamonds. The brown coarse stones are not very aggressive, and if your edge bevel is larger than 20 it could take a while to reprofile. Personally I haven't felt a need to go past the fines, but I DEFINITELY wanted the diamonds.
 
I'd recommend a cheap coarse stone to go with it. You don't have to hit the exact same angle you use on the Sharpmaker (204). Just be lower. I use a 17 degree angle with the 20 degree slots (40 inclusive), and a 12 degree angle for the 15 degree slots. I've also been known to shim the base and use a 7 degree angle per side with a shimmed angle of 9 degrees per side on the Sharpmaker.
 
Yeah, love my SharpMaker. I have the Ultra Fine rods, but not the diamonds. So reprofiling is a bot of a drag, but good for teaching patience. Well done.
 
Kreyzhorse said:
Pick up a set of the extra fine rods, they help take the blade sharpness up a level vs the basic set.
Click to expand...

tvenuto said:
I would actually recommend picking up a set of the diamonds. The brown coarse stones are not very aggressive, and if your edge bevel is larger than 20 it could take a while to reprofile. Personally I haven't felt a need to go past the fines, but I DEFINITELY wanted the diamonds.
Click to expand...

I use a sharpmaker and yes, it's a great tool. I have both the uf rods and the diamonds and though I recommend both, I see the diamonds as essential where the uf rods are more just for fun. Enjoy the sm!

P.S. Forget about keeping any hair. You're gonna look like an Olympic swimmer in a few more days. :rolleyes:;)
 
I also think the diamond rods are more important than the ultra fine rods. The diamonds are probably the most important step in sharpening a truly dull knife or removing small chips in the edge.
 
I use the Sharpmaker to touch up kitchen knives and when traveling. I found a video in youtube from Jdavis that shows a circular sort of motion instead of the traditional "slicing" movement that is very helpful. You don't need much more to get a good working edge IMO. The next step is a WES if you need more flexibility.
 
Whoa, a lot of commentary here that's above my comprehension level. I'll be hanging about in the maintenance forum a little more to get more tips on sharpening and learn more - for now I want to get comfortable using the standard stones that come with it. They put a frankly stupid edge my ZT0550 as well. Thanks for all the input!
 
I also bought one recently and have been very pleased with the results. My Resilience was getting a bit dull (original factory edge) and is now razor sharp. I have done a few of my cheaper knives (AUS8 and 8Cr steels) to get a hang of it and 8Cr13MoV really takes an edge well. I plan to try it on my Endura (VG10) eventually, but it doesn't need sharpening just yet. The variety of different things you can sharpen with it really is incredible.

I currently only have the included rods, but I'm thinking I might get the UF rods soon. A question though, why aren't they sold in pairs?
 
Nice choice! I think the SharpMaker is superior to most other systems, and that users who struggle to upkeep some of the more wear resistant steels often find that when going to a SM these steels are more feasible for EDC due to easier upkeep and the ability to reach the scary sharp. I'm also a huge fan of how well it sharpens serrations and never used anything else that works quite as well for this. I have the UF and diamond rods for mine, although I generally now use my EdgePro for heavier work and the SM for fast and easy touchup, and serrations and recurves.

While Spyderco has made many first and milestone achievements, to me the SM is the single greatest development because its implications to the entire industry is far more than it generally gets credit for. Had the SharpMaker not come about, I do not think we would see nearly as much in the "super steel" department as upkeep of these steels would be more difficult for many users. With the SharpMaker, users have a low-cost, versatile, durable, and easy-to-use sharpener with a ton of knowledge bases available online to help one develop their sharpening skills.
 
So on a knife like my zt0550 (which is s35vn) would it be best to use the 40 inclusive or 30 inclusive (back-bevel) settings to sharpen?
 
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