Knife sharpener? -recommendation

kgd said:
Spyderco sharpmaker is an excellent and versatile sharpener.

Hey Joben - I used to have the Lansky rods and when I went to the sharpmaker it was night and day. Even though the sharpmaker seems like a large amount of money for essentially the same thing, you will have absolutely no regrets after you make the upgrade!
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:thumbup: I agree 100%
 
Have any of you used the Gatco Diamond Hone sharpener? I saw BLUNTRUTH4U's youtube video on sharpening and it looks like a nice system.
 
I got a set of the paper wheels a couple of months ago. Those things put a scary sharp edge on my blades in under 2 minutes!
 
I have a Lanskey, which works good on smaller blades.

I much prefer, however, good old India and Arkansas stones freehand, followed by stropping.

Starting with a very dull blade, I use the course India, then the fine. Next is a Soft Arkansas and then the Hard Arkansas (I use the Translucent actually). I finish by stropping on cardboard with the Green polishing compound. The finished edge is scary sharp!!

All it takes is some practice. Don't worry about being absolutey exact on the angle. Just try your best on some cheap knifes. It really doesn't take that long to learn how to do a decent job. The more knifes you do, the better you will get.
 
Another vote for Lanskey, I like the fact that it helps to hold the angle for you, makes it super easy for noobs like me.
 
I have been looking into the sharpmaker and I may go with that, and a cheaper stone for the feild.

I wonder, how does the sharpmaker do when it comes to burring the edge. The electric one I had left a really noticable burr.
 
-sro- said:
I have been looking into the sharpmaker and I may go with that, and a cheaper stone for the feild.

I wonder, how does the sharpmaker do when it comes to burring the edge. The electric one I had left a really noticable burr.
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I have the Lansky, Sharpmaker, electric sharpner and stones.

Each has it's place. The down side I see on the Lansky is setup time and it really doesn't work on large knives very well. I still use the electric on some thing very dull just to get it in the ballpark. The sharpmaker is my favorite and puts a better edge on in my opinion. Since it's easy to use I find myself keeping my knives sharper as a whole, because they never get really dull, it just requires a few strokes to maintain.

The sharpmaker has different rods of different grades. You finish up with the fine rod to polish. Not sure about the burr, but they come off shaving sharp.

Mine came with a dvd that takes you thru the process.
 
cgebhard said:
... The down side I see on the Lansky is setup time and it really doesn't work on large knives very well. .
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I have to agree that the Lansky is very difficult to use on larger knifes.

Since it's clamped to the blade, if the distance between the clamp slide hole and the stone contact area on the blade changes, the sharpening angle changes. This happens as the stone is moved toward the tip of the blade, making the angle more shallow. You have to use it this way, or undo the clamp, move it up the blade, and reclamp. Getting everything right when moving the clamp can be challenging.

On most knifes, I find it faster to use bench stones.
 
Find an old timer thats been working with a wheel and belt for years. I feel so lucky to know such a man. puts a great convex on most all my blades. Have you asked your local firearms dealer, usually they know the good ol blade guys. After that all you need is a simple diamond rod, then no worries. Take care, -YoungGrunt.
 
I'm just getting into knives and I want to be able to sharpen my own. What would be better for a noobie the Lansky or the Sharpmaker?
 
I use a sharpmaker, and Richardj does an awesome job with his paper wheels too. He did this:

saltconvex.jpg
 
I'm gonna go and recommend the sharpmaker. (I just bought one and am waiting for it to be delivered on Thursday.)

That being said, there is nothing wrong with learning to freehand, the choice of stones and angles is infinite if you go that route. a DMT Fine stone and a good Arkansas stone should be a good combo, Spyderco Ceramic hones are great too.
 
since many of you use the lansky system it must work ok on blades with a full flat grind? any problems with the clamp?

I just ordered my first 2 RAT knifes (OD izula and RC-3 mil) and a lansky system :D
 
The clamps are (to me) a pain to setup and the knife often slipped if it was a heavy one, I think that a good angle keeper system is the spyderco sharpmaker but I prefer hand stones and even more leather hones, why ? Because I don't need to set it up and it works great, plus its easy to change the angle of your edge, bad point, well for me all my knife finish with a convex edge, not because I want to because I am unable to hold a constant edge, but that doesn't bother me as long as I can shave with my knives. But that said, the lansky system will work great, its just the setup hassle in my opinion.
 
sandpaper and a mousepad is a great cheap option. can also give it a convex edge with that setup.

whatever the method, I recommend finishing/maintaining the edge with a strop and compound. can get the edge to a nice mirror finish if wanted.
 
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