knife sharpening

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ezzekial

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Aug 7, 2007
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i have a lansky sharpening system that works well but the stones have worn down so im thinking of getting another, most likely the delux diamond kit, i was wondering what other good sharpeners are out there, i just saw the Severtech Custom Blade Sharpener and thought it was ok but wondering what people thought were the best sharpener and whether the severtech was a decent sharpener
thanks
 
The common suggestions are Spyderco Sharpmaker (about the same price range as the Lansky, but more focused towards the finishing end of the sharpening process, not so much rebeveling) or EdgePro, which is the mother of all rod-guided systems, including Lansky. The Edgepro starts at ~$150, and I'm waiting to buy one... but it looks SO damn sweet.
 
Don't tell him where to put it or we'll end up with two identical threads. :D

Hit the report icon in the upper right of his post -- the triangle with an exclamation point -- and let the mods know when you see something you think might not be right.

As you see, I've moved it to Maintenance now. :)
 
Okay, as the resident Edge Pro fanboy, I feel obliged to chime in!:D The Apex is a wonderful tool and can be had from authorized online vendors starting at $125. I love mine immensely. Not only can it put a screaming edge on virtually any knife very easily, you can't even accidentally avoid learning a lot about the mechanics of sharpening as you use it. Want to study freehand sharpening? Great- that all just makes your EP Apex blades come out even sharper.

You simply can't go wrong with the Edge Pro. And I gotta put in a plug for the Spyderco Sharpmaker, too- assuming you don't have to hog off a lot of metal, and given your knife fits one of the preset angles it uses, it's hard to imagine how you could get an edge that sharp & that fast. For touch ups I don't even bother with the Apex, I just grab my Sharpmaker.
 
ezzekial said:
i have a lansky sharpening system that works well but the stones have worn down so im thinking of getting another, most likely the delux diamond kit, i was wondering what other good sharpeners are out there, i just saw the Severtech Custom Blade Sharpener and thought it was ok but wondering what people thought were the best sharpener and whether the severtech was a decent sharpener
thanks
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I have a Lansky a Apex a Shaprp maker. IMHO The Lansky and the EP are beter for bevelling and the SM for sharpening. IME the Lansky is beter for small folders and the EP for some blades like springy filet knives and larger blades. Each can do something the other cant.

The Lansky diamonds vary a lot. Some were crap right out of the box and wouldnt cut and others very good. I just use their extra course and then move onto stones and finish on the SM

Regards
Frank
 
Personally I wouldn't "finish" any blade with either the lansky or sharpmaker. Unless you're goal is and unfinished microseration. Which is fine too. I have no use for a sharpmaker, the lansky + some stropes and sand paper will finish what you started. HEll, I only go back to the lansky after hard use.
 
Mmmmh, I don't know what unfinished microserrations on the Sharpmaker you are talking about. The Sharpmaker is capable of getting an edge hair wittling and toilet paper cutting sharp (as has been first demonstrated by WadeF, if I recall correctly). What else could you possibly want?

Personally, aside from freehanding, which allows access to a whole host of abrasive media, I think the Sharpmaker is by far the best system and it is hard to beat on any account when you supplement the Sharpmaker with a coarse diamond stone for rough shaping of the edge bevel (which you can lean against the rods, if you have trouble maintaining an angle or are afraid to scratch you blades) and a strop if you get the finest possible finish. Sharpmaker+DMT x-coarse+stropping compound (the strop you can make yourself from a piece of wood-backed cardboard or leather) for about $75. And you can start with the Sharpmaker and add to it.
 
JackBauer24 said:
Personally I wouldn't "finish" any blade with either the lansky or sharpmaker. Unless you're goal is and unfinished microseration. Which is fine too. I have no use for a sharpmaker, the lansky + some stropes and sand paper will finish what you started. HEll, I only go back to the lansky after hard use.
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What stones do you have for your Lansky?

I have the GATCO which is similar. I have the professional kit with standard stones down to fine. I added the extra fine and the ultimate finishing hones. I finish with strops and white and red compound. I get a nicely polished edge after the ultimate finishing hone. The strops further refine that.
 
if you're wanting to get a sharpening system that will give you good results once you learn how to use it check out the cardboard sharpening wheels. i have 3 video's that show how fast a burr can be worked up. once you get used to using the wheels you can sharpen a knife razor sharp in minutes. i have links at my website with more info on the wheels if you want to check them out.
 
I havn't seen it listed here, so I'll recommend the DMT Aligner Deluxe. It is much like the Lansky, or Gatco sharpener, but you will find the DMT stones to be superior to most other diamond stones for this kind of guide system. Also there is an xx coarse and a ceramic stone available that fits the holder. The xx coarse stone (ws4xx) can be found in their ski section.

I had one for four years and just bought a new one to replace the stones I had, and I don't see much difference from my old stones to my new ones other than when they are brand new, they are hyper aggressive.
 
Personally I wouldn't "finish" any blade with either the lansky or sharpmaker. Unless you're goal is and unfinished microseration.
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I gotta find out just how sharp you guys have your blades. When I finish off my knives at 17 or 20 degrees with the 1000 grit lansky stones the edges shear paper clean and shave hair effortlessly. If there is a new level of sharpness I'm not reaching it's gotta be pretty sick.
 
gak said:
I gotta find out just how sharp you guys have your blades. When I finish off my knives at 17 or 20 degrees with the 1000 grit lansky stones the edges shear paper clean and shave hair effortlessly. If there is a new level of sharpness I'm not reaching it's gotta be pretty sick.
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Try adding a stropping step after your final stone. It should refine your edge.

I use white and red compound on scrap leather from Tandy. There are also various cromium oxide powders and pastes that you can load on a strop.

I use leather scraps but there are commercially available strops.

I like the polishing compounds because they are easy to find at Sears and cheap while still refining the edge after the ceramic finishing stone on the GATCO.

I know that there is a level of sharpness beyond what I attain. At that point sharpening becomes the hobby. If you are looking to spend some time and money you can make sharpening the goal and not just a means to make a tool useable.
 
sharpest and 'cuttingest' are a bit different. the edge that's going to split a hair is not the edge that's going to cut 100 feet of cardboard best.

'real sharp' (good tight toothy edge) is likely 'sharpest' for most folks purposes, ie, stays sharp longest in normal use..

microtome sharp, diamond paste and buffing wheel, or paper maybe, isn't going to stand up to lateral stresses as thicker teeth would.. it will slice EASIER, but not necessarily LONGER.. at a tolerable level of sharpness. it may in fact degrade more quickly, depending on how brittle the steel is, how much carbide of what size..

straight razors are a place you can enjoy chasing that one molecule edge and not hate yourself the first time you open a juice can with your knife.. ;)
 
I don't strop, but my knife will cut paper into pieces so thin you can hardly see where they're attached. Yet, when I shave with it, I get a lot more dead skin on my knife that hair. (The little white dust particles, not the red, living kind! lol). Sharpening is a fickle art indeed.
 
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