Lansky sharpeners

[Mister]

I have several questions about my Lansky sharpener.
I just bought a Lansky "Universal" sharpening kit. It uses regular stones (not Arkansas or diamond). And it has a fine stone for serrated blades.
The knives that I will be sharpening with it are my Gerber ez-out and various Spyderco knives. All have serrations.
For these knives...
1. Is this system as good as the Spyderco sharpmaker?
2. Should I have bought the Lansky diamond kit? I don't know if these blades I have are considered extra hard. They do contain carbon. Does that require a diamond sharpener?
3. How long does it take to sharpen a knife with my Lansky? 10 minutes doesn't seem to be enough.
4. How in the world do I use the triangular stone for serrations. There are no instructions on how to use this.

Thanks!

 

[GeneL74]

Personally I like my Lansky, but that Sharpmaker 204 is hard to beat! I don't beleive that you need a diamond kit, yours should do just fine. As for the amount of time it should take to sharpen a knife, well there are a lot of variables there. What kind of knife, blade, etc. Usually to put a good edge on a knife it will take you more then 10 minutes. If you are trying to sharpen a P.O.S. you could be at it all day and night.

 

[Frantium]

Mister,

The answers:
1. Depends on your skill (I know, bad answer). But I bet you or any people who just started into sharpening folders will find the Sharpmaker easier to use and set up.
2. Any knife steel contains carbon, well except for knives that are not made of steel (duh!!), so you'll be fine with any sharpening stone, meaning you don't have to use diamond stones. Diamond stones of course will cut faster and won't wear easily. Look for quality diamond stones such as DMT or EZ Lap if you want to go diamond.
3. This depends on how dull your knife is. If it's too dull, then you'll have to remove more metal. I for one have never let my knives too dull. In the long run it's easier for you to have your knives touched up every now and then.
4. The corner of the triangular stone is supposed to meet your serrated edge at its scalloped area. With a Sharpmaker you're suggested to sharpen both sides, even though the original grind is only on one side. I suppose you can also use your Lansky stone the same way. A slightly rounded (not too round!!) corner works best for this, IMHO.

Hope this helps.



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Reynaert