Lansky Sharpening System for S30V?

H

hayes31

Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Messages
395
I've been sharpening freehand on Arkansas stones for a while, and I enjoy it thoroughly. However, the two Spydercos that I am currently rotating in my EDC are S30V, and although I can touch them up on the stones, I'm really dreading the day when I need to reprofile the edges. I've been thinking about picking up the Lansky Deluxe 5 Stone system for this. Any experience with this when it comes to S30V?

I searched for older threads and it looks like people have had some luck with it, but I'm wondering if the basic 5 stone set is enough without springing for the diamond set.
 
Get the Lansky diamond kit, instead of the 'Deluxe' kit. The standard hones (likely corundum/aluminum oxide) in the Deluxe kit will be very slow for reprofiling S30V, and it's possible they'll be dished or otherwise worn out of flat in the process. I say this, because I've done exactly that, reprofiling an S30V blade on a ZT-0350. Two of my hones from my Deluxe kit were no longer flat, after finishing that job (and it still wasn't quite done; I finished the re-bevelling with a medium diamond hone).

OR, another possibility, you could go ahead with the Deluxe kit, but supplement it with one or two diamond hones, either Coarse or XC, or both. Any of the Lansky hones can be purchased separately. Use the diamond hone for the 'grunt work' of establishing the new bevels, then you can start to refine with the standard hones (coarse or medium) in the Deluxe kit. The Fine (600) & UF (1000) ceramic hones in the Deluxe kit are excellent finishing hones (for polishing), but aren't included in the Diamond kit.
 
Last edited:
Dimond kit all the way! I just got one and they reprofile quickly even with S30V
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
OR, another possibility, you could go ahead with the Deluxe kit, but supplement it with one or two diamond hones, either Coarse or XC, or both. Any of the Lansky hones can be purchased separately. Use the diamond hone for the 'grunt work' of establishing the new bevels, then you can start to refine with the standard hones (coarse or medium) in the Deluxe kit. The Fine (600) & UF (1000) ceramic hones in the Deluxe kit are excellent finishing hones (for polishing), but aren't included in the Diamond kit.
Click to expand...

That's what I've done, and it works well. I got off cheap because a barely-used Deluxe Lansky set was given to me, so all I had to purchase was the XC diamond hone for grunt work.

If a person was starting from scratch, they could build their own kit with a Standard set, extra fine ceramic hone, and a coarse or extra coarse diamond stone for about $50 plus shipping and save a couple bucks. They might not all fit in the standard case, though.
 
I second what David said, regular lansky hones have a hard time against vanadium-rich steels...
I recall my first reprofiling sessions on spyderco's 440v millie and chinook, basically i ruined both XC and C before finishing my chinook and finished the job using a med diamond -_-
 
james terrio said:
If a person was starting from scratch, they could build their own kit with a Standard set, extra fine ceramic hone, and a coarse or extra coarse diamond stone for about $50 plus shipping and save a couple bucks. They might not all fit in the standard case, though.
Click to expand...

Great info everybody, thanks... so in that case, I'm thinking about getting the standard version with 3 stones (course, medium, and fine), and then supplementing it with an ultra-fine for polishing and a diamond for grunt work.

Which diamond hone would be best in the [diamond]-course-medium-fine-ultra fine progression? Extra course, course, or medium?
 
The lansky diamonds will work much better, faster. However, if you're an old hand at free hand sharpening, why not go with some DMT diamond bench stones? I've used a Diafold leaned against sharpmaker rods to re-profile to 17 degrees per side because I'm NOT good at freehand work, but this method has worked well on my S30v blades.
 
hayes31 said:
Extra course, course, or medium?
Click to expand...
I suspect most people would do just fine with the coarse diamond hone to repair lightly damaged/chipped or just plain dull edges, but I haven't tried it. I use the extra-coarse diamond stone to establish an edge on brand-new knives; it's not difficult to clean up the scratches it leaves, with the regular coarse stone.
 
james terrio said:
I suspect most people would do just fine with the coarse diamond hone to repair lightly damaged/chipped or just plain dull edges, but I haven't tried it. I use the extra-coarse diamond stone to establish an edge on brand-new knives; it's not difficult to clean up the scratches it leaves, with the regular coarse stone.
Click to expand...

Good to know... thanks! I think I'm just going to go with the course diamond stone since I don't let my edges get too bad in the first place.
 
I use the deluxe kit and have great results with it. I reprofiled my Para2 to 34 degrees inclusive and it was perfect edge. I just stropped it up and hair whittling is not a challenge.
 
The diamond stones will most definitely cut faster if you're doing massive profiling. I have not found any steels yet that that standard Lansky stones will not cut if you have the time. For simply maintaining a good edge you do not need the diamond stones. I usually just use the standard carborundum stones and all of my work and carry knives will shave nicely. ( I have no hair on the back of my hands but lots of time- I'm retired.)
 
I've basically chewed through my Leatherman Charge TTi's S30V blade with Japanese waterstones (400, 1000 and 3000). The 400 stone has been messed up by it and I still don't like the edge. It was much better at factory default than what I've done.

I've ordered a 3 pack of diamond stones on eBay. Generic ones that'll probably only work once. Hopefully that helps, but I'll be adding a Lansky diamond set to my birthday list tonight. From what I'm seeing here, it's the best way to get my Leatherman shaving sharp. I'm considering buying a new blade online to just go back to stock.
 
Hello to All,

+ 1 on the diamonds :)

I recently set the edge on my Benchmade 162 to 30 degrees inclusive : I used 325, 600 & 1200 DMT bench hones, and it went surprisingly easy & quickly.

I then did the same with my D2 Enzo Trapper, and again really quick & easy.

I finished off both the knives on a Spyderco Fine ceramic benchstone, and the job was done (apart from stropping).

I stropped with 0.5 micron diamond spray (StraightRazorDesigns) on a hard leather paddle, and this too cut very quickly and left a superb finish. The speed and polish were very surprising !

Good luck !

Have fun :)

Best regards

Russ
 
If your dealing with these steels quite a bit then get a bare bones EPA and the Atoma Plates , they laugh at even steels such as S90V , S30V feels like butter underneath the Atomas... You shoukd able to get shaving sharp off something even as coarse as the 140.
 
I've got a nice edge on it for most practical purposes now. The diamond stones from eBay arrived and they cut very quickly.

Still can't shave with it, but now I'm wondering how hard it is to swap a Leatherman blade for a replacement from eBay. I like that the stones work, but the blade is just so skinny now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top