Need a good sharpener system...for a beginner

camoninja said:
Now dont hold me to this but from the reading I did back when I was going to get the lansky for my son is that the holder can scratch blades and loosen up. Also the stone will eventually wear. So I chose DMT.
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The holder (clamp) won't scratch the blade by itself. It's too soft a metal for that (aluminum alloy). The abrasive particles coming off the stones will scratch, if they get between the clamp and the blade, which is true of any clamped system (Lansky, Gatco, DMT, WEPS, etc.). It's easy to minimize or eliminate that aspect, by making sure the clamp and blade are clean before setting up. Taping the blade is another easy way to protect it.

The Lansky clamp is no different than any of the others, regarding whether it loosens up or not. With any of them, properly clamping everything down is key. If not clamped properly, any and all of them will slip. Make sure to get flush contact between the clamp and the blade's sides. Using masking or painter's tape or other means between the clamp and blade can help keep them from slipping. My favorite means for this is to use some medium/fine wet/dry sandpaper wrapped over the blade with the abrasive side to the clamp (obviously to avoid scratching the blade). The paper backing of the sandpaper works surprisingly well to grip the blade, even when wet. Sometimes masking or painter's tape will come loose, or slip, if it's wet.

The 'regular' (non-diamond, non-ceramic) Lansky hones can wear down, especially if used on some more abrasion-resitant steels (I dished two of mine on an S30V blade re-profile). For heavy jobs like that, I usually recommend getting a supplemental coarse/xc diamond hone for re-bevelling, after which the standard hones can finish refining/polishing the new bevel.
 
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The Lansky-style guided setups have a number of drawbacks. One of those drawbacks is that while they give you a very consistently sharp edge, they give a wildly inconsistent edge angle. The actual angle of the stone will be determined by the width of the blade and where the clamp is placed in relation to the section of edge being worked. The curvature of the blade will also not match the circular path of the stone. So the "guided angle" aspect is kind of an illusion.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The Lansky-style guided setups have a number of drawbacks. One of those drawbacks is that while they give you a very consistently sharp edge, they give a wildly inconsistent edge angle. The actual angle of the stone will be determined by the width of the blade and where the clamp is placed in relation to the section of edge being worked. The curvature of the blade will also not match the circular path of the stone. So the "guided angle" aspect is kind of an illusion.
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So that nor the dmt not that good then? So the spyderco sharpmaker is the best one? Does the spyderco have that issue? I like how i can take the lansky to camping trips since it can pack up...so maybe i should just get a diafold and free hand it? I am really worried of messing up my expensive bk2.
 
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Be careful not to overthink it. Any of these systems will work OK if you do your part. That said, I have a sharpmaker and prefer it over the Lansky system, which I have also used. I can't comment about the DMT system but I do have some of the Diafold sharpening rods and they have their place.

If I'm car camping I usually take the Sharpmaker. It doesn't take up much room and gives me something to do if it rains or if I feel like just hanging out by the fire. On the other hand if you're backpacking, just pick up a small sharpening stone. Lansky and DMT make keychain sized ones in the $5 to $10 range.
 
Just learn to freehand. It is a basic skill everyone should know. The marker trick helped me a lot. Just get any old Arkansas stone, google the rudiments and have at it.

And just mess up that BK2 already! You'll feel better.
 
Contrary to popular belief, the Spyderco sharpmaker system actually does have a 20 degree angle set(or at least mine does). Just look carefully at the thing and you'll notice on the sides, there are raised edges that say "40 degree edge"(20 per side) and "30 degree back bevel"(15 per side).

So... There's that.
 
Thanks for everyone's help.

Seems like I may go for either the

1) DMT magna guide

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-DMGEF-Dia...QA/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1329506292&sr=8-11

or the DMT AKFC Aligner Quick Edge kit

2)http://www.amazon.com/DMT-AKFC-Alig...WFUU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1329506994&sr=8-4

Which is better? I think I have narrowed the lansky out since it seems like the DMT is more highly regarded here. But the DMT kits are about $10 more than the lansky 3 step system. But, on amazon, the reviews for the lansky is better lol .


I really like the DMT cuz i can take it camping or places if I really need to.
 
if you dont wanna mess up your nice knife, send it out for a pro to sharpen and pratice on cheaper knifes. I'd say dont get a sharpmaker. lansky is meh.
 
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