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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Need an all around sharpening kit!!!
- Thread starter savageman
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2004
- Messages
- 24,618
Spyderco Sharpmaker 204 for $50. You might want to spring for the diamond rods too. They'll really speed up reprofiling, which takes a while with the included medium rods.
Or, an EdgePro Apex, which is top of the line, but expensive. I have both and I like them equally well.
Or, an EdgePro Apex, which is top of the line, but expensive. I have both and I like them equally well.
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2002
- Messages
- 4,187
The Edge Pro Apex. $135.
"The class act in rod-guided systems is the EdgePro Apex Sharpening System. Ben Dale, the owner of EdgePro, has spared no expense in his pursuit of excellence in hand sharpening. The Apex is rugged and uses relatively large 1 x 6 inch aluminum oxide waterstones. The angle guide is continuously adjustable for any angle from 10 degrees to 35 degrees, with marks at 10, 15, 18, 21 and 25 degrees. My measurements confirmed that the marks were accurate. The Apex comes with a good instruction book."
http://users.ameritech.net/knives/guides.htm
"The Edge Pro sharpening systems were developed by Ben Dale through an extensive professional sharpening experience.
The Edge Pro Apex offers a wide array of abrasive grits and sharpening angles, making it much more flexible in that regard than most clamp and v-rod systems. The cutting speed is also high with the very abrasive nature of the coarse hone and the ability to apply heavy pressure. However it cannot do touch ups or handle serrations as well as a quality v-rod system such as the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Customer service is first class, Mr. Dale was always responsive to sharpening queries through email."
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/edgepro.html
"With the Edge Pro, given a modest amount of practice, anyone can take a dull knife and put a perfect edge on the blade." Schuyler Engle, LA Times
maximus otter
I have the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's good.
I also have some DMT DiaSharp diamond plates, the small ones that measure 4" x 7/8", in coarse, fine, and extra-fine. I use them free-hand, not in a jig, and I get pretty good results from them. I could do without the coarse one, though.
What I particularly like about the diamond plates is that they don't load up and they stay flat.
In Toronto, Atlas Machinery and Tools, on Queen St. W., sells some DMT stuff, along with some other sharpening supplies; check them out.
I also have some DMT DiaSharp diamond plates, the small ones that measure 4" x 7/8", in coarse, fine, and extra-fine. I use them free-hand, not in a jig, and I get pretty good results from them. I could do without the coarse one, though.
What I particularly like about the diamond plates is that they don't load up and they stay flat.
In Toronto, Atlas Machinery and Tools, on Queen St. W., sells some DMT stuff, along with some other sharpening supplies; check them out.
Sharpmaker plus a coarse DMT stone for heavy reprofiling and major stockremoval. That's all you need (even though it may not be all you want 
). You may want to through in something to check an angle against when working on the benchstone (about $5 at homedepot). You don't need a precise angle, anything less than the Sharpmaker will do. You can also lean the benchstone against the rods.
). You may want to through in something to check an angle against when working on the benchstone (about $5 at homedepot). You don't need a precise angle, anything less than the Sharpmaker will do. You can also lean the benchstone against the rods.The Sharpmaker is great, as long as your knife happens to be pretty close to one of the angles it offers, and isn't too dull. The optional diamond rods help a bnit here. But if you really need to remove a lot of steel then I think that the EdgePro would be a much better bet.
The Sharpmaker. Not only is it less complicated, and easy to transport, but you can also use it for a lot of different things. Things that that Edgepro won't be able to handle, by the looks of it.
Yes, I have a Sharpmaker, and yes, I'm very happy with it.
Yes, I have a Sharpmaker, and yes, I'm very happy with it
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- Joined
- Nov 13, 2004
- Messages
- 878
I've tried most including the much ballyhooed (at least on this Forum) and as far as I am concerned the Edge Pro Apex is the only way to go. Sharpmaker is good for keeping an already sharp knife sharp (as long as the primary bevel is 30 degrees or 40 degrees).
The Edge Pro, albeit more expensive (though not if you buy the necessary Spyderco Sharpmaker Diamond Rods) could take a block of steel and eventually put a hell of an edge to i, and at a multitude of user chosen angles.
Also, Ben Dale the Inventor and Manufacturer of the Edge Pro Apex, is probably one of the nicest as well as most accessible owners of a company you'll ever talk to.
My two cents worth (and I've probably spent $ 600 on sharpening gizmos in my life).
The Edge Pro, albeit more expensive (though not if you buy the necessary Spyderco Sharpmaker Diamond Rods) could take a block of steel and eventually put a hell of an edge to i, and at a multitude of user chosen angles.
Also, Ben Dale the Inventor and Manufacturer of the Edge Pro Apex, is probably one of the nicest as well as most accessible owners of a company you'll ever talk to.
My two cents worth (and I've probably spent $ 600 on sharpening gizmos in my life).
I have the Sharpmaker, but as a few others have stated, if the knife is already dull and you don't have the diamond rods, kiss the weekend goodbye. It's GREAT, however, at keeping a sharp knife sharp. It should really be called a "Sharpkeeper".
I do like the looks of that edge pro. Might have to check it out.
I do like the looks of that edge pro. Might have to check it out.