Need help with sharpeners

firefighterguy

firefighterguy

Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
596
Hey guys, new to the forum and new to knives.

I want to get a sharpener. I have it narrowed down to the spyderco sharpmaker and the new work sharp guided.

I've never sharpened a knife before. On one hand it seems the sharp maker would take the learning curve out of it. However, I had decided on getting the work sharp because it would help me learn to free hand and with the upgrade kit I can learn stropping as well.

I've read that some higher end steels (s35, s90 etc) are hard to sharpen. Will the sharpmaker do these great?

Any input is helpful. Remember that I'm new to all this. Please forgive me for my ignorance on the topic. I just want to keep my knives sharp!

Stay safe,

JC
 
Either would do, They both work.

The Sharpmaker has a lower leaning curve.

The GSS is more versatile in the long run.
Having the ability to freehand is a great skill to learn.

Pure Freedom.

Have fun.
 
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Just time. The brown ceramic rods aren't very coarse. There are CBN and Diamond rods to make the process faster for $40 more.

I'd just try it out and see for myself without the any upgrades.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Just time. The brown ceramic rods aren't very coarse. There are CBN and Diamond rods to make the process faster for $40 more.

I'd just try it out and see for myself without the any upgrades.
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The CBN rods work well on most any steel and, tho not indestructible, are much less fragile than diamond rods.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Just time. The brown ceramic rods aren't very coarse. There are CBN and Diamond rods to make the process faster for $40 more.

I'd just try it out and see for myself without the any upgrades.
Click to expand...

Sorry for asking but what are the cbn rods? I planned on getting the diamond ones.

Edit: a quick Google search helped me. Which are better, cbn or diamond?
 
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I REALLY like the Work Sharp Ken Onion powered sharpener. But their GSS seems... well it seems kind of gimmicky frankly. I haven't laid hands on one, but I also have no desire to do so. If you were asking my opinion, it would be for the SharpMaker. No hesitation. I think it's a better tool.

Brian.
 
firefighterguy said:
Would you say cbn over diamond if you had to choose one?
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Absolutely. The diamond ones work well but the diamond crystals tend to dislodge. Only a mater of time before they become less and less effective. You should be more gentle with CBN rods than with the ceramic rods, but they are much less fragile than diamond rods and work about as well. .
 
ichor said:
Absolutely. The diamond ones work well but the diamond crystals tend to dislodge. Only a mater of time before they become less and less effective. You should be more gentle with CBN rods than with the ceramic rods, but they are much less fragile than diamond rods and work about as well. .
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Oh and...undoubtedly you know better than to buy directly from Spyderco, as they can be found for half that if you look around the usual places.
 
Sharpening isn't difficult. There are loads of excellent books available (just Google). I've found plain old diamond (DMT) bench hones to be the most versatile. Mine have lasted about 25 years and still cut as good as when new. An angle guide is useful for re-establishing a bevel, but 99% of the time isn't really required.
 
S35 is a piece of cake to sharpen I love it. It was built to be easier to sharpen than its predecessor. One of my all time favorite steels for general edc folders. Keeps a good edge sharpens back quick.
 
firefighterguy said:
Would you say cbn over diamond if you had to choose one?
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Both are the same grit and work equally well.

Neither are solid Diamond or CBN but are a coating 'glued' onto a rod. As I understand it, an improved process for making the CBN rods retains the abrasive material better than the diamonds. And so I bought the CBN tods.

The standard SM rods are great for maintaining a sharp edge. But you'll need the Dia/CBN rods to restore or repair a dull or damaged edge or to reprofile an edge.

For reference:

Dia/CBN: 37 micron, 400 mesh
Medium: 15 micron, 1000 mesh
Fine: 6 micron, 2400 mesh
Ultra: 3 micron, 4800 mesh
 
Before you buy take some time and watch the YouTube videos on the varied systems and especially the one you are interested in.
The videos will help you decide and will help you on your way to sharpen well.
 
Kai Winters said:
Before you buy take some time and watch the YouTube videos on the varied systems and especially the one you are interested in.
The videos will help you decide and will help you on your way to sharpen well.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I've spent hours watching videos. There's tons on the sharpmaker and they are all good. There's not many on the work sharp except from guys who had them sent for free by worksharp. They have good reviews but it was free so it's hard to take as serious as someone who bought it.
 
firefighterguy said:
Are there any issues sharpening higher end steels on the sharpmaker?
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No. The material on the sharpening rods is multiple time harder than the hardest steel. If you have a blade that has been trashed and needs a serious reprofiling you can buy diamond sharpening rods that are course and remove lots of steel quickly.

Did you watch the Spyderco Sharpmaker videos? They explain a lot of info about knife sharpening.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
No. The material on the sharpening rods is multiple time harder than the hardest steel. If you have a blade that has been trashed and needs a serious reprofiling you can buy diamond sharpening rods that are course and remove lots of steel quickly.

Did you watch the Spyderco Sharpmaker videos? They explain a lot of info about knife sharpening.
Click to expand...

I watched one. I need to go back and watch them all. Thanks for all the tips guys!
 
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