Need sharpening advice for Benchmade knives and Spyderco Sharpmaker

that's a good question I've tried a bench stone many many times, just can't do it. I have had the rod setup for a long time (30 years?) I guess I finally got some muscle memory .
 
All - I tried using the coarse sharpmaker rods on up to the fine ones to make the entire edge 15/30, and I think I made things worse. I am sending it in to Benchmade for a touchup.

I had been overthinking things. I will stick with the 20/40 level in the future.

I appreciate all of your perspectives - thanks!
 
soc_monki said:
Get the diamond or cbn rods, reprofile the edge on the 30 degree setting, then microbevel on the 40 degree setting.

You don't have to reprofile right away, but after a while of touching up the microbevel it will get thicker. You'll have to thin the edge down, might as well take it to 30 degrees. I do this to all my knives.
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I second this. The diamond rods cut reasonably well for their size. And just busting the bevel back 2 degrees on a smallish folder should be easy.
 
Some people find it easy for them to keep the knife straight & that the simple motion of moving the blade vertically down the stones is not only comfortable, it's also much easier to do consistently. Since the Tri Angle stones are set to the angle required, there is very little chance for error. If you do mess up a bit, it's easy to correct & hard to repeat the error by paying attention.
The Tri Angle Sharpmaker system is also more forgiving: mistakes aren't as dramatic. You basically have to be way off or rushing it far too much to do any real damage.

Taking all that together, this setup will enable someone to develop that feel & do so in a way that is comfortable & builds confidence. I personally used to suck hard at sharpening just a few short months ago. I could barely get an old Kershaw knife with Sandvik 14C28N blade steel to cut fucking construction paper using a whetstone freehand. Well, it would cut it, but that edge didn't last for shit. I bought a Sharpmaker & ordered two of the Ultra Fine stones (cheaper to buy 2 individuals than the "set") & spent the subsequent time to become proficient with it, putting edges on fucking everything! A couple of 8Cr13Mov equipped Kershaws, AUS-8A & German 4416 Cold Steel knives, that bastard Sandvik is now magazine paper slicing sharp & holds that edge, a Ruike with similar steel is ridiculous, and I've brought 8 Benchmade knives with D2, CPM-154, CPM-S30V & Bohler M390 steel to shaving sharp. Then, a couple weeks ago I used the whetstone to set the edge on a couple of kitchen knives, one of which is one of those goddamn "Forever Sharp" bastards that got really dull somehow & ended up with an edge like a butter knife. It's now got a blade guard on it so the wife doesn't cut herself taking it out of the drawer.
 
Buck268 said:
I second this. The diamond rods cut reasonably well for their size. And just busting the bevel back 2 degrees on a smallish folder should be easy.
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They especially cut fast if you down down and up. It takes practice to get accustomed to it, but it's a lot quicker and when you do get some practice you can get a little speed going. I'm getting better, but the time it takes me to reprofile an edge in a steel like 20cv is getting shorter.

If I feel it's not going fast enough I break out the crystolon and get to work. That thing eats steel quickly, and the sharpmaker makes the edge pretty lol!

I still don't produce the prettiest edges, but they cut, and that's what matters for me.
 
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