New Spyderco sharpmaker

I just got a Sharpmaker a couple of weeks ago. Works awesome...just dont extend the tip beyond the stones as it will blunt the tip really really fast.
 
cgebhard said:
Glad the op is "likin" the sharpmaker.

As for the Sharpmaker over the Lansky I would say yes. I have both don't use the lanksy much any more. Very pleased with the edge I get from the sharpmaker.
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I don't have the sharpmaker but I just feel that I need to defend the lanskysystem a little. (not saying that you are talking s**t about it, I just want to say what i think)

I use the lansky standard system with only the course, medium and fine hones and then i finish up with a strop, and all the knives in my house is beyond shaving sharp. (maybe I will get the ultrafine or the super sapphire but i don't really see the reason for that when I can just take it with the strop after some really light pressure with the fine hone...)

The sharpmaker might be good for a quick touch up but that is what i have the strop for, and from what I've heard the lansky is definitely better/faster for profiling
 
zippoo said:
I don't have the sharpmaker but I just feel that I need to defend the lanskysystem a little. (not saying that you are talking s**t about it, I just want to say what i think)

I use the lansky standard system with only the course, medium and fine hones and then i finish up with a strop, and all the knives in my house is beyond shaving sharp. (maybe I will get the ultrafine or the super sapphire but i don't really see the reason for that when I can just take it with the strop after some really light pressure with the fine hone...)

The sharpmaker might be good for a quick touch up but that is what i have the strop for, and from what I've heard the lansky is definitely better/faster for profiling
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That's what I was wondering is how good the sharpmaker was for profiling an edge, not just touching up.
 
I have a few sharpening implements but I've pretty much narrowed down what I use to three items.

The Lansky was one of the first "systems" I bought but it now sits at the back of the cupboard gathering dust. I'm sure there are people who get great results with it, but it's not for me.

I use an Apex Edgepro for profiling my knives if they need it or if they have become significantly dull or chipped. I use the Sharpmaker for keeping them shaving sharp. Excellent tools, both of them.

I also use a leather strop for that final touch but I generally only use it for folding knives.
 
adaman04 said:
That's what I was wondering is how good the sharpmaker was for profiling an edge, not just touching up.
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I can tell you this. When I first got into sharpening I reprofiled a Busse Game Warden from its absurd 25+ degrees per side edge down to around 17 per side using just one single fine ceramic rod. It probably took about 6 hours over the course of several days. It would take a lot less time if the ceramic didn't get quickly loaded and require cleaning and then drying. I would never do that again.
 
I just use the sandpaper/mouspad technique for all my knives followed by a quick stropping (with compounds). I like the results and I find it easy to do. I havent used a rod system as I didnt feel like ordering them online but I have heard tons of good stuff:)
 
I was wondering the same thing about the Lansky. What makes the Sharpmaker superior? Is it a different system?
 
rdouglasc said:
I was wondering the same thing about the Lansky. What makes the Sharpmaker superior? Is it a different system?
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They're about as different as you could get. Apart from the fact that they both sharpen knives there is virtually nothing the same between the two of them.
 
gajinoz said:
They're about as different as you could get. Apart from the fact that they both sharpen knives there is virtually nothing the same between the two of them.
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I think he might be thinking of the lanskys "Crock Stick" which is kind of like the sharpmaker (but round rods so i guess it's pretty hard getting the tip of the knife good with it)

but we (or at least I) was talking about the lansky system with the clamp
 
zippoo said:
I think he might be thinking of the lanskys "Crock Stick" which is kind of like the sharpmaker (but round rods so i guess it's pretty hard getting the tip of the knife good with it)

but we (or at least I) was talking about the lansky system with the clamp
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Ahhh.. I see, I thought he was talking about the clamp system, which is what I have.

The problem with the round rods, as compared to the triangular rods, is that it is way to easy to bugger up the tips of the knife on the round ones and you can't sharpen serrations on them either.
 
I still use the Smith's two step sharpener with the carbide side just to reprofile a blade. It gets the taper (bevel) close to the 40 degree bevel. Then I use the Sharp maker to finish sharpening. It takes much longer to try to reprofile a blade to a 40 degree bevel with just the sharp maker. I'm totally happy with the sharp maker.
 
pcboss2 said:
I still use the Smith's two step sharpener with the carbide side just to reprofile a blade. It gets the taper (bevel) close to the 40 degree bevel. Then I use the Sharp maker to finish sharpening. It takes much longer to try to reprofile a blade to a 40 degree bevel with just the sharp maker. I'm totally happy with the sharp maker.
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Get the diamond rods, your reprofiling will go MUCH quicker!
 
zippoo said:
I don't have the sharpmaker but I just feel that I need to defend the lanskysystem a little. (not saying that you are talking s**t about it, I just want to say what i think)

I use the lansky standard system with only the course, medium and fine hones and then i finish up with a strop, and all the knives in my house is beyond shaving sharp. (maybe I will get the ultrafine or the super sapphire but i don't really see the reason for that when I can just take it with the strop after some really light pressure with the fine hone...)

The sharpmaker might be good for a quick touch up but that is what i have the strop for, and from what I've heard the lansky is definitely better/faster for profiling
Click to expand...

Glad you like the lansky. I still have it but rarely use it.

Thick blade knives are an extreme pain with the lansky and I can sharpen a knife on the sharpmaker in the time it takes to setup the lansky.

You may be right I have an electric to re-profile and I sharpen often, the sharpmaker is the ticket for what I do.
 
Sharpmaker is a great system for touch ups, I'd really hate to do any sort of serious metal shaving with it though. Maybe consider picking up another system and just it's coarser diamonds for reprofiling purposes?
 
Have the sharpmaker and love it too.

For extremely dull knives, I just wrap my brown stones with 200 grit sandpaper tied by zip ties, then use the same way I use the brown stones. This saves me the money since I don't need the diamond stones. Sandpaper waaay cheaper than the diamond rods. I was able to get my wife's extremely dull el cheapo kitchen knives back to proper shaving sharp form using this method.
 
MrGunn said:
Have the sharpmaker and love it too.

For extremely dull knives, I just wrap my brown stones with 200 grit sandpaper tied by zip ties, then use the same way I use the brown stones. This saves me the money since I don't need the diamond stones. Sandpaper waaay cheaper than the diamond rods. I was able to get my wife's extremely dull el cheapo kitchen knives back to proper shaving sharp form using this method.
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Thanks for the tip. I'm going to try this.

I've been using a Sharpmaker for probably 20 years (my system only has one angle option, and is stored in a cordura pouch), and find that its at its best when you need to touch up a bunch of knives.
 
I ordered the Gatco delux- very similar design principle to Lanksy. Anyway, 5 MONTHS later:eek:, the suppliers had still not managed to get stock in. Ridiculous I know, but it was the diamond set and at a good price so i hung in there. While waiting I did more research (reading this and other sites).
What got me to cancel the gatco and buy a (much cheaper) sharpmaker, was some key drawbacks of the gatco/lansky that I heard again and again..
1. getting the clamp set up takes time and has to be in the same place every time.
2. Put it in a different place, and your edge will be different to last time- you will be slightly re-profiling, before you hone- depending on how far off the last clamp-position.
3.Working on a very long knife with the gatco will result in a (again technically) different angle of sharpening the further from perpendicular to the blade you move the stone . Hard to describe why, but its out there all over the net.

Sharpmaker arrived and had me laughing at my shiny arms within an hour. ;)
 
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