New to sharpening. Looking at fixed angle sharpeners

M

Murby

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Dec 16, 2025
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Hello everyone, this is my first post.

One thing I've learned over the years is that when getting into something new, find the experts not the marketers. Forums are the best place to find experts, so here I am.

I'm not trying to split atoms so I don't need a $1000 knife sharpening system, I'm also not skilled at knife sharpening. I am doing a lot of butchering work. Seems like all my friends bring their deer and pigs to me when they want the meat off the bones.

I've always used a pull-through sharper.

But it's limited, and it won't get the knife paper-cutting sharp. I've learned that the harder I must push on the knife to make the cut, the higher the chances are of something going wrong and slicing my finger open. And it seems like I slice myself once every year.

My buddy bought me a professional boning knife a couple years ago. When I first used it, the darn thing was like Obi-Wan Kenobi using a light saber. Slicing that deer up was so easy. But here we are two years later and that $90 knife is no sharper than anything else I own and I can't make it any sharper without upgrading my sharpening system.

On to youtube I went, and I discovered something called a "fixed angle sharpener".. and of course they come in price ranges from $50 to like $1800.. so after a bit of research (I'm still not sure about) I started focusing on the Sharpal 202H for about $179 . Opinions? Would I be making a mistake? There are some youtube videos on it from guys who like sharping knives, but I can't tell how much of it is truth and how much is disguised marketing.

I don't want to spend $400 or more.. Under $200 is reasonable.. I also don't want to invest months having to practice as this is a tool of necessity for me, not a hobby..

Your opinions are welcome.. I need advice. Thank you
 
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I use diamond steels in the kitchen for quick touch ups on the kitchen blades. Learn to sharpen. It’s all about holding the knife at a consistent angle on each stroke. You’ll eventually get to the apex and make the knife sharp again.
 
The Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is a fantastic investment for someone who wants to learn sharpening. It comes with an instructional DVD that's very easy to follow as well. Recommended!

EDIT: I re-read your title. "Fixed angle". I'll show myself out. :confused:
 
waste of money and time. been there done that. start with spyderco sharp maker. watch videos and practice until you figure it out. use sharpie to see where you hit and adjust your hand angle...and youre golden til you learn angles. then how to adjust for uneven edges which every factory knife has unless its sharpened by a robot/machine....and even then.

I went through the fixed angle sharpeners from cheap to mega expensive and have used most of them and the some of the cheaper copies of them. even went belt sander for awhile....and in the end I tend to grab my sharp maker and diamond bench stones. eventually youll be able to convert what you learned on the sharpmaker and convert it to free hand sharpening, which is where you want to end up.

if any of these devices was super simple and had no learning curve and worked on all blade shapes and geometries.......we'd all be using it....and notice we arent. some are better than others but none are perfect.

no matter what you buy there is a learning curve. so spend the time on something that's always useful and easy to learn on, but plan on learning how to sharpen. otherwise plan on paying a skilled and respected craftsman to keep sharpening your knives.
 
Oh it took me more than a little practice!! My breakthrough moment was pretty unusual - holding the stone in my hand rather than on a flat surface. For some reason that works way better for me. That and a Baronyx bull thistle scythe stone of all things (under $30), then finer stones as necessary. I can now get a set of dull kitchen knives shaving sharp in minutes, at long long last!
 
I understand what you're all saying.. Learning is the best way.. and not just in knife sharpening, lots of other subjects too.

Problem is, there's only 24 hours in a day and I don't have time to learn everything. I need something that requires little skill. Maybe one day I will invest the time, but that day isn't now..
 
Ok if you don't want to learn to sharpen on bench stones I'd recommend a rolling knife sharpener. A buddy of mine who can't sharpen got one and while he doesn't get his kitchen knives shaving sharp they are decently sharp for cutting food. But if your edges are really dull it will take a bit of work to get them sharp, then after that if you maintain them regularly with the finer grits it won't take as long.
 
If you're thinking about one of the rolling sharpeners, get one with interchangeable stones.

Look at HORL, Masuta...
 
Murby said:
I don't want to spend $400 or more.. Under $200 is reasonable.. I also don't want to invest months having to practice as this is a tool of necessity for me, not a hobby..

Your opinions are welcome.. I need advice. Thank you
Click to expand...

A Hapstone RS with a set of diamond plated stones is a great system and well within your budget.

Hapstone RS:
www.gritomatic.com

Hapstone RS Knife Sharpener

Introducing the Hapstone RS, a new knife sharpening system born from the expertise of the Ukrainian team at Hapstone. Astonishing efficiency and user-friendly operation characterize this tool. For those seeking razor-sharp blades in the kitchen, repair shop, or for any hobbies, Hapstone RS...
www.gritomatic.com www.gritomatic.com

An example of a set of decent quality stones to start with. You won't need as big of a set, but here's an example:

After some time, you can progress into diamond / CBN bonded / resin based stones for very refined edges, but you can look into that at a later stage.

A Hapstone RS is far superior to the Sharpal system you're looking into, for nearly the same price. Hapstone also has endless upgrade options if you ever choose to get even more out of your system.
 
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I mostly use a Spyderco Sharpmaker. These days the street price is about $100. The aluminum oxide works great on alloys which don't contain Vanadium carbides. So 420HC, 440A,B,C, VG10, 154CM...all good.

If the blade steel contains Vanadium Carbides (D2, S30V et. al), I lean a 2x6 DMT Diamond stone against the Sharpmaker rod so the Sharpmaker controls the angle and the DMT stone does the abrading. This provides a very precise repeatable angle yet still gives me excellent control of grit. It's also good for reprofiling. I start with a DMT extra coarse stone until the bevel is completely set, then change to Coarse, then change to Fine. Helpfull to have a hand lens to check the edge.
 
I am a big fan of the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I have used mine for decades and it has always served e well. I now freehand sharpen using diamond plates now but I started with the ceramic bench stones from Spyderco. I only mention the freehand method because of is versatility and it was a skill I wanted to learn.

If you just want an easy way to get a really nice edge then it is hard to beat the Sharpmaker.
 
Update:
I asked Santa for the Sharpal 162N diamond sharping whetstone and the 205H strop.. I guess we're going to see how it works out. If I can't pick up the skill in short order, I'm probably going to pick up one of those guided angle sharpeners. But I'll try the whetstone first.

Been watching youtube videos on using whetstones.. It doesn't look that difficult, but maybe they just make it look easy. I guess I'll find out after Christmas.
 
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