New to sharpening need recommendations

T

tommytman

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Aug 12, 2019
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Hi all
Just getting back into blades and recently picked up two spyderco pm2 and a benchmade vector and barrage. They are all very sharp right now.

What type of sharpening kit can I buy that would let me sharpen these. And how do I tell what angle they all are ground at? Thanks
 
Edge Pro Apex (naturally)
Does not matter what angle just use the sharpie technique and adjust the angle of the guide rod to take off all the sharpie all along the edge on both sides. Some times / often you have to hit a happy medium and use a coarse stone (100, 150 or 250) to bring all this into one angle.

The Shapton Glass stones work well or the new Matrix Diamond (^^$$^^) but nice stones.

If you really care about the angles just for conversations sake you could search these threads for info on measuring that. Many people are getting angles with angle cubes that are not really what the edges are due to not leveling the work surface and or the sharpening equipment.
 
Man , that apex looks nice. No idea what kit I’d need. I need to do some learning to use that!
 
Have you ever sharpened? Have you educated yourself on the fundamentals? If the answer to that second question is no, then spend some time reading and watching and absorbing different points of view.

Stick to 8" stones.

For a functional edge, to start out, my opinion is get an Ultra Sharp 300 grit diamond, some ~0.5um diamond/CBN spray/emulsion, some paint sticks (for the spray/emulsions), and a red marker for the bevel.

This is a basic kit, but if you do your part, you will have sharp knives and it will handle all those steels. You will need to define what "sharp" means to you. All of my knives, pocket to kitchen, will stick on my thumb nail, shave arm hair, and of course slice receipt paper (not the best measurement).

Most of them will not readily catch the pads of my fingers in the Murray Carter Three Finger Test with the lightest of touch, most of them will not slice free hanging paper towels (and them that will won't for long), and most of my edges will not whittle hair. But they are freaking sharp and do their jobs. For general purpose functionality, you don't need high grits. You need fundamentals.

Understand how to sharpen it, then you can do what you want from there.
 
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I recommend the DMT sharpening kit. It is very easy to use and will run you around 50 bucks. Mine came with 3 diamond plates but there are a bunch of different ones available.
 
A Spyderco Sharpmaker and a Sharpie to check your angles will allow you to maintain the knives you mention through a lot of use. If your needs grow, the Sharpmaker will still be handy for quick touch ups.
 
I like all these kits. My feeling is that locking in the angle and not freehand might be best for me to start.

Is the dmt aligner pro a good start point?

The only part I didn’t understand fully in the videos I watched is when they talk about doing a double bevel for blades that are worn and getting thick ....
 
I’ve read good things about the dmt systems, don’t think you can go wrong with it. I have no personal experience with it. I use a KME and Wicked Edge. Set your budget and go from there. You can get a guided system from 50.00 to a grand. Look for something that you’ll be happy with and enjoy using. Also look for accessories so later on if you want to get more involved with getting your knives as sharp as possible, you can add to what you have and not have to buy something else.
There’s an app for smart phones called Knife Steel Chart that will help you understand the different steels and what to expect with each steel when you get ready to sharpen them. Keep a log of each knife so that when you have to sharpen again, you’ll have the info at hand and not have to guess each time you need sharpen a knife. The sharpie will let you know you’re getting the full angle of the bevel from the shoulder to the apex.
With the steels you have, you’d probably be better suited with diamond to lessen the time involved sharpening to get the same results. Diamonds cut more aggressively and you don’t need as much pressure to sharpen the steel. Always remember, once steel is removed, it can’t be put back on. I’d highly recommend going through this forum and reading some threads on sharpening, there’s some good info here from sharpening pros that don’t mind sharing their knowledge or answering questions you might have.
 
My recommendation is to read through the stickies above then decide how you want to sharpen. I like freehand sharpening because if you are stuck in tHe middle of nowhere you would have the technique to sharpen on any stone or concrete to get you through until you get back to your sharpening device of choice. Get a couple of cheap knives from Walmart or wherever and practice on them before you work on your good knives. There is a lot of good info on this site
 
STATESLLC has the older versions of the K02 and K03 on sale right now for a loss on the sharpener and the shipping so George can clear out all the old models and make room for the new ones.
There is nothing wrong with the older versions of the K02 and K03 the only major difference is to the lifting unit.

With your PM'2 being most likely S110V your going to want diamonds and don't try and polish it that steel suck'sunless it has a toothy edge,get Venev diamond stones and get the 400 OCB stone and a 800 as your finishing stones for that steel,the 400 OCB stone is a FEPA grit grated stone and when converted it's 1000 or 1200 Japanese grit and that's the best edge for S110v,if you polish that steel it doesn't get that sharp and it loose's it's edge really fast.

The sharpeners to look at are 295 and 395
https://www.statesllc.com/kits

The ones that are called OCB leave a much better scratch pattern then the original stones.
https://www.gritomatic.com/collecti...ds/products/venev-bonded-diamond-for-edge-pro


tommytman said:
Hi all
Just getting back into blades and recently picked up two spyderco pm2 and a benchmade vector and barrage. They are all very sharp right now.

What type of sharpening kit can I buy that would let me sharpen these. And how do I tell what angle they all are ground at? Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Basic edge pro kit imo is your best bet, keep in mind there is still a bit of a learning curve but not too bad. The basic edge pro apex + CKTG 140, 400 & 1000 diamond stones and you'll be all set. IMO the drill stop collar and the small knife attachment are a must have too.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone. It does help. My PM2 are s110v, and s35vn steel. My Barrage is 154cm and the Vector is s30v. I do have henkels kitchen knives that I would sharpen as well if I got a good enough sharpener.

I also have an Emmerson Commander and a few other blades. I do have some 'old' blades to practice on and could pick up some cheap ones to pratice on as well.

Is the Apex unit the lease expensive one that is a decent unit? between 100 and 200$ is my starting budget. Are you guys suggesting to buy the basic apex kit and add on diamond stones from other suppliers or from apex?
 
tommytman said:
Thanks for all the replies everyone. It does help. My PM2 are s110v, and s35vn steel. My Barrage is 154cm and the Vector is s30v. I do have henkels kitchen knives that I would sharpen as well if I got a good enough sharpener.

I also have an Emmerson Commander and a few other blades. I do have some 'old' blades to practice on and could pick up some cheap ones to pratice on as well.

Is the Apex unit the lease expensive one that is a decent unit? between 100 and 200$ is my starting budget. Are you guys suggesting to buy the basic apex kit and add on diamond stones from other suppliers or from apex?
Click to expand...


I've had all the major systems and like the apex the best overall. The diamond stones from CKTG are inexpensive and just work well and last, I have used the matrix stones from edge pro however they are quite expensive and I have never used their other cheaper diamond stones so maybe someone can chime in on them. The KME is pretty close price wise and a good system but personally I prefer the edge pro.
 
Start with the Spyderco Sharpmaker and if your needs increase, go with the Edge Pro Apex. I've had just about every sharpening system and the EdgePro is the one I kept. Best of luck!
 
Whatever you choose to do it may not be a bad idea to practice on some knives that will be your crash cars until you get it. Opinel sells some cheap carbon steel paring knives for like 7 or 8 bucks a piece. Jmo.
 
The Sharpmaker will work but it will be slow and slower then a guided system,if I were don't go to cheap and get what you can afford and then get some diamond stones later on you don't have to do it all at once.

You will find with a guided system that it will be more versatile then a Sharpmaker.
 
Eli Chaps said:
Have you ever sharpened? Have you educated yourself on the fundamentals? If the answer to that second question is no, then spend some time reading and watching and absorbing different points of view.
Understand how to sharpen it, then you can do what you want from there.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice, as is this:

Tjstampa said:
My recommendation is to read through the stickies above then decide how you want to sharpen. I like freehand sharpening because if you are stuck in tHe middle of nowhere you would have the technique to sharpen on any stone or concrete to get you through until you get back to your sharpening device of choice. Get a couple of cheap knives from Walmart or wherever and practice on them before you work on your good knives. There is a lot of good info on this site
Click to expand...

I don't see how anyone can make the best choice about sharpening equipment until they understand the principles of sharpening, know how they want to sharpen, what kind of edges they want, understand the pros and cons of different types of sharpening stones, etc.

I was getting bits and pieces of good sharpening info online but didn't understand the basic principles and techniques, which is necessary for success, until I read The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening by John Juranitch. I highly recommend it! I ended up freehand sharpening and am glad I did.
 
Thanks everyone. Looks like it's more involved than just 'pick a kit' and go.

I think I'd like a guided set-up with infinite angle adjust as a starting point.
 
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