I suggested a Spyderco Sharpmaker because it is excellent for maintenance, is easy to use, and costs about $75. If I need to re-profile, I use my KME clamping/guided system. The basic KME system with four diamond hones plus the optional base runs about $200. I have added the 100 grit KME diamond and the JewelStik hone (for re-curved blades) to my set-up. The KME system is great in my opinion, but I still pull out the Sharpmaker for a quick touch up quite often. I like both the Sharpmaker and the KME. The Sharpmaker does a good job keeping a knife sharp, is easy to learn, and is reasonably priced. The basic KME is a big step up in capability and is highly expandable with quality accessories, and you'll get impressive results with the basic $200 system.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
New to sharpening need recommendations
- Thread starter tommytman
- Start date
I suggested a Spyderco Sharpmaker because it is excellent for maintenance, is easy to use, and costs about $75. If I need to re-profile, I use my KME clamping/guided system. The basic KME system with four diamond hones plus the optional base runs about $200. I have added the 100 grit KME diamond and the JewelStik hone (for re-curved blades) to my set-up. The KME system is great in my opinion, but I still pull out the Sharpmaker for a quick touch up quite often. I like both the Sharpmaker and the KME. The Sharpmaker does a good job keeping a knife sharp, is easy to learn, and is reasonably priced. The basic KME is a big step up in capability and is highly expandable with quality accessories, and you'll get impressive results with the basic $200 system.
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 4,458
Well, infinite angle adjustment isn't realistic. They all have limitations.
I have a KME and like it very much, it's a fantastic system. But it has various limitations.
I really encourage you to try to learn to free hand sharpen. There's essentially no limitations with that route. It can be hard, it can be frustrating, I've surely posted my grumbles here, but it isn't that hard. Once it clicks and you work out the bugs, you will be in great shape. We dissect the nuances and such because we get geeked out on steels and edges but the fundamentals of producing a functional edge aren't that hard to pick up.
That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a guided system. They are great tools.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
T
tommytman
I don't know if you read my other post but the TSProf K02 and K03 older versions are really cheap right now to move them out and so George at STATESLLC only has the new ones to stock they are about the best guided system that use's clamp's and they have a far better selection of clamps then all the other system's.
The edge pro is a good system as well but the problem is having to switch hands is what most people don't like and also it's a pain to adjust the angle when you change stones.
Most of the guided systems are great and it's hard to say one brand is crap when compared to another but I like the TSProf stuff much better then any other sharpener right now.
If you get a K02 or K03 older model all you need to do is get some diamond stones and the Venev stones are a really good option.
The edge pro is a good system as well but the problem is having to switch hands is what most people don't like and also it's a pain to adjust the angle when you change stones.
Most of the guided systems are great and it's hard to say one brand is crap when compared to another but I like the TSProf stuff much better then any other sharpener right now.
If you get a K02 or K03 older model all you need to do is get some diamond stones and the Venev stones are a really good option.
I did read your post and thank you for that advice. I agree that those K02 and 03 are nice; just not ready to buy yet. After all the feedback I'm needing to go and read up on sharpening. I suspect that I'll not be happy unless I have a nice set-up. So for now I need to read up and learn. Thank you to everyone who gave advice. It helped a lot.
Last edited:
I have posted tHis in another thread but I think it bears repeating. Someone taught me to hand sharpen when I was in college. My dad tried but he was not good at it himself. Fast forward many years and married life work and kids got in the way and I lost practice sharpening knives. My son joined the cub scouts and I was asked to teach the whittling chip to the third graders. I got my sharpening kit out and I could not get the knives as sharp as I used to. I read the stickies above especially about using a sharpie. Now during the last 2 campouts I have had scouts and parents line up during free time to coach them in sharpening. It is great to see someone’s face light up when they get their dull knife cutting again. By reading and practicing on cheap knives you build a skill that translates to guided sharpening.
Not shared before when I was in much better shape in college. 2 friends and I were hiking the appliation (sp?) trail in the gsmnp. We came upon a church youth group whose leader had fallen and severely broken leg. My cheap fake buck soon dulled cutting rope and limbs making a stretcher. I found a piece of garnet and had a usable edge in a couple of minutes. While everyone may not become proficient at hand sharpening I believe it is wise to learn how. I also learned that the value of a quality blade that trip.
We never made it to our destination
Not shared before when I was in much better shape in college. 2 friends and I were hiking the appliation (sp?) trail in the gsmnp. We came upon a church youth group whose leader had fallen and severely broken leg. My cheap fake buck soon dulled cutting rope and limbs making a stretcher. I found a piece of garnet and had a usable edge in a couple of minutes. While everyone may not become proficient at hand sharpening I believe it is wise to learn how. I also learned that the value of a quality blade that trip.
We never made it to our destination
Last edited:
With a stop collar it seems pretty easy to me. How are the other systems doing it?
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
With TSProf you have that flat square right behind the crossbar and you zero out the angle cube on that before putting the angle cube on the guide rod,the reason for the flat square peace is simple it's because the older K02's and K03's have the main shaft going threw the sharpener on a slight upward angle so you have more room when flipping the knife,you calibrate that flat square peace with the screws on top and bottom when you set the sharpener up,the lower part of the sharpener just behind the flipper unit is also the angle as the main shaft and you zero out the angle cube on the back section before calibrating the flat square zeroing out station.
You can use an angle cube with a Hapstone or an edge pro and a lot of people think you can't,all you need to do with an edge pro is to zero the angle cube out on the main body that's at an angle before putting the angle cube on the guide rod,and with the Hapstone you clamp the knife in then zero it out on the flat part of the clamp's then put the angle cube on the guide rod.
I know could use an edge pro if I had to but I really don't think I'd be good at switching hands and that's why I never bothered trying one.
You can use an angle cube with a Hapstone or an edge pro and a lot of people think you can't,all you need to do with an edge pro is to zero the angle cube out on the main body that's at an angle before putting the angle cube on the guide rod,and with the Hapstone you clamp the knife in then zero it out on the flat part of the clamp's then put the angle cube on the guide rod.
I know could use an edge pro if I had to but I really don't think I'd be good at switching hands and that's why I never bothered trying one.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
If you ever want to ask me about stones and what stones are better at different steels I have used a lot of different stones and I have also sharpened many different kinds of steels including S30V S35VN 20CV ELMAX M390 M4 S90V S110V Maxamet ZDP-189 HAP40 and there are a few others and the stones I have I can not name them all without forgetting some.
If you want advice on what kind of edge you want I'd be happy to tell you what stones to get,for example I think you said you have a PM2 in S110V unless I got you mixed with someone else.
Trust me on this never polish S110V unless you want the knife as a show peace with a polished,S110V is a hard to cut steel period and if you do polish the edge it will never get that truly screaming scary sharpness and the edge will dull very fast.
However if you put a toothy edge on it any from 600 to 1200 with a Japanese grit rated stone those are the sweet spot's some guys like it super toothy at 600 and some like it at 1200 or anywhere in between.
With S110V more so it's a really hard to abrade steel when sharpening and that's because of the Vanadium in the steel and once you start getting past 4% Vanadium it's a bitch to sharpen properly without diamonds of CBN,the problem is the Vanadium forms carbides when the steel is made witch are extremely hard.
S30V S35VN and M390 are good examples of steels that are hard to sharpen but you can sharpen them with silicon carbide stones and certain ceramic stones but diamonds are still the better option,the other thing is with a steel like S110V you can still grind the edge back but what happens is the you wear away the softer element's of S110V and grind the element's that are holding the Vanadium carbides in places until they fall out,may hear guys talking about carbide fallout and that's what they are talking about.
You can however use Japanese water stones in the higher grit's to polish steel's like S110V and the others I have mentioned but standard stones are not the best choice for those steels,I haven't tried the Matrix stones yet but the Venev stones wear like iron and they are not to costly and will last you a very long time.
If you want advice on what kind of edge you want I'd be happy to tell you what stones to get,for example I think you said you have a PM2 in S110V unless I got you mixed with someone else.
Trust me on this never polish S110V unless you want the knife as a show peace with a polished,S110V is a hard to cut steel period and if you do polish the edge it will never get that truly screaming scary sharpness and the edge will dull very fast.
However if you put a toothy edge on it any from 600 to 1200 with a Japanese grit rated stone those are the sweet spot's some guys like it super toothy at 600 and some like it at 1200 or anywhere in between.
With S110V more so it's a really hard to abrade steel when sharpening and that's because of the Vanadium in the steel and once you start getting past 4% Vanadium it's a bitch to sharpen properly without diamonds of CBN,the problem is the Vanadium forms carbides when the steel is made witch are extremely hard.
S30V S35VN and M390 are good examples of steels that are hard to sharpen but you can sharpen them with silicon carbide stones and certain ceramic stones but diamonds are still the better option,the other thing is with a steel like S110V you can still grind the edge back but what happens is the you wear away the softer element's of S110V and grind the element's that are holding the Vanadium carbides in places until they fall out,may hear guys talking about carbide fallout and that's what they are talking about.
You can however use Japanese water stones in the higher grit's to polish steel's like S110V and the others I have mentioned but standard stones are not the best choice for those steels,I haven't tried the Matrix stones yet but the Venev stones wear like iron and they are not to costly and will last you a very long time.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2018
- Messages
- 219
I free hand and have never used a sharpening system; however, I have read many threads by people who have.
My advise would be that if this is going to be a long term hobby to invest and buy a decent one rather than something like the Sharpmaker.
I’ve lost count of the amount of people who have started off small only to then realise that it doesn’t really do what they want it to. This then normally leads to a large investment...
My advise would be that if this is going to be a long term hobby to invest and buy a decent one rather than something like the Sharpmaker.
I’ve lost count of the amount of people who have started off small only to then realise that it doesn’t really do what they want it to. This then normally leads to a large investment...
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
Craig James is right and what he said is something I show have said as well,if you plan on getting more knifes with premium blade steels that are harder to sharpen,if you don't plan on getting a bunch of knifes you may not want to spend as much.
You may even want to give freehand a try and if you can't seem to get the hang of it then you may want to look at some kind of a gadget but if you want a really sharp edge a guided system is what I feel is the best way to go.
I would make sure to think long and hard about what our going to get in the future for knifes and also what you want for an edge sharp or scary sharp.
You may even want to give freehand a try and if you can't seem to get the hang of it then you may want to look at some kind of a gadget but if you want a really sharp edge a guided system is what I feel is the best way to go.
I would make sure to think long and hard about what our going to get in the future for knifes and also what you want for an edge sharp or scary sharp.
Because I don't plan on using the stones that come with K02 kit and won't need the base, I wonder if the milled clamps on the householder kit would be adequate for most knives?
Would it be OK to use one of the two milled clamps for small blades? I know the knife would not be centered but don't think that would be a problem. What is the most acute angle you can get on a "pen knife" using a milled clamp?
just learned that it can only do around 17 degrees
Would it be OK to use one of the two milled clamps for small blades? I know the knife would not be centered but don't think that would be a problem. What is the most acute angle you can get on a "pen knife" using a milled clamp?
just learned that it can only do around 17 degrees
Last edited:
Well I've narrowed it down to a guided system that is called 'wicked sharp' this seems like a good system but not cheap. I need to save up a bit. While I wait I was thinking of giving the freehand method a try if I can get into it at a lower cost. As a reminder I have 1) two PM2 blades (s110v and s35vn) 2) emmerson commander (154cm i think) 3) benchmade barrage (154cm) 4) benchmade vector (s30V), 5) sog mini vulcan (V10) 6) a variety of cheaper knives.
What type of gear do I need to try freehand? I think with some practice on cheap blades I can do it.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
T
tommytman
If I were you I'd get this sharpener or a Hapstone before the Wicked Edge,the problem with the Wicked Edge is the clamps don't seem to work that great and the stone selection isn't as good for them either and the other problem is you have to buy 2 stones for the sharpener.
The K03 is a great system and the only thing I recommend getting is the double fillet clamps and reinforced spring's,the reinforced springs are dirt cheap,if you are going to sharpen pocket knifes at 15 degree's or less then the double fillet clamps are the way to go.
I would get the Venev stones to practice with a lot of guys use them to free hand sharpen the you can use them on the K03 or a Hapstone or some other kind of system that use's edge pro format stones,you'd be fine starting off with a Venev 80 grit stone.
There are 2 reason's why I'm saying to go with the Venev stones,the first is because for S30V S35VN and S110V diamonds are your best friends for those steel's more so with S30V and S110V,I also find your better to keep S110V around 600 to 1200 JIS grit polishing that steel does not work at all and it will never be scary sharp and will dull fast with a polished edge.
The second reason to get the Venev stones is because there's no point buying bench stones and then having to start all over again with stones for a guided system.
That sharpener by the way is an older model and is just fine and when it's sold out your going to pay more for the newer model.
Also the clamp selection for the TSProf stuff is second to none and that's the main reason I got mine is because other clamped systems tend to handicap you more then anything a time's with their clamp selection.
If you email me at wadenorton2008@yahoo.ca I have a grit conversion chart and you may want that because the Venev stones are rated in FEPA and the chart I have convert's them over to JIS.
https://www.statesllc.com/products/...rstar-kit-stock-free-shipping-conusbelow-cost
If I were you I'd get this sharpener or a Hapstone before the Wicked Edge,the problem with the Wicked Edge is the clamps don't seem to work that great and the stone selection isn't as good for them either and the other problem is you have to buy 2 stones for the sharpener.
The K03 is a great system and the only thing I recommend getting is the double fillet clamps and reinforced spring's,the reinforced springs are dirt cheap,if you are going to sharpen pocket knifes at 15 degree's or less then the double fillet clamps are the way to go.
I would get the Venev stones to practice with a lot of guys use them to free hand sharpen the you can use them on the K03 or a Hapstone or some other kind of system that use's edge pro format stones,you'd be fine starting off with a Venev 80 grit stone.
There are 2 reason's why I'm saying to go with the Venev stones,the first is because for S30V S35VN and S110V diamonds are your best friends for those steel's more so with S30V and S110V,I also find your better to keep S110V around 600 to 1200 JIS grit polishing that steel does not work at all and it will never be scary sharp and will dull fast with a polished edge.
The second reason to get the Venev stones is because there's no point buying bench stones and then having to start all over again with stones for a guided system.
That sharpener by the way is an older model and is just fine and when it's sold out your going to pay more for the newer model.
Also the clamp selection for the TSProf stuff is second to none and that's the main reason I got mine is because other clamped systems tend to handicap you more then anything a time's with their clamp selection.
If you email me at wadenorton2008@yahoo.ca I have a grit conversion chart and you may want that because the Venev stones are rated in FEPA and the chart I have convert's them over to JIS.
https://www.statesllc.com/products/...rstar-kit-stock-free-shipping-conusbelow-cost
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2018
- Messages
- 219
In truth to start free handing all you need is a single coarse stone. The problem you will have is that for the majority of stones at the cheaper end of the spectrum will likely work very slowly on the steels you mentioned. If you start looking at the more expensive diamonds - particularly the dmt and atomas it can start becoming expensive quickly.
It's true that the initial outlay for these diamond stones can be pricey, but when you factor in how long they last then they really don't cost that much.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2018
- Messages
- 219
Agreed, my comment was more because of the stated commitment to get a system and that freehanding was only an interim approach until the money was available
Wow, another option in the Hapstone. That system looks nice. They recommend SiC stones for the steels I have and not diamond so I'm not sure what to do there.
For free hand would I simply buy the stone set I would get with the Hapstone system and use them freehand?
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2018
- Messages
- 682
If you are saving for a more expensive guided system but want to freehand sharpen in the meantime, I second the Venev bonded diamond stones. I bought a set of 4 double sided pocket stones from Gritomatic for about $40. They're a handy size and if you get all four, you get a great assortment of grits capable of sharpening any steel you're likely to run across. Toss em in a pack for field use after you get your fancy rig and you will not have wasted a penny.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,105
Buy the diamonds for sure the problem is the SiC stones can cut a lot of the different metals out there but when it comes to M4 M390 andS110V plus many others they have to much Vanadium.
If a steel has more then 4% Vanadium they really start to struggle because when the steel is made the Vanadium turns into Vanadium Carbide,the only thing that can cut or abrade Vanadium Carbide when it comes to sharpening stones is diamond or CBN.
You can use a SiC stone on S110V and you will grind the edge back but you will get good results,what happen's is you just end up grinding away the softer materials that surrounds the Vanadium Carbide and that's holding it in place until the Vanadium Carbide falls out and if you hear about guys talking about Carbide fallout when they are talking about sharpening that's what they are talking about.
I used a knife one time and the knife was S110V and sharpened with normal stones and it had no edge retention.
If a steel has more then 4% Vanadium they really start to struggle because when the steel is made the Vanadium turns into Vanadium Carbide,the only thing that can cut or abrade Vanadium Carbide when it comes to sharpening stones is diamond or CBN.
You can use a SiC stone on S110V and you will grind the edge back but you will get good results,what happen's is you just end up grinding away the softer materials that surrounds the Vanadium Carbide and that's holding it in place until the Vanadium Carbide falls out and if you hear about guys talking about Carbide fallout when they are talking about sharpening that's what they are talking about.
I used a knife one time and the knife was S110V and sharpened with normal stones and it had no edge retention.
Last edited:
Understood, and makes sense!