Newbie - Sharpening questions

R

rlschne

Joined
Jan 2, 2005
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Hi, I'm trying to figure out what i should buy for sharpening my knives... ive got mostly plain blades and a couple serrated - I've been looking at the lansky deluxe system as well as the spyderco sharpmaker 204 - anyone have any experience with these or any alternative suggestions?
 
i don't care for the Lansky, though i don't own it myself. i have the Spyderco 204 and it is excellent at sharpening knives. the corners of the ceramic rods make sharpening the serrations on knives a snap.

i use mine daily, and it keeps every single one of my knives shaving sharp (some "scary sharp"). it'll run you about 42-50 dollars, and is worth every penny: self-contained, easy-to-use, hand-guards, easy clean-up, fabulous results. 'nuff said.

OH! and welcome to the forums!!!

abe m.
 
thanks for the quick reply, after I posted I searched through the forums and found a bunch of posts about knife sharpening and most of them pointed to the spyderco too.... I just bought one... can't wait for it to get here... its got some work cut out for it.. well... i guess really I do... but anyway...
 
Welcome to Bladeforums. Your biggest problem, once the Sharpmaker arrives and you use it on your collection, will be deciding your knives are sharp enough already and you ought to go out and cut something with them! :D
 
you know, i still have fond memories of my first few uses of the Sharpmaker: watching the video and scoffing... telling myself, "yeah right, he just sharpened that swiss army knife in like 2 minutes, and now it shaves".

imagine my surprise: i set it all up, and took one of my more dull knives. i started out with the basics: 20 strokes on the brown corners, 20 on the flats, 20 on the white corners, and 20 more on the flats. i grabbed a post-it, and push-cut right thru that thing. put the blade against my arm, and shaved the hair right off.

i then proceeded to sharpen 4 of my knives, and made a trip over to my parents' house that night, just to sharpen a bunch of theirs!

bliss.

abe m.
 
oil stone.......thats the best way to learn,,,,just a normal oil stone and a few tricks and you are all set.

as for the lansky?....NO!

I got the lansky, and try as I might, it is just not able to do what I need done,,,,I also totally reject the use of the many triangle rod sharpeners,,,

Except for the serrated blade problem,,,there the triangle rod systems are Great!,,,
 
A sharpmaker is a crutch that will prevent you from ever learning how to sharpen freehand. If you're cool with it, go for it...

I like the Norton/Pike oilstones; the gray and orange ones. You can get a wickedly sharp edge on a good knife if your steel and your hand is up to the task.
 
is the freehand sharpening just a point of pride in your ability, or does it have other advantages? if so could you explain?
 
Before I got the Sharpmaker, I didn't know how to sharpen knives. Far from being a crutch, it helped me understand what happens to an edge as I sharpen it. I can now sharpen freehand pretty well.

Everyone should take pride in skills acquired. Learning to sharpen freehand is a valuable skill, whether using a diamond, ceramic, oil, or water stone. In fact, the Sharpmaker itself was designed so you can turn the base over, lay two rods in the grooves provided, and use it as a benchstone instead of a triangle sharpener.

But the basic triangle sharpener concept has proved itself to enough people that trying to boost another method by knocking it is unnecessary. Learn to use them all, beginning with whatever gives you the best results most quickly and easily.
 
I might have rushed to judge the sharpmaker as almost everyone I know who bought a sharpmaker has neglected to learn how to sharpen freehand. Ed, you are the first I have heard of who has done this and thus, I can no longer make the "Everyone" statement...
 
I learned by years of freehanding before I ever got a "system", which happens to be the Spyderco Sharpmaker 204. Ironically, I tend to still freehand...using the Sharpmaker's rods (along with some round no-name ceramic rods). That's just for daily mantainance and touch-ups though. For reprofiling work, I use the "system".
 
i've heard many times that you can't go wrong with Spyderco's Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. never had one, never used one, but i believe instantly it's a good thing. on other way to sharpen your knives, as previously mentioned already, is freehand sharpening on simple stones. it's a very pleasant passtime and a very valuable and proud-to-have skill to possess. if you got the feel for it, you can even sharpen knives in the wilderness on the stones of a mountain during a survival-trip......

you don't even need 'expensive' stones, nor do you need water or oil. simple $5 stones from the local hardware store, coarse+medium+fine and you're set to sharpen dry. a mouse-pad is handy for anti-slip placing of your stones, and you can use a stiff toothbrush to wipe the stones.

try it, it's fun. just buy some cheapo stones and try it out with a beater-knife ;)
 
MelancholyMutt said:
A sharpmaker is a crutch that will prevent you from ever learning how to sharpen freehand. If you're cool with it, go for it...

I like the Norton/Pike oilstones; the gray and orange ones. You can get a wickedly sharp edge on a good knife if your steel and your hand is up to the task.
Click to expand...

whole heartedly disagree here. might as well wash all your clothes by hand and walk to the store because washing machines and cars are cheating :) Or stick with slip joints and fixed blades because the AXIS lock is too new-fangled. ;)

the sharpmaker is the easiest and best way to see what is REALLY going on with an edge. a sharpie and a sharpmaker can't be beat :D

and the lansky-type systems can't be beat for aggressive re-profiling (with the diamond hones) IMO.
 
I can't agree with the sharpmaker as being a technological advance.. it limits you to two angles and is only as consistent as the blade geometry allows you to be. It's a crutch for those who can't sharpen freehand, or can't be bothered to sharpen freehand. Just as I still prefer to grill my steaks over an open charcoal fire, you sharpmaker users are welcome to microwave your filet mignons all day long :)
 
I got confused - for a minute I thought this was the "cult" thread :)

My advice for a newbie would be to get a sharpmaker (lansky system too if you need to reprofile) for your nice knives and a benchstone for the knives you don't mind scratching up at first if you want to learn freehand (you will screw a knife up as you learn).

But if you are more into using your knives as tools and keeping them sharp rather than tinkering with them - the sharpmaker might be the only thing you need.
 
" you sharpmaker users are welcome to microwave your filet mignons all day long"

ouch. you're killin' me mutt! ;)

i'm with Esav, though. i bought a freehand stone before anything else. after a little practice, i proceeded to screw up 2 really nice knives. sucked. i bought a Sharpmaker, and within a week or two, my newly acquired knowledge of angles and tolerances helped my freehand skills immensely.

i now reprofile or repair freehand, and then bring my work over to the 204 for rough and fine sharpening, and the system works great. i can sharpen freehand if i need to, but for myself, the Sharpmaker brings me more consistent results faster.

though you're right -- everyone should learn freehand, as it can become invaluable when you're in the field, or find yourself without a sharpening system.

abe m.
 
Guys, don't get me wrong,
I'm not knocking the sharpmaker... it's a godsend for 99.9% of the population that uses knives...

However, as KnifeKnuts, If you take a new EDC out of the box, you hafta inspect the edge, and you feel the need to strop it, or run it over the UltraFine stone once or twice, you can't be satisfied with a sharpmaker edge...

Nothing satisfies like a freehand razor sharp edge...
'cept maybe a few things that can only be discussed in the Pirate's Cove...
 
Zerileous said:
is the freehand sharpening just a point of pride in your ability, or does it have other advantages? if so could you explain?
Click to expand...

I think that freehand allows you to do vary the angle of your edge subtly to match your needs. When I sharpen my knives, I feel that some of my knives (for me, the softer stainless like the 420s) make me feel that I have to put on a thinner, more acute edge in order to get the performance I want. My Swiss army knives are laid almost flat on the stones so that the bevels area is a quarter of an inch against the edge. So sharp that you can circumcise a gnat, but a very delicate edge. When finishing such a blade, one must not only be careful with the knife, but also the sludge left on the stone... and thus are my preferences for blades that can't be achieved by mechanical means. I feel the freehand gives you the option and versatility of controlling your edge in a seriously anal-retentive manner that most normal people would not care about, but an aficianado would.
 
I think that any time the Sharpmaker 204 is recommended to a newbie , there should be a couple of warnings.

The average person spends little time reading instructions, but on the Sharpmaker 204 it is vital to read and understand how to avoid rounding the tip of the blade. I have seen tips rounded over on so many V rod ( both triangle and round ) style of sharpeners.

Also when recommending the Sharpmaker, I think it is important that it is pointed out that the user will be forced to use one of two angles only.

In some peoples eyes this would re classify the Sharpmaker as a 'touch up ' device , not a true sharpening system. For me personally, I need the flexibility to sharpen at angles from 13° to 30° depending on the use of each knife.
 
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