Round vs Triangle

[coop1957]

I've used a Sharpmaker for a couple of years now with limit success. Recently I bought a $20 Croc stick sharpener with limited expectations. Boy was I wrong. The round sticks have 25 and 20 angles and two sets of sticks- brown= heavier grit and white= finer grit. Boy was I wrong. These things seem to work alot better than the Shapmaker. I recently sharpened my BM/HK 14205 with the 25 degree stick and the dang thing is sharper than ever. Anybody else notice this also?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Dog of War]

I use my old CrockSticks with only the fine white rods more than I do the Sharpmaker. Part of it is that I like the longer rods, but also I like the round CrockSticks better than the Sharpmaker corners, plus you've got the whole surface area of the round rods to use before they have to be cleaned.

However the flat sides of the medium Sharpmaker rods are very useful for certain things, I even use them quite a bit for gunsmithing and other metal work. It's nice to have both.

 

[Jeff Clark]

I own several different ceramic rod sharpeners and have owned others as well. I seldom use the edges of the Sharpmaker rods except for serrated blades. I generally use the flats in their 15 degree slots (and even then I tip the fixture to profile at around 10 degrees and finish with a light 15 degree microbevel). My experience is the opposite of yours. I find that I get my sharpest edge with the Sharpmaker flats over round rods. Maybe that is due to using a lower honing angle and a lighter touch.

When I am in a hurry to sharpen 50 knives or so for the local Soup Kitchen I use the large restaurant version of the Idahone: http://www.restreview.com/item_reviews/review08.php

 

[theonew]

The flats, at least for me, are much easier to work with when you get to the point of the blade.

 

[me2]

Just a guess, but I think your success has more to do with the higher honing angle hitting the edge than the shape of the stone. I've had great success with the Sharpmaker, but I had to rebevel the edges of almost every knife I sharpened because the 20 degree setting was not touching the edge, just the shoulder above the edge. Like Jeff Clark, I rarely use anything but the flats. I sharpen using a waterstone at about 3 degrees less than the Sharpmaker slot I want to finish honing on. This gives a polished microbevel that is small enough to remove quickly if the edge is damaged or so dull the Sharpmaker doesnt work anymore.

 

[trimcut123]

I love the round ceramic crock stick rods I use, as i get a great edge... But over time round rods will round the tip of your knife.. The triangle sharpmaker stones can keep the tip much sharper...