Shapener to buy

M

Melissa_2006

Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
5
Hi all,

I have just started my collection of knives. Most of my knives are fixed blade knives (around 4 to 5 inch blade side). Smith and wesson S&R, Coldsteel Kabun, SWK, Gerber LMF II and SOG so far.

I want to buy a shapener which will help me to get those knives edge back incase I need it. I think I need the idiot proof one as I don't know how to do it properly yet. What is the high end idiot proof knive shapener out there?
I live in Australia, so I'm just hopeing that they are available in Australia as well.

Thanks
Mel
 
The Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker seems to be the most common sharpener. I, myself, have only recently started a knife collection. I got my first sharpener a week or two ago; it's a DMT Diamond Stone. I went right in wanting to learn freehand. It's not that easy :D

Seems like people have lots of luck with the Sharpmaker, though; I kinda wish I got that instead.
 
Sharp maker is the best value for money sharpener on the market IMO although i only use it to touch up my blades but for putting a new edge on something clamp systems are ideal a DMT aligner or similar can be bought for about $40 and does the job in no time.
 
Hey Mel, hows things in Oz?

As for idiot proof, the Sharpmaker is the tool of choice. Two defined angles, 40 and 30 degree inclusive, it comes with a medium and fine set of ceramics, and is generally a good tool to refresh an edge.

The big factors in using a Sharpmaker is the steel you have. Harder steels take longer and softer steels will load up the ceramics faster. You can clean the rods with comet and some warm water. Next is the factory angles put on your knives. The Sharpie trick works really well for this.

Since your longest blade is 5 inches, you should be OK. But if you get anything bigger, the Sharpmaker isn't the tool for them. Then I'd suggest going with DMT diamond stones in a medium and fine grit. But with them, you're freehanding, so practice with some cheapo kitchen knives first, until you're comfortable with the grind angles you're getting.

Another nice addition to a sharpening arsenal is a piece of leather loaded with a polishing compound for stropping.

There's a lot of great info in this forum, so browse around. About the only thing I can say for certain is to never let your knives get dull! It's easier to freshen an edge than having to put a new one on your blade.
 
The Spyderco SharpMaker #204 is a very popular choice. The technique required for using it is easy to learn. It comes with an instructional DVD that will teach you what you need to know to begin sharpening. It's not "idiot-proof" but it is the best place to start. Shop around for prices lower that MSRP.
 
Thanks for the quick replies.

now, I have been thinking of the triangle one but I also have seen one with the guided rod(i.e. Deluxe Lansky Sharpening System), are they any good?

- http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Deluxe-Lansky-Sharpening-System-P102C16.aspx

I'm assuming that with the guided rod, it will eliminate ruining my knives. please correct me if I'm wrong.

Could someone show me the pciture of the good one so when I buy it I know which one it is. Thanks

Much appreaciate every bit of the advice. :thumbup:

Mel
 
I have both the Lansky -crock sticks and the delux guided clamp system. I also have the syperdco sharpmaker. The sharpmaker is far superior in terms of quality of product and stones and what you get for the price. The sharpmaker does an excellent job restoring the edge of a knife if you haven't let it get all the way dull. As others have said, it can be difficult to re-bevel a knife.

The guided rod systems are better suited to rebevelling a knife to a new edge. They certainly arn't fool proof though, and it does still take a lot of time (an hour or more) to change the bevel angle with the delux lansky rod kit. You also have to be a bit careful because the rod's don't keep the stone angle perfectly straight. This particularly happens when you are toiling away on the re-bevel for an hour and start to get sloppy. I also find the need to constantly oil the lansky stones to be a pain. It is messy, and then the clamp pops off. Really - not that fun.

If you are serious about getting a really high end sharpener for V-shaped bevels then you should check out the edge pro system. They retail for about $150-$200 depending on the model and number of supplies it comes with. This is the cadillac of sharpeners for this type of edge and can be switched to almost any angle. A lot of people like the edge pro in combination with the sharpmaker. They use the edge pro to re-set the bevel or to sharpen a really dull knife. They use the sharpmaker to tune the edge - because the set up time is so short with the sharpmaker.

Another advantage of the sharpmaker is that it is one of the few systems on the market that will sharpen scissors. The case of the sharpmaker also lets you place the stones flat to allow you to freehand if you like. Using this method you can touch up the points of the blade.
 
I've really liked the KME Sharpener for mid sized knives with drop points.
I'm using the Sharpmaker for medium and smaller knives and clip points.
 
I have been researching this issue for months. So, I would have to say that since you stated "high end" sharpener the answer would have to be Edgepro. Either model, Apex or the Pro Model. I just ordered the Pro Model last week.
 
I have a Sharpmaker and a Gatco with diamond stones.
I could never sharpen Jack S**t with the Sharpmaker while everyting I used on the Gatco came out shaving sharp. :thumbup:
If I were getting a new unit, I would go with the EdgePro. :thumbup:


Sag.
 
I'm also new to knife sharpening. After researching the internet, I decided on the EdgePro. It may be a bit pricey, but it sure seems worth it. It didn't take much practice at all for me to really put a good edge on my knives. I guess the big thing is that I can set the edge angle to whatever I want, and I'm confident that that's the angle I'm getting. I usually have it set at 15 degrees on each side as the primary bevel, and 18 degrees for the final edge bevel. I even talked with Ben Dale, the guy who invented it, and he was more than happy to give me some pointers. EdgePro recommends a ceramic rod to use as a hone, but I wasn't confident that I was getting the proper angle with that, and went to the Sharpmaker and use it set at 20 degrees per side to keep the edge aligned. If you don't want to mar the sides of the knife, you can put masking tape on the sharpening table as they suggest, or if it is very important not to mar the knife, put some tape on the side of the blade itself. Instead of masking tape, I bought some waterproof tape at the drug store for the sharpening table, and even put some oil on the top of that to keep from scuffing the side of the blade --but maybe I was doing something wrong. Anyway, the EdgePro is a neat system, and I recommend it.
 
kjay27 said:
...I bought some waterproof tape at the drug store for the sharpening table, and even put some oil on the top of that to keep from scuffing the side of the blade --but maybe I was doing something wrong...
Click to expand...

Grit and metal may fall off of your stones onto the table. It will be more difficult to wipe away with oil on the table.
 
Hmmmm I didn't think of that --thanks. See what happens when you try to improve on perfection.
 
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ifilef said:
Are there any electric sharpeners that would do one well, and at not too much expense?
Click to expand...

I searched for one. Chefs Choice seemed to be the most popular/recommended make of electric sharpener. I tried 2 different models and was disappointed with both.
 
i use a sharpening stone, very cheap, sharpens very well if you take good care of the job.
 
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