Sharp Maker or Lansky Diamond System?

Bigfatts

Bigfatts

Joined
Mar 12, 2012
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So I have been buying more knives and higher end knives lately and need to step up my sharpening game. Until now I have used a simple dual side sharpener I picked up at Wally World but I don't like it enough to use it on my nicer knives. My wife wants to buy me a sharpener for our anniversary and I am looking at the Sharp Maker and the Lansky Diamond system. Kind of leaning towards the Sharp Maker for no real reason. I have many blade types and steels, nothing with serrations. Any input welcome.
 
i have never used a sharpmaker but i understand the basics behind it. i do own a lansky but i use the non diamond stones so i cant speak to those specific stones.
the big difference in the two is that the lansky takes all human error out of it and makes the angle the exact angle you choose, you can choose between 17, 20, 25, and 30 degrees per side. with the sharpmaker you have to count on your hand to hold the knife at the angle you want it.

personally i like the lansky. it was my first sharpener. it makes things quick and simple and takes almost no skill to make a pretty sharp knife.
 
I have the landsky T clamp system.
To be unbiased I think the Sharp maker is a bit better
 
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I would recommend the Lansky Diamond Deluxe. It came highly recommended by an older neighbor, and comes with four diamond hones: fine, medium, coarse and extra coarse. I have only needed the fine and medium. When I restored a completely dull Kershaw Scallion*, I started with the medium and changed the edge angle, then I went to the fine hone. Once the burr started to roll over easily, I switched to a $10 lansky ceramic rod. I also restored a Kershaw Skyline that had sharpened with a pull through sharpener using this same technique. I can pass the Skyline down my arm and it will shave hair just by pushing it along.


*And I do mean COMPLETELY dull, no edge whatsoever.
 
Both are good, for different reasons.

I have several guided systems (2 Lansky sets, a Gatco, and a DMT Aligner & Magna-Guide set, used with Dia-Folds), and also have a Sharpmaker. The Sharpmaker is very useful as a maintenance & light touch-up tool. In that role, it's a very quick & easy solution for the occasional touch-ups needed on kitchen knives and other daily-use knives. However, attempting to re-bevel an edge with the Sharpmaker will be slow-going, because the hones aren't very aggressive. They're much more useful as finishing/polishing hones. The Lansky is much more adept at complete re-bevelling of knife edges, but might be a tad cumbersome & tedious to use simply for light maintenance. I have the Lansky diamond kit, with the four hones as described earlier (XC/C/M/F). I originally bought a Lansky 'Deluxe' set with the standard carborundum hones and the two ceramic finishing hones, and managed to wear a couple of the carborundum hones out (they're not flat anymore). I supplemented that kit with a medium diamond Lansky hone, and it did most of the grunt work. I eventually retired that set, and bought the full diamond kit. I've been very happy with it. As mentioned earlier, I've also relied mainly on the medium and finer hones. The coarse & XC hones don't get used as much.

I use all of my guided sets for re-bevelling only. All of my other maintenance sharpening gets done by other means, including the Sharpmaker.
 
Ok, so the consensus is that the Sharpmaker is better for light sharpening and touch ups while the Lansky is good for getting down to business and tougher jobs, but is slower going? Ok. I generally don't let my blades get too dull but I have a couple old kitchen knives I'd like to change the bevel on so maybe the Lansky is the way to go.
 
Bigfatts said:
Ok, so the consensus is that the Sharpmaker is better for light sharpening and touch ups while the Lansky is good for getting down to business and tougher jobs, but is slower going? Ok. I generally don't let my blades get too dull but I have a couple old kitchen knives I'd like to change the bevel on so maybe the Lansky is the way to go.
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If you are planning on re-bevelling, that should work for you. You can still use the Lansky for touch-ups, and it'll do fine in that capacity. Especially if it's used to apply a micro bevel; that can be done in just a few passes on the hones (maybe 5 or less, per side). It's just that the initial setup of the blade in the clamp can seem a bit tedious. As with any new tool though, once you get used to setting it up, it won't seem like such a big deal. The setup of the blade in the clamp is the single most important part. Make sure the clamp is fully flush to the blade on both sides, and there's no wobble or slippage of the blade in the clamp. If the blade moves in the clamp, that'll nullify any good results that you'd otherwise expect.

Good luck! :)
 
djjonny said:
Personal preference. I find it a bit easier to sharpen than the landsky T clamp, that's just me.
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thanks for replying, just to clarify i wasnt trying to challenge you or say you were wrong i was just curious and interested in you point of view.


Bigfatts said:
Ok, so the consensus is that the Sharpmaker is better for light sharpening and touch ups while the Lansky is good for getting down to business and tougher jobs, but is slower going? Ok. I generally don't let my blades get too dull but I have a couple old kitchen knives I'd like to change the bevel on so maybe the Lansky is the way to go.
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The lansky is defiantly going to take longer to get the blade set up and mounted in the clamp, so for just a touch up the sharpmaker would probably be quicker but i would think the lansky would be faster for any sharpening that is going to take more than 2 or 3 swipes per side, because the blade is locked in and the stones are held a the correct angle so you dont have to worry about maintaining your angle, just sharpen away. and the lansky extra course diamond stone removes metal at a very fast rate so that will take care or your reprofiling pretty quick.
 
i hate the lanskey with a passion. the presets are way to obtuse, stones are small, the clamp system is cheep, it will scratch your knives where the clamp holds the blade, very unstable...... everything about it sucks. i cant think of one thing i like about it. the sharpmaker is nice but there is a little bit of human error. and you cant do things like reprofile so i would plain on maintaining your current grind. i would save the money and get the edge pro apex or wicked edge. they will make your knives stupid scary sharp.
 
imbryan715 said:
i hate the lanskey with a passion. the presets are way to obtuse, stones are small, the clamp system is cheep, it will scratch your knives where the clamp holds the blade, very unstable...... everything about it sucks. i cant think of one thing i like about it. the sharpmaker is nice but there is a little bit of human error. and you cant do things like reprofile so i would plain on maintaining your current grind. i would save the money and get the edge pro apex or wicked edge. they will make your knives stupid scary sharp.
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i have never used a high end system but im sure they are far superior to less expensive systems. im young and still in school so money is my limiting factor most of the issues you listed have never caused a problem for me but i have never used any other systems to compare to. aditionally i do cover my blades with tape to prevent scratching.
 
Dewberry said:
i have never used a high end system but im sure they are far superior to less expensive systems. im young and still in school so money is my limiting factor most of the issues you listed have never caused a problem for me but i have never used any other systems to compare to. aditionally i do cover my blades with tape to prevent scratching.
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im 16 and in school....... i guess i see it as a necessary expense. i will buy it once and it will last a long time and it will keep my $200+ knives razor sharp so i am protecting my investments and having a knife that sharp has some pride behind it as well as having a knife that performs a lot like a light saber lol
 
Blade scratching is due to dirt or abrasive particles in between the clamp and blade (the clamp itself is aluminum alloy, much softer than steel and incapable of scratching it). Scratching from stray particles of dirt or abrasive is easily remedied by taping the blade also. And most of the instability issue comes from improperly clamping the blade (been there, and done it myself). Just takes the patience to learn how to use it, as with any other system or tool.

BTW, there have been quite a few complaints of scratched blades coming off the EP also, and for the same reason (the abrasive particles, not the fixture itself). Any system which uses a clamp or blade table to support the blade will be subject to the same risk of scratching, from particles pinched under the blade. Taping the blade virtually eliminates that issue, across the board.
 
I can only speak about the Lansky system. I like it quite a bit but it is not perfect...I doubt any are.
I use the medium and fine diamond stones, medium Arkansas stone and the extra fine and super sapphire hones for the final polish.
The medium and fine diamond hones do a great job at reprofiling or sharpening a dull and/or perhaps nicked blade.
I typically use it on 154CM and recently 1095 steel and the Lansky does a great job.
Like any tool there is a learning curve. It took a bit of time to learn how to use the Lansky well and I'm still learning. Obsessed is very correct with his advice and comments...he helped me out when I posted some mistakes I was making on this forum...Keeping the blade from moving is a key.
I have marked a bit of the coating on my BM585 but it is not a big deal to me. I have not marked the blade of my non coated knives.
I used it on my new KaBar BK16 tonight. I did not think I'd be able to keep an even bevel on a blade of this length but darn if the Lansky did not do a great job. I've only just started the sharpening process but so far, using the diamond stones, the edge is great.
I do wish it had an infinitely adjustable angle. I find that I have to reprofile all the edges on any new knife because so far none of them are at the profiles Lansky uses. It is not a huge deal because the knives I've purchased all had different bevels from each other when new. Now they are all the same...in the same basic type...the BK is not the same as my 585. That is more the knife maker than Lansky.
I am able to easily...well maybe not so on hard steels...reprofile the edge on my knives and sharpen them to a hair popping level.
I highly recommend the Lansky system.
 
imbryan715 said:
im 16 and in school....... i guess i see it as a necessary expense. i will buy it once and it will last a long time and it will keep my $200+ knives razor sharp so i am protecting my investments and having a knife that sharp has some pride behind it as well as having a knife that performs a lot like a light saber lol
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im in college. all my extra money goes towards food or books or tutoring and what seems like an endless list of college related expenses so i have to live with the cheaper knife sharpener plus my only expensive knife is a ZT 0200 and I can get it pretty darn sharp with the lansky and a poor mans strop (the leather belt i wear) at least its sharp enough for anything ive ever had to do, but i am looking into some stropping compound to make it even sharper
 
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