Sharpener/Sharpening HELP

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VrDan

Joined
Jan 6, 2005
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I just wanna start off by saying I pretty much suck at sharpening freehand, and have little idea what I am doing.
I need a good sharpener and really dont wanna drop the bills on an edge pro apex which everyone seems to say is the best. Can I get a good edge, maybe even razor sharp with a lansky or similar inexpensive style system with guide rails? How hard is it to get good at?
Would I be better off with the spyderco sharpmaker? With some practice is it tough to get proficient with? How good of an edge will that leave me with compared to a lansky or apex?
Some of my blades are D2 if that makes a difference in your recomendations.

THANKS
 
VrDan said:
I just wanna start off by saying I pretty much suck at sharpening freehand, and have little idea what I am doing.
I need a good sharpener and really dont wanna drop the bills on an edge pro apex which everyone seems to say is the best. Can I get a good edge, maybe even razor sharp with a lansky or similar inexpensive style system with guide rails? How hard is it to get good at?
Would I be better off with the spyderco sharpmaker? With some practice is it tough to get proficient with? How good of an edge will that leave me with compared to a lansky or apex?
Some of my blades are D2 if that makes a difference in your recomendations.

THANKS
Click to expand...
I was going to ask the same questions..... thanks for beating me to it.
 
I bought a sharpmaker the other day and was able to put a very good edge on all my knives on the first try. No mirror polished edges yet, but that's what stroping is for right?
 
G'day,
I can get great edges with any of the 'guided' systems and a leather strop. I find it much easier than freehand. I do prefer the diamond hones.
I have had some good edges with the sandpaper and mousemat/leather process for forming convex edges.
In the beginning it takes concentration and practice so learn to enjoy the process.
Greg
 
I would get a Sharpmaker and a coarse diamond benchstone before I got another Lansky. You can most definitely get a razor edge with the Sharpmaker, and it's a very versatile system. Best choice if you're short on cash for sure.
 
As you are limited in funds, I would also recommend the Sharpmaker 204.

But beware of its limitations. Some feel that it is not a full sharpening system and is better suited for 'touch ups'. Take care not to round the tip and practise with a worthless blade to start.

Then save up for an EdgePro Apex, that is a full sharpening and re profiling system, with multiple grit size hones and infinitely adjustable angle control.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Would I really need to get the diamond stones for the 204? I saw an edge pro for $120(was trying to avoid spending that though) with 180 and 220 grit. Is that a good price? Will that take care of most sharpening? No reprofiling necessary at this point. Thanks again. Sorry to be a bother.
 
MY suggestion is to learn how to sharpen "freehand", then buy yourself a set of the Spyderco 302 benchstones...Since I've been using my 302F and 302UF, my knives have never been sharper!
 
I'd also like to stress learning to sharpen free hand. I can feel how the knife is moving on the stone and know if I have the angle right. Sliding along too easily means the angle is too flat and you're not getting the edge. If it's going too hard, the angle is too steep and you'll roll the edge over. Keep trying to learn it. You'll get it!
 
The trick to sharpening a knife is to get the angle right and to raise and remove a burr.

A Sharpmaker is set to 40 degrees. If your knife edge is profiled to 40 degrees and relatively sharp already, the Sharpmaker is great. If your knife edge is not 40 degrees or if it's very dull, the Sharpmaker will be difficult to use.

The Lansky has different angles, which is a great feature because it can be used to sharpen knifes with more than one edge profile. It can also reprofile a knife edge -- change the edge angle -- easier than a Sharpmaker.

There are some great threads on the theory of sharpening a knife -- getting the proper angle and raising and removing a burr. Once you learn that theory, which is not difficult, you'll probably like the Lansky better for an inexpensive system because it is so versatile.
 
VrDan said:
Thanks for the input guys. Would I really need to get the diamond stones for the 204? I saw an edge pro for $120(was trying to avoid spending that though) with 180 and 220 grit. Is that a good price? Will that take care of most sharpening? No reprofiling necessary at this point. Thanks again. Sorry to be a bother.
Click to expand...

The 204 does both 30 and 40 degrees (inclusive or 15 and 20 per side) with med and fine stones. I have the diamond stones for it and they do cut faster, but they are very expensive so I would reccomment a large flat DMT coarse stone instead which will do the job faster and then you can finish up with the sharpmaker 204.
 
glockman99 said:
MY suggestion is to learn how to sharpen "freehand", then buy yourself a set of the Spyderco 302 benchstones...Since I've been using my 302F and 302UF, my knives have never been sharper!
Click to expand...

I found that after a few months of using my Razor Edge clamps I was suddenly able to sharpen freehand with no problems. The clamps aren't real versatile, and setting them up can be a pain, but they will produce a nice edge. I bought an Edge Pro Professional model about a year ago. No regrets, but I'm glad I learned how to freehand before I got it. If I'd bought the Edge Pro first I never would have learned. When using the clamps you're making roughly the same motions as when freehand sharpening -- kind of helped give me a "feel" for freehand work, I guess.

BTW, I mounted a 1x5 UF ceramic Spyderco stone on an Edge Pro stone blank. Works well as an intermediate stage between the UF waterstone and the polish tapes when making a highly polished bevel. Tapes last longer that way.

Shalom,
Mark
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I ordered the sharpmaker today, maybe I'll also get a stone to play around with. I figure in August for my B-day someone will get me an apex, and I can still use the 204 for serrations at that point.
 
I have a Gatco system (basically the same as Lansky) and a Sharpmaker. The Gatco is faster for creating burrs, then I finish on the Sharpmaker.

One other suggestion I would make is to buy the Razor Edge video off of the razoredgesystems.com site. I found that watching their technique was extremely helpful in understanding *how* I should use my sharpening systems to get the sharpest edge possible.

Maybe the day will come when I learn to sharpen freehand, but in the mean time, my 2 systems plus the video instruction are yielding excellent results. :)
 
Hi Klatman,

Is it worthwhile to get the diamond stones? You are right they ARE pretty expensive. What about the ultra fine stones?

Thanks.
 
BillL said:
Hi Klatman,

Is it worthwhile to get the diamond stones? You are right they ARE pretty expensive. What about the ultra fine stones?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

If you are willing to learn (a little) freehand, a large (x)coarse diamond stone will still cut faster than the diamond 204 stones. Or you can use coarse sandpaper to get the back-bevel. Or you can prop the bench stone against a block of wood at the angle you desire and do each side like the sharpmaker strokes. So I don't think the diamond stones are really worth the price. Nice to have, but not very cost-efficient.
Besides, you don't have to be perfect when creating a back bevel if you finish the edge with a slightly wider bevel on the 204.

NOTE: after you do the back bevel by hand on the flat stone, convert the 204 to 'bench-stone-mode' and go over the back bevel with the med stones to smooth out the roughness from the diamond stone.

OTOH, I like the UF stones. The white (fine) stones will get you shaving arm hair with no problems, but I like the UF because they are more forgiving.. i.e. you do many more strokes to remove very little steel, so it makes up for having your angles vary a bit. You really don't _need_ the UF stones, but I'm too lazy to strop usually, and the UFs make an extremely fine edge. The UFs are not too expensive either, and they are nice to have.
 
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