Sharpening: Lansky System or Spyderco Sharpmaker?

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subneural

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Dec 11, 2009
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Ugh, sorry if this topic is getting beaten to death but as a non-paying member I can't search :(

Up until now I've used "cheaper" knives for hunting and prepping meat. For these knives using a kitchen sharpener has been sufficient. Now having stepped up to RAT, I feel I should step up to a proper sharpening system. After all, a dull knife is a dangerous knife.

I saw the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker mentioned a few times, and I've watched their videos on YouTube. It looks great and is available for around $65 (CDN) online.

I have also seen the Lansky System sharpener, with clamp and hones, for about $50 (CDN) at my local hardware shop.

Price not withstanding, what do you prefer? The Lansky seems more precise for a noob like me, but most of the posters on bladeforums praise the sharpmaker. For what its worth, I don't think I'm ready for a japanese waterstone.

Thanks and advance, and Merry Christmas!
 
I bought a Lansky and it just didn't work well with my RAT blades due to the flat grind. I would go Sharpmaker of the 2 you mentioned.
 
Tried them both and give a slight ahead to the Sharpmaker but, like the broken record I am, I highly recommend learning to sharpen freehand instead of depending on a system.

If you must get a system but plan on learning freehand, the sharpmaker allows you to set the stones up as a flat stone and hand sharpen. I would ho with that.

I would also invest in a decent medium DMT diamond hone for reprofiling and making tougher sharpening jobs easier.
 
shotgunner11 said:
Tried them both and give a slight ahead to the Sharpmaker but, like the broken record I am, I highly recommend learning to sharpen freehand instead of depending on a system.

If you must get a system but plan on learning freehand, the sharpmaker allows you to set the stones up as a flat stone and hand sharpen. I would ho with that.

I would also invest in a decent medium DMT diamond hone for reprofiling and making tougher sharpening jobs easier.
Click to expand...


Agree 100%, freehand is a skill that any true knife nut needs to know how to do. Having said that, I love my SharpMaker, and use it all the time. Lately I haven't had the time to sit down and do it freehand like I wish I could, so the SharpMaker has been getting a workout. It will produce a razor edge on a blade with very little time and effort required.

So I guess what I'm saying is, get the SharpMaker but also learn freehand on a cheap knife. Once you can get a razor edge on a cheap $10 knife then your good to move up to another knife. I always recommend learning on a knife that you don't feel attached to, since quite a few people will ruin a grind when first learning freehand. It takes time and practice to get good at it, you have to learn to "feel" the edge when sharpening the knife. But it's well worth learning in the end, you'll never be sorry that you invested the time.
 
for me, the sharpmaker is what helped me learn how to do sharpen freestyle, it allowed me to see what different angles and different surfaces would do to a blade. i wasn't able to fully grasp all that and didn't feel like wrecking all my knives trying to find out. with the sharpmaker(im starting to sound like an advertisement) i was able to sharpen and learn what i was missing at the same time.
 
awad said:
for me, the sharpmaker is what helped me learn how to do sharpen freestyle, it allowed me to see what different angles and different surfaces would do to a blade. i wasn't able to fully grasp all that and didn't feel like wrecking all my knives trying to find out. with the sharpmaker(im starting to sound like an advertisement) i was able to sharpen and learn what i was missing at the same time.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and that's why I like it. It's still sorta freehand, but it's really hard to mess up a blade if your paying attention. So you get a little training while getting your knife sharp. But straight freehand is still a great thing to learn.....but on a cheap blade that doesn't matter. And for the price the SharpMaker is one heck of a deal IMO.
 
I don't know anything bout sharpening but I got my knives SUPER SHARP
with the Sharpmaker. I just learned from some youtube vids and a little
help from this forum.

Only thing bout the Sharpmaker is it only comes with rods/stones that are made
to fine tune or get a sharp edge on a blade that already is semi sharp and
needs some touch up. If you're knife is dull or needs some major rehaul then
you'll have to get diamond rods or a rougher stone to work on it first before hitting
the Sharpmaker.
 
IMO a Sharpmaker is best for keeping an edge, not reprofiling, though with the diamond rods it's better at it. A basic Lansky kit will both reprofile and maintain an edge.

Since I've criticized the Sharpmaker, to leverage a criticism against the Lansky, the clamp is annoying sometimes. On some knives you really need to tighten it down for it not to slip. It's not a huge issue but can be annoying.

IMO stropping is superior to both in maintaining an edge, so I use a Lansky to reprofile and strop to maintain (occasionally I'll use the Lansky's fine stone if I've waited a long time--it's pretty good for that).

I'd also say a Lansky is better for learning to hand-sharpen, since you can leave off the guiding rods. Awad, how do you do it by hand with the Sharpmaker's rods (I don't really get it)? If I'm going to freehand, it's with a stone, so it seems like learning with stones is better; ymmv.

Basically, done right either will get you a hair-popping edge. The difference is how often you go between sharpenings and the money you want to put into your system (on that note, although the Sharpmaker is more expensive, a knife without an edge is just a bar of steel).


edit: Oh and BTW you should be able to get a Lansky for like $30 shipped online.
 
you turn the sharpmaker upside down and place the stones triangle side down the holes and you have a flat surface. but i also have a few other stones and rods from previous sharpening endeavors.
 
Great thread! I almost picked up a knife sharpening system at walmart the other day. I'm glad I waited to read this thread!
 
Hi all

I have used a lansky for about 15 years, has worked very well. Always finish with a crock stick for the final edge.
 
I have the Lansky system and absolutely love it. I bought the one with the diamond rods and it allows me to get my blades razor sharp, then I strop them afterwards. Sometimes I will sharpen them freehand if I feel like it and have some more time. The Sharpmaker is a great product also, as you can tell from the other members.
 
I don't have enough experience with the lansky to really say much either way about it, but I really like the sharpmaker. Especially when I was just learning how to sharpen, I found it really useful to learn what to look for, and coming back to benchstones after getting decent with the sharpmaker, I found it a lot easier to get a good edge freehand.
 
The Sharpmaker is both an idiot's sharpener that does the work for you, and a teaching system that allows you to branch out and try new things as you get a hang of it. Spring for the diamond rods which sadly run as much as a Sharpmaker in some places, the Ultra Fine rods are great but only you're that obsessed. I have the whole set and split hairs after the UF stones, but I'd be fine casually with just the whites. And do watch the DVD it comes with, it actually does let on more than the manual and give you a good feel for how much you can do with it.
 
Japanese waterstones or Arkansas stones for the win. Practice by using them on your kitchen knives first, and then when u git gud, you can use em on your rats!

You can also search bladeforums on google by typing site:bladeforums and then whatever you're trying to look up, then refine your search using the forums only option on the left side of the screen.

eg: sharpening knives site:bladeforums.com
 
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