Sharpening question... plz help.

R

ravemasterjim

Joined
Nov 22, 2002
Messages
3
Need to pick up a sharpener for my AFCK and my KISS and I was looking at the Gatco Tri-seps, seems to be the same sort of idea as the sharpmaker, a little more simplified, cheaper. Has anyone had any experience with one of these? It comes in ceramic and diamond. I'm not sure which to get, or perhaps both... ?

Will be using it on:
AUS6M chisel ground blade, partially serrated.
ATS34 drop point blade, also partially serrated.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Ravemasterjim

I can tell you the Spyderco sharp maker would not disappoint you and you will get more for your money with it. Better to get something good the 1st go around rather than spend money on something now then end up buying the other later on plus your not saving that much money buying the Gatco Tri-seps not at what you can find the sharpmaker for and as far as simplicity the Sharpmaker could not make sharpening much easier that it already does it's about as simple to use as it gets.

I looked at the Gatco and best price I could find is 19.95 on one which is not bad BUT your getting about half what you get with the Sharpmaker not including the hard to screw up use of the sharpmaker versus the have to figure out your own angles use of the Gatco. The Gatco is smaller though and would be handy for field use but the Sharpmaker is self storing and easy to carry around. Plus by the time you buy both rods for the Gatco you have reached or surpassed the cost of a sharpmaker, which runs around 40-41 bucks.

My advice get the sharpmaker. :)
 
I would have to agree. Get the Sharpmaker!! Its well worth the money and you will actually be responsible for some of the sharpest knives you ever held on your first day of having it:)
 
The above posts are right on. With the Sharpmaker 204, you'll be able to sharpen just about anything you can get your hands on. Comes with a neat video as well.:cool:
 
Sharpmaker offers you 7-inche long sharpening surface with preset sharpening angle and two grits. It is working bench based sharpener and requires sturdy base to work with.

Tri-Seps has 4-inche long sharpening surface only, basically it is portable sharpener to touch up your knives in field conditions. You can work literally on your knee, sitting on the rucksack near camping fire. I can’t promise you would consider such work any comfortable and efficient but the knife probably will get sharper.

So the solution is simple – Sharpmaker for home, Tri-Seps for field conditions. This last can be replaced also with the shortened set of SPYDERCO ProFiles.

And Welcome to the Forums! :)
 
Ive used the gatco ceramic, and the lansky dog bone hones, a tri stone with natural arkansas stones,
and the smiths diamond pocket hone.

if you know how to sharpen then the gatco works just fine. If not then go for one of the sharpmakers, never used one , but heard good things about it. I usually use a strop for the most part. No need to spend alot of money if you know what your doing. you can even use a leather belt to get a nice edge!!! you can also use a leather string (with strop paste) to sharpen a serrated edge, very efficiently!!! its all a matter of what you want to learn!! If you know the angle a blade needs a gatco ceramic will work fine. Try it this way, lay the blade flat on the hone and raise it up until you feel the blade c=utting (so to speak) into the hone then push the blade from heel to tip (forward, like cutting). do this a few times on one side, then the other repeating the same. then work it down until you are doing it on one side , than the other. do this about six, to seven times on each side and test the edge. Just an example of what you can try.

theres also some good sites on sharpening, I cant remember what they are, but i know alot of these guys can tell you.
I hope this helps some!!:)
 
Isn't the Sharpmaker ceramic?
I need to do a bit of "refinishing/repair" on one of my blades, would it not take for ever to do with a ceramic sharpener?
 
The Sharpmaker is a ceramic sharpener, but they do offer a rather pricey set of diamond rods for reprofiling edges. You can buy them just about anywhere the 204 is sold.

Mike
 
you can sharpen most any knife without having to take much metal off, providing the knife isnt completely dull. A diamond rod will take off much more than a ceramic rod. a natural stone will take off less, and a strop will straighten out the edge, and take almost nothing off (depending if your using a compound, and what kind). It depends if you are concerned about the life of your blade.
I have an old 910 stryker in ats-34, an avalanche in cpm440v, a 721 in 154cm, and a jot-sing khalsa in gin-1 that I use a strop to sharpen. The blades show almost no wear on them. The 910 Ive been using for three years and all I do is use the strop to touch up the edge every now and then.
A ceramic rod will work fine for you to sharpen your blades, it wont take as much off as the diamond, but none the less it will take some some metal off. Think about learning to strop, its not hard, ot expensive to do, and you will make your cutlery last much, much longer. Anyone who strops will tell you their blades look much cleaner, almost like new.
 
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