Sharpening tool

A

Aelius

Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
94
I'm looking to spend up to about $100 on a tool to sharpen my three Spyderco EDCs. I know there's some really expensive (I mean in the $500 ballpark) tools out there that'll really get the job done. But what's my best option for a hundred bucks?

Let me also say that I don't want any freehand kind of sharpening stone, I'm horrible with those.
 
Use the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It it pretty foolproof and well suited to both serrated and unserrated Spyderco knives. I would sharpen using the "30 degree" angle slots (this is 15 degrees per side). I can't think of any Spydercos that should be honed at a higher angle. http://www.1sks.com/store/spyderco-sharpmaker.html
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Let me preface my post by saying I to am horrible at freehanding on benchstones, but I can say by experience that v-type crock sticks are pretty easy to have success on, and the Sharpmaker is the best on the market for this type of sharpener. It is so much better in so many ways.

With that said, my primary sharpener is a DMT Aligner shown here:

http://theconsumerlink.com/product_...HININGTECHNOLOGY&T1=TCL+ADELUXE&navStart=116&.

It has a bit of a learning curve, but after you work out all the kinks, you will easily be able to produce perfectly flat bevels every time. The diamonds cut steel very well, and DMT's stones will last a long time if you use them properly. The only drawback with this kind of angle guide system is that there is a little bit of variance in the angle along the length of the edge.
 
+1 on the Sharpmaker. It does a great job. As resident EdgePro fanboy, though, I should point out that for about $125 you could get an Apex. It will do more than the Spyderco and is nearly as easy to use.
 
You could get about 70 ceramic tiles for that much $. I get hair popping results using a buffing wheel to get the scratches out, then use the unglazed side of a ceraminc bathroom tile to get rid of and smooth the bur, then the glazed side for polish.

It can be very satisfying to free hand a beautiful cutting edge like this. Good luck with whichever set up you go with.

Jim L.
 
Now that the search function has been unavailable for some time, and most people are unaware/unable of how to use Google's "advanced" search to search Bladeforums, perhaps a moderator could compile a list of the most popular sharpening tools available eg. Sharpmaker, Edgepro, Lansky, etc and make it a sticky? I realize this might take a little time on a Mod's part, but repeat threads on a daily basis probably eat up unnecessary bandwidth as well, which is why we lost the search function. I would hate to see more features go.

Sharpmaker BTW.
 
Are those the only knives you will be sharpening?

Do you let them get dull between sharpening sessions?

Do you want to sharpen at angles other than the factory ones?

You do not even have to do a search. Just look at this area of the forum and page through. Every third or fourth thread is someone looking for a sharpening system.

You have:
Edge Pro
Lansky
GATCO
DMT
Edge Maker
KMT
Warthog
Tormek
Edge Pal
Chef's Choice
Belt Sanders
Wheels
Oil Stones
Water Stones
Arkansas Bench stones
Diamond Bench
Coffee cup bottoms

Anyone want to add to the list?
 
For around $50 get the Sharpmaker. Don't let your knives get dull. Sharpen them periodically. If the blades eventually get so worn that the Sharpmaker doesn't do what you need take the $50.00 you saved from your budget and buy a Shapton Professional 220 grit waterstone online. At that point you should learn how to hone freehand. One trick is to prop up one end of the hone say 1 inch and use horizontal honing strokes. Then switch to propping up the other end of the hone and hone the other side of the blade. This lets you put a pretty clean bevel on the blade with minimal skill. Subsequently you finish the edge with the Sharpmaker again.

--but for now you can just start with the Sharpmaker and get a feel for the process.
 
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