Sharpmaker 204 vs croc stick

Sharpmaker is more versatile. You get 2 grades of stones, it is quite portable, everything stores in its base and you can have 2 sharpening angles. Go with that.

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"Come What May..."
 
King,

If what you have is what I think it is (the one with wooden base and cylindrical stones), then I'd prefer the 204. Why? With the 204 there are two methods of sharpening, one with the flats, the other with the corners. The corners are useful for fast resharpening, while the flats are used for a slower 'polishing' effect. The other thing is that while it is true that even the 204 will round your tip, I find that it is easier to do it with the croc stick (round stones, easier to slip).

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Reynaert
 
My opinion, lookout!, is that the Sharpmaker is better because of the much greater flexibility and, for the beginner, an easier system to get good at.

The corners of the stones allow for quicker metal removal (X amount of pressure is placed on a small amount of the blade).

The flats of the stones spread the pressure over a larger portion of the blade, allowing for the potential to get a sharper edge, since the same pressure is spread over a larger area of the edge, thus removing less metal and producing a more polished edge as was already mentioned.

[The above two features' advantage may not be obvious, since you could just change the pressure you're using and get the same effect with crock sticks. The advantage is that the Sharpmaker’s flats & corners get the job done without the user having to change pressure. That greatly improves the chances that a new user of the Sharpmaker will develop consistent technique, which is so vital to getting a good edge. A user who quickly develops good technique and the resulting sharp edges, will be happier and more confident in his tools. How many folks have bought sharpeners, only to quit using them because they couldn't get the results they wanted? Someone who starts with a Sharpmaker and follows the instructions won't have that happen.]

One flat on each stone has a groove cut in it that can be used to sharpen various things like fish hooks, ice picks, router bits, dental tools, dart points, etc.

The flats of the stone provide a somewhat stable surface, while in the base, to place benchstones against, allowing you to rest other stones against them, maintaining the same angle easily.

The flats of the stones also give you a way to sharpen the very tip without rounding it. That is next to impossible, at least for me, with traditional crock sticks. With the SharpMaker, when the tip is on the flat, you stop the motion and the result is a very sharp, pointed tip. This isn't easy to do with crock sticks. If you let the tip slide off the stone, whether its the SharpMakers corners, flats, crock sticks, or any other sharpening stone, the tip gets rounded as it slides past the edge of the stone and drags slightly over the edge.

The base allows a stone to be inserted in the end for sharpening scissors and shears, most of which are at 12 degrees, what the base is set for.

The stones can be held together in your hand and the extremely small space in between can be used for very small pointed things (well, crock sticks could probably also do this), such as small fishhooks and needles.

The base provides brass hand guards, which I think is unique to the Sharpmaker.

The base allows you to put two stones side by side so that the flats act as a benchstone, which is handy for wood chisels, other such edges, and can also be used as a benchstone for traditional freehand sharpening.

Many of the "what can be sharpened" suggestions and all of the "how to use" information, well, I guess dang near everything I've said, is basically straight from either the book that comes with the 204, or the video that is available for the 204 from Spyderco, lest someone gets the impression I'm taking credit.

Don't get me wrong, crock sticks are a good sharpening system. Especially if someone either teaches the new user good technique, or the user already had good technique from other systems, and rounded tips aren't a problem. Now that I can use a SharpMaker proficiently, however, I can also use crock sticks effectively, except for them darn sharp tips. I've owned a genuine set of Crock Sticks for quite a few years, but I could never use them effectively - if I made a knife sharp it was an accident. That infuriated me, but I didn't know what to do. Until I discovered first the Sharpmaker 203 and then the 204, along with John Juranitch's "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening".

Me fingers are tired and out of breath...

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Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith. - Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988

AKTI Member #A000831

[This message has been edited by Codeman (edited 02-09-2001).]
 
Well said Codemnan, nothing to add....
Happy sharpening
smile.gif


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Ted
 
Code filled in all of the holes I created!

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"Come What May..."
 
Not scientific but I can get the most wicked sharp edge possible with crock sticks. Have never been able to get it as sharp with the 204 Sharpmaker. Crocks sticks are cheaper too.
 
My croc has a guard too. Your had slides under it. It is a shhet of very clear plastic. Not brass rods that a blade can slide through and still cut you. What kind of maintainance do you have to do on the 204s sticks. Do the have to be cleaned/oiled?
 
Just wash the stones, either Sharpmaker's or Croc's, with Comet or similar products, and you're set. I have also good results with rust erasers.
 
Hi King. Perhaps additional info might help your understanding.

The "Crock Stick" was invented by Mr. Louis Graves in the mid 70's. It was and is a very good sharpening concept. The tool was made with two ceramic rods and a wooden base.

Spyderco was a major distributor of Crock Sticks. (I developed the sales pitch used for the next 25 years). After many thousands of demonstrations and several cuts (my wife Gail & I both took stitches) on the hand, we discovered a potential danger with experienced users and Crock Sticks. Beginners don't seem to go as fast.

We developed the twin guard system by studying the direction of the knife during a "miss" of the rod. The location, angle and direction of the twin guards is critical. (We believe the twin guards to be the best guard system for a variety of reasons).

We began using the twin guard system on Crock Sticks in '78. Also the scissor sharpening method. They were referred to as the "Spyderco Crock Sticks" as opposed to the "non guarded" Crock Sticks. All were being manufactured by Louis Graves at the time (he made them for Spyderco as well as his own).

Eventually we developed the TriAngle as a "Spin Off" with it's own patents. Louis later realised that a guard was in fact needed and The Crock Stick later added the plastic single guard.

There were quite a few advantages to triangular shaped abrrasives which permitted the stone to be used on many tools in addition to knives. (Flats). The small radius of the corner of the triangle permitted very effective sharpening of serrations. The Triangle also has evolved quite a bit over the past 20 years (video, etc).

Louis Graves sold the Crock Stick company to Lansky a few years ago.

Both are good tools.

The TriAngle is more expensive and more versatile. It is also a Spyderco product which carries with it our philosophies, quality standards and customer service.

I think "which is better" is not a realistic question as they are different in many resepcts.

Hope that helps.

sal
 
Sal, the first crocksticks I bought were back in the 70s. They were Smiths and I still have them. They were the only ones I recall seeing in those days. Where does Smiths fit into the picture?

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
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