sharpmaker diamond rods

They are rather coarse and I believe are somewhere between a 240-600 grit. (I know that's a big spread, but hey that's off the top of my head). The bottom line is they remove ALOT of metal very quickly.:eek: I use the exclusively for edge reprofiling.
 
If your primary objective is reprofiling, you're much better off getting a coarse benchstone to set the back bevel - something like a DMT DiaSharp. They're much more economical than the SpyderCo diamond stones and cut much faster. Knives Plus has great prices on them.
 
TedGamble said:
If your primary objective is reprofiling, you're much better off getting a coarse benchstone to set the back bevel - something like a DMT DiaSharp. They're much more economical than the SpyderCo diamond stones and cut much faster. Knives Plus has great prices on them.
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I have to reinforce what TedGamble has just said. I personally have those Diamond rods but I must say that I am somewhat disappointed with their grit size. I was hoping that they would have been more coarse than they. Now please don't get me wrong. They are very high quality like all of Spyderco's products are but for re-profiling get a diamond or a very aggressive 220 grit or larger waterstone for getting your "banged up" blades ready for finish work.

Now I still go on record as saying that I think the 204 Sharpmaker is at the top of the heap as far as sharpeners go that you can use. It is excellent to travel with and goes well backpacking.
 
Now I still go on record as saying that I think the 204 Sharpmaker is at the top of the heap as far as sharpeners go that you can use.
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I couldn't agree more. Once you get the back bevel set, unless you bugger up the edge, the S/M is as good as it gets (when you consider cost, ease of use, quick setup, no mess, consistency, all considered together).

And, once your edge matches the S/M, touch-ups on the flat sides are all that is needed. Each touch-up seems to make it better than before.

I have the Ultra Fine rods and have been pleased with them. Finishing off with a few strokes on a strop adds the final hair-popping sharpness for me.

Sharpening doesn't have to be complicated, and the S/M is as simple and consistent as it gets.
 
I think I am going to get them because if they are around 400 grit I will be pleased. I may end up getting a coarser stone in the future, but the spyderco coarse rods will still come in handy.
 
I just purchased a set of the diamond rods for my Sharpmaker and my question is simple. Using it to reprofile or set a new edge, are you supposed to use the corners or the flats. The only info that came from Spydie was to use a gentle touch so as to not dislodge the diamonds.
 
Corners, followed by flats - This applies to all stones. The corners exert more pressure per area than the flats do (it's a physics thing), so you start with them. Then you go to the flats to even out the edge.
 
TedGamble said:
Corners, followed by flats - This applies to all stones. The corners exert more pressure per area than the flats do (it's a physics thing), so you start with them. Then you go to the flats to even out the edge.
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Thanks, I wasn't clear on this one.
 
I hold my x-course DMT 2" x 6" whetstone against the rods set at the 30 degree setting and the steel is removed fairly easily. Just be careful because you can't do this with the safety rods in the way.
 
the diamond rods are pretty coarse and work well for reprofiling/etc but ya can wrap the std rods with coarse sandpaper or emory cloth and do the same thing really, just makes a mess from the sand.
 
SIFU1A said:
the diamond rods are pretty coarse and work well for reprofiling/etc but ya can wrap the std rods with coarse sandpaper or emory cloth and do the same thing really, just makes a mess from the sand.
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that is a good idea!

I use a corse benchstone with the Sharpmaker when reprofiling, but I have been looking for something that takes off alot of steel, and is still rounded to that I can do my recurve blades the same way. That is the only bad thing about using the benchstone, its a pain in the ass to try and sharpen a recurve blade on a big flat surface.
 
I just thought I'd mention that if you are new to the diamond Sharpmaker rods, pay close attention if you are using the edge of the rod. It is surprising how fast you can radically alter the point of a blade. The flats can do this also, but the edge can remove a point before you realize it.
Been there...done that.
That said, I think the Sharpmaker system is a great device.
 
I have the diamond rods and the more I use them, the more I like them. As everyone has said, if you're moving a lot of steel, they'll be slow, but that's true for a belt-sander sometimes, too. On the other hand, if you have a knife that's normally sharpened to 30 degrees, but you put a 40 degree edge on it for a few sharpenings and want to change back, the diamond rods will quickly reset it for you. Did so with my Dodo.
 
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