Sharpmaker Diamond Rods?

Z

zignal_zero

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Apr 16, 2008
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after years of using a Lansky, and realizing it's limitations as far as larger blades go, i was given a Sharpmaker for Xmas. i'm not impressed with this thing. alot of the knives i'm attempting to sharpen have a much fatter angle than 40* and it doesn't remove enough metal to change the angle. before i totally give up on it, i was thinking about buying the diamond rods for it. how effective are they? i mean with i be able to re-cut a bevel quickly with them? or am i better off selling this thing and saving up for an EdgePro?

i love the totally even edge i can get with a Lansky, with a steady hand is it possible to get as good looking of an edge with the Sharpmaker? i'm not just concerned with how well an edge cuts, it has to look clean/professional also.
 
They will work but might not be fast enough for your liking, IIRC their about 320 grit.

Don't buy the hype, edge pro is not worth it. Flame suit on.
 
I too would like to know how well the diamond rods work on the sharpmaker ??? I love my sharpmaker and reprofile blades with the brown stones, then go to the fine & ultra fine rods for the finish. Do the diamond rods work faster than the brown rods ??? I spent 2 hours reprofiling my smf, will the diamond rods reduce this time ??? I am not looking for a 5 minute fix, but even if it cut a reprofile job from 2 hours to 1 hour would be worth it to me !!! Let me know what you guys think ??? These questions will help the OP as well.
 
I have a Lansky but have yet to buy a Sharpmaker from Spyderco.
I know I need to, I just haven't gotten around to it.
Recently I have come back around to sharpening freehand cause I felt I had been getting rusty.

I highly recommend the Extra Coarse Diamond stones for the Lansky. Although I have never used them on anything like s30v, the Extra Coarse Stones will remove a lot of material in a hurry.

You can clean it up with consecutive stones once it is ground to where you want it. Having a full set of diamond stones isn't necessary unless you have a Huge number of knives you want to do this way.

Please note that none of this is as fast as establishing a bevel with a belt sander then cleaning it up with a Lansky, but if you want accuracy slow is good.
 
-I have a Lansky and another similar setup from Smith, but I feel like they are cheap and not getting anything done.
-My sharpmaker (w/ Diamond Rods) is perfect for most folders, but complicated for any recurve (or variant) blades, and it's limited when sharpening fixed blades and larger folders.

-That is why I've spent the past 6 months practicing on my DMT Double-Sided Diafold (Course/Fine) Costs about $30.
> I ruined the factory bevels on several $50-$100 factory folders, but eventually figured out how to convex (my favorite) the edges, or match the angles of most knives.
---It took me a week, but I even reprofiled my Busse NMSFNO (.25 thick) to a thin convex edge, which is now a grim reaper to a stack of firewood.

***So---Don't give up on the do-it-yourself method. It's a tedious task to some, but I can't relax and watch TV on my couch without sharpening something!

-Hunter
 
There is no real grit measurements but is around 800-1000. the ceramics are rated in microns though, mediun= 15, fine= 6, and ultra fine= 3 microns.
 
I have the diamond rods for the sharpmaker and think they are worth the purchase. They remove metal quite a bit faster than the standard rods.
 
I have them and like them although I have not done a lot of work with them. I would say they are a cross between the course and medium lansky stone. Definitely an improvement in their brown stones for reprofiling.
 
I think the diamond rods are worth the money. They cut quickly enough through 'most' steels. And if you have a steady hand, you can get some fairly accurate bevels with the Sharpmaker.

Don't give up your idea of getting the EdgePro though. There is nothing on the market today that will give you such perfect edges so quickly and easily. The initial outlay may be high, but it's worth every penny. You will relegate your Sharpmaker to 'touch-ups' only, for which it's a very convenient tool. The EdgePro can give you exact angles to match th Sharpmaker's future needs.

Stitchawl
 
knifenut1013 said:
Don't buy the hype, edge pro is not worth it. Flame suit on.
Click to expand...

Knifenut must have been pressed for time. What he meant to say was, "although I've never used an EdgePro myself, and ignoring the numerous posts from people who have actually purchased and used an Edge Pro, and are very satisfied with it, don't buy the hype, edge pro is not worth it. I'm putting on my flame suit, as I have no actual facts to back my statement, and must simply repel any replies."

As for the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker, they are obviously a step above the standard rods for removing metal, but are still not adequate for a major rebevel job. Probably best for bringing a typical factory grind on most knives into matching the Sharpmaker angles. But they are convenient... you're just swapping out rods, and you don't have to 'learn' another method. If you're looking to expand your sharpening capabilities, I would invest my money elsewhere. If you're just looking to sharpen and maintain a few knives, and already have a Sharpmaker, then getting the diamond rods might suffice, since rebevelling is usually a 1 time job. You can also use some of the other tips found in this forum.... wrapping sandpaper around the standard rods, leaning an extra coarse stone against a rod, etc. Although not as convenient, they'll do the job.

cbw
 
Knifenut must have been pressed for time. What he meant to say was, "although I've never used an EdgePro myself, and ignoring the numerous posts from people who have actually purchased and used an Edge Pro, and are very satisfied with it, don't buy the hype, edge pro is not worth it. I'm putting on my flame suit, as I have no actual facts to back my statement, and must simply repel any replies."
Click to expand...

Not at all, I have seen what a edge pro can do and I'm not impressed. There are also many other reasons I don't like it but I'm not getting into it and derailing this thread.
 
The Sharpmaker diamond rods share the same defect as all diamond sharpeners. The diamond dust is codeposited with nickel in the plating bath on a steel substrate. When you use the rods, plates, prisms, etc., you pull the dust out of the nickel. The efficiency is greatly reduced over time, and there is no easy way to recharge the cutting medium. The smaller the surface of the sharpener, the faster the wear. The harder you press, the faster the wear. The diamond doesn't wear out. It disappears. I prop up large SiC and Al2O3 stones on a jig to match the angles of the Sharpmaker. My basic tapers are established on large stones, and the finish work is done on the Sharpmaker.
 
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