Sharpmaker Diamond rods

B

Buck268

Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
1,864
For those who use these, what is your general opinion? Are they effective? How well do they hold up to use? Would you buy again?

I'm currently using a Sharpmaker with med and fine rods for maintenance, but I have to set rough edges or rebevel on my DMT bench stones... Which is fine- but I'm just looking to make life easier without completely loosing my freehand touch. So what do you think- will I be happy with the SM diamond rods?
 
I completely re-profiled my GB's CPM-M4 and the sheepfoot Schrade in 440C using the diamond stones. Took a little time, but not nearly as long as I had heard from other people on this site. I think they make a great addition to the Sharpmaker, and have made it so I can effectively do everything I need to sharpening wise in an easy and economic package. I believe they're equivalent to about 400 grit. If you have a DMT XC then it would be a great way to fill in the gap between that and the medium rod. I highly recommend them, just use light pressure!

AYApml.jpg
 
I always found them a bit frustrating. Its not that they are horrible, if you are set on the sharpmaker as a system I'd say they are a must have, but compared to other sharpening systems I just didn't think they removed material fast enough for those tough jobs where you really have to remove material. I've had a sharpmaker since back when spyderco was making things sharp, and hadn't yet started on making sharp things, and always used to like them..... but recently I've been doing a lot of harsh outdoor work with my knives and my temper with the sharpmaker as a system just bubbled over. I bought a wicked edge and haven't looked back. So thats my opinion for what its worth. The sharpmaker is a very clever idea, and if you are committed to it as a system the diamond rods are a must have, but if you aren't and/or are planning on doing a lot of sharpening I might consider a different sharpener. Does that make sense?
 
Others here have successfully used wet/dry sandpaper wrapped around the standard SharpMaker rods, using zip-ties/rubber bands/etc. to hold it in place. For the once-in-a-while rebevelling job on a knife, that might be worth a try. The obvious advantages are, it's cheap, commonly available and you can cherry-pick which grit would fit your needs.
 
Buck268,
I have the Sharpmaker diamond rods and DMT Diasharp bench hones as well (XXC,C,F,XF). If speed is what you care about, then you might be disappointed in the diamond rods. They will not work as fast as the DMT bench hones. They also wore out pretty quickly for me. Being impatient, I usually press down pretty hard. They still work even though they look pretty bald now, just not as coarse as they were when new.
Re-beveling still takes a while with the diamond rods, longer than you'd think. I find I get faster results by taking the diamond rods and placing them on the bottom slots, underneath the Sharpmaker, and using them as a bench hone. I'll work both sides until burr forms, then I put the rods back into the regular "V" configuration and do the alternating strokes per usual.
Would I buy them again? Yes. I still like their portability and that they fit inside the Sharpmaker. I actually lug around 2 Sharpmakers in my daypack. One of them houses the diamond rods and the medium rods. The other one houses the fine rods and ultra-fine rods. It's nice having the 4 different grits on hand all the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top