Sharpmaker questions

I've used one for about all my knives for years. Works quite well and gives me a nice edge. Easy to get the hang if.

As mentioned, the diamond sleeves (Rods now? Had my sleeves forever) and the UF stones are a nice addition to the set.

I probably use the UF stones more often than all the others to just give a few strokes and bring the nice edge right back.

Recommended! :)

** As I seen suggested on the forum quite awhile back, Barkeepers Friend and a green pad to clean the stones up once in awhile works great for me. But there are many different methods that'll work.
 
The Sharpmaker is pretty easy to learn. Getting the angle correct is simply holding the knife with the edge pointing downward, going slow to start with the motion will set your muscle memory and allow consistency.

I've thought of buying into one of the guided systems but I've used a Sharpmaker for almost 25 years and it serves my purposes just fine. The only other sharpening method I use is freehand. The fact is, these days I mostly sharpen freehand, usually maintaining edges with a Spyderco Double Stuff. That's mainly due to being lazy and not wanting to set up the Sharpmaker. I became proficient with freehand sharpening because I learned to maintain consistency by using my Sharpmaker.
 
As of a week and a half ago I had never sharpened a knife in my life. I bought a sharp maker as I needed something easy to sharpen my collect of very dull knives. At first I could sharpen knives that already had a clean edge but that was about it. After about 5 hrs of practice I can now reprofile a knife with diamond rods to 30 degrees and get hair shaving sharp(granted it was 440 steel). I do have a 940-1 in s90v which I can get/keep razor sharp. It is quite easy to use. I would recommend the uf rods as they make a world of difference if you want a crazy sharp knife.
 
ryan.s said:
How many of you started with a sharpmaker then eventually went on to other sharpening systems/methods?

I'm in the market for a sharpener and initially thought I would make use of the woodworking tools which I already have, grinders/belt sanders/worksharp 3000, but the simplicity of the sharpmaker is attractive. I like the idea of using a non powered sharpening system. My questions are;

1. How hard is the learning curve?
2. Since it's a non guided system will I be able to get precise consistent results with practice?
3. Could the sharpmaker be the end all sharpener for me or will I eventually move on to some of the more expensive systems. I hoping I'm wrong but from the bit of research I've done the impression I get is that most eventually move on to other systems.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB0r6GvESGg
 
whp said:
Instead of the ultra fine rods, get a pair of diamond rods.
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Yeah! for sure get the diamond rods for the 204 Sharpmaker but do it up right and also get the ultra fine stones>> I've found that the extra stones I've got for both of my 204 Sharpmaker kits is some of the best money I ever spent.

With these newer CBN stones now available I'm hoping that they will make a set of them for the Sharpmaker as well.

I don't know what kind of sharpening chores you have but the 204 Sharpmaker in my humble opinion is the best portable field type sharpening system in the entire marketplace. For really demanding sharpening jobs I have a TORMEK wet grinding unit.

I also like Spyderco's Goldenstone and wish they had them available in more grit selections. And for serrated edged blades I find that the Spyderco 701 Profiles are better than using the Sharpmaker for a lot of reasons.
 
SpeedHoles said:
Hey JD, they have CBN rods for the Sharpmaker. They are about the same price as the diamond.
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That's good to know>> I'm hoping that they will do something with the Goldenstone. They touted it like it was going to be their best sharpening tool ever but I've only found limited uses for mine and I've experimented with it a lot>>I actually still find my 701 Profiles to be more versatile and do better sharpening than the Goldenstone. Sal said that he was eventually going to do a comprehensive instructional video on the Goldenstone and some of the other sharpening tools but I guess he hasn't gotten around to it yet.

Now that they have the CBN rods I'm hoping that they will make a set of 701 Profiles with CBN and do something with the Goldenstone>> it would be better if we had more grit selections with it. Getting back to the 204 sharpmaker I also wish they would come up with a very coarse and aggressive rod to remove stock quickly and for removal of bad dings and so forth. Even the diamond rods they have now just aren't aggressive enough IMO.
 
SpeedHoles said:
Hey JD, they have CBN rods for the Sharpmaker. They are about the same price as the diamond.
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CBN and Diamond rods are the same price. They are also have the same grit/micron.

As I understand it, the CBN rods are preferred as their coating lasts longer/won't strip off as readily than the Diamond coatings.
 
True. The CBN rods work as advertised.
My only problem with the sharpmaker is, how to get the tip to needle property?
To remain with the blade on the flat side of the rod during sharpening seems not be enough.
 
TravisH said:
CBN and Diamond rods are the same price. They are also have the same grit/micron.

As I understand it, the CBN rods are preferred as their coating lasts longer/won't strip off as readily than the Diamond coatings.
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The CBN still come with warning about being gentle and possibility of stripping them.
I'm happy with my CBN, but I do not have the diamond to compare.
 
Brunzenstein said:
True. The CBN rods work as advertised.
My only problem with the sharpmaker is, how to get the tip to needle property?
To remain with the blade on the flat side of the rod during sharpening seems not be enough.
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You can do it by just keeping yourself from dragging the tip off of the stone. Just keep practicing my friend. :)
 
Seneca18 said:
The Sharpmaker is very popular for a reason, it is very user friendly. That being said it does take some practice to get a good feel for it and sharpening knives in general. What's great about it also is that it is very portable if you travel or go camping etc. I still use my Sarpmaker exclusively since it works well enough I never saw any reason to upgrade. All that being said, I feel the Sharpmaker is more suited to keeping your knives sharp rather than "sharpening" them. If you are trying to reprofile or get an edge back on a very dull knife it can be a challenge.
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True,unless you get the diamond coated rods. Re profiling is not too bad then.
 
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