-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Sharpmaker vs. AGRussell Field Sharpener
- Thread starter whitedoor
- Start date
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 77,340
Viewing the AGRussell website, I see there's a difference in the rod angles between the two. The Sharpmaker offers two angles (30 or 40 edge-to-edge), and the Field Sharpener has one (30 degrees edge to edge). Note that the narrator of the AGRussell Ceramic Sharpener (the wood base and ceramic rod one) says that "We have always disagreed with Louis (Graves) about the proper angle for the rods", and that the Field Sharpener is also "Based on the work of inventor Louis Graves." I could interpret this all as an endorsement of the Sharpmaker over the AGRussell sharpeners, from their own online catalog. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, though. I'm getting a Sharpmaker soon, myself.
I think you may be reading too much into that gbuskirk. I think AG is saying that any sharpener using a ceramic "stick" (like a Sharpmaker or Field Sharpener) is based on the work of Louis Graves.
I think AG disagress with Graves' preferred sharpening angle, which isn't the one on the Field Sharpener.
That's all semantics, I guess. The Sharpmaker is great, I have one, and if I can use it, anybody can.
The Sharpmaker's advantage over the Russell is that there are two sharpening angles available on it (30 and 40 inclusive).
The Russell's advantages over the Sharpmaker is that it is smaller and comes with a set of rods (diamond I think?) that may be more aggressive than the Sharpmaker's brown rods.
You can't go wrong with either one.
I think AG disagress with Graves' preferred sharpening angle, which isn't the one on the Field Sharpener.
That's all semantics, I guess. The Sharpmaker is great, I have one, and if I can use it, anybody can.
The Sharpmaker's advantage over the Russell is that there are two sharpening angles available on it (30 and 40 inclusive).
The Russell's advantages over the Sharpmaker is that it is smaller and comes with a set of rods (diamond I think?) that may be more aggressive than the Sharpmaker's brown rods.
You can't go wrong with either one.
Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
it is very difficult to get a crisp edge on round rods, they very easily turn the edge to the side. The flats on the Sharpmaker produce a much stronger (higher edge retention) finish.
-Cliff
-Cliff
Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 90,915
The Russell sharpener has much shorter rods. It has diamond and coarse rather than coarse and fine like the Sharpmaker. The Sharpmaker will do a better job on a wider range of edges. The Russell is OK for quick repair on small knives and it is very portable, but so is a small ceramic rod like the GATCO Tri-Seps.