sharpmaker vs other options

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kane22

Joined
Feb 25, 2013
Messages
422
Need your input guys. I have a lansky that if used for years and made a few small tweaks to it to try and make it a little more consistent and can get a really nice edge on smaller blades. The problem I have is on larger blades with a belly the end of the blade never comes out the way I would like. No matter where I clamp the knife I either have to reprofile more than I want to hit the edge or change my angle.

So, I was thinking about getting a sharpmaker and the UF rods to go with it. I know they get good reviews but I wanted to ask here anyway. I don't let my blades get too bad and I'm not looking to do major reprofiling.

I was also looking at the worksharp guided system with the extra grit plates. The main thing I wasn't crazy about there was the diamond stones. From what I've read diamonds remove steel fast but also leave deep scratches in your blade. The finest grit they go to is 800 too. It seems to get great reviews though so I'm still thinking about it.

I'm still leaning towards the spyderco though. I like the idea of being able to look down and see how the blade is contacting the stone. I think i'll be more consistent with it.

I also have a strop ordered from the stropman.

Thanks as always!
 
kane22 said:
Need your input guys. I have a lansky that if used for years and made a few small tweaks to it to try and make it a little more consistent and can get a really nice edge on smaller blades. The problem I have is on larger blades with a belly the end of the blade never comes out the way I would like. No matter where I clamp the knife I either have to reprofile more than I want to hit the edge or change my angle.

So, I was thinking about getting a sharpmaker and the UF rods to go with it. I know they get good reviews but I wanted to ask here anyway. I don't let my blades get too bad and I'm not looking to do major reprofiling.

I was also looking at the worksharp guided system with the extra grit plates. The main thing I wasn't crazy about there was the diamond stones. From what I've read diamonds remove steel fast but also leave deep scratches in your blade. The finest grit they go to is 800 too. It seems to get great reviews though so I'm still thinking about it.

I'm still leaning towards the spyderco though. I like the idea of being able to look down and see how the blade is contacting the stone. I think i'll be more consistent with it.

I also have a strop ordered from the stropman.

Thanks as always!
Click to expand...

The short answer IMO, are you looking for a sharpener, or just a way to maintain an edge?

For me, the WorkSharp Guided System is the better choice for a shaperner. You can do more with it, and all around a better setup. Diamonds are as aggressive as the level you select... the 800g leaves a decent finish, and if you need to reprofile, the sequence of stones will adequately sharpen out the 'scratches'. Just depends on what you're looking for... you're not going to get a mirror finish out of them... but you will get a sharp knife. (If you want a finer finish, I bought some diamond lapping film and attached it to the back of the diamond plates).

OTOH, if you're knives are already sharpened with the Lansky, and your're just looking to maintain them, the Sharpmaker will do just fine for that. But if you're looking to replace the Lansky, I'd look at the WorkSharp setup. Some of the answer depends on your needs... but at some point, most knives need a bit more than just maintaining the edge. You also mentioned doing 'larger blades'... the WS gives you a bit more abrasive to work with.

Again, just depends on what you're looking for.
 
I'm looking for more maintenance. I only have a couple larger blades that the lansky gives me trouble with and honestly they just sit in the safe most of the time. I've I had money to burn I'd like to have a WE with a full set of stones, but I can't justify that when what I have works pretty good.
 
i use the sharpmaker with its stock rods,as i never found the need for UF-rods!the basic kit works really well for me,i use it along with my edge pro sometimes!with these two sharpeners i don't find the need for any other kits.
 
For maintaining an edge the Sharpmaker is a great, cost effective solution. I had one and used it lots with good results. I ultimately saved up for a WE Pro Pac with the new arms and some Chosera stones. That setup is terrific but it is really expensive.
 
FordFan said:
For maintaining an edge the Sharpmaker is a great, cost effective solution. I had one and used it lots with good results. I ultimately saved up for a WE Pro Pac with the new arms and some Chosera stones. That setup is terrific but it is really expensive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it looks like the best system out there, but just more than I want to spend.
 
I use mine regularly and would like a pair of diamond coated rods for profiling. If you have those and yet another pair of ultra-fine stones, you have all of your bases covered without scuffing and tearing up your blades. Mine keeps every type of steel "shaving sharp". OVer time it pays for itself again and again.

It's worth the investment.
 
Love my sharpmaker! Fast, easy, no clean up. I keep it in my truck and sharpen many of my friends do knifes with it.
 
I bought the ultrafine sticks too. Used them once maybe. Not really needed in my opinion as the fine does an excellent job. I would recommend buying the CBN or diamond sticks. You'll get more use out of them.
 
The cbn rods or diamond rods are more useful than the uf rods. After a number of years, I learned that the coarse stones are much more useful than extra fine stones in the sharpening process.
 
Thought I'd throw out something that has been on my mind recently with all of the new sharpening threads popping up. Personally I'm an edge nut, so have all the very fine stones for my Sharpmaker, KME, Edge Pro, etc. As well as a dozen strops with different emulsions and rouge. But not every knife, or intended purpose, works best with a super fine or mirrored edge.

Look at the edges of your most recent purchases, or go to a knife shop to handle many at once. Most likely you will see that most blades right from the factory are probably sharpened with a grit level around 300 or less. And are they usually sharp? Most likely YES! They may be just a bit more "toothy" than you might like on your newest work of art. But sharp they are, because proper principals were applied at the apex.

So get the supper fine stones if you want to also make a very pretty edge. Heck, I love them too on certain knives. But just for fun, polish one up right to the highest resolution mirror that you've ever seen, then go out back and try to cut wet rope. [emoji12] It may make you wish for that basic factory coarse grind again.

If I were to take most of my ZT's, Benchmade's, Spyderco's, GEC, Boker, etc, right out of the box, and work on them for a bit with just the medium coarse (brown/dark gray) stones that come with the basic Sharpmaker kit. No need to even worry about the white fine stones at first. You may discover that you would actually be refining the factory striations, just with the coarsest stone in the kit. Sharpness and refinement of edges are not the same, nor mutually exclusive. Sharpness needs to happen with the very first stone in whatever system or process you use. Refinement beyond that may be wanted for many reasons. It could be as simple as looks (artistic value), or because it works best for certain geometry and use, such as a sushi knife. But for an average utility pocket knife, you may find yourself going back to that coarse and toothy edge that you thought you wanted to get away from.

Point being, start slow, and practice, practice, practice. Preferably on cheap knives to begin with. Don't skimp on reading about all the basics shared in the forum (and stickies). Apply those basic skills to whatever system or stones you chose to start with. Because there is a learning curve around the physics and geometry of sharpening. And a separate learning curve around your chosen method. The encouragement to keep practicing will be the marked improvement as you test your results.

First you find yourself systematically removing all of your arm and leg hair. Then when you could previously only slice cut bond paper, now you find push cuts happening without effort. The sound of the blade going through copy paper goes from a soft tearing sound to a very quiet swoosh. Now you start giggling uncontrollably. Next you turn to phonebook paper, and find yourself making smooth "S" turns while only holding the page loosely. And you have visions in your mind about carving stick figures out of a single hair. [emoji12][emoji56][emoji41][emoji23][emoji2]

No matter where you start, have fun. Once you're a confirmed pathological bladehead (I'm sure that's a technical term), sharpening becomes a full-on hobby by itself. [emoji16][emoji857]





••••••••••••••••••••
People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
 
But the mirrored edge looks so nice and I have ocd. I get what you're saying though, now i'm thinking skip the UF stones and go from the fine to the strop with white and green compound.
 
bflying said:
Thought I'd throw out something that has been on my mind recently with all of the new sharpening threads popping up. Personally I'm an edge nut, so have all the very fine stones for my Sharpmaker, KME, Edge Pro, etc. As well as a dozen strops with different emulsions and rouge. But not every knife, or intended purpose, works best with a super fine or mirrored edge.

Look at the edges of your most recent purchases, or go to a knife shop to handle many at once. Most likely you will see that most blades right from the factory are probably sharpened with a grit level around 300 or less. And are they usually sharp? Most likely YES! They may be just a bit more "toothy" than you might like on your newest work of art. But sharp they are, because proper principals were applied at the apex.

So get the supper fine stones if you want to also make a very pretty edge. Heck, I love them too on certain knives. But just for fun, polish one up right to the highest resolution mirror that you've ever seen, then go out back and try to cut wet rope. [emoji12] It may make you wish for that basic factory coarse grind again.

If I were to take most of my ZT's, Benchmade's, Spyderco's, GEC, Boker, etc, right out of the box, and work on them for a bit with just the medium coarse (brown/dark gray) stones that come with the basic Sharpmaker kit. No need to even worry about the white fine stones at first. You may discover that you would actually be refining the factory striations, just with the coarsest stone in the kit. Sharpness and refinement of edges are not the same, nor mutually exclusive. Sharpness needs to happen with the very first stone in whatever system or process you use. Refinement beyond that may be wanted for many reasons. It could be as simple as looks (artistic value), or because it works best for certain geometry and use, such as a sushi knife. But for an average utility pocket knife, you may find yourself going back to that coarse and toothy edge that you thought you wanted to get away from.

Point being, start slow, and practice, practice, practice. Preferably on cheap knives to begin with. Don't skimp on reading about all the basics shared in the forum (and stickies). Apply those basic skills to whatever system or stones you chose to start with. Because there is a learning curve around the physics and geometry of sharpening. And a separate learning curve around your chosen method. The encouragement to keep practicing will be the marked improvement as you test your results.

First you find yourself systematically removing all of your arm and leg hair. Then when you could previously only slice cut bond paper, now you find push cuts happening without effort. The sound of the blade going through copy paper goes from a soft tearing sound to a very quiet swoosh. Now you start giggling uncontrollably. Next you turn to phonebook paper, and find yourself making smooth "S" turns while only holding the page loosely. And you have visions in your mind about carving stick figures out of a single hair. [emoji12][emoji56][emoji41][emoji23][emoji2]

No matter where you start, have fun. Once you're a confirmed pathological bladehead (I'm sure that's a technical term), sharpening becomes a full-on hobby by itself. [emoji16][emoji857]





••••••••••••••••••••
People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
Click to expand...

Very well stated bflying. Very nice!
 
kane22 said:
I'm looking for more maintenance. I only have a couple larger blades that the lansky gives me trouble with and honestly they just sit in the safe most of the time. I've I had money to burn I'd like to have a WE with a full set of stones, but I can't justify that when what I have works pretty good.
Click to expand...

As long as that's what you want it for. It's posts LIKE THIS, the reason why I usually suggest an alternative... seems more often than not, SM users end up in this situation.
 
Benifts
Fast touch ups, easy to learn. Great results

Drawbacks.

Slow reprofiling and damage repair.

Limited finish options
 
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