Sharpmaker vs. Smith's Kit

Handwrecker

Handwrecker

Joined
May 4, 2010
Messages
1,265
I need a quality sharpener, and have no experience with either of these systems. I know the Sharpmaker comes with a dvd and the Spyderco name, but the angle guides and the $10 I'd save have me interested in the Smith's Diamond Precision Kit. If you have experience with both of these, please let me know which you'd say puts on a hair splitting edge without making you want to tear your own hair out. Thanks.
 
Unless your blades angle matches up perfectly with the 30" or 40" preset angles the sharpmaker offers, you will be very frustrated with this system. You would probably need to buy the diamond rods or use sandpaper or some other device to make the angles perfect so they will match the rods. I went through this same problem with the sharpmaker and just ordered an Edge Pro Apex. I have no experience with the Smith's kit though.
 
I started with the basic Sharpmaker kit and soon found out that I needed the dimaond rods and wanted the ultra fine rods. With all 4 I can do what I want. I still have some diamond flat stones for when I really need to go to town.
 
I have a Lansky professional (similar to the Smith's). It's ok for blades that have the spine thickness the same throughout from handle to tip. But the majority of my knives and others coming out soon, have a grind that makes the blade wobble in the clamp. In short, get a sharpmaker or the Spyderco benchstones.
 
I make my own sharpner with ceramic sticks are 3/8 X 8 1/2 long. I put them on a wooden platform The measuring is 9X2X1.
 
I owned a sharpmaker for a little while and didn't like it very much. I had Ultra Fine rods with it and I could get my knives sharp, but not as sharp as I wanted. I sold it and bought a mousepad and sandpaper and now I can get knives hair whittling sharp. I much prefer this way to the sharpmaker.
 
We've been making and selling the Sharpmaker since 1978. It has been revised 4 times hence the "204".

We have found that one is having difficulty with the tool they are usually:

1. Not holding the blade straight up and down. Usually this is done when one keeps their head above the sharpmaker where the perspective is not as effective. Best to keep your head behind the sharpmaker by about 18" to 20" and get a better prspective as to straight up and down.

2. The person using the tool is not keeping their hand rigid enough and their wrist is rotating. Even a slight amount of rotation will affect the edge. If you look at the edge under a 10x-12x lupe, you can tell if you are twisting your wrist because the bevel will be rounded. and not straight.

3. The user is using too much pressure or not enough pressure. Not enough does not remove steel and too much breaks the edge.

4. The stones are not clean and will accewpt no more steel.

I would suggest that you just use the corner of the gray/brown stone until the edge will easily cut paper, then grit down.

Hope that helps.

sal
 
Well there's your answer from the big man himself. Don't get me wrong, I think the sharpmaker is a great tool, it just wasn't for me.
 
Thanks for all the info on the Sharpmaker. But does anybody have any experience with the Smith's Diamond Precision Kit? The stones look a bit small, but the idea of having guides is appealing to my OCD.
 
Sorry, I have no experience with Smith's Diamond Precision Kit. But I have a my concerns. According to Smith web site this system has two preset angles 20 and 25 degrees (vs. Sharpmakers 15 and 20) also fine stone has 750 grit.
It is a good tool, depending on what are you using it for. If your blades made from 440, 420 steels and you do not care for high polish edge, it is great. If you blades made from VG10, S30V, 154CM, or other high grade steels, than you will benefit from 15 degrees. Steel is stronger, would have no problem to hold the edge and 15 degrees cuts much better than 20, it is just thinner. Sharpmaker fine stone grit about 1200 and UF 2000, so it would be much easier to create high polished edge, which can be important if for most of your tasks you push-cut.
I love sharpmaker, use it for more than four years. I have standard rod, UF and have coarse and extra coarse stone with grit 80 to use with Sharpmaker. I wish it had more acute angles, but I think I figure it out
This is my sharpmaker with extra coarse stones at 12 degrees

24degsettings.jpg


Please, do not forget, 10X eye loupe would help with any sharpening system
 
Ive used the Sharpmaker for years. I get all my knives hair-splitting sharp with it. True I have used the diamond rods to change the bevel on the weirdo knives I have but with a little patience I have corrected that and have improved every knife.
 
bh49 put this one to bed. I forget to even check the angles for the Smith's, and it does sound a bit worthless now. All I really want a sharpening system for is getting my 154CM blade beyond sharp, and the Sharpmaker seems like the king of it's price range.
 
I got a Smith's for Christmas, opened it, checked the angles versus my Sharpmaker, never used it. Selling it now. 20 & 25 deg is too large for me. Putting blades in a clamp is difficult to duplicate time after time....therefore more time sharpening, especially steels like s30v ans bg42. Blades with a distal taper(correct term?) don't fit. Sharpmaker is quick and easy. For serious steel removal I added a diamond bench stone. Changing to a Sharpmaker after a Lansky has been an absolute pleasure. Smith's was a non-starter. Might find a use for it one day if not sold
 
I would swear that anyone could get a knife scary sharp with a sharpmaker if they just followed the simple instructions. I have had mine for so long I can't remember when I bought it. I have a bunch of knives and the only one I have never been able to satisfyingly sharpen was an Emerson with that blasted chisel grind. I gave up on that one. I keep my benchmades, bucks, and all the others super sharp with very little effort.
 
I have been a knife enthusiast for about 45 years. I own stones that I hand picked from the novaculite mines in Hot Springs Arkansas. I have had success sharpening free hand and with many of the gadget systems on the market today. The only thing I have used for the last 13 or so years is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I use it on kitchen knives,fixed blade hunters, and folders. I change the sharpening angle by varying the the pitch of the blade. With a little practice, anyone can do it. I would argue that it is the only sharpener you will ever need.
 
i've used both, and while i prefer freehand stones and/or sandpaper, the spyderco is the "gadget" that gets pulled out the most often.

something to keep in mind: because the spyderco uses "dry" media and there isn't much "cutting" surface area, they will get "loaded" with steel very quickly. steel on steel straightens a blade, but will not sharpen it. frequent cleaning with Comet or a similar powdered abrasive goes a long way.
 
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