Sharpmaker - Wow...

[Geektechnica]

So I received Spyderco Sharpmaker yesterday along with the extra diamond stones. All I have to say is wow.. I'm fairly new to quality knives and absolutely new to knife sharpening, so I've been struggling with maintaining a good edge. I tried one of the Smith guided sharpener kits with a little success, but not much. Let me say that there is a world of difference between the Smith kit and the Sharpmaker.

To test it out I brought out my beater knife which is a cheap Gerber that came in a 2pc gift set for $17. I usually use it for breaking down cardboard boxes and such. Went from couldn't slice butter to shaving sharp (first time I ever got a shaving sharp edge!) in just a few minutes. I know I need work on my technique so will keep practicing on cheap knives before I let it near my BK12 or my 0550.

Hopefully this will give me a little practice and an intro into bench stones which is where I'd like to progress to in the future. But for now just so excited to have my knife sharp again!

 

[Modoc ED]

Be sure to watch the DVD that came with your Slharpmaker. There is a part in it where Sol recommends you break the edges. Only takes a few seconds to do so but helps in the long run.

 

[cziv]

(( not a Bladeforums dealer )) delivered my Spyderco Sharpmaker yesterday along with the extra diamond stones. All I have to say is wow.. I'm fairly new to quality knives and absolutely new to knife sharpening, so I've been struggling with maintaining a good edge. I tried one of the Smith guided sharpener kits with a little success, but not much. Let me say that there is a world of difference between the Smith kit and the Sharpmaker.

To test it out I brought out my beater knife which is a cheap Gerber that came in a 2pc gift set from (( not a Bladeforums dealer )) for $17. I usually use it for breaking down cardboard boxes and such. Went from couldn't slice butter to shaving sharp (first time I ever got a shaving sharp edge!) in just a few minutes. I know I need work on my technique so will keep practicing on cheap knives before I let it near my BK12 or my 0550.

Hopefully this will give me a little practice and an intro into bench stones which is where I'd like to progress to in the future. But for now just so excited to have my knife sharp again!

Congrats man! :thumbup: I started with a Sharpmaker with the extra diamond stones & UF rods and graduated to DMT bench stones. The SM will work great & quickly with softer steels but can be very time consuming with harder steels like your 0551, so don't let them get too dull before touching your knives up or you're in for a very long night of it.

 

[marcinek]

I'm another Sharpmaker user/fan. Reprofiling an edge is a pain...so if you have a blade that doesn't match one of their two angles, you are in for some work.

But beyond that, its easy to use and it works well. Are you going to be able to baton free hanging mink nose hair with a Sharpmaker-sharpened knife? Probably not. To me, that's not a deal breaker.

 

[freedoom]

But beyond that, its easy to use and it works well. Are you going to be able to baton free hanging mink nose hair with a Sharpmaker-sharpened knife? Probably not. To me, that's not a deal breaker.

If you get the ultra fine stones and a strop you can get your knives that sharp off the sharpmaker.

 

[me2]

I've been using the Sharpmaker as a finishing step or touch up set for ten years. It has a learning curve, though it's rather short. I find I need a coarse stone to go with it, for rebeveling knives that don't match the preset angles. I don't try to match them perfectly. That is an exercise in frustration. I reduce the bevel to a few degrees less than the one I want to use on the Sharpmaker, say 34 degrees (17 per side) for the 40 degree (20/side) slots, and a similar reduction if I want the 30 (15/side) slot. Also, don't forget about the bench stone feature shown on the DVD. It makes life easier if you do move to bench stones. Also remember, clean stones make life easier and minimize burr formation. I've sharpened many knives that could whittle hair right off the standard white stones. I have not felt a need for the UF stones, or the diamond ones.

 

[Reasoned1]

I've been using a Sharpmaker for a few years now--after using stones for thirty years--and I REALLY like it. I've given them to a few family members--including my 21 year-old daughter--and they all like using it. As mentioned above, the UF stones and a strop will get your edge hair-popping sharp.

Regarding the 30 and 40 degree bevels fitting your blade profile, I usually just go with 40 degrees which is larger than most edge angles and allows you to easily put a 40 degree secondary bevel on without reprofiling.

By the way, I've reprofiled many edges with the diamond stones, and I think it works pretty good although you have to have the patience of a saint!

 

[Geektechnica]

Be sure to watch the DVD that came with your Slharpmaker. There is a part in it where Sol recommends you break the edges. Only takes a few seconds to do so but helps in the long run.

Thanks, I did watch the DVD while I was unpackaging the sharpmaker and setting it up. I caught the part about breaking the edges on the stones and did so. Don't know if it helped, but certainly didn't hurt.

 

[Geektechnica]

I used the sharpmaker again on a cheap fixed blade that I had butchered with the Smith system. It took a little while with the diamond stones to correct what I had done to the poor thing, but it did it. And the other stones put a better than factory edge on it. Not quite shaving sharp, but sharp enough for a $9 knife intended for beater duty.

 

[eccvets]

post like this make me so sad to see people waste their money and time on items which give mediocre results yet people think they got the next best thing to sliced bread. I guess ignorance is bliss for some people. Too bad the op will never get to see what a real sharp blade can do if he thinks this is the pinnacle of sharpening. so sad!

So I received Spyderco Sharpmaker yesterday along with the extra diamond stones. All I have to say is wow.. I'm fairly new to quality knives and absolutely new to knife sharpening, so I've been struggling with maintaining a good edge. I tried one of the Smith guided sharpener kits with a little success, but not much. Let me say that there is a world of difference between the Smith kit and the Sharpmaker.

To test it out I brought out my beater knife which is a cheap Gerber that came in a 2pc gift set for $17. I usually use it for breaking down cardboard boxes and such. Went from couldn't slice butter to shaving sharp (first time I ever got a shaving sharp edge!) in just a few minutes. I know I need work on my technique so will keep practicing on cheap knives before I let it near my BK12 or my 0550.

Hopefully this will give me a little practice and an intro into bench stones which is where I'd like to progress to in the future. But for now just so excited to have my knife sharp again!

 

[capid1]

First off, congrats to the OP for getting edges you can be proud of! Everyone has their preference to certain systems and it's fun to explore. Secondly, Eccvets, your post is the only thing that is sad and you are the one displaying ignorance.

post like this make me so sad to see people waste their money and time on items which give mediocre results yet people think they got the next best thing to sliced bread. I guess ignorance is bliss for some people. Too bad the op will never get to see what a real sharp blade can do if he thinks this is the pinnacle of sharpening. so sad!

 

[cziv]

post like this make me so sad to see people waste their money and time on items which give mediocre results yet people think they got the next best thing to sliced bread. I guess ignorance is bliss for some people. Too bad the op will never get to see what a real sharp blade can do if he thinks this is the pinnacle of sharpening. so sad!

Maybe you haven't seen the many videos that CrimsonTideShooter has made? A few of them are using the SharpMaker.

[video=youtube;-MHe_8wTHmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MHe_8wTHmg&feature=relmfu[/video]

 

[Geektechnica]

post like this make me so sad to see people waste their money and time on items which give mediocre results yet people think they got the next best thing to sliced bread. I guess ignorance is bliss for some people. Too bad the op will never get to see what a real sharp blade can do if he thinks this is the pinnacle of sharpening. so sad!

What is sad to me, is that people jump into a thread without fully reading or comprehending the original post. I never claimed that the sharpmaker was the pinnacle of sharpening, but only that it had given me the best results of the methods I had tried to date, and that I hoped to practice with it before moving onto even better methods down the line. I am new to knife sharpening and was excited to finally get some positive results, I hope to continue to build on that as I learn. Go be a buzzkill somewhere else.

 

[me2]

What is sad to me, is that people jump into a thread without fully reading or comprehending the original post. I never claimed that the sharpmaker was the pinnacle of sharpening, but only that it had given me the best results of the methods I had tried to date, and that I hoped to practice with it before moving onto even better methods down the line. I am new to knife sharpening and was excited to finally get some positive results, I hope to continue to build on that as I learn. Go be a buzzkill somewhere else.

Well said. The Sharpmaker is not a do all for sharpening. I have done rebeveling with it and it takes a LONG time, depending on how much metal needs to be removed. Ive also done rebevels using powered slow turning water wheels that took over 2 hours. A lot of metal had to be removed. I also think this system is free hand sharpening. Its just that the sharpmaker changes the orientation so the angle is easier to see/judge by eye. A table top holds a bench stone at the easy angle, flat, while you have to judge the difficult part by eye.

 

[Blues]

Folks, please don't feed the trolls. In this case the troll has now been removed...nonetheless, it's best to report such posts and let us take out the garbage as needed. "Nuff said.

 

[RevDevil]

Congrats on the sharp edges, I have a sharpmaker too and I love it. Makes touch ups a breeze, without having to make mess with stones or other equipment.

 

[boki_zca]

Sharpmaker is very good for touchups.......and really worth the money! Get a rough stone along with sharpmaker and youre set! Find a piece of leather to strop on and thats all you need!

 

[Geektechnica]

Received the ultra-fine stones for the sharpmaker yesterday. My technique is definitely getting better. I was able to split a few hairs with my ZT0350 after a few minutes with the UF stones.

Very happy with the sharpmaker overall!

 

[Komitadjie]

Fun, isn't it?

I have several technically FAR superior systems (WEPS, EP and Kalamazoo belt, specifically) and I still find myself hauling out the Sharpmaker for those quick brushups when I am working and I don't want to stop and break out one of the bigger systems, or when I need something highly portable. It has its drawbacks, like EVERY system, but as long as you are mindful of its limitations, it will produce a lifetime of working-sharp edges. Definitely not as technically PERFECT as the edges off of a more advanced system, but do *you* actually need *perfect* for your edges, or do you just want your knives to cut and be useful, instead of blunt and worthless? I know where the answer lands for me, and I still use mine from time to time.