Sharpmaker.

1

110417

Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
59
Hi everyone, i have been in the market lately for many knife related things. one of the things i am currently looking for is a new sharpening system. i purchased the smiths guided 3 in one system, and it is alright for maintaining an edge, but im looking for something a little bit better. i have been looking at the spyderco sharpmaker, and really want one... but simply dont want to drop 50 bucks. are there any other guided alternatives for less?
 
I can't recommend the sharpmaker as an upgrade, I see you are in Mass. If you're near Boston, or anywhere near the T, let me know and I'll sharpen your knives for you.
 
i am somewhat near Boston actually, how much would you charge to sharpen a knife?
 
The Sharpmaker can be very useful as a light maintenance tool, so long as you don't let your edges get too dull in the first place. The ceramic rods aren't very aggressive, so they don't handle heavy sharpening/re-bevelling very efficiently (very slow). The diamond hone of your Smith's 3-in-1 should actually be better for that (more aggressive metal removal), compared to the Sharpmaker's ceramic rods.
 
oh haha thank you for the insight! i struggle with the sharpening process... i try though! haha
 
You can't be serious about carrying and using a knife unless you also invest in a method to sharpen it. A $80-100 knife and a $10 stone is an ass-backwards way of thinking.

That said, the sharpmaker is not "guided" but I really like it.
 
RDog said:
You can't be serious about carrying and using a knife unless you also invest in a method to sharpen it. A $80-100 knife and a $10 stone is an ass-backwards way of thinking.

That said, the sharpmaker is not "guided" but I really like it.
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i know its not guided, but you know what i mean, it assists you with being consistant with the angle. and i know its a dumb way to go about knives in general but i was just wondering if there was a good deal out there that would work as well
 
I have no experience with it but the DMT aligner but it gets top reviews when it comes to guided systems. The caveat you will find with all of these (smiths, lansky, DMT aligner) is that the clamp simply will not accomodate some blades, particularly small ones and FFG blades (hard to hold flat). I moved to the sharpmaker for this reason and like it very much, when I need to re-profile I bust out the lansky and coarse diamond hone.
That said I am still looking for a better system... gotta save up money for the edgepro.
 
Has anybody even bothered to read the part of the OP's question, specifying $50 or LESS??

but simply dont want to drop 50 bucks. are there any other guided alternatives for less?
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I'm sure they're nice, but unless the EP or WEPS have gotten much, much cheaper lately, don't think some of the 'suggestions' are helping much.

Depending on the blade size/type, the suggestion of the DMT Aligner is a pretty good one. A lot could be done with the clamp ($10-$15) and perhaps one C/F DMT hone to accompany it. Either the dedicated Aligner hones, or a DMT Dia-Fold with the Magna-Guide would give a lot of bang-for-the-buck. Depending on future needs, you can expand the choice of hones to include XC/EF/EEF (for Dia-Folds, which include the EEF). The clamp alone could also be used to guide the blade on a bench stone of your preference (or on a sheet of wet/dry sandpaper, for that matter).

The clamp will hold FFG (full flat grind) blades fine, BTW. Much easier to get the clamp's faces fully flush to a FFG blade. Lots of gripping surface area. These are the easiest blades to set up in the clamp.
 
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110417 said:
how much is the edge pro? and where can you find it?
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Unless you find a good deal on a used one, you're looking at probably 3x or more of your original $50 budget for a new one. The Edge Pro Apex is about the cheapest, at that price, and other accessories or models will add more to that cost. The Wicked Edge system is at least that expensive, and maybe higher still.

If you search for 'Edge Pro Apex', you should find their site easily enough. I won't link it here (per forum rules).
 
i wasnt looking to buy one haha, just admire it :P i still dont want to spend more than 50 if i can and these things sound like there hundreds of bones anyways :P
 
110417 said:
why no charge? haha
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Well, I always start with freebies, and once people get an edge that makes factory edges look like crap, they generally come back for more. I don't do it for anything more than a hobby.

The other thing is after a batch of knives I can generally pay for a few replacement stones.

110417 said:
i wasnt looking to buy one haha, just admire it :P i still dont want to spend more than 50 if i can and these things sound like there hundreds of bones anyways :P
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Yeah, I got my Edge Pro a couple years ago, and I think it totaled $205.00

Just recently got an Atoma 140 stone for it for $85.00 shipped.

Cost of additional stones and blanks, probably another $100.00

So, like any system there are weaknesses, like some high hollow grinds and tiny blades, though I've sharpened machetes, hatchets, scissors and it's pretty dang amazing for 99% of the things I've sharpened.
 
Bang for the buck, and under $50? No question there... The DMT Clamp and wet/dry sandpaper.
I've seen the clamp being sold for under $10. It has adjustable guides with a large range of setting. Along with a few sheets of sandpaper and some Micro sheets, you can get an edge down to 10,000 grit quickly and easily and still have $30 left over for pizza and beer. Actually, using larger sheets of sandpaper makes the sharpening go more quickly that using smaller stones.

I carry this set-up backpacking. It has no weight to speak of, and works perfectly. Who could ask for more?


Stitchawl
 
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