SM240 Diamond Stone vs. RazorEdge Course Hone

G

GeckOblue925

Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
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I have an SOG X-Ray Mini w/ an ATS-34 blade. I purchased a Sharpmaker and have had only limited success trying to sharpen this knife.

Reading some other posts it occurred to me that perhaps the blades factory angle is not 30 or 40, and so when I sharpen all I am doing is slooowly re-profiling the edge. The blade is also a slightly harder steel than average and has an anti-wear coating. So I got to thinking that perhaps the SM Medium stones are not going to be enough to put the correct edge on this knife (after which keeping it sharp should be easy).

So if I need to get something to put the initial edge on it (re-profile it), I am wondering whether to get the SM Diamond stones (~$65) or get the Razor Edge coarse stone and guide (together ~$40). The guide will at least ensure that I am putting the desired angle on, and hopefully the coarse stone will make a difference on my blade -although I'm not sure how it compares to the SM Diamond stones.

Please let me know what you all think.
Thanx.
 
When you are regrinding an edge you don't really need to be concerned about the angle except in a very rough sense. You only want a guide when you are finished grinding and want to sharpen. You can buy a norton fine/coarse stone for a lot cheaper than either of the above.

-Cliff
 
Well if what you are saying is true then I really don't need to worry about re-profiling it anyway, in which case I wouldn't need any Norton stones.

It just makes more sense to me that before being able to keep a blade's edge sharp by running it along a hone at a controlled angle, it would already need to be fairly sharp or at least have an edge at that same angle to start with. No?

Obviously with almost 17,000 posts you would know more about this stuff than I do, so pardon my ignorance, but it's still a little unclear. Would you happen to how the two coarse grinding methods I mentioned above compare to each other?
 
Most factory blades tend to come with angles that don't match guides and thus you have to reshape the edge the first time you sharpen. You don't need a guide for this as you are just lowering it to some angle which you can judge roughly. Both of those stones are WAY overpriced. Get a Norton fine/coarse or better yet, really x-coarse waterstone from Lee Valley.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Most factory blades tend to come with angles that don't match guides and thus you have to reshape the edge the first time you sharpen. You don't need a guide for this as you are just lowering it to some angle which you can judge roughly. Both of those stones are WAY overpriced. Get a Norton fine/coarse or better yet, really x-coarse waterstone from Lee Valley.

-Cliff
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Hey Cliff I always value your advice and I have done well in the past by taking a lot of the advice you give us all here. I do have one question about your last recommendation. I personally have been using a Norton Coarse and 3m extra coarse to do my reprofiling before I get my Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker to do my finish work with. I am curious as to why you like the Lee Valley waterstones better? I am always willing to learn.

Also do you have any particular gripes about coarse and extra coarse diamond stones. Also keep in mind the diamond stones I have are the pricier Mono-Crystalline diamond stones that I have always heard the woodworkers swear by. Again we really appreciate the valuable information you share with us. Hope you are having a great holiday Sir :)
 
No, the x-coarse DMT I have is nice for knives where I can't use high pressure. But otherwise the large green block waterstone from Lee Valley is MUCH faster. Waterstones will cut faster at a given grit due to the bonding agents not masking the carbide.

-Cliff
 
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