Spyderco Sharpmaker Questions

[gnlw]

I'm looking into buying a Sharpmaker to replace my old Crock Sticks. I've gotten pretty good with the Crock Sticks, except they tend to wear down the tips of my knives. How difficult is it to keep knife tips sharp with the Sharpmaker? If keeping tips sharp is a concern, am I better off with another sharpener? Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[metallicat]

I understand that a sharpmaker will round off the tip of a knife unless you are carefful in your sharpening technique. Have you considered an edge pro? I have both and they complement each other but if I had to chose one I'd take the edge pro.

 

[Planterz]

The problem is that you're sharpening too far up the blade. I'm guessing that you start at the base of the blade, and go all the way *past* the tip on each stroke. That's the error. Because you're putting pressure on the edge, each time you sharpen past the tip, you're also filing the tip down. I used to do this all the time freehanding when I was learning to sharpen. This is where a bench stone comes in handy, because it's easier to do just the tip without rounding it off than it is with a thin tool like those on the Sharpmaker. Personally, I freehand with a round ceramic stick then finish the tip with either a small, flat ceramic stone or a green (9 micron ultra-fine) DMT diamond stone.

The object is to not go past the stone, as this will round the tip down.

 

[roshi]

The object is to not go past the stone, as this will round the tip down.

Or apply too much pressure. Lots of light strokes are better than fewer heavy strokes.

Even if you get an EdgePro you'll still need a SharpMaker or Croc Sticks to easily touch up the edge.

Take the time to learn to use "sticks" or "stones" practicing with a less expensive knife with softer steel.

 

[gnlw]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Planterz: I might try your method of using a flat stone to sharpen the tip area and just stay with the Crock Sticks.