If you can hold a knife, you can sharpen it on the sharpmaker. It is that easy.
The 203 is the old model, comes in a cordura case, and has one angle (I believe it is a 40 degree angle, each side is 20 from vertical)
The 204 is a newer model, comes with an instructional video, and is encased in a hard plastic case. It has the capability to be mounted to a desk or work bench, and has both a 40 degree edge angle and a 30 degree back bevel angle.
Both models come with brass rods to protect your hands, medium grit triangular rods, and fine triangular rods. These will make knives sharp enough to remove hair from your arms, but not sharp enough to comfortably shave your face with.
To sharpen a knife, you must insert the ceramic rods into the holes. This will set the angle, and the new ones are labeled, one side says 40 degree edge, the other 30 degree back bevel. Even I can figure it out. Then you hold the knife straight out, with the edge down and spine up, and make a downward cutting motion first on one side, then the other. The only thing easier is cutting your thumb after you've sharpened your knife on this system. There are no clamps to attach to anything, or angles to set, or parts to assemble. There may be systems that can produce a sharper blade, and there are possibly a few that can sharpen a wider variety of things, though I doubt it. But I do not believe there is a system this simple and foolproof, this cheap, that produces such a sharp finished blade. I won't use it on my straight razor, but I do use it on everything else I cut with, from darts and fish hooks to kitchen knives, daily carry folders and scissors.
Stryver
