Spyderco Sharpmaker

A

awad

Joined
Oct 16, 2009
Messages
306
I've seen this contraption praised on these forums and i've been itching to spend more money apparently. So i'm looking for a little help.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Sharpmaker-Knife-Sharpener-204MF/dp/B000Q9C4AE

Everything that comes with this should be all i need to maintain an edge on my knives, right? I don't have any damaged blades. But the only sharpening tools i have now are a small Smiths stone and that blue diamond rod.

Are the extra diamond rods necessary? or is that only for really damaged knives?

Thanks!
 
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is probably the best sharpening "system" you can get. I don't even use the base anymore, I just hold the ceramics or the diamond speed sleeves and use them freehand. I also suggest to people to purchase the Spyderco Pro-Filer ceramics, you cannot go wrong with these tools.

The tools that I just mentioned, I cannot praise them enough.

Generally, when something really needs worked on, I use a Black Sharpie and paint the edge, just the edge, and when I have brushed the Sharpie ink away on both sides, the knife is very, very sharp. Takes some learning, but it really works well.
 
I bought the sharpmaker with out the diamond rods. Then after a while I got the diamond rods. The diamond rods are great. I would suggest getting them.
 
Don Rearic said:
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is probably the best sharpening "system" you can get. I don't even use the base anymore, I just hold the ceramics or the diamond speed sleeves and use them freehand. I also suggest to people to purchase the Spyderco Pro-Filer ceramics, you cannot go wrong with these tools.

The tools that I just mentioned, I cannot praise them enough.

Generally, when something really needs worked on, I use a Black Sharpie and paint the edge, just the edge, and when I have brushed the Sharpie ink away on both sides, the knife is very, very sharp. Takes some learning, but it really works well.
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Of all the options from spyderco, those ceramic rods seemed the best deal to me. Those are the ones that come in a leather sheath right -with 4 shapes of rod?
 
+1 for both the Sharpmaker and the ceramic rods. I don't have the diamond rods, but have diamond hones for my Lansky and use that for the jobs that require a major re-sharpening/re-contouring. For most purposes, the Sharpmaker will be all you'll ever need.
 
Don Rearic said:
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is probably the best sharpening "system" you can get. I don't even use the base anymore, I just hold the ceramics or the diamond speed sleeves and use them freehand. I also suggest to people to purchase the Spyderco Pro-Filer ceramics, you cannot go wrong with these tools.

The tools that I just mentioned, I cannot praise them enough.

Generally, when something really needs worked on, I use a Black Sharpie and paint the edge, just the edge, and when I have brushed the Sharpie ink away on both sides, the knife is very, very sharp. Takes some learning, but it really works well.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing Don, free hand w/rods and sharpie technique. Great Advice:thumbup:
 
I don't use the base anymore either, but carry the white ceramic with the lansky ends on ech one. I really do love their ceramic.
 
awesome. thanks so much guys, i went ahead and ordered just the unit, i'll be getting those diamond rods once i get some more money in. thanks again!
 
Sharpening is a bigger cash pit than actual knives are. You'll move on from system to system until you end up with something you're finally satisfied with - usually a set of benchstones, a paper wheel, or an Edge pro. Or some combination of those. The sharpmaker is a great first step into this pit. :thumbup:
 
Kenix said:
Sharpening is a bigger cash pit than actual knives are. You'll move on from system to system until you end up with something you're finally satisfied with - usually a set of benchstones, a paper wheel, or an Edge pro. Or some combination of those. The sharpmaker is a great first step into this pit. :thumbup:
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Agreed, I have spent quite a large amount of cash on different systems. I agree that the Sharpmaker is a good start, and for me it's the one that I use the most. Only if the edge is really damaged will I move on to something else. For speed I think you'd be hard pressed to find something better, and the price is really good for what you get.
 
Now that I have the diamond rods, the sharpmaker feels much more versatile. I have a couple of knives in D2, and the diamonds have proven invaluable with the harder steels
 
Ebay has good prices on unopened ones. A good trick I haven't yet used but plan to if you don't have the diamonds is to wrap the rods in a coarse sandpaper to get a coarser surface (the standard coarse brown stones are quite fine actually).

I tried making a strop with green compound to polish it off to a hair-splitting edge, but I suck so far. Looking at ultrafines for xmas as a result.
 
I quite like my DMT Aligner and it didn't cost all that much. But I have never tried a sharpmaker. My DMT Aligner came with 4 diamond hones and a serrated blade sharpener for a cost of $46.
 
I had a Lansky, now I have a DMT Coarse 6" stone and I have the Spyderco Profile set (2 8" long ceramic weird shaped rods). I now freehand and haven't looked back. I never use the Lansky.

I think if you know how to sharpen a little bit you'd be better off without the Sharpmaker. Then again, I don't know what knives you're sharpening. If you're talking about purely RAT knives.....then I say don't get a Sharpmaker. Just me.
 
i thought i knew how to sharpen, but until i got my sharpmaker, i never knew how sharp i could get my knives. using this has allowed me to see what i was doing wrong in my freehand sharpening and for that alone, it's totally worth it.

i got the sharpmaker yesterday and luckily for me, today there was a huge snowstorm, so i had nothing else to do but sharpen all my knives.

knives.jpg


just my humble little collection so far.
 
awad said:
i thought i knew how to sharpen, but until i got my sharpmaker, i never knew how sharp i could get my knives. using this has allowed me to see what i was doing wrong in my freehand sharpening and for that alone, it's totally worth it.

QUOTE]

This is why I ordered mine recently. I've tried sharpening freehand with highly variable, mostly mediocre results. I hope the Sharpmaker will allow me to keep my kitchen knives in shape while I work on my freehand technique on all my others.

Jay
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