Spyderco Sharpmaker

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rc3mil

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ive heard allot of people saying this thing is great. People also say get the diamond rods with it. Why? What do the diamond rods do? would i be able to sharpen an rc3 on the sharpmaker easily? ( i have no previous sharpening experience at all)
 
The Sharpmaker with the brown (course) and white (fine) rods that come with it is great for touching up knives that are already sharp and have the correct edge profile. The diamond rods are for re-profiling blade angles or sharpening really dull knives. The diamond rods are courser than the brown rods and take off metal faster making the process quicker. However, for really big re-profiling jobs dmt xxc diamond flat stones are probably better than the Sharpmaker. It all depends on how much time you want to spend doing it and how much metal needs to be removed from your knife.

The Sharpmaker would be fine for maintaining your RC3. The fact that the Sharpmaker has preset angles makes the process easier for a lot of people including those new to sharpening. The difficulty arises in that the Sharpmaker only has two angles and your knife may not be at 15 degrees or 20 degrees which means that to get the best performance from the sharpening system those knives would need to be re-profiled.
 
I use diamond flat stones when I need to bring a blade back to life, but for maintenance, the Sharpmaker is superb.
 
The Sharpmaker is a terrific system for newbies to sharpening (like me). It sets the angle, so you don't have to worry about that crucial issue. Between the two rods, you can get most everything pretty darn sharp. I would recommend getting an ultrafine as well, for that final touch.
 
The factory bevel on the RAT knives matches up perfectly with the Sharpmaker at the 40* setting. A couple strokes on the Sharpmaker and my RAT knives come off absolutely laser sharp. Rowen's 1095 is a fantastic steel, and the Sharpmaker does a great job. My Izula is the best cutting knife I currently own.
 
Where can I get diamond rods for my Sharpmaker?

What do you think of the somewhat expensive "superfine" rods that Spyderco sells for the Sharpmaker?

Thanks
 
Got my diamond rods and sharpmaker from newgrham, the system is very easy to use.
 
It's fair to say that the Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker is more designed to maintain a great edge than it is to take a very dull knife and put an edge on it. Now the diamond rods for the 204 unit will make it a much better kit in the field or to use it as a traveling sharpening kit. I also highly recommend getting a set of the ultra-fine stones that you can also get for the 204 sharpmaker. There are several vendors that sell those at a very reasonable price.

What I've done is to get one of those big zip up knife cases for a large fixed blade knife and I've made a traveling kit where I keep all my extra 204 stones and the unit itself all in one case.

Now I do stress for all new owners of the Sharpmaker to watch that video/DVD that comes with it at least 2 to 3 times before using it. There are a lot of tricks to obtaining success with the unit.
 
So for the Sharpmaker and the diamond rods and the ultra fine rods its gona cost a pretty penny. Over $100. Would wetstones be an option instead?
 
rc3mil said:
So for the Sharpmaker and the diamond rods and the ultra fine rods its gona cost a pretty penny. Over $100. Would wetstones be an option instead?
Click to expand...

Some might call the Sharpmaker good for "beginners", but it's a flat out good sharpening system period. It's good for a quick utility edge and maintenance, but can do so much more when you get comfy with it. Good wet stones can cost as much and a whole lot more if looking at high quality stones. Get the Sharpmaker and start from there.
 
rc3mil said:
So for the Sharpmaker and the diamond rods and the ultra fine rods its gona cost a pretty penny. Over $100. Would wetstones be an option instead?
Click to expand...

If money is an issue (and when isn't it) just get the basic Sharpmaker that comes with the brown and white rods. If TFin04 is correct, and I have no reason to think he isn't, then your RC3 is already ground at 20* per side so the Sharpmaker will be perfect for maintaining its edge.

When you have some more money get the diamond rods and the extra fine. I just got the diamond rods myself a month or two ago and they are great. I still don't have the extra fine rods. Maybe someday I'll get them but you can get a hair shaving edge with the white (fine) rods that are standard.
 
I have owned one for a long time, it's really a good sharpening system for maintaining a nice edge.

Get the Ultra Fine stones for sure though.

I use both my Edge Pro and Sharpmaker, each has their uses.
 
Anyone know the best online store (or actual walk in store) where i can get the best price on a sharpmaker?
 
i've added 150 and 320 stones from congress tool...they will cut and clean faster when doing dull knives...i don't bother with extra fine honing stones, the oem white stones get a knife plenty sharp enough...
 
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