Spyderco ultrafine rods

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Pistolpete

Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
148
I have a Spyderco sharpmaker with the usual coarse and fine rods. I see that they also make an ultrafine ceramic rod. I would like to hear opinions from others as to how much sharper these ultrafine rods can get a knive compared to the fine rods that come with the Sharpmaker.
 
The short answer is yes, they give you a sharper edge, but not if your technique is not already very good. If you can't yet get shaving sharp with the fine rods, they you are better off spending more time refining your technique. The ultrafine rods can really REFINE your edge, but they can't make up for a poor one.

Good luck.
 
Well it's kind of a double edged sword so the speak. Because YES The ultra-fine 204 Sharpmaker rods can help a great deal. But if your technique is not good or needs improving then all the equipment in the knife world won't even help you.

I can't stress enough for all the folks who have the 204 Sharpmaker to view that video/DVD at least 2 to 3 times before even attempting to become proficient with it. Also make sure you have a knife that's got good steel in it. The RIP-MaRT discount crap won't usually perform well no matter how well you sharpen it.

But if you are able to get a decent blade hair shaving sharp off of a dry arm then YES the ultra-fine stones will get it significantly sharper for you. It would be like having Barry Bonds' baseball bat without having the talent to use it if you haven't gotten decent results from the Sharpmaker already. But if you view and study that video/DVD a lot and learn the techniques that Mr. Glesser is trying to get across you will then find the Ultra Fine 204 rods a great investment. Sometimes honing your skills will do more than additional equipment will.

All of Spyderco's great sharpening equipment is top notch. It took me quite a while to learn how to use the 701 Profiles. But now I wouldn't be caught without them anywhere. Also if you're going to get the UF stones for the 204 unit you might just as well get the diamond stones as well. To me the Sharpmaker isn't complete without them. Good Luck
 
I guess that is where I am wondering about the investment for the additional ultrafine rods. I can get my knives shaving sharp with the regular set up and really don't know how much more sharper I need them to be but then again, we sharpening enthusiasts are always looking for that "just a little more".
 
As to technique, I had a hard time at first.

I found some YouTube videos under "Sharpmaker Improvments Part 1 and Part 2" that really helped me a lot.

For me, mounting the Sharpmaker on something heavy (I used cement countertop) and using two hands was the key.

Also, it depends what you are using the knife for. A very fine edge can actually be a liability for certain uses.
 
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