Starter Sharpening Kit(Sharpmaker, 306UF, and strop)

M

minimalist

Joined
Jul 3, 2013
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I posted a thread over in general discussions about sharpeners for noobs and got a bunch of good advice. I think this is the setup I'm going to go with as my first kit:

Spyderco Sharpmaker 204
Spyderco 306UF Benchstone
Knives Plus Strop Block

Does anyone have any experience with this setup or see anything particularly wrong with it?
 
Why not just get the UF rods for the SM?
 
I have a sharpmaker and knives plus strop block. With a little practice I see no need for ultra fine stones. Any steel north of 8cr13mov can get sharp enough to shave paper in half. And I mean lay a piece of paper on a table and filet it into 2 layers. I do this with my spyderco tenacious. You can always pick up ultra fine stones later.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/750008-Stropping-angle-plus-pressure

Here's a great thread on stropping
 
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knifenut1013 said:
Why not just get the UF rods for the SM?
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I figured the benchstone will help me learn how to freehand without really screwing up the knife. The goal is to get the sharpest edge possible for the least amount of money. Would you suggest just starting with everything for the sharpmaker? Or getting some 6 inch DMT stones instead of the sharpmaker?

By the way, your posts are extremely informative and I've learned a ton from them already! Thanks!
 
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minimalist said:
I figured the benchstone will help me learn how to freehand without really screwing up the knife. The goal is to get the sharpest edge possible for the least amount of money. Would you suggest just starting with everything for the sharpmaker? Or getting some 6 inch DMT stones instead of the sharpmaker?

By the way, your posts are extremely informative and I've learned a ton from them already! Thanks!
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I know you addressed this reply to Jason, and I also know he'll steer you straight with his advice.

My two cents' worth:

I can see the value in using the UF stone to practice freehand. I've even tested my own technique using a lapped-finer Spyderco DoubleStuff hone. If you have an edge that's already very good, and want to see if your technique can improve upon it, it's a decent way to test that without the risk of over-grinding a good edge away. Even a smooth piece of glass could be used, in determining if angle is just right, or if pressure is too heavy. The glass won't remove much, if any metal, but it can burnish a bit. If angle is too high, sharpness will be lost due to rounding, over-polishing and/or rolling of the edge. If pressure is too heavy, a thin edge may be folded to one side or the other. The smooth glass is also a good way to train your hands to 'feel' the bevels flush on the surface (practice with your eyes closed, so you can really concentrate on what your fingertips are telling you).

The biggest potential downside to purchasing the large UF hone is, you may find you won't use it as often after you've become accustomed to freehand technique. Large bench hones are really useful in coarse grits, because all that surface area really works fast for removing metal. I haven't felt the need for such large hones when just polishing or refining edges, because the need for heavy metal removal isn't nearly as important then. When an edge is really fine, it usually only needs a handful of feather-light strokes to refine it, and I've found a smaller hone to be more than adequate for such tasks. The one major exception may be if you're sharpening a straight razor for shaving, when the razor can be laid flat against the large UF hone. I'm pretty sure at least a few members here like the large Spyderco hones for this reason. Same might apply for sharpening woodworking edges (chisels & plane irons), where the dead-flat and wide bevels can be laid flush to the hone.

I think if you're allowing for the possibility of using some diamond hones, I'd get the DMTs anyway, regardless of whatever other options you may buy for the Sharpmaker. The larger surface area of the bench stones will really speed up re-bevelling jobs, especially.


David
 
Thanks for the advice David. Would you recommend getting a larger coarse dmt diasharp (3x8) and then fine/extra fine in (2x6)?

I'm actually wavering a bit and thinking about dmt stones instead of the sharpmaker.
 
minimalist said:
Thanks for the advice David. Would you recommend getting a larger coarse dmt diasharp (3x8) and then fine/extra fine in (2x6)?

I'm actually wavering a bit and thinking about dmt stones instead of the sharpmaker.
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I'm of the belief that a Coarse/Fine combo in 8" or larger size is probably the most versatile of any (I have this in the Duo-Sharp). So, if I were choosing only one grit, I can't see that you'd go wrong with getting the large Coarse first (in either Dia-Sharp, or the interrupted surface Duo-Sharp version). Money well-spent, in my view. Whatever you choose to purchase beyond that is up to you. :)


David
 
minimalist,

first off, the Knives Plus strop block is a must have.
Secondly, I would suggest going on Amazon and ordering the DMT credit card sharpeners. It comes includes three 3" x 2" stones (coarse, fine, and extra fine) for $25. They are small, but probably the best value you can find. I learned how to sharpen on these stones, and I still use them over my other stones.
If you want a bigger set, I'd recommend the 6" fine and extra fine; you honestly don't need coarse unless you need to do some major sharpening/reprofiling. The 6" stones are about $25 each, while the 8" are almost $50 a piece...So you decide if that extra 2 inches is worth another 25 bucks per stone.


Obsessed with Edges said:
I'm of the belief that a Coarse/Fine combo in 8" or larger size is probably the most versatile of any (I have this in the Duo-Sharp). So, if I were choosing only one grit, I can't see that you'd go wrong with getting the large Coarse first (in either Dia-Sharp, or the interrupted surface Duo-Sharp version). Money well-spent, in my view. Whatever you choose to purchase beyond that is up to you. :)


David
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As David stated, that would be another great purchase. However, you should invest in an extra fine stone as well.
 
Paul Dragosljvich said:
minimalist,

first off, the Knives Plus strop block is a must have.
Secondly, I would suggest going on Amazon and ordering the DMT credit card sharpeners. It comes includes three 3" x 2" stones (coarse, fine, and extra fine) for $25. They are small, but probably the best value you can find. I learned how to sharpen on these stones, and I still use them over my other stones.
If you want a bigger set, I'd recommend the 6" fine and extra fine; you honestly don't need coarse unless you need to do some major sharpening/reprofiling. The 6" stones are about $25 each, while the 8" are almost $50 a piece...So you decide if that extra 2 inches is worth another 25 bucks per stone.




As David stated, that would be another great purchase. However, you should invest in an extra fine stone as well.
Click to expand...

I've been back and forth on what to get and reached out to some members who said the sharpmaker. I definitely want to learn how to freehand though so I might get those credit cards to practice on as well. Thanks!

I actually screwed up my edge on my ZT0200st this morning trying to get the rolled edge fixed. I tried it on the bottom of a coffee mug which wasn't really doing anything. Then I remembered there was a sharpener on my Leatherman Wave so I whipped that out and used the finer side. It's not dull, but it's definitely not as sharp as it was before.
 
minimalist said:
I've been back and forth on what to get and reached out to some members who said the sharpmaker. I definitely want to learn how to freehand though so I might get those credit cards to practice on as well. Thanks!

I actually screwed up my edge on my ZT0200st this morning trying to get the rolled edge fixed. I tried it on the bottom of a coffee mug which wasn't really doing anything. Then I remembered there was a sharpener on my Leatherman Wave so I whipped that out and used the finer side. It's not dull, but it's definitely not as sharp as it was before.
Click to expand...

The Sharpmaker is definitely much easier to learn on, so perhaps that would be the better choice.
Might I suggest practicing on a less expensive knife than a ZT. :D I used a beater Skyline until I was comfortable with sharpening my higher end blades.

Good luck with your sharpening endeavors, my friend.
 
I think the best way to learn sharpening is a Norton combination India stone. Its cheap, large enough to use on fixed blades, wears slowly, is easy to maintain, and will teach you the fundamentals without breaking the bank.

I like the Sharpmaker as a maintenance tool for knives that I have already put a nice relief edge on but I find that most knives come to obtuse from the factory and you end up spending alot of time burnishing the shoulder rather than sharpening the edge. In addition, assuming you get lucky and have a blade from the factory that is less than 40 inclusive, its difficult to fell the burr as you are constantly switching sides.

I have used everything from the Sharpmaker, the Edgepro, the Wicked Edge, water stones, oil stones, diamond plates etc. and in retrospect the best place to learn is a Norton combination oil stone in the 8 inch size.

Have fun.
 
Paul Dragosljvich said:
The Sharpmaker is definitely much easier to learn on, so perhaps that would be the better choice.
Might I suggest practicing on a less expensive knife than a ZT. :D I used a beater Skyline until I was comfortable with sharpening my higher end blades.

Good luck with your sharpening endeavors, my friend.
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Lol, yeah I probably should have just waited to practice with kitchen knives on a real sharpener.
 
Hey man, I know I already mentioned it on another thread, but I can really relate because I was just asking the exact same questions two months ago. Most people directed me towards the sharpmaker, but a few (who seem to be quite accomplished sharpeners) suggested I just skip it and go straight to the diamond stones. I did and I'm very happy. I "whittled" my first hair today with my dragonfly salt. Put a few curly-cues on the same hair. Nice!

I doubt I would be unhappy if I had bought a sharpmaker, but I have a feeling I was going to gravitate towards freehand anyway, so I'm happy I went straight to it. I get the feeling you are headed in the same direction. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
Surfingringo said:
Hey man, I know I already mentioned it on another thread, but I can really relate because I was just asking the exact same questions two months ago. Most people directed me towards the sharpmaker, but a few (who seem to be quite accomplished sharpeners) suggested I just skip it and go straight to the diamond stones. I did and I'm very happy. I "whittled" my first hair today with my dragonfly salt. Put a few curly-cues on the same hair. Nice!

I doubt I would be unhappy if I had bought a sharpmaker, but I have a feeling I was going to gravitate towards freehand anyway, so I'm happy I went straight to it. I get the feeling you are headed in the same direction. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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Thanks. I constantly find myself looking at stones now. I'll probably end up getting both.
 
Surfingringo said:
Hey man, I know I already mentioned it on another thread, but I can really relate because I was just asking the exact same questions two months ago. Most people directed me towards the sharpmaker, but a few (who seem to be quite accomplished sharpeners) suggested I just skip it and go straight to the diamond stones. I did and I'm very happy. I "whittled" my first hair today with my dragonfly salt. Put a few curly-cues on the same hair. Nice!

I doubt I would be unhappy if I had bought a sharpmaker, but I have a feeling I was going to gravitate towards freehand anyway, so I'm happy I went straight to it. I get the feeling you are headed in the same direction. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. Free hand is so much more practical..Chances are you won't be taking a Sharpmaker with you when you go camping, fishing, etc.
 
minimalist said:
Does anyone have any experience using the sharpmaker for kitchen knives?
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I've often thought the SM to be ideal for kitchen knife use, IF the edge geometry of the knives is prepared for it. In other words, as with all knives used on the SM, setting a good symmetrical bevel at 30° inclusive or less will make maintenance on the Sharpmaker much easier, and much more rewarding, in terms of edge performance. When the edge angle is set up for it in advance, usually only a handful of passes on the SM's rods will be needed to keep them in great shape.


David
 
Just wanted to add something to this thread. I think I am about to order a sharpmaker. Not because I am unhappy with the dmt stones, but because I want more versatility and options. I want to get some serrated and hawkbill knives, and I think that the sm is probably a good way to work with those blades. Also, I think i am getting great results with the dmt stones, but am curious to see how they compare to the sm.

Anyway, just wanted to share that on this thread. OP, I doubt it really matters which you start with. You'll likely end up with both.
 
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