The finest sharpener bar NONE!

Dave Ray

Dave Ray

Joined
May 13, 2002
Messages
8
I have spent the past week using the Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker. It is a good system for toucking up a blade with a half decent edge. Beyond that, it really isn't a true sharpener as you cannot create a true and even bevelled edge.

Today, I took delivery of the Edge Pro system. Words fail me, it is THE BEST unit out there short of buying a powered grinder with lapping wheel and all the trimmings. The Edge Pro cost me a lot of money and it cost me a fortune to get it shipped to the UK. I can categorically state that it was worth every penny. I spend a lot of money on knives and I feel they deserve the best attention; the Edge Pro certainly gives them that.

There can be no comparison between the Edge Pro and The Sharpmaker. One is a 28 handicapper and the other is Tiger Woods. My Sharpmaker will now be sold secondhand or it will stay in the garage. No disrespect to Spyderco, they are a great company and they make great knives but the Sharpmaker should never be compared to the Edge Pro they are not on the same planet!

Dave
 
I keep saving my money for an Edge Pro and My wife keeps spending it, When I get paid this month I'm gonna get one.(EdgePro, not wife):D
 
Hi Dave - I was just about to buy a sharpmaker - I have three Spydies and needed a sharpener, I was going to pick theirs out of brand loyalty I guess.
I'll probably only ever buy one sharpener my whole life so the cost won't be too much of a consideration in the long run, and I want to get the right one. As you've now used both is the Edge Pro good or better for Spydie serrations?
Cheers
 
I have never been able to sharpen a knife. Do you think the Edge Pro system will work for a knife sharpening dummy such as me?
I need a sharpener that will sharpen any knife with the proper guide. I always seem to get the angle wrong.
 
Please describe the limitations of the Edge Pro! Will it handle a blade 1/4" thick? What if its 7" long? Is it any better at the tip of the blade then the other systems that use the same basic principle like the DMT alignment jig or the other popular model who's name escapes me at the moment...
 
Matt I loved you in Copland and some of your small appearances like in E.R> as that security guard that got burned. How do you like Boston Public?:eek:
 
The Spyderco Sharpmaker does create a true edge, in fact the removal of metal along with the 'steeling' effect the ceramic rods have on the edge during sharpening makes for a more 'true' edge than most (if not all) other systems. An even bevelled edge should be no problem to create with the Sharpmaker after a few practice sharpenings. Reprofiling can be done quickly and effectively with the diamond rods now avalable for the Sharpmaker.
There can be no comparison between the Edge Pro and The Sharpmaker
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The Spyderco Sharpmaker is designed to be able to sharpen scissors, potatoe peelers, hooks, hawksbill blades, recurved blades, plain edge and serrated blades, straight razors, and more, comprehensive instructions for all of these can be found in the instruction book provided and are explained and demonstrated on the video, also provided. It is compact and versatile. It comes with everything you need. To suggest that it doesn't even compare (and not because of the 'apples to oranges' arguement, if this had been the basis for the statement i would agree) to a system which excels only at sharpening standard clip and drop-point style blades (please correct me if i'm wrong) is unfair.
 
Originally posted by Bimmer1
I have never been able to sharpen a knife. Do you think the Edge Pro system will work for a knife sharpening dummy such as me?
I need a sharpener that will sharpen any knife with the proper guide. I always seem to get the angle wrong.
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Yes, it is perfect for you. And call Ben if you have any questions at all. He will work you through it. The EdgePro is the best "system" -- long blades, thick blades, no problem. If you have really weird curves it is going to take more time (maybe a lot of time) with an EdgePro or any other method including freehand.

Those of you who have access to a slackbelt can do a convex edge if you like... but I can make a dang sharp knife every time.

It IS a little messy.
 
The Edge Pro is the best thing going, PERIOD, as stated above. The SharpMaker is by far the best for it's price range.

I use special wheels on my grinder that is extremely fast and efficient but still the Edge Pro is awesome.
 
Dave said:

"My Sharpmaker will now be sold secondhand or it will stay in the garage."

Hey Dave, you much are you selling that Sharpmaker for? I'm interested.

I don't have either the Sharpmaker or the Edge Pro, but I'd like to get both.

--Mike
 
I have both systems and I'm a newbie and I suck at sharpening. So, combining my trial and error and many, many helpful comments from fellow bf members, here's my $0.02 :) :

(1) the edgepro can create new bevels and edges. the sharpmaker (w/o the diamond sleeves) probably can, but will take a long, long time (I have yet to be successful, tho').

(2) the sharpmaker is easier to use, and more convenient to set-up. It is also 1/4 the price of the edge pro.

(3) the edgepro can create all sorts of edge angles. On the sharpmaker, the pre-set angles are 30deg (inclusive) and 40deg (inclusive). Of course, if you can do free-hand, you can do it at any angle. You also have a 12deg angle for scissors. as an illustration, I tried sharpening my endura yesterday. the factory angles (which I understand is 30 inclusive) didn't match the 30 deg angles on my sharpmaker. I had to use my edgepro, and due to my mistake, I set it at even lower than 30. but at least I can sharpen it at the same angle it came in. conclusion: the 30deg angle differs from manufacturer to manufacturer :eek: :eek:

(4) the edgepro is for sharpening blades - all sorts. the sharpmaker can do all sorts of slicers and dicers, including potato peelers.

(5) serrations are sharpened on the flat side on the edgepro. the sharpmaker sharpens both the serrated side and the flat side. the sharpmaker is the best serration sharpener, bar none.

(6) it's easier to maintain a straight edge on the sharpmaker as on the edgepro, the line may be altered if you do not set it parallel to the table edge. (at least, that's what I encountered).

(7) the sharpmaker is a dry system. the edgepro requires the stones to be damp. as the stones cut the metal very quickly, you will resultingly have to clean the grit off the knife blade during sharpening as well. sharpmaker is for lazy bones like me....

(8) the sharpmaker cannot sharpen emerson's chisel blades (30 deg on one side) easily. the edgepro can.

(9) if you get the edgepro, you must get the upgrade kit. this will cost you about $160 or so in total (w/o shipping). the polishing tapes at 3000 grit give a mirror finish and rocks.

(10) the sharpmaker will not scratch the blade spine. unless you use painter's tape to cover the blade on the edgepro, my experience (I'm a lousy sharpener and newbie) is that it will.

(11) Ben (of Edgepro) is a very helpful and nice guy. I will be trying the Spydie folks later this evening to sort out my endura/sharpmaker problems. I hope they're just as nice, or nicer!

(12) ultimately, you must master the techniques. I'm a couple of hundred dollars poorer (and I'm already in debt!:( ) and I still haven't mastered either. I still can't have a hair-poppin edge. Help me pls!
 
I could type another "The EdgePro is awsome" post but instead I'll just say.....

"Yup"
(see above posts)

Brent...
:p
 
Quick comments...

Originally posted by Dave Ray
Beyond that, it really isn't a true sharpener as you cannot create a true and even bevelled edge.
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It takes a little practice, but you absolutely, definitely can create a true, even-bevelled edge with a Sharpmaker.

Originally posted by spyken
(8) the sharpmaker cannot sharpen emerson's chisel blades (30 deg on one side) easily. the edgepro can.
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Beg to differ. I have had no problems with chisel ground blades or with Emerson's one-sided sharpening. Both worked fine, you just follow the instructions.

As much as the edgepro seems to be the next big thing... I'd just like to say that the last big thing works fine for me. After the first half dozen times sharpening, I have had no problems with my 204 -- sharpened everything from fingernail clippers to knives to potato peelers to knives to Mach 3 cartridges to knives.

Some of you guys are saying that you can't create a true edge or you can't do this or you can't do that... there is a bit of a learning curve, just like there is with anything else, but I have yet to find something dull that I couldn't get sharp.

I'm sure the edgepro is a great sharpener. No reason to talk bad about another great sharpener in order to promote it, though. Comparing is one thing, but spreading misinformation or saying subjective stuff objectively is another.

If you're looking to decide between the two, or you've got a Sharpmaker that you're having trouble with, please feel free to e-mail me. The folks in the Spyderco forum helped me out when I was starting with it, and I'm sure they'd help you too -- but if you'd rather e-mail someone for whatever reason, feel free.
 
I'm sure the edgepro is a great sharpener. No reason to talk bad about another great sharpener in order to promote it, though. Comparing is one thing, but spreading misinformation or saying subjective stuff objectively is another.
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My thoughts exactly, well said James. There seem to be a few opinions floating around here but not too many facts, for those of you who are of the opinion that the Edge Pro is the 'best' system, i would like to ask on what grounds you base your opinion. Do you find the Edge Pro easier to use than other systems? Is it cleaner, safer, more accurate? Let's get some factual information out in the open.
 
hi james and others,

I was hoping to get some help from you. how do you sharpen the 30deg edge on a chisel ground emerson? I was hoping to do so, but didn't know how (see my frantic queries in the spydie forum lately) - would appreciate the help.

absolutely agree that there's a learning curve, that's why my thoughts were only as a newbie, and sharpening newbie. hope that no one took my views as favouring one over the other. I have both, and I'm struggling to learn how to sharpen with both!:D

do you know how long it roughly takes to create a new bevel w/o the sharpmaker's diamond sleeves? I've just mucked up the edge on my spydie and would really like to set it to the 30deg factory angle on my sharpmaker again?

thanks.
 
Firstly, I don't want to just berate the Sharpmaker. It will sharpen a knife but it really is a "general" sharpener. I have nothing but respect for Sal Glesser - a true gent and a font of knowledge. The reasons I prefer the Edge Pro are as follows

1. Accuracy - even on my first knife using a 220 grit stone I achieved a near perfect bevel. The edge was touched up using a smooth ceramic steel (similar to Spyderco's white stone) and it was RAZOR sharp

2. Speed - on about my 5th knife I took a very dull meat cleaver. I had already tried this trick with the 204 on a very similar cleaver and it took me 15-20 minutes to achieve the start of an edge. Using a 180 grit stone, I had an edge on the cleaver in TWO minutes flat using the Edge Pro. I held up a sheet of A4 paper and it sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. The edge was set at 40 degrees which is too thin for a cleaver but hey, I am only experimenting

3. Aesthetics - I have some knives that possess mirror finishes and try as I may I couldn't get a mirror finsihed edge using the Sharpmaker. I put a polishing tape onto the Edge Pro and it was gleaming like a cut diamond.


If you took two 10" cooks knives that were totally dull and set a challenge to two people using the Sharpmaker and the Edge Pro I know which person I'd have money on!

In answer to M@thew's statement about misinformation I agree. I never intended to "rubbish" the Sharpmaker and I apologise 200% if that was how it came across. Both systems have safety measures and I have never cut myself on either. The Edge Pro is not difficult to set up but you do need a non-porous surface on which to mount the sucker cup base. There is an element of mess on the Edge Pro because you have to put water on the stones. However, it's only a slight mess and the addition of a towel below the cutting area soaks up the mess. As for accuracy then the Edge Pro wins hands down. I challenge anyone to put a more accurate polished edge on a knife using the sharpmaker than I can on the Edge Pro.

I appreciate there is a huge difference in cost but we are talking results only and the Edge Pro wins on that count every time.

Why not send a knife to Ben Dale and have him put an Edge Pro finish on it? I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. It would be interesting to see how people react when they've seen the results

Regards

Dave
 
The Sharpmaker, Edgepro, even the Tru-hone are wonderful devices, but again, nothing beats years of practice and a well rehearsed stroke.

It works with any knife, any stone, any where. I've on one occasion, seen an "oldtimer" whet his knife on a smooth stone picked out of a river and get a workable edge.

Last month, I raved about how great the Tru-Hone was. Last week, I was in LA with a knife, a ceramic stone and could not for the life of me, sharpen the blade correctly. I was so out of practice, that I could not duplicate the bevel, nor was my hand steady enough to hone a new one.

These systems are great when you have them set up and never venture far away from it, but if you venture out your front door and perhaps down the block, you might want to invest some time and practice in ".the "ancient art.
 
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