The Spyderco Sharpmaker is the best sharpener in the world!

N

Nikkogi

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Jan 19, 2009
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I just got back from Kittery Trading Post and I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker. This sharpening system is the easiest and most effective system. After watching Sal demonstrating it in the included DVD, I set off to sharpening. To start off, I sharpened my user Kershaw Scamp. This knife was so dull that it wouldn't cut printer paper at all. 20 strokes on the corners and flats of both rods and I had a screaming sharp knife. So sharp that it popped hair off my arm like no tomorrow. Then I decide to up the ante and try a steel a bit harder then 8cr13Mov, VG-10 on my Centofante 3. Again, I did 20 strokes on the corners and flats and by the time I was done it was scary sharp! I decided to try an even harder steel, S30v, on my Spyderco Military. I did the same 20 strokes on the corners and flats of the rods and by the time I was done it was super sharp! I have other Sharpeners like the deluxe lansky system, Smith system, and a few others but this is much more effective then anything I've ever tried. If you can't sharpen a knife freehand, the Sharpmaker is the way to go! I know what I'm doing tomorrow! LOL
 
They are great. Get the ultrafine stones if you want to really put a heck of an edge on stuff, especially the serrated edges. The Sharpmaker was largely responsible for me getting into the whole hobby of knives, and my love of serrated edges in particular, which I would have never even tried without the Sharpmaker. I owe you a big Thank You Sal!
 
anyone have any links to this sharpmaker? everyone I've seen say its a 'triangle' sharpmaker..

I use belt sanders exclusively now, I used to have wet stones and was looking into more but this intrigue's me.. sad thing is I think I had some of those rods and tossed them in the trash because I didn't know what they were.., not sure if they were spyderco's or not as they were my wife's late step father..
 
Sharpmaker is the great tool. Just add u/f and coarse rods and you can do whatever you need to do sharpen, fix or reprofile . It was the first Spyderco I got. Still, the best $50 I ever spent.
 
I still remember the day I bought my sharpmaker.;) I had returned home after a shitty day at work, had a few beers and watched the DVD. I had Sog's Aus-8 shaving in 10-20 min and Spyderco's VG-10 hair popping (literally hairs popping of my skin) not long after.

I can honestly say if it were not for the sharpmaker I would not own more then 1-2 knives. The idea of having 10-20 knives shipped off to be sharpened was not appealing.

I personally can't see the need for the Ultrafine rods unless its for a showpiece. I lose to ability to pop hairs after 10 or so cuts with VG-10 even less with 1095 and softer steels so for real world performance on moderate quality steels the white rods go far enough.

All my opinion. :)
 
I like this sharpener, but unfortunately the quality of the stones fell heavily. At last I bought were curves and rough with potholes. Just a few of my friends have noticed a similar problem. I hope the manufacturer will hear me and to strengthen control over quality.
 
Sharpmaker is definitely my "go to" for touch ups and quick sharpenings. But if I want to do some serious reprofiling or need to cut some fresh steel, then the benchstones come out.

I find that once in a while, my kitchen knives need a benchstone sharpening - the Sharpmaker does a great job maintaining the edge but eventually they seem to need to be "recut."
 
I love mine... I can get almost any of my blades hair popping sharp in a matter of minutes. Its a GREAT tool!
 
Marlinaholic said:
They are great. Get the ultrafine stones if you want to really put a heck of an edge on stuff, especially the serrated edges.
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The Sharpmaker is great. Definitely get the UF stones. I touched up kitchen knives in a matter of minutes and they were back to ridiculously sharp in minutes after using the UF stones.
 
I absolutely love mine. Probably the best $50 I have spent in a while. Just a great system. Remarkably easy to use. I always used bench stones, they are great too, but the sharpmaker takes the guesswork out and saves me a ton of time.
 
Daniel L said:
Sharpmaker is definitely my "go to" for touch ups and quick sharpenings. But if I want to do some serious reprofiling or need to cut some fresh steel, then the benchstones come out.

. . . .
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Same here. Love the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups of my folders (and travel), but I love my DMT's and Japanese waterstones for kitchen knives and whenever I have some serious amount of metal to reshape or remove and when I want to finish with a brilliant mirror polish on my bevels.
 
IME, the Sharpmaker is not bad for "touching up" a blade, but it isn't a good choice for re-sharpening a dull knife, and is one of the worst choices for heavy re-profiling.
 
Ben Dover said:
IME, the Sharpmaker is not bad for "touching up" a blade, but it isn't a good choice for re-sharpening a dull knife, and is one of the worst choices for heavy re-profiling.
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Out of the box, I agree with you. But for heavy grinding, wrapping the rods with coarser grit sandpaper does the trick. A $1 solution isn't too shabby. Add the UF rods and you can get a very sharp edge.
 
Love my sharpmaker! It's very easy for those who have little to no skill at sharpening. The most important thing is to maintain the knife perpendicular to the stones keeping a steady consistent angle. UF stones are a must IMO!
 
dsmegst said:
Out of the box, I agree with you. But for heavy grinding, wrapping the rods with coarser grit sandpaper does the trick. A $1 solution isn't too shabby. Add the UF rods and you can get a very sharp edge.
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^ This. I've reprofiled quite a few knives with the Sharpmaker this way. I even reprofiled Spyderco's CPM-M4 and another blade in 440C with just the diamond rods. It's not the fastest way, but not as tough as everyone seems to post. Add some coarse sandpaper, and it works great.
 
I've been a big fan of the Sharpmaker for many years. I might have to try a set of the UF rods one day, but the basic white rods have been more than adequate for me so far.

PAZach said:
Love my sharpmaker! It's very easy for those who have little to no skill at sharpening. The most important thing is to maintain the knife perpendicular to the stones keeping a steady consistent angle. UF stones are a must IMO!
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I think you mean perpendicular to the base, not perpendicular to the stones.
 
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