What do you figure is the best/easiest sharpening system?

i see you changed your trade post.
you posted this in the wrong forum. General Knife Discussion Your area to discuss knives in general: Folders, Fixed blades, Swords & knife related equipment, etc. Take off topic posts to the Community Center & manufacturer specific questions to their respective forums.
 
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Best and easiest isn't something I would expect to find in a sharpening system. If you want easy, odds are you are going to be giving up something somewhere along the line.

The best of the easiest on the other hand?
In my opinion, you can't hardly go wrong with a Lansky guide-rod system. They aren't perfect, but it's a damn near foolproof way to get a very respectable edge on just about any type of knife.

The Sharpmaker/Crock-sticks... I don't like. They aren't complete systems. They sharpen and touch up, but they don't repair and reprofile.
 
I've used the Spyderco Sharpmaker for the past 15 years and have been very pleased with the results. I think one needs to add the diamond sticks to the set to easier profile a blade, but with time and effort the gray stones will work. I think what I like the best about the Sharpmaker is that I keep it set up on my work table and every night I will give my knives, those that were used during the day, 10 to 20 strokes on the white stones. It is much easier to keep a sharp knife sharp than to dull the knife and then try to get back that level of sharpness.:D

Btw sean, I saw were you asked a question in another thread about reccomending the ZT0350, and a reply stated that the blade was not centered and coming in near contact with the liner. Just wanted to tell you that this is usually an easy fix that does not require you to dissasemble the knife.
 
cutter17 said:
I've used the Spyderco Sharpmaker for the past 15 years and have been very pleased with the results. I think one needs to add the diamond sticks to the set to easier profile a blade, but with time and effort the gray stones will work. I think what I like the best about the Sharpmaker is that I keep it set up on my work table and every night I will give my knives, those that were used during the day, 10 to 20 strokes on the white stones. It is much easier to keep a sharp knife sharp than to dull the knife and then try to get back that level of sharpness.:D

Btw sean, I saw were you asked a question in another thread about reccomending the ZT0350, and a reply stated that the blade was not centered and coming in near contact with the liner. Just wanted to tell you that this is usually an easy fix that does not require you to dissasemble the knife.
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Yeah I do the same thing with mine, if they start getting dull I just give a few passes on my Sharpmaker and it's good to go.
 
Slack belt sander and convex edge for me.

Sandpaper and strop if I'm away from the sander.

That's just my preference there are lots of effective ways to sharpen.

Kevin
 
I just used the Spyderco Sharpmaker today for the first time and I must say that I'm thoroughly impressed. Never having sharpened knives before, I found that the Sharpmaker instructions and setup made it very "newbie-friendly."

I just sharpened my mother's steak knives (as I'd rather practice on those than my Spydie folders :)) and they came out pretty good. Cut through tonight's steak like butter.

cutter is right. I will need to pick up the diamond stones. One of my father's very old knives has no bevel on it and I couldn't seem to produce a good one with the medium stones. The diamonds should do the trick.
 
Assuming you don't have a dedicated workshop to set up a grinder/belt sander, etc.....

'Easiest' has to be the Spyderco Sharpmaker plus diamond/ultrafine rod. ANYONE can sharpen a dull knife with one hand using this setup.

'Best' can only be made by EdgePro. No ands, if's, or buts. EdgePro Apex or Pro models will give the user a perfect edge. It doesn't get much better than perfect...

Now, if you DO happen to have a workshop where you can set up some larger machines, paper wheels, belt sanders, grinders, etc., etc., etc., there are a dozen excellent machines available on the market today that are used by sharpening companies all over the world. The first question to ask is; do you really have to sharpen THAT MANY KNIVES? If you are only sharpening a couple, do you need to set up a machine?

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Assuming you don't have a dedicated workshop to set up a grinder/belt sander, etc.....

'Easiest' has to be the Spyderco Sharpmaker plus diamond/ultrafine rod. ANYONE can sharpen a dull knife with one hand using this setup.

'Best' can only be made by EdgePro. No ands, if's, or buts. EdgePro Apex or Pro models will give the user a perfect edge. It doesn't get much better than perfect...

Now, if you DO happen to have a workshop where you can set up some larger machines, paper wheels, belt sanders, grinders, etc., etc., etc., there are a dozen excellent machines available on the market today that are used by sharpening companies all over the world. The first question to ask is; do you really have to sharpen THAT MANY KNIVES? If you are only sharpening a couple, do you need to set up a machine?
Stitchawl
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Valid question, however in my case I currently use a 1" x 30" cheapy belt sander that I picked up locally for under $50 CDN brand new. (I think similar machines can be purchased Stateside for around $35) Initial set up of belts and a leather polishing strap will approx. double the initial investment.

Also, depends on whether you prefer a convex edge or not, not everyone does, but if you do you may need to reprofile the blade, and reprofiling is much faster and easier with a belt sander.

I'm pretty sure the first Lansky kit I ever bought set me back about $85 bucks (without diamond stones) and I know I've spent over $150 on good quality sharpening stones (all CDN $$ prices) So $100 bucks for a sander and belts isn't out of line. I'm not familiar with the Sharpmaker.

That said. I will caution that you can ruin a knife pretty easily with a belt sander until you get some practice under your belt, and, as you pointed out, you don't want to set it up on the kitchen cupboard because they can be pretty messy. The small unit I have is lightweight a very portable so it can be stored away easily. It is suitable for even a small workspace.

The OP asked which system is easiest, and for myself, being a fan of convexed edges, the belt sander is the easiest and quickest.

It's not for everyone one, but it is my prefered choice.

Kevin
 
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stitchawl said:
'Best' can only be made by EdgePro. No ands, if's, or buts. EdgePro Apex or Pro models will give the user a perfect edge. It doesn't get much better than perfect...
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That depends entirely on how you define perfect. :p

The problem with the EdgePro (and any guide-rod system for that matter *cough*Lansky*cough*) is... relatively minor, actually. What it boils down to is that, when using a guide-rod system, you will end up with varied grind angles across the entire edge of your blade. The longer the blade, the more the variance. If you care to learn more about this, CLICK HERE (or CLICK HERE for the entire thread.) Like I said, it's only a minor problem. In some ways, it could actually be a good thing.
 
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