What sharpener...

L

Latro27

Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
24
-Need a good sharpener, I like my knives razor sharp

-Never used a sharpener before

-I'm pretty bad with crafty things, so idiot proof would be nice

-I have $50ish to spend

Been looking at the Spyderco Sharpmaker, and the Lansky Deluxe.

Suggestions?
 
I would suggest the Sharpmaker for beginning. I would also suggest reading up on sharpening basics: forming a burr, apexing your edge, and making sure you don't have a wire edge when you are finished sharpening.
 
I would recommend a stone and your hands. We have done it this way for hundreds of years.
 
Knife Sharpener.jpgI have made my own sharpner and I have been useing it for 15+ years. I have a kershaw leek and I get it to where I can shave my arm with it. now it is a pull threw sharpner and some people here on this form hate it. that is there right. I have not seen one that is this easy yet.
 
The Sharpmaker only comes with one set of "stones", and they are pretty fine. It also only has two available angles. It works ok for touching up knives that have bevels set at 15 or 20 degrees per side. Trying to profile a knife to 15 or 20 degrees can take a very very long time.

The Lansky has different stones, so you can remove steel quickly, and polish the bevel. It also offers more angles, and takes the human error factor down a bunch.

I think the Sharpmaker is just too limited for the money. By the time you get the needed stones, you could have bought an Edge Pro.
 
grizzled gizzard said:
The Sharpmaker only comes with one set of "stones", and they are pretty fine. It also only has two available angles. It works ok for touching up knives that have bevels set at 15 or 20 degrees per side. Trying to profile a knife to 15 or 20 degrees can take a very very long time.

The Lansky has different stones, so you can remove steel quickly, and polish the bevel. It also offers more angles, and takes the human error factor down a bunch.

I think the Sharpmaker is just too limited for the money. By the time you get the needed stones, you could have bought an Edge Pro.
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The Sharpmaker comes with two sets of stones, the medium and fine sets. I think the ultra fines stones are worth having but not sure about the diamond ones. I would find a coarser grit stone to rebevel.
 
Hm. Sorry about that, I have a friend who uses one, and I've only seen only seen him have one set of stones.

Thank you for setting me straight.
 
grizzled gizzard said:
The Sharpmaker only comes with one set of "stones", and they are pretty fine. It also only has two available angles. It works ok for touching up knives that have bevels set at 15 or 20 degrees per side. Trying to profile a knife to 15 or 20 degrees can take a very very long time.

The Lansky has different stones, so you can remove steel quickly, and polish the bevel. It also offers more angles, and takes the human error factor down a bunch.

I think the Sharpmaker is just too limited for the money. By the time you get the needed stones, you could have bought an Edge Pro.
Click to expand...

The Sharpmaker as it is from Spyderco is limited. However Congress Tools has many various after market stones that can either fit into the Sharpmaker, or can be layed onto the stock Sharpmaker flats and make reprofiles easy. I did this yesterday with a 400 grit Congress Tools Sic Stone, the stock stones, and the Ultra Fine stones. The 400 grit SiC stone cuts really fast.
DSC00753.jpg
 
knifenut1013 said:
I would recommend a stone and your hands. We have done it this way for hundreds of years.
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+1.

If you stick with the Sharpmaker, the diamond and ultrafine rods are a must. You should consider them "missing" from the set and buy them. That said, after freehand sharpening for so long, the very though of reprofiling a knife the Sharpmaker way, back and forth, back and forth, straight up and down, would kill me. Bevels need to be corrected, chips and nicks need to be worked out, tips need to be reprofiled, etc. With good technique and a good, coarse stone that cuts quickly, reprofiling is a joy if done freehanded and can be very fast, depending on the steel and the stone you're using.

Of course, you can use the Sharpmaker diamond stones any way you want, and the back of the Sharpmaker holder has slots where you can lay the rods flat to use like a regular benchstone, but if you're going to do that... why not get a benchstone? :D :D :D
 
If you don't need to re-profile often, and have a Sharpmaker, just wrap some coarse grit wet/dry sandpaper around the stones and hold in place with a bulldog paper clamp. Works perfectly, and only costs a buck.


Stitchawl
 
knifenut1013 said:
I would recommend a stone and your hands. We have done it this way for hundreds of years.
Click to expand...

I was drooling over EdgePros and WickedEdges for the longest time until finally I was like "Screw it! I NEED something to sharpen on!". I didn't have the money for either system, so I bought the 1k and 6k Shapton Glass Stones, and a KnivesPlus Strop Block over several weeks(Which, in hindsight, all together, were as much as an EP). I figured I could always use some good bench stones, at least until i got my WE. But it was one of the best decisions i ever made. There is just something so rewarding about seeing that hair split on the apex and thinking "I DID THAT!" Not some jig, clamp, or guide arm.
 
yea but the pull threw kind helps out the question on if you are holding your knife at the right angle. I cant find a better way of doing it. this one cost me $12.00. I cant beat the price. can you??
 
richard thurman said:
yea but the pull threw kind helps out the question on if you are holding your knife at the right angle. I cant find a better way of doing it. this one cost me $12.00. I cant beat the price. can you??
Click to expand...

Sure can. How's $3.02 ? One sheet of 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper, one sheet of 600 grit, and one sheet of 1,000 grit. And the two cents? Take two pennies and glue them together, then with some double sided tape, stick them to the spine of the blade. That sets your consistent angle. Use an additional two pennies (if the budget will allow) and stick them on the other side so you don't have to keep switching sides... :)

If you're sharpening choppers, you might want to use three pennies.

(If you're rich, you might consider springing for a sheet of 2,000 grit while your at it. I realize it brings the total outlay to $4.04, but trust me, it's money well spent.)


Stitchawl
 
I ended up getting a Lansky 4-rod crock stick sharpener, it was $15 shipped.

For the price, it's great. I've never used a sharpener like this before, and I've gotten my dull blades to pretty hair shaving sharp in only a few minutes.

I'll probably get the Sharpmaker and the additional stones around Christmas, but I've been eying the Edge Pro Apex....
 
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