Whats the best sharpener for a noob?

Can I get more details on what the mousepad sandpaper method is, I'm not even sure how that works. Is a paperwheel like a disc sander?
 
me2, If you trim your 4X4 down to 2 1/2x2 1/2, you will have more knuckle clearance around your Norton stones. Also if you cut your angles at 15 and 20 degrees, you can jump to the Sharpmaker to finish up on the finer stones. The medium (dark tan) Spyderco triangular prism is a finer grit than the Norton fine India.
 
Not that I'm offended so don't anyone take this as an attack, its not that 60 bucks is soooo steep but the 60 plus plus is more like 80 and that's not even everything I need to get a nice edge going, I just don't think I should spend more than a knifes worth on stones. At that rate its cheaper to replace a knife instead of sharpening it lol.
 
tiguy7 said:
me2, If you trim your 4X4 down to 2 1/2x2 1/2, you will have more knuckle clearance around your Norton stones. Also if you cut your angles at 15 and 20 degrees, you can jump to the Sharpmaker to finish up on the finer stones. The medium (dark tan) Spyderco triangular prism is a finer grit than the Norton fine India.
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I don't really have the saw capability to trim a 4x4 down like that. In any case, knuckle clearance has not been an issue. I do jump to the Sharpmaker. I use the 12 degree block with the 15 degree slots and the 17 with the 20. I also currently use a 220/1000 grit waterstone. I don't really see the point of polishing the whole bevel past the 1000 grit waterstone. The Spyderco ceramics are fairly slow at polishing the entire bevel, which is why I switched to the microbevel method. If my only tool for sharpening were just 1 stone, and I only had $60 to spend, the Norton combo stone would be the choice. It sharpens almost as fast as the water stone, and doesn't wear as fast. I also use it dry, so it's not messy and has zero prep time. For the price range the OP is working in, a finer stone or strop can be added, since the Norton combo is about $25.

On the sandpaper and mousepad question, I have not used this method. I have used sandpaper over thick leather, which is very similar. I have also used sandpaper clamped to a table and stretched tight. 220/400/600/loaded strop will give a nearly mirror polished edge. Many people use the 1200 and 2000 grit sandpaper available at auto body shops. I have not tried these, but they seem a cheap, short term replacement for very fine stones. Even on sandpaper, I use a final edge leading stroke at very light pressure to remove the burr before going to the next grit.
 
HardTripper said:
Not that I'm offended so don't anyone take this as an attack, its not that 60 bucks is soooo steep but the 60 plus plus is more like 80 and that's not even everything I need to get a nice edge going, I just don't think I should spend more than a knifes worth on stones. At that rate its cheaper to replace a knife instead of sharpening it lol.
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Not really a fair way to look at it. I for example use a set of $400 diamond stones to sharpen and I don't have any $400 knives.
 
knifenut1013 said:
Not really a fair way to look at it. I for example use a set of $400 diamond stones to sharpen and I don't have any $400 knives.
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I have zero sharpening skills so I would not drop so much until I developed a free hand technique, what I really need is a good guided system to use for now and some lessons lol
 
Noctis3880 said:
If $60 plus shipping is steep for him, I think a wicked edge sharpener is out of the question.

I would suggest giving the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener a look. It's $69.95 plus shipping from Woodcraft(don't know if you have one in Canada). I found the system to be pretty intuitive to use compared to regular freehand. Admittedly it's easy to screw up an edge with power tool sharpeners, but I consider myself an average person with mediocre sharpening skills, and the learning curve was pretty low on this one.

I had enough confidence to eventually put a mirror edge on my more expensive knives with it(Large Sebenza 21, Hinderer XM-18, Lionsteel SR-1). Though the catch is that putting a mirror edge on the blade requires aftermarket belts other than the ones included which kind of pushes the price before shipping up to $100(depending on how many "spares" you buy), and separate shipping from two different places could be pretty pricey to Canada.

Still, I've tried a few methods of sharpening:
-Spyderco Sharpmaker
-Edge Pro Apex
-DMT Duosharp Plus Benchstones
-Paper Wheels
-Japanese Waterstones
-DMT Duofolds
-Various Strops

And now the Work Sharp is my preferred sharpening method:thumbup:.
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I've been considering the Work Sharp for my knives. I notice they have very small flats though and I'm thinking that might be very difficult to engage the guide because of that. Any thoughts? I have no sharpening experience.
 
Hard, your level of skill should never be the reason to hold back on good tools. The difficulties of sharpening are more often increased by "systems" because they give you a false sense of security that you will now have no more worries on getting a knife sharp. You can see this by simply searching the threads on the various systems and the beginners that can't get the knife sharp. The bottom line is that no matter what you use you must still learn to sharpen, no "system" will magically do it for you.
 
One day I'd like to make a video but need a good camera first.

Forum member So-Lo has some excellent sharpening vids that demonstrate good technique, hand position, and key pressure points. Follow that with page 3 of "the first sharpening" in my sig and you will be well on your way to getting a sharp knife. Another BIG help would be to buy a mora and practice sharpening the whole bevel, this will teach the hand movements needed to follow the curve of a blade. Also because of its large bevel as you switch to finer stones you knowledge of "how much should I use each stone?" is more visible.

With knives like the BK9 I just don't see how that would be sharpened on a SM, keeping a knife that big steady on 1/2in stone while only holding with one hand is something I know I wouldn't want to do. Some decent waterstones IMO would be a far better choice.
 
aikidoka said:
I've been considering the Work Sharp for my knives. I notice they have very small flats though and I'm thinking that might be very difficult to engage the guide because of that. Any thoughts? I have no sharpening experience.
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Oh that's simple, I don't use the guide at all:thumbup:.
If anything, I only used the guide once as a reference to what angle I'm sharpening at. I more or less looked at how far back the spine was tilted towards me with the guide on and pretty much held it at the roughly same position while sharpening freehand on the belt.

Since I'm convexing the edge anyways with the belt, I find that absolute accuracy in the angle isn't necessary for me. With freehand I find it easier to avoid rounding off the tip as I can keep the tip at an exact position on the belt and lift it off before the belt flexes over the tip.
 
I only really want a guided system because I don't know who people judge and maintain their angles, got any other tips.
 
If you're just starting to learn, just practice matching the factory angle, whatever it is. The specific angle is not so important when you are starting. The trick is to get a consistent angle so you can learn what a sharp knife is and what you are trying to do. Any angle between 15 and 25 degrees per side will work if you are just interested in general cutting. Knives for specific purposes will have specialized angles that go with them. Once you learn to get a knife sharp, you can think about whatever angle you have and lower it for better cutting or increase it for better durability.
 
If you're worried about costs, go to your local hardware store and buy a cheap stone and learn on it.

Sharpmaker is great for maintaining edges and can reprofile with sandpaper attached to the rods, which can make for sharp edges when used properly. That's what I did for the past year and a half until I got paper wheels.

I got tired of the slow process of the Sharpmaker and went with paper wheels. They get a quick, polished edge in a matter of seconds and were inexpensive compared to systems and everything that cost a few hundred dollars.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Oh that's simple, I don't use the guide at all:thumbup:.
If anything, I only used the guide once as a reference to what angle I'm sharpening at. I more or less looked at how far back the spine was tilted towards me with the guide on and pretty much held it at the roughly same position while sharpening freehand on the belt.

Since I'm convexing the edge anyways with the belt, I find that absolute accuracy in the angle isn't necessary for me. With freehand I find it easier to avoid rounding off the tip as I can keep the tip at an exact position on the belt and lift it off before the belt flexes over the tip.
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Ok, I think i will probably be able to freehand the CKRT ripple and eros after practicing on some kitchen knives. The recurve on my spec bump will have to wait awhile till I get a lot more confident. Darn my liking recurves so much haha.
 
HardTripper said:
Not that I'm offended so don't anyone take this as an attack, its not that 60 bucks is soooo steep but the 60 plus plus is more like 80 and that's not even everything I need to get a nice edge going, I just don't think I should spend more than a knifes worth on stones. At that rate its cheaper to replace a knife instead of sharpening it lol.
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You going to replace your knife every couple weeks, or keep it sharp for years?
 
I consider myself a below average freehand sharpener because I just haven't practiced enough. I bought a DMT magna guide for about $30 online. It did a good job of getting my TAK 1 very sharp, not shaving sharp, but almost (takes a couple strokes). If your knife is already decently sharp, the DiaFold that comes with the set, Fine/Extra-Fine, will do just fine. If you have to fix a crappy factory grind, like I did, you'll need a Coarse/Extra-Coarse as well and that will run you another $25 plus shipping. You can also learn to freehand with it as time allows. I think the DiaFolds are really handy, all around sharpeners at a good price that you can use for any knife or tool of any steel. It should work until you decide to move to a different system or method. My 2 centavos.
 
I have used the Lansky system for years. It holds an angle that's for sure.
I can get my knives so sharp, that if your not real careful you'll get bit.
The edge is lazer like. If your closing your knife with one hand and your pinky gets in the way. Well, if all you do is lose a little skin then it's your lucky day.
If the blade gets anymore of a bite than that, then your cut pretty bad.
My girl friend was using my Mini-Grip in D2 that I had sharpened with the Lansky. She was snipping a button off a coat and cut the tip of her thumb off!
She didn't even know that she had done it. She felt no pain, her hand just started to feel wet with all the blood that was pouring out.
I like the fact that I can reprofile an edge or just get it scary sharp.
I would suggest getting the Diamond kit though.
That way you can sharpen all different kinds of steel more efficiently.
Being able to free hand sharpen is great. But, I personally prefer a guaranteed edge. That's what the the Lansky does for me. A consistently reliable angle.
 
I use to have a Lansky. It took forever to sharpen a knife. Id go for the Sharpmaker.
 
OP: invest in yourself, learn how to sharpen. Or, if you're more concerned with just having something sharp on-hand, I recommend the lock-back knives that use box-cutter razors as blades. you can go el-cheapo and get the 4$ home depot special or find some of the nicer ones (Gerber EAB) and then pick your razor of choice. I use IRWIN bimetal blades in mine. Never had one break.

Noctis3880 said:
Oh that's simple, I don't use the guide at all:thumbup:.
If anything, I only used the guide once as a reference to what angle I'm sharpening at. I more or less looked at how far back the spine was tilted towards me with the guide on and pretty much held it at the roughly same position while sharpening freehand on the belt.....
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i really like the belt idea, (i use mousepad/paper/strops for current convex) but here's the rub: if these belts are producing enough heat to make sparks (a couple shots in their video shows sparks), then there is the risk of de-tempering the steel. so how hot are your knives after you use this?

Let me know, thanks.
 
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