What's the difference- Sp. Sharpmaker and any other crock sticks?

[MSCantrell]

Found plenty of old threads on crock sticks and how great they are, but there's hardly a thread that DOESN'T mention the Sharpmaker 204. What's the reason for that? What does Spyderco do that no one else does, that makes their kit worth $40 more than all the others? The sticks are just ceramic, aren't they?

 

[Esav Benyamin]

The sticks are just ceramic, except for the new diamond rods. They are also triangular, instead of cylindrical.

This means you get two different kinds of attack on the blade, whether you set them to use the flats of the rods or the edges.

It also means you can run a serrated blade down the edges. A cylindrical rod won't get into the serrations.

And because they have flat sides, it means you can turn the base over and lay the rods in the grooves provided for this, creating a quick benchstone for blades best sharpened that way.

I just remembered: the Sharpmaker also comes with extensive, simple, and clear instructions, which increases the chance you'll get good use out of the system. For those who missed it, there is now a DVD, in addition to the pamphlet and VHS.

 

[Andy_L]

this may be of some use to you

Hi Tony.

First you would need to realize that "not all ceramic is created equal". Alumina ceramic with an "alumina" content of 94% is considred optimal. From there, they get cheaper and perform less.

The different shapes offer different capabilities. a round shape is the most limited. smaller radius, such as found on an oval or triangle, will do serrations. Anything larger than .062 diameter would prpobably be too large for small serrations.

flat surfaces also offer capability in the tool world.

sal

taken from this thread on britishblades

 

[tim8557]

From a user of both types, trust me, the Sharpmaker is far superior and will give you better results. As others have said, it is also more versatile than simple crock sticks due to the triangular shape and multi angle set up.

The drawback to any of these products is if you intend to reprofile as they take forever. That's where the Edge Pro Apex shines!

 

[nelsonmc]

(Edit: oh baaah just get the sharpmaker... )

 

[MSCantrell]

You found a lot of threads on Crock Sticks but not the Sharpmaker?

Sorry, maybe I should have been more clear. What I meant was, "Sharpmaker" returns such a huge number of results (practically every thread, every day), that I couldn't find the information I was after- a comparison to other brands of crock sticks- in the deluge of references.

So it sounds like the answer is the spiffy triangular shape, which leads to the question, is there no $10 generic brand? Intuition says there's enough room in that market niche for a little competition.

Thanks for the answers!

 

[Spokes]

Alumina, as in the Sharpmaker is in the form of aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is the sole elment in the gemstone saphire. Saphires are formed from aluminum oxide the same way diamonds are formed from carbon (heat, pressure, time). This is the way Spyderco makes the rods, formed under extreme pressure and heat. I seem to remember reading that saphire runs about 9.2 on the Mohs scale, diamond is 10.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

The drawback to any of these products is if you intend to reprofile as they take forever. That's where the Edge Pro Apex shines!

Spyderco Diamond Rods won't take forever.

So it sounds like the answer is the spiffy triangular shape, which leads to the question, is there no $10 generic brand?

Gatco Tri-Seps Sharpeners. Same principle, portable, ceramic or diamond-coated. Best for light touch-ups.

Lansky also makes similar dogbone sharpeners.

 

[Neko2]

Sorry, maybe I should have been more clear. What I meant was, "Sharpmaker" returns such a huge number of results (practically every thread, every day), that I couldn't find the information I was after- a comparison to other brands of crock sticks- in the deluge of references.

So it sounds like the answer is the spiffy triangular shape, which leads to the question, is there no $10 generic brand? Intuition says there's enough room in that market niche for a little competition.

Thanks for the answers!

$10 won't get you the same quality of stone, quality control, warranty...

It's similar to asking if anyone makes a $50 sebenza.

I decided a while back that I wanted a Lansky system but wasn't up to the price. This was a year or two ago when I was just getting into knives and didn't know a whole lot. I went out and picked up a smiths rod guide system since it appeared to be the same thing. Well after the coarse stone got clogged to the point of not cleaning up then two of the stones falling off the handles while i was washing them... I went and got the real lanskey system and it was worlds better.

The quality on the spyderco stones is better than what I've seen even on the Lanskey and very worth the price.

I guess if you have cheap beat 'em up knives that you want to sharpen and not clog up your good sharpener a $10 cheapie would be fine. Otherwise give the Sharpmaker a try before you go looking for cheaper and you probably wont.

N2

 

[Andy_L]

you could just buy the Rods and not the plastic base if you want to do it free hand.

Can you buy just one diamond Rod? NGK seems to sell all the other in singes with the diamond in pairs. To me this seems the wrong way rouund. When your removing lots of metal you could do one side for quite a while and the sawp the rod over to the other side.

 

[Bali Fly]

Nobody seems to have pointed out that the Sharpmaker allows the ceramic sticks to sit at two separate angles (30 and 20 degrees).

In addition, the grooved side of the stick will shapen fishhooks, etc., and there's also a 12 degree slot on the end of the base for scissors.

I have a Lansky and a Sharpmaker, and I use both...often on the same blade.

In short: YES. The Sharpmaker is worth the additional money. No question.