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Whats the general opinion on the Spyderco Sharpmaker?
- Thread starter F-22
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2001
- Messages
- 577
Great way to get started and for touch-ups
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2002
- Messages
- 1,245
WOOHOO YIPPE KYAY! *ahem* 'nuff said.
- Joined
- May 4, 2002
- Messages
- 2,536
I like my sharpmaker a lot. It's very easy to use, no oil, no mess, just stroke down. I leave it set up all the time. If a blade needs touching up, it's quick work. I don't let it get too dull, it's easier to keep your blade sharp than to take it up from an extremely dull state.
I used a Lansky for years and it's ok, but Sharpmaker is easier.
I used a Lansky for years and it's ok, but Sharpmaker is easier.
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2000
- Messages
- 21,269
Yes, it's true. I have quite a few different sharpeners, but it's my Sharpmaker that sees the most use.
- Joined
- May 26, 2000
- Messages
- 1,922
I rarely use mine.
It is very good for most serrations... they are ok for very minor touchups.
It is very easy to round off the tip of your knife with these things.
Big problem is that reprofiling is a ridiculously slow and inefficient activity with the Sharpmaker.
I have diamond sleeves for mine, not sure they started selling these again, but if you buy a Sharpmaker, definitely find a set of diamond sleeves.
I much prefer either a Lansky jig or an Edgepro for big reprofiling jobs on 4" and shorter blades, for major and minor resharpening work also.
For big blades, I like a bench grinder set up with hard felt and fiberboard wheels, but you have to be careful careful with heat buildup... and these work well for folders with some practice and care... nice for convex final edge bevel as well.
Someday I'll have a real 2"x72" belt grinder... someday.
The search engine with yield a huge number of hits and some very good info to wade through.
Hint: buy some diamond stones if you choose a system using some kind of stone. For reprofiling, can't be beat. (although water stones can be quite effective... I just started using them so can't comment much further than initial results are quite good).
It is very good for most serrations... they are ok for very minor touchups.
It is very easy to round off the tip of your knife with these things.
Big problem is that reprofiling is a ridiculously slow and inefficient activity with the Sharpmaker.
I have diamond sleeves for mine, not sure they started selling these again, but if you buy a Sharpmaker, definitely find a set of diamond sleeves.
I much prefer either a Lansky jig or an Edgepro for big reprofiling jobs on 4" and shorter blades, for major and minor resharpening work also.
For big blades, I like a bench grinder set up with hard felt and fiberboard wheels, but you have to be careful careful with heat buildup... and these work well for folders with some practice and care... nice for convex final edge bevel as well.
Someday I'll have a real 2"x72" belt grinder... someday.
The search engine with yield a huge number of hits and some very good info to wade through.
Hint: buy some diamond stones if you choose a system using some kind of stone. For reprofiling, can't be beat. (although water stones can be quite effective... I just started using them so can't comment much further than initial results are quite good).
I just got the new 204 and really like it, I used the original version for years and still like it. Like the guys said, it works best for blades that aren't real dull. I just ordered the diamond sticks and am looking forward to trying them. For really dull blades (like the ones my mother in law brings me to sharpen) I use medium and fine arkansas stones and maybe a diamond butchers steel and then finish with the white sharpmaker sticks. I also like using a butcher's steel (smooth not serrated) just to touch up a sharp edge that has had a little use.
Bob
Bob
AntDog
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2001
- Messages
- 27,006
I like my sharpmaker a lot! If I were you, I'd DEFINITELY get one.
I don't mean to brag, but I have been known for a LONG time (way longer than the Sharpmaker has been out) for putting a very sharp edge on knives. Seriously, I've had both friends and family swear that I could put an edge on a brick! All it took was a LOT of practice.
If you don't know how, my advise would be to definitely learn to sharpen freehand before you learn any sharpening system. You should learn what it takes to make a knife sharp. It's not rocket science, but it can be sort of difficult on some knives. Just get some benchstones and some el cheapo knives from the flea market. Dull the knives and try to get them sharp using the benchstones. (the most important things are even pressure and holding a consistent angle) Once you know what it takes to bring an edge back from the dead, you will be ready to learn to use a sharpening system.
Could you go from not knowing jack about sharpening to using a set angle system to sharpen your knives? Yep. But there are cases where the sharpmaker (or whatever other system you choose) won't work. You need to learn freehand sharpening to correct the situations like that. An example would be if you blunt the tip of your knife really bad - will the sharpmaker fix that? No. It will probably make it worse. You need to know almost instinctively how to change your freehand sharpening angle to make the edge meet with a new sharp tip. I don't know anything that will teach you techniques like that other than lots of quality time with a benchstone.
Anyway, if you already know how to sharpen freehand get the sharpmaker! If you don't, I think you really should get a few benchstones in different grits to learn the basics on, AND a sharpmaker.
I don't mean to brag, but I have been known for a LONG time (way longer than the Sharpmaker has been out) for putting a very sharp edge on knives. Seriously, I've had both friends and family swear that I could put an edge on a brick! All it took was a LOT of practice.
If you don't know how, my advise would be to definitely learn to sharpen freehand before you learn any sharpening system. You should learn what it takes to make a knife sharp. It's not rocket science, but it can be sort of difficult on some knives. Just get some benchstones and some el cheapo knives from the flea market. Dull the knives and try to get them sharp using the benchstones. (the most important things are even pressure and holding a consistent angle) Once you know what it takes to bring an edge back from the dead, you will be ready to learn to use a sharpening system.
Could you go from not knowing jack about sharpening to using a set angle system to sharpen your knives? Yep. But there are cases where the sharpmaker (or whatever other system you choose) won't work. You need to learn freehand sharpening to correct the situations like that. An example would be if you blunt the tip of your knife really bad - will the sharpmaker fix that? No. It will probably make it worse. You need to know almost instinctively how to change your freehand sharpening angle to make the edge meet with a new sharp tip. I don't know anything that will teach you techniques like that other than lots of quality time with a benchstone.
Anyway, if you already know how to sharpen freehand get the sharpmaker! If you don't, I think you really should get a few benchstones in different grits to learn the basics on, AND a sharpmaker.
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2001
- Messages
- 1,308
The Sharpmaker is what I used for a number of years after I stopped pissing around with ridiculous Eze-lap rods from the Gander Mountain catalog. Those were a joke.
I got a lot of learning done with the Sharpmaker -- it was with that system that I first got a sense of what a burr was and how to get rid of it. (This was long before I ever saw online instructions for sharpening, or Bladeforums.) I kind of stumbled around it for a while all by my lonesome, with a couple of Spyderco Delicas.
Then in 1998 a knife seller at a gun show introduced me to the Spyderco Profile, and suddenly I found myself bold enough to try true freehand sharpening. It only made sense, because there were bound to be knives whose edges did not match perfectly with the angles set up by the Sharpmaker. And I seriously did not like the idea of holding knife blades non-vertically as I honed them on the slanted Sharpmaker stones.
I eventually learned to feel and hear the sound of an edge bevel properly aligned on the horizontal Profile. I got quite good at sharpening on that thing. Then I became aware of the "magic marker method" of arriving at the correct grind angle, and I use it all the time now. Once that angle is found, stick more or less to it, and keep on it by using the feel and sound of the bevel on the stone.
You will learn needed things with a Sharpmaker, but I feel that the real utility is in learning and becoming good at freehand sharpening on some type of bench stone.
---Jeffrey
I got a lot of learning done with the Sharpmaker -- it was with that system that I first got a sense of what a burr was and how to get rid of it. (This was long before I ever saw online instructions for sharpening, or Bladeforums.) I kind of stumbled around it for a while all by my lonesome, with a couple of Spyderco Delicas.
Then in 1998 a knife seller at a gun show introduced me to the Spyderco Profile, and suddenly I found myself bold enough to try true freehand sharpening. It only made sense, because there were bound to be knives whose edges did not match perfectly with the angles set up by the Sharpmaker. And I seriously did not like the idea of holding knife blades non-vertically as I honed them on the slanted Sharpmaker stones.
I eventually learned to feel and hear the sound of an edge bevel properly aligned on the horizontal Profile. I got quite good at sharpening on that thing. Then I became aware of the "magic marker method" of arriving at the correct grind angle, and I use it all the time now. Once that angle is found, stick more or less to it, and keep on it by using the feel and sound of the bevel on the stone.
You will learn needed things with a Sharpmaker, but I feel that the real utility is in learning and becoming good at freehand sharpening on some type of bench stone.
---Jeffrey
like the others said, the sharpmaker is easy to use and great for sharpening. But reprofiling is very slow and painful with the sharpmaker. And I really think the diamond rods are not good at all. The diamond dust seems to just come off way too easily and it still takes forever to reprofile the high end steels
