Who here does NOT like the Sharpmaker?

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psycho78

Joined
Jun 17, 2006
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Everyone here seems to like the sharpmaker pretty well. I have looked at this thing, and I personally dont like the looks of it, or any style of this sharpener. I have always been a fan of the good ol' bench stones, water stones and hard arkansas stones. Never liked any kind of crock stick, steel, or "V" styled sharpener. They seem awkward to use. Anyone think the sharpmaker is overrated? I just learned to sharpen a different way, and this thing seems to go against everything I've learned.
 
Besides the knives themselves, the Sharpmaker makes knife use much more enjoyable. If a knife has a 15 degree bevel, it takes about a minute to put a screaming sharp 20 degree secondary bevel on it. Same for a 15 degree secondary bevel if your primary bevel is less than 15 degrees. Spyderco knives are ground around 15 degrees (sometimes less) so the system is tailored perfectly for those knives. Hogging off a steep grind ain't it's forte. I touch up my work knife everyday at work, sometimes twice a day, depending on how much and what I cut. I can pull out the Sharpmaker from my toolbox, set it up and sharpen the blade back to shaving in about 3 minutes. I clean it about once a week. That takes about 5 minutes. I consider it the best bit of kit I ever purchased. It has enabled me to enjoy my knives that much more. I don't know of another system that is as easy, well built and able to put a very sharp edge on a knife as the Sharpmaker.
 
I learned to sharpen with stones, for knives,c hisels, gouges and other tools when I was a kid. I still think it's a godd skill for everyone to acquire. There's a great deal of satisfaction in learning to freehand shapren a knife on a stone.

I still love my 204, it's what I grab first to touch up an edge. I don't let my knives get dull so a Sharpmaker is all I need most of the time. It's very easy to use and does the job it was designed to do very well. What more could you ask?

Make it idiot proof and someone will build a better idiot.
 
The sharpmaker converts to a benchstone by fixing the rods to the base. The stones can also be used freehand as files. Then main benefit, even for an experienced sharpener, is to rapidly apply a micro-bevel to close angle tolerances.

-Cliff
 
M Wadel said:
i like the sharpmaker but the sharpmaker doesnt like s30v
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Mine doesn't mind S30V. I got the Benchmake Rukus passaround knife from barely scraping hair to hair popping sharp with only a few light passes on the Sharpmaker. After my Native stopped micro chipping it is also very easy to sharpen on the Sharpmaker. Of course, both have edges in the 10-12 degree range, so the 15 degree setting works great on them. If you have S30V blade with a bevel over 20 degrees per side you would obviously be looking at hours of work and frustration on the Sharpmaker before you got a decent edge on the knife.
 
I can apply a more accurate angle with the sharpmaker than freehand work. Not that an accurate angle is required to get a sharp edge, it's just more efficient. You only remove the necessary material without wasted strokes.

The sharpmaker is a nice compromise between freehand and more complex systems. More accurate than (my) freehand and simpler and less tedious than many other guided angle systems.

Some things I don't like about the sharpmaker:
o The rods could be a little longer maybe.
o The stones need cleaning frequently (although it's not hard to do).
o I hate the dings and nicks I seem to get in the stones.
o The angles are limited to just two.
o It is almost useless without a backup for efficient primary bevel work.
o The lid falls off the base (I use a rubber band to keep it closed.)
o Almost guaranteed to get you to shaving sharp, but I've never been able to get much beyond that.
 
Never had problems with S30V on the Sharpmaker. The Sharpmaker doesn't cut too fast and S30V grinds very slowly, so a bit of patience is in order, especially if the edge geometry of the blade is thick. But aside from that the Sharpmaker should work just fine on S30V.

It's hard to beat the Sharpmaker to attain a high sharpness level in a short amount of time.
 
My only gripe about the SM is that the base doesn't securely hold the rods and they tend to move and rattle around ... I've used small pieces of wood wedged between the base and rod on opposite sides of each rod to stop the rattle with success (toothpicks work).
 
I have a 203. I've never really used it much though because I like a polished, convex edge on my knives. It's a good tool however and I'll use it if other people ask me to touch up their knives. It's just not for me.
 
i love and use my sharpmaker, but i agree with some comments by a few of the others...

1. more angles would be nice (i.e. just make a second base available with 2 more potential angles). i only use the 30 degree slot in mine.
2. longer stones, even if just 1-2", would be nice.
3. with s30v and a few other steels setting a primary bevel is tedious at best (even with diamond rods).

i also agree that getting much past shaving sharp is hit or miss. i sure as heck havn't gotten a knife to push cut toilet paper with it, although i could with news print.

i could perhaps generate one or two more things but #1 and #2 above are the only ones i would pay extra for.
 
There are a lot of things I wouldn't use it on, but the 30 degree setting really makes quick work of those German kitchen knives (Wusthof and the like). Seems ideally suited to their softer steel and thin blade profile.
 
I look at 'V' sharpeners like the Sharpmaker as specialized sharpening tools, great for adding or touching up a microbevel. For other aspects of sharpening they're not the best tool.
 
Don't own one. Don't need one. I actually know how to sharpen a knife. It seems to be a "lost skill" around here.
Bill
 
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Bill DeShivs said:
Don't own one. Don't need one. I actually know how to sharpen a knife. It seems to be a "lost skill" around here.
Bill
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This is what I'm thinking. My old man taught me how to sharpen freehand on stones, and thats what I've been doing since I was 10 years old (25 now).

My standards for a sharp knife may be very different from other people on here. Say theres a guy who says he used the sharpmaker to get his knife "hair popping" sharp....maybe that knife's edge is unacceptable to me, and the guy saying that truly has never experienced a razor sharp knife. Hair scraping does not mean hair popping.

I'd like to see and feel the differences between the edges that the forum members make.

I'm also not really sure what this talk of "microbevel" is. If the crappy functional wire edge burr that these ceramic rods make is a microbevel, then I want no part of it.
 
psycho78 said:
This is what I'm thinking. My old man taught me how to sharpen freehand on stones, and thats what I've been doing since I was 10 years old (25 now).

My standards for a sharp knife may be very different from other people on here. Say theres a guy who says he used the sharpmaker to get his knife "hair popping" sharp....maybe that knife's edge is unacceptable to me, and the guy saying that truly has never experienced a razor sharp knife. Hair scraping does not mean hair popping.

I'd like to see and feel the differences between the edges that the forum members make.

I'm also not really sure what this talk of "microbevel" is. If the crappy functional wire edge burr that these ceramic rods make is a microbevel, then I want no part of it.
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Hair goes flying off my arm (or whatever I choose to shave) with a quick microbevel for the sharpmaker. It push cuts newsprint well over an inch from where I hold it. It also holds it's edge well, unlike a wire edged knife. Microbevels make sharpening much easier by sharpening the very edge at a more obtuse angle than your main edge. That way you are sharpening just a tiny amount of metal instead of the whole bevel. It saves time and metal, and doesn't degrade cutting performance. Of course you can do it with a benchstone also, but the sharpmaker is quick and easy, no water or honing oil required.

Edit to add: I have had several references for what a truly sharp knife is, mostly new knives from Spyderco. My R2 could push cut newsprint over 3" from where I held it. While I can't get knives that sharp (oh by the way, they use belt sanders, not benchstones), I am very happy with the results I get with the sharpmaker considering I have only been sharpening for less than a year (actually less than 9 months). I am planning on buying dome DMT benchstones soon to practice with them and try different techniques and figure out what works best for me. The bottom line is the sharpmaker is very user friendly and a great introduction to sharpening for a beginner.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Don't own one. Don't need one. I actually know how to sharpen a knife. It seems to be a "lost skill" around here.
Bill
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Why not explain how a knife sharpened on a benchstone is sharp, but one sharpened with "modern" systems is not?

I think that sharpening knives is no more a lost art now than it ever was, I doubt a higher percentage of people "back in the day" knew how to sharpen knives. With modern systems that lower the skill level necessary to get a good edge on a blade, I would wager there are actually more people who can sharpen knives.

And if benchstones is the only "pure" way to sharpen, why do knifemakers and manufacturers use power equipment to do so?

Answer: Benchstones are just another tool for getting a sharp edge, one of many tools available.

I do think the ability to sharpen freehand is an excellent skill to have.
The sharpmaker is superior to other types of "V" sharpeners, because you can use it as a benchstone.
 
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