Why Sharpmaker?

B

Brian10

Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
9
The Spyderco Sharpmaker seems easily to be the highest recommended off the shelf sharpener. Just curious, but why? Ease of use, performance, cost, versatility, etc?

I don't know much about sharpening, thanks.
 
Yes. Except for cost... for how simple it is, it's pretty expensive. It takes a pretty common sharpening idea (ceramic sticks in a set-angle V so you just hold your blade vertical and run it down them) and perfects it.

  • Instead of round sticks, like most sharpeners, you have triangular sticks, so you have the option of slightly more focused pressure using the edges, or slightly gentler so you can eek out that last bit of performance using the flats of the sticks.
  • instead of one preset angle, you have two, so that you can uniformly narrow the "shoulders" of the edge while still creating a slightly more obtuse, sturdy edge.
  • Instead of coming with one set of sticks, it comes with two, one medium-fine and one fine, so that you have more versatility in your sharpening
  • It also has a lot of unexpected uses built into the case: you can lay two sticks next to each other on the upside-down case and have a more or less gapless, very fine, ceramic hone, or you can lay the same two sticks on the top, and you'll have a broader hone (unfortunately with a big ol' gap in it) on which to sharpen larger knives, or you can take one stick and stick it in the angled slot in the end of the case, and sharpen your scissors.

Basically, it's a good idea taken to its logical perfection.
 
Brian10 said:
The Spyderco Sharpmaker seems easily to be the highest recommended off the shelf sharpener. Just curious, but why? Ease of use, performance, cost, versatility, etc?

I don't know much about sharpening, thanks.
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0. Performance - I was shocked when I in few minutes after I got it I was able to make my knife shave my arm just by following simple instructions (it was good knife with well formed edge, I should say). I heart men cry after in same situation.

1. Easy to set up and use, no special skill needed.

2. Compact.

3. Cover a lot - Can sharpen very not only knives plus serrated knives but almost everything.

4. No mess with oil and water.

5. Very well designed from top to bottom - no single detail missed. Even video instructions.

6. Optional Diamond and Ultra Fine rods.

7. Huge fan base to support newcomers.

In addition I say that I am not using it anymore and developed some sharpening procedure myself to get results I like. However it became possible only because I was introduced to high quality sharpening by Spyderco Sharpmaker - so it kind of open door to all this for me.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
nozh2002 said:
In addition I say that I am not using it anymore and developed some sharpening procedure myself to get results I like. However it became possible only because I was introduced to high quality sharpening by Spyderco Sharpmaker - so it kind of open door to all this for me.

Thanks, Vassili.
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I have DMT stones coming on the brown truck due to your videos. I agree, the Sharpmaker is a fantastic introduction to sharpening. Its easy to use and gets the job done. Now that I've become more experienced with sharpening, and as my collection grows (and includes larger knives), I'm going to try crossing over to freehand sharpening on DMT stones.
 
To my surprise they seem to work noticeably better than other ceramic rod sharpeners.
 
Brian10 said:
The Spyderco Sharpmaker seems easily to be the highest recommended off the shelf sharpener. Just curious, but why? Ease of use, performance, cost, versatility, etc?

I don't know much about sharpening, thanks.
Click to expand...

All of the above.
 
All the above
and
It comes with a good instructional DVD that demonstrates the How-To's and a little bit of the Why's.
and
It's popular enough that replacement stones should be available for a long time to come.
 
its not expensive and most important it works great on most knives.

its not my favorite for chisel grinds or recurves but it will work on both, other than those and knives that are really dull the SM handles all my sharpening chores.

and i have been free hand sharpening for ~ 40 yrs.

i leave mine set up in the garage and give my edc a few passes every now and again so they rarely get very dull.
 
First off, welcome to the forums:).

All of whats been said above and it helped me learn how to sharpen freehand. It was good for training wheels.
 
Kaizen1 said:
First off, welcome to the forums:).

All of whats been said above and it helped me learn how to sharpen freehand. It was good for training wheels.
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I like to have my training wheels on still =P. But as the others have mentioned, its a great system that is easy to use. It will give you consistent results, once you get over the learning curve.
 
Chinese man said:
I like to have my training wheels on still =P. But as the others have mentioned, its a great system that is easy to use. It will give you consistent results, once you get over the learning curve.
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I'd probably still use it if it had an angle narrow enough for me. I like to get my edges down from 15 to 22 degrees inclusive.
 
Zeasor said:
Don't you mean "down from 30 to 22 degrees inclusive"?
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I meant that I like to keep my edges anywhere in between 15 to 22 (roughly) degrees inclusive. The Sharpmaker's thinnest angle if 30 degrees inclusive.
 
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