knife sharpning

[oucme69]

I finally have a few decent knifes now and want to start sharping them gona start with the cheap oned so I don't mess up the good ones am thinking abiut getting the spyderco sharpmaker with the extra fine stone but ant for sure it that Is where I should start so help please thank in advance

 

[DBH]

Sharpmaker is a good choice for self-sharpening I would also add the diamond stones for further profiling of keeping the knives the way you want them.

 

[Hohn]

I just got my Sharpmaker last month.

I would only criticize it for not having a coarse enough initial stage. The medium stone is good if you have a pretty good primary and secondary bevel that you like, but if you have a knife in fairly rough shape, the sharpmaker won't be a good choice for getting it up to speed unless you are very patient with a LOT of strokes.

I've heard it called the "sharpkeeper" rather than a "sharpmaker" and I'd agree with this criticism.


That said, I'm pretty happy with the job it has done on my old Buck Special. It's sharper than it has ever been in 25 years, and it's just 440C stainless.

I've heard that the diamond stones for the sharpmaker aren't very durable as the diamonds tend to easily dislodge from the substrate. Hence, experienced SM users often say to skip them.

However, the extra fine ceramic stones are usually regarded very well and often recommended.


I find I get my best results with the SM by using a different approach than the one that Spyderco recommends. I have better luck doing it this way:

[video=youtube_share;-MHe_8wTHmg]http://youtu.be/-MHe_8wTHmg[/video]

 

[DBH]

Hohn, I understand your obersvations completely. I think if the diamond stones for additional steel removal would make you a happier person.

 

[dlbrown75]

I am having good results with sandpaper on top of mouse pad, then finishing off with leather strop loaded with green compound. I use these tools for all my convexed edge knives. I also use these tools on my Mora's. Today I just received a Fallkniven DC4, diamond on one side and ceramic on the other. If you want to stick with a machine look at KME sharpeners or there is always Edge pro if you want to spend big dollars.

 

[RAMBOCAT]

I have always had good luck with my lansky for roughing(I also bought an extra coarse stone separately for it). but I still finish with the Sharp Maker and then strop if needed.

 

[rhino]

I've always sharpened by hand without any kind of guides, but I saw a video of the "wicked edge system" earlier this week. Looks like it works pretty well, especially once you learn how to use it efficiently.

 

[riverman67]

I'm looking into the "Razors Edge" sharpening system.
I like to use power tools. They speed things up a bit.

 

[A1Paracord]

Depending on what types of knives you will be sharpening and what kind of grind you want the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener from Darex works really well. I can't say I would use it on a high end knife but for users it works great. There is a little bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it it's easy. These other suggestions sound great! The Work Sharp is the only one I've tried and it works great.

 

[Josh Ward]

www.wickededgeusa.com