204uf (ultra-fine stones) for sharpmaker -- not for everyone?

[Magic]

I was thinking about adding the 204uf stones to my sharpmarker. But then I was reading some posts on bladeforums that made me question this....

Let me see if my understanding is correct....

The 204uf stones will make it much easier to shave hair off my arm, and similar endeavors.

The 204uf stones will also make it much harder to cut through rope (compared to ending with the fine stones, say...)

Is my understanding correct?

Where does that leave other tasks like cutting fruit, or whittling?

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: I use the ultra fine stones to keep a freaky razor sharp edge on my blades. Rope severs effortlessly.

Perhaps people are talking of edge endurance competitions with lots and lots of cuts but that's silly for my needs. I just like sharpening and maintaining scary sharp edges on my knives for its own sake. Many just want a good usable edge and that's fine.

But, wow! these things can get sharp! :eek: Like something out of a comic book. :) :spyder:

[JD Spydo]

I do all kinds of sharpening procedures. I have found that the UF stones for the 204 Sharpmaker are great for kitchen knives. The Ultra-fine stones tend to polish the edge which seems to be good for my kitchen knives. With the edge being polished I don't seem to have to sharpen my kitchen knives very often.

Another thing I like about my UF stones is they make kind of a makeshift sharpening steel. They are really good for rejuvenating an edge that just need to be tuned up a bit.

Now on a Curved blade or "reverse S" knife they seem to really aid in achieving a razor edge. They do indeed have their place. JD :spyder: O

[Crafft]

The UF stones are polishing the microserrations on a PlainEdge (PE) blade.
This is fine for cutting paper, shaving hair and several other uses.

With the coarse stones the microserrations on the PE get 'bigger'/rougher!
This is a possitive thing if you want to cut rope or fibrous materials with a PE knife.

If you want to cut a lot of rope or fibrous materials than a real serrated edge (SE knife) is recommended.

Regards,

Crafft.

[Vincent]

I just Use the Grey Stones. When I use the White Stone I feel it rounds the edge just making it weaker.

I always get the best results using the the 1st 2 steps of the grey stones.

[Joe Talmadge]

The 204uf stones will make it much easier to shave hair off my arm, and similar endeavors.

The 204uf stones will also make it much harder to cut through rope (compared to ending with the fine stones, say...)

Right. You can test this theory yourself, easily enough. Sharpen your knife on the brown/gray stones, and see how they cut hard poly rope and shave arm hair. Now re-sharpen to the exact same angle but take it all the way to the white stones. You'll see the finer edge shaves better but won't slice as well. The harder the rope, the more obvious this is. 'course, now you have to ask yourself: exactly how much poly rope do I cut, anyway?

Where does that leave other tasks like cutting fruit, or whittling?

Whittling likes a polished edge. Cutting fruit often likes a polished edge. But with a tomato, you want something that will slice through the tough outer skin so easily that you don't have to apply so much pressure that the fruit get squished. A rougher coarser edge works well.

Here's what I've found to work best for everyday all-purpose cutting: I call it the dual-grit edge. First, I take the edge down to screaming shaving sharp using (say) the ultra fine hones. Then, I put the knife back on the medium/gray stones, and lightly take a few swipes of the edge nearest the handle (where the serrations would be if it were a partially-serrated knife).

This leaves me with a super polished edge at the tip, where it makes quick work of the most troublesome plastic clamshell packs, etc. And, when I need a bit of extra slicing ooomph, I've got a rougher portion near the handle. Same concept as a partially-serrated knife, without the disadvantages of partial serrations.

Vincent, not sure why you're getting a weaker edge when going to the white stones -- generally speaking, the more polished the edge, the stronger it will be. By polishing out the big scratches you're polishing out the bigger unsupported teeth and the scratch-induced stress risers.

Joe

[Mariner]

Here's what I've found to work best for everyday all-purpose cutting: I call it the dual-grit edge. First, I take the edge down to screaming shaving sharp using (say) the ultra fine hones. Then, I put the knife back on the medium/gray stones, and lightly take a few swipes of the edge nearest the handle (where the serrations would be if it were a partially-serrated knife).

This leaves me with a super polished edge at the tip, where it makes quick work of the most troublesome plastic clamshell packs, etc. And, when I need a bit of extra slicing ooomph, I've got a rougher portion near the handle. Same concept as a partially-serrated knife, without the disadvantages of partial serrations.

Thanks Joe. I'm going to try this. Normally I carry both a PE (rotated) and an SE Salt 1, and choose the more appropriate for the particular task at hand. Never really cottoned to CE blades (although I do have a CE Stretch and Native SS).

Magic, I've never regretted getting the ultra fine stones. Just my $.02.

[Magic]

Great...thanks everyone...I'm going to buy the ultra-fine stones, and try sharpening exactly how Joe recommmends,and see if it works for me.

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: Vincent, If you're rolling your edges you're pushing way too hard. Keep a soft touch, laddie! :) :cool:

[The General]

For me a polished edge most often is what I use and it works just fine. I di notice on cardboard a more roughly finished edge custs better but dulls more rapidly. I know why this is so I prefer to keep a nice polished edge and just expect less cardboard cutting power! :D

I remember once when I handed a polished sharp S30V Milirary for a work mate to use cutting up cardboard boxes and he grunted that the knofe was not very sharp and he expected better from me. I said roll up your sleave and proceeded to cleanly shave arm hair up and down his arm! :spyder: :p

Just goes to show, different level of polish for different jobs. Of course my fully serrated Military works much better on cardboard, but is a very poor arm hair shaver! :eek:

[Magic]

Most web sites are selling the 204uf for $8 to $10. They show a picture of two of them. Do I get two for that price, or do I have to order two for $16 to $20?

Thanks

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: That's per stone. One stone will work fine it's just much slower as you'll have to flip the sharpener around each time. To me the extra 8 bucks is worth it. :spyder: