The 302 Benchstones>> A CLOSER LOOK

[JD Spydo]

Well not only do I think that Spyderco's knives are the "Creme De le Creme" but I also put their sharpening equipment in the same light. Most all of us are so familar with the stellar capabilities of the ever so famous 204 Sharpmaker and the fanfare it has achieved. But few people have got down and done some experimenting with some of Spyderco's other super sharpening hardware. These 302 Sharpening stones are made of space age ceramic material and are capable of some very precise honing jobs.

OK I can already hear some of you all saying>> Why do we need the 302 Benchstones when we already got the 204 Sharpmaker? Well I'm glad you all asked that question. First of all have you all tried to sharpen a really big fixed blade knife with the 204 unit? Well I have and I have found that the 302 Benchstones can give you a lot more versatility for sharpening jobs that are a bit of a challenge with the Sharpmaker. Also even on small to mid sized fixed blades I find that I can get the knife somewhat sharper by doing the finishing touches on the 302 stones.

If you want something wickedly sharp then take a Razor Edge Sharpening guide with the 302 Ultra Fine stone and do your final stage honing on the 302UF and then strop it with a high grade leather strop>> you will be amazed at the results :cool: I hope that Spyderco will look into some sharpening guides of their own to use with their Benchstones. I wish eventually that they would offer some bigger Benchstones but the 302 stones are capable of a lot of sharpening chores. Have any of you discovered what I have with the 302 Sharpening stones? If so what do you all use them for?

[smcfalls13]

JD do you have some kinda of surveillance device implanted in my brain? :eek: I swear you seem to post this stuff when I'm looking for it

I was looking for a better stone to sharpen my Tasman on, so I tried those 701 Profiles you've been talking about, and they are in fact excellent for that use.

Now just last night I was trying to sharpen my Blackjack Panga, and having a heck of a time with it, because trying to sharpen a 14" blade on a Sharpmaker, I run out of stone :p

Now you've got me looking at those Benchstones, and I have no idea how to sharpen a knife freehand.

You gotta stop putting these ideas in my head :D

[JD Spydo]

[quote="smcfalls13"]JD do you have some kinda of surveillance device implanted in my brain? :eek: I swear you seem to post this stuff when I'm looking for it ]

I just simply have a good gut feeling for things of this nature. What is really appalling to me though is that this is about the 6 thread I've started on one of Spyderco's sharpening tools but yet I get virtually no feedback at all. But I know that a lot of Spyder-heads own and use these 302 Benchstones. I have 6 of them myself.

To get optimal results from one of these Spyderco Benchstones you might ought to start out with a Razor Edge Sharpening Guide. You can get them from Razor Edge Systems out of Ely Minnesota. They are on the web and have a great website and the factory will deal with you direct. I have one I can send you to try out but really you ought to just go ahead and buy the small one ( for blades under 4 inches long) and the large one for blades over 4 inches.

If you get a fixed blade like a Spyderco Temperance to where it will shave hair off your arms then take it and complete the sharpening on a Spyderco 302 Ultra Fine stone you will be totally amazed at how super sharp you can get these knives if you want to spend the time on them.

[VWTattoo]

Hi, JD!

Good thread on these stones! They look like great stones with plenty o' Real Estate for working on those large blades and tools. Shamefully, I have not yet picked one up for myself, :o as I try to use the 204 for everything I can, including the occasional hatchet. :D I would like to get at least the Coarse and Fine versions for some of my longer fixed blades and bayonets, as Scott has already said, I also run out of stone with the 204 on the big guys!

They do seem like great sharpening tools for the money, and are on my to-do list for sure! Once I get them, I am sure I'll use them for everything else, too, including my Tungsten darts- more surface area to get them extra pointy!

VWTatty

[Piet.S]

The benchstones are good stuff, they are my main sharpening device.
They were my first Spyderco products, says it all.
I would like to see a coarse stone from Spyderco as well, for making fast reprofiling, and putting on the initial edge.

[JD Spydo]

The benchstones are good stuff, they are my mainsharpening device.
They were my first Spyderco products, says it all.
I would like to see a coarse stone from Spyderco as well, for making fast reprofiling, and putting on the initial edge.

A bunch of us have mentioned what you just referred to about Spyderco not having a "coarse" stone in their line up. I had to get a 3M extra coarse and a NORTON Coarse to have the tools to get my reprofiling done.

Even the diamond rods for the 204 Sharpmaker as good as they are just arent' aggressive enough to do quick and serious "reprofiling" IMO. It truly baffles me as to why :confused: . But all marketing decisions are based on the bottom line ( $$$) and if they don't feel that the sales will be worthwhile then we will just have to get the coarse and extra coarse hardware from another vendor ( unfortunately).

But the 302 stones are of superb quality. I am literally surprised that we have not heard more feedback about them in this length of time.

[mr.vu]

I love Spyderco's ceramics, own the doublestuff and 701 rods. Been eyeing those stones for a looooooong time.

Vu

[GarageBoy]

I LOVE these Benchstones. My primary choice. Oil stones and waterstones I find messy and I only use the DMT for its Coarse

[jaislandboy]

I've got a fine grit :spyder: benchstone...I'm lousy freehanding but I'm very impressed by the spyderco benchstones........love the rubber "feet" under the box holding the stones... :D I rely mostly on my 204 sharpmaker....and I agree JD that the :spyder: Diamond coated triangles are difficult to "aggressively reprofile" an edge.....esp with S30v steel.....it could take a while.... :rolleyes:

[JD Spydo]

I've got a fine grit :spyder: benchstone...I'm lousy freehanding but I'm very impressed by the spyderco benchstones........love the rubber "feet" under the box holding the stones... :D I rely mostly on my 204 sharpmaker....and I agree JD that the :spyder: Diamond coated triangles are difficult to "aggressively reprofile" an edge.....esp with S30v steel.....it could take a while.... :rolleyes:

I don't want anyone to get me wrong on my take of the 204D diamond stones for the sharpmaker. They do a decent job as would a good quality "medium grit" diamond sharpener would. But they just don't remove enough stock for me to make them a really efficient re-profiling system. But that's just where you got the supplement the 204.

I have 2 Diamond Benchstones>> I have a Norton Coarse 325 grit and a 3M extra coarse 220 grit and between the 2 I get by just fine. I just wish that Spyderco would implement a rapid stock removing stone for reprofiling out in the field. But all in all their stuff is super quality. Again their Benchstones are something that most of us who are serious about the hobby should own. Ceramic stones truly have abrading properties all their own.

[jaislandboy]

Truth is JD.....the Sharpmaker Diamond Triangles are aggressive enough for all my sharpening needs.....as long as I buy Spyderco knives......but there have been times when I had knife (from another brand) that I was trying to change the 40 deg factory edge to 30 degrees and this is when I realized I needed a coarser diamond stone...... :rolleyes: