What sharpener to pick up?

[Officer Gigglez]

I have a sharpening kit my old man gave to me that he used for a couple months before he sold his knife collection, which consisted of what we would consider to be rare Spyderco models, amongst other models from other brands that would also be considered rare, and he just put the sharpener away just in case the wife needed some kitchen knives sharpened. Anyway, he passed to me, and I have had it since I started my little knife fetish, and it has served me well. But now, It is time to get a better one. I want to make an educated buy, so I am here to be enlightened by the Spyderco community.

[Janfrederik]

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is a great buy. It's not the best for reprofiling an edge though.

[phaust]

Sharpmaker + DMT fine/coarse combination has reprofiled and kept sharp every knife I have

[bh49]

If you will be able to develop free hand sharpening skills, this will be the best.
I couldn't. For blade maintenance I lovfe my sharpmaker. For reprofiling and repair WE is the best.

[zinczinc]

Sharpmaker + DMT fine/coarse combination has reprofiled and kept sharp every knife I have

Exactly, that is what my dream set.

[Evil D]

I'm an Edge Pro fan. Probably will never use anything else.

[SQSAR]

+1 on the EdgePro, the fundamental design and numerous aftermarket stones available make it a truly remarkable system that will take most anyone's edges to a whole other level. However, for the most bang for the buck, a Sharpmaker (with diamond rods) just can't be beat. All that said, I think the Sharpmaker, more than anything else, has caused more guys to eventually invest in an EdgePro or Wicked Edge because once they see how keen of an edge they can get on a Sharpmaker, , they're hooked and want/need to take their edges to the EP/WE level.

[Surfingringo]

Sharpmaker + DMT fine/coarse combination has reprofiled and kept sharp every knife I have

This is a great combo, however, I recently picked up the diamond rods for the sharpmaker and have been able to take things to the next level. Sm with diamond rods gets my vote. If you need a little something extra for heavy reprofiling, you can add an xc/c dmt diafold for about $25

[kbuzbee]

For blade maintenance I lovfe my sharpmaker. For reprofiling and repair WE is the best.

I'm with Roman. SM & Wicked Edge. EP is great too. Just know both WE & EP are serious coin. SM is a good deal, but I'll never regret owning a Wicked Edge.

Ken

[The Deacon]

Sharpmaker + DMT fine/coarse combination has reprofiled and kept sharp every knife I have

+1

For serrated blades and those which incorporated a concave element (hawkbill, recurve, reverse S) flat stones are difficult to use, at best, while the Sharpmaker handles them all extremely well. The Sharpmaker is also capable of doing a decent job of maintaining knives that are not allowed to ever actually get dull. However, it would take forever to sharpen a truly dull knife using one. IMHO, the DMT Diamond stones are a better choice for conventional (non-serarted, non-concave) blades regardless of whether they need just a quick touch up or major work.

[araneae]

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is a great buy. It's not the best for reprofiling an edge though.

+1. It's a great sharpener for newbies to learn on and will take care of most of your sharpening needs.