701 Profiles: Who uses them? Who wants them back?

[JD Spydo]

It's been about 2 years or so since the Great Spyder Factory has discontinued one of my very favorite sharpening tools and I'm speaking of the 701 Profile kit ( medium & fine). I've been hearing a lot here on the Forums how many of you all feel the same way I do about them and would like to see them return. Also many of you seem to prefer them over the Goldenstone and Duckfoot sharpening tools

I've gotten both of the The Goldenstone and the Duckfoot sharpening tools and have used them extensively at times with decent results. But so far I still like the 701 Profile set better because of the smaller radii and the portability of the kit and the ease of using them on small knives and serrations. I particularly like the 701 Profiles to manually sharpen Spyderedges ( Spyderco's serrated blades) and will only use the 701 Profiles on serrated Hawkbills. I also like to take them in the field with good results I might add. They also make a great deburring tool and have helped me in all kinds of filing jobs.

How many of you like them better and would like to see them return and what do you yourself use them for most? But on the other hand if you like the Goldenstone and Duckfoot better then please tell us why. Because if I'm missing something or have a lot to learn to be proficient at them or they have advantages I'm not aware of then please tell us how you have good success with using those units.

Also I've been hearing about the coming of these new CBN sharpening rods>> wouldn't it be cool to see a set of 701 Profiles in that material?
Who else uses the 701 kit and why do you like it better? If they ever do start making it again how many of you would get one of the 701 Profile kits?

[phillipsted]

Hey, JD! I keep the 701 stones in my tool bench. There simply isn't a better tool for sharpening gouges and other carving tools with curved edges.

TedP

[sir_mike]

I like the 701's a lot and have a set but I do have to admit that I don't get to use my blades enough to get them dull. I don't own the duck foot or the
Goldenstone as I don't like the price point of the Goldenstone and there is no medium.

They should produce the 701 set again and expand them to include an ultra fine stone and some coarse grit, maybe a CBN one.

[JD Spydo]

I like the 701's a lot and have a set but I do have to admit that I don't get to use my blades enough to get them dull. I don't own the duck foot or the
Goldenstone as I don't like the price point of the Goldenstone and there is no medium.

They should produce the 701 set again and expand them to include an ultra fine stone and some coarse grit, maybe a CBN one.

Well "Sir Mike" I totally agree with you concerning the GOLDENSTONE and it only being available in one grit. I heard through the grapevine that they are going to reintroduce the Duckfoot with CBN abrasive so maybe that will be a much needed improvent in that area. To me it would have made perfect sense to have the Goldenstone available in the 3 main grits just like their great 302 Benchstones.

Say "TED" I couldn't agree with you more that the 701 Profiles are truly a sharpening tool that every woodworker should have. I've been doing some metal work lately and I've found the 701 Profiles to be very proficient in "de-burring" metal of all types. Not to mention it's a much more controllable type of file to where you can really control your work and you don't have to worry about removing too much stock.

[sir_mike]

[QUOTE=JD Spydo;951957]Well "Sir Mike" I totally agree with you concerning the GOLDENSTONE and it only being available in one grit. I heard through the grapevine that they are going to reintroduce the Duckfoot with CBN abrasive so maybe that will be a much needed improvent in that area. To me it would have made perfect sense to have the Goldenstone available in the 3 main grits just like their great 302 Benchstones.

Say "TED" I couldn't agree with you more that the 701 Profiles are truly a sharpening tool that every woodworker should have. I've been doing some metal work lately and I've found the 701 Profiles to be very proficient in "de-burring" metal of all types. Not to mention it's a much more controllable type of file to where you can really control your work and you don't have to worry about removing too much stock.[/QUOTE]

Exactly! I just don't feel the Goldenstone I worth a out $65 when you can find a 302 for $35-40. The Duck foot in CBN could be interesting. :)

[JD Spydo]

[QUOTE=JD Spydo;951957]Well "Sir Mike" I totally agree with you concerning the GOLDENSTONE and it only being available in one grit. I heard through the grapevine that they are going to reintroduce the Duckfoot with CBN abrasive so maybe that will be a much needed improvent in that area. To me it would have made perfect sense to have the Goldenstone available in the 3 main grits just like their great 302 Benchstones.

Exactly! I just don't feel the Goldenstone I worth a out $65 when you can find a 302 for $35-40. The Duck foot in CBN could be interesting. :) [/QUOTE]

Even if I would have been stuck paying "full flaming retail" for all the ones that I own I would have still gotten them. I have 2 complete sets of Spyderco 302 Benchstones that I aquired through various sources. I use them so much that the return on my investment has been colossal.

Hey I'm with you in agreement with your concerns about the Goldenstone and Duckfoot sharpening tools. I do own both of them and use them frequently but again with the Goldenstone only being currently available in one grit to me very much limits what I can do with it. It is a genius design just like most of Spyderco's sharpening equipment is. But it needs more to take up where it leaves off IMO.

Whereas the original 701 Profiles could make serious comeback. If they were also available in diamond and ultra-fine along with the fine & medium that was originally made and sold. The 701 tools are so versatile and much easier to work with serrations, and Hawkbills along with recurves and Reverse S blades. It's been a long time since I used one of my 204 Sharpmakers to do a Spyderedge with. When I learned how to use the 701 Profiles to manually sharpen my Spyderedges just one scallop and one set of spike at a time I was totally mind blown at how sharp you could get a Spyderedged blade ( or other commercial serrations for that matter).

I truly think that the 701 Profile kit has many more fans than they realize. And for good reason>>> when a person learns how to use them they end up using them a lot just like I did. Not to mention all other types of sharpening chores like box cutter blades, utility knife blades and even tuning up a kitchen knife quickly.

[sir_mike]

JD - I completely agree and if the Golden stone was cheaoer, I probobly would have one just to see how well it would work! If they ever bring them back, they should also consider reviving the 702's which are the half size set. Would be perfect for traveling. :)

I do think about the 302 and f set now and then but like I said, I really don't get too much use lately from my knives to invest in them.

[v8r]

Just got done using mine to sharpen one of my coworkers knives. I use mine all the time, and they stay in my gear bag.i have used them to trigger jobs on my rifles to smoothing up my fingernails and everything between.

[Ankerson]

I keep mine in the Kitchen. :)

[sir_mike]

Nice set Mr Anderson :)

Not to hijack this thread but I wanted to know what the difference is between the CBN rods and the diamond rods? To not hijack this thread please PM me your thoughts or comments on these rods. I am curious how they compare or don't compare to each other.

[Ankerson]

Nice set Mr Anderson :)

Not to hijack this thread but I wanted to know what the difference is between the CBN rods and the diamond rods? To not hijack this thread please PM me your thoughts or comments on these rods. I am curious how they compare or don't compare to each other.

Here is some info on it.

http://www.gearsolutions.com/article/de ... ond-or-cbn

[sir_mike]

Here is some info on it.

http://www.gearsolutions.com/article/de ... ond-or-cbn

I just browsed that one a short time ago but it seems like it is referring to grinding wheels than a Spyderco rod use!

[Invective]

I would like to try a set of 701s! JD has convinced me that I need to try them on my SE and I do want to see how they compare to the Sharpmaker rods. I'm always down to try new knife gear as it is too!

[sir_mike]

I would like to try a set of 701s! JD has convinced me that I need to try them on my SE and I do want to see how they compare to the Sharpmaker rods. I'm always down to try new knife gear as it is too!

Hopefully you can find a set! They are getting very hard to find. Keep searching around on Ebay and other forums and maybe you will get lucky. :)

[JD Spydo]

I would like to try a set of 701s! JD has convinced me that I need to try them on my SE and I do want to see how they compare to the Sharpmaker rods. I'm always down to try new knife gear as it is too!

OK "Invective" I'm going to give you and the others the straight scoop on using the 701 Profiles to sharpen Spyderedges and most other serration patterns on good quality blades. First of all I'm going to tell you all up front that it is a time consuming job to be sure. But when you're done with it you really have a super edge that will last you for a lot of usage.

First you want to see which radii on the corners of the 701 file will fit the scallops on your serrated edge. I've yet to ever sharpen any Spyderco serrated knife where one of the 2 of them wouldn't fit. Then you want to file into the blade and not away from it. Also do the spike parts in the same method except you want to see which angle-corner or which apex will fit the spike part of the serration pattern. Again you run the file into the blade until you obtain the sharpness you deem necessary.

I usually do a Spyderedge with the 701 Profiles when I'm watching a TV Show, Movie or Football game. Because I'm not going to lie to you all it does take some work but here are the advantages. First and foremost you don't round off or deform the serration pattern from it's original factory made edge. Because even though the 204 Sharpmaker will put a wicked edge on a serrated blade it will over time really round off the spike parts and deform the overall pattern of the serration. I know I did a lot of them that way before I experimented with the 701 Profiles for the first time back in 2004.

Now it does take some practice to get the angles just right but the serration scallop and spike will show you the angle in which they cut/ground it at the factory. I just naturally know which angle to use anymore for optimal results. The wavy kitchen serrations are a little bit easier to sharpen than the really spiky serrations that are on all the Japan made folders and fixed blades.

They do a great job but there is work involved. And let me tell you when you got a hair shaving Spyderedge it just floats through stuff. I let my boss just yesterday use my SE, H-1 Spyderhawk to harvest a few cabbages that we planted early in the season. He came in and said that the Spyderhawk cut through the cabbage stalks like a laser and said he hardly used any effort at all to cut through them. That's the results you can get from the 701 Profiles.

[rodloos]

JD, based partly on your raving about them, I picked up a set of 701's when they were announced as discontinued, and use them occasionally. I have most of Spyderco's sharpening products(701MF, 2 Sharpmakers (old and new versions), 2 303MF Double Stuff's, 303F, 2 Duck Foot's, 400F file set, 308F Golden Stone, 302 2 x 8 Bench Stones in medium, fine, and UF, 306UF 3 x 8 bench stone), and also an Edge Pro, yet I find I *usually* use either the Sharpmaker, or the Double Stuff.

We have a lot of wonderful sharpening options from Spyderco. It's too bad some of them don't sell well enough for Spyderco to keep them in the lineup. When the Goldenstones were first available, they were around $120 (when I could even find one) and I didn't purchase one until the price dropped to around $65. I would gladly buy another one in Medium grit if they were to make it. I'd also buy another 701MF set as a spare if they made them again.

[Invective]

OK "Invective" I'm going to give you and the others the straight scoop on using the 701 Profiles to sharpen Spyderedges and most other serration patterns on good quality blades. First of all I'm going to tell you all up front that it is a time consuming job to be sure. But when you're done with it you really have a super edge that will last you for a lot of usage.

First you want to see which radii on the corners of the 701 file will fit the scallops on your serrated edge. I've yet to ever sharpen any Spyderco serrated knife where one of the 2 of them wouldn't fit. Then you want to file into the blade and not away from it. Also do the spike parts in the same method except you want to see which angle-corner or which apex will fit the spike part of the serration pattern. Again you run the file into the blade until you obtain the sharpness you deem necessary.

I usually do a Spyderedge with the 701 Profiles when I'm watching a TV Show, Movie or Football game. Because I'm not going to lie to you all it does take some work but here are the advantages. First and foremost you don't round off or deform the serration pattern from it's original factory made edge. Because even though the 204 Sharpmaker will put a wicked edge on a serrated blade it will over time really round off the spike parts and deform the overall pattern of the serration. I know I did a lot of them that way before I experimented with the 701 Profiles for the first time back in 2004.

Now it does take some practice to get the angles just right but the serration scallop and spike will show you the angle in which they cut/ground it at the factory. I just naturally know which angle to use anymore for optimal results. The wavy kitchen serrations are a little bit easier to sharpen than the really spiky serrations that are on all the Japan made folders and fixed blades.

They do a great job but there is work involved. And let me tell you when you got a hair shaving Spyderedge it just floats through stuff. I let my boss just yesterday use my SE, H-1 Spyderhawk to harvest a few cabbages that we planted early in the season. He came in and said that the Spyderhawk cut through the cabbage stalks like a laser and said he hardly used any effort at all to cut through them. That's the results you can get from the 701 Profiles.

Thanks for the tips! I will keep them in mind if I ever manage to find one! And I know, I am able to get my SE AUS-6 and GIN-1 blades screaming with just the Sharpmaker rods but 440V is still more time intensive and I need to pay attention more.

Oh and I have an update on the Fold-A-Vee for SE, the rods are too large to work for serrations unfortunately. However, it works great on odd blade shapes like recurves such as the Captain or SuperHawk. The round rods work great for all my odd shaped knives. I only wish the FAV had different grits, I would love it if it had diamonds.

[JD Spydo]

JD, based partly on your raving about them, I picked up a set of 701's when they were announced as discontinued, and use them occasionally. I have most of Spyderco's sharpening products(701MF, 2 Sharpmakers (old and new versions), 2 303MF Double Stuff's, 303F, 2 Duck Foot's, 400F file set, 308F Golden Stone, 302 2 x 8 Bench Stones in medium, fine, and UF, 306UF 3 x 8 bench stone), and also an Edge Pro, yet I find I *usually* use either the Sharpmaker, or the Double Stuff.

We have a lot of wonderful sharpening options from Spyderco. It's too bad some of them don't sell well enough for Spyderco to keep them in the lineup. When the Goldenstones were first available, they were around $120 (when I could even find one) and I didn't purchase one until the price dropped to around $65. I would gladly buy another one in Medium grit if they were to make it. I'd also buy another 701MF set as a spare if they made them again.

I've also got everything you've listed. The only sharpening tool I don't have of theirs is that newest Ultra-Fine stone in the extra large size. But I do plan on getting that before the summer is over.

One way I really discovered how useful the 701 Profiles were is that I did a lot of experimenting with them. It was just because I got bored one day a few years back I was just wanting to see how I could possibly sharpen serrations. I soon discoverd that the radii and the different angled corners would fit into just about any serration pattern out there. I've also found them to be an indespensible tool in the machine tool area>> it is a great "deburring" tool as well as a nice uniform file. I'm currently doing the same with the Goldenstone and the Duckfoot. It really blows me away that the Duckfoot got discontinued. I actually find more to do with that tool than I do with the Goldenstone.

Sal said on another Forum that they have a tool to set up the Goldenstone where you can work on it at precise angles. I can't wait for that to come out as well as an instructional video for the GOLDENSTONE.

For all you guys who are looking for a set of 701 Profiles I have 2 ideas as to how you can find a set. Do a google search and it might surprise you to know that some knife dealer probably has a set or two still in their inventory. Also there are probably a few people that own them and don't use them that you could make a trade for them through Bladeforums or any other popular knife forum.

[Evil D]

If they were brought back in a set with different grits including something that cuts fast like CBN or diamonds I'd buy a set for serrations.

[Chris_H]

I proposed this in the "CBN Rods" thread...
http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... post951705

So Cliff,

What do you think of a "Double Stuff" (1" X 5") CBN on one side and ultra fine ceramix on the other side?

sal

Sal, I am not sure if CNB in the same grit as used here can transition to a UF ceramic even if using a micro-bevel, I will check the weekend. I know you can jump from the CBN to the medium rods easily with micro-beveling, even on hard to grind steels. I would wonder about the practicality of a triangle rod (CBN, medium, UF ceramic) or a square one with all four grits.

What about a double-sided pair -- mix the Double Stuff and 701MF designs? You'd have four grits on two stones in a leather slip case to hold both stones.