One big factor that drew me to Spyderco years back was the fact that they made sharpening tools with the same high quality standards that they make their great cutlery line with. It's always baffled me as to why so many big name knife companies do little if anything to provide their end line user with good sharpening tools. But Spyderco has covered all those bases and they have one of the very best selections of small, portable sharpening tools. Two of my all time favorite sharpening tools are their older/discontinued set of 701 Profiles along with their DOUBLESTUFF stone. I usually have both of those two small/portable sharpening tools with me most all the time I'm working and they are extremely handy and effective.
So which ones of Spyderco's portable sharpening tools do you all like? And what do you all primarily use them for? I also dearly love Spyderco's big kits too like the 204 Sharpmaker>> which I guess you could also classify it as being a portable unit. I'm also looking very forward to the upcoming GAUNTLET kit coming down the Spyderco product pipeline.
So which small/portable Spyderco sharpening tools do you all use? Which edge types and which blades do you use them on? Also if there are small sharpening tools you tend to like better than Spyderco then tell us why you prefer them. And who besides me wants to see the return of the 701 Profiles ??
I have various bench stones but only one (DMT) that I would really classify as portable because it has a leather slip. Otherwise I primarily use my original Sharpmaker and it's pretty portable with the pouch it came with. Looking to upgrade to a 204 SM one of these days so I can stop using dowel underneath my current SM to get 15° per side.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
It's no wonder that Spyderco makes such high-quality sharpening tools... the fact is that the Spyderco Sharpmaker was the first product Spyderco made and sold before it got into the knife business. As the old saying goes... First, Spyderco made things sharp then they made sharp things. :)
Of the portable sharpening tools that Spyderco makes, the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker 204MF is my favorite! I love how all its components can be placed and stored into its durable plastic case... as case which doubles nicely as a sharpening base and hand support. It stores away just about anywhere in the home when not in use, it fits beautifully in my carry-on bag when I need to travel, and it slides right into the large pockets of BDU (battle dress uniform) pants with room to spare. The Sharpmaker has everything you need for maintaining a knife's edge, can be deployed and used just about anywhere, and with the Spyderco Tri-Angle Diamond Stones in their plastic storage tubes and tucked along side with the Sharpmaker, you're ready for any knife sharpening task.
I primarily use my Sharpmaker on any PE blades ( :spyder:s, pocket knives, kitchen knives, etc.) that need sharpening. I know SE blades can be sharpened on it, but I need to practice on that some more. There has not been any other portable sharpening tool or system out there that I've tried, liked, and enjoyed more than the Sharpmaker.
Spyderco WTC #1044
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana, The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress, 1905 to 1906
I'm in total agreement with you JD. I started out with a set of 701 stones that I managed to get just as they were beginning to disappear, and from two different places because no one seemed to have both. Then I got a Doublestuff for even more portability, and it is just the right size for anything I carry in my pocket. I still use my Profiles more, even though they usually stay at home. I just seem to be able to make it through most days without sharpening til I get home, probably thanks to all these supersteels I keep buying!
I love the Doublestuff, especially since I got mine on clearance-price many years ago :). I kept mine in the center console of my truck. Unfortunately, the Texas summer heat was too much for the glue that held the medium stone and find stone together, and I haven't got around to trying to epoxy them back together yet. I have a couple of the 303F stones (the Fine portion of the Doublestuff) and keep one in each vehicle, very handy to have.
I think it was due to your raving about the Profile stones that led me pick up a set when they were discontinued, and I'm very glad to have them. They are terrific for touching up serrated edges too.
Even though I have an Edge Pro, for some reason I wind up using my Sharpmaker far more often, I guess I need to spend more time practicing with the Edge Pro. But the Sharpmaker is pretty portable, and along with the optional diamond or CBN rods is quite capable.
Which Knife, A or B? get Both! (and C, D and E) :)
PayneTrain wrote:I'm in total agreement with you JD. I started out with a set of 701 stones that I managed to get just as they were beginning to disappear, and from two different places because no one seemed to have both. Then I got a Doublestuff for even more portability, and it is just the right size for anything I carry in my pocket. I still use my Profiles more, even though they usually stay at home. I just seem to be able to make it through most days without sharpening til I get home, probably thanks to all these supersteels I keep buying!
It's just incredible to me how many sharpening jobs you can do with those two Spyderco sharpening tools>> i.e. the DOUBLESTUFF and the 701 Profiles. If I ever do get what I deem to be a complete "survival kit" aka "bug out bag" then those two Spyderco sharpening tools will for certain be in those kits.
I'm sincerely trying to like the GOLDENSTONE as much as the 701 Profiles but I'm sorry I have to be honest because I feel that the 701 Profile kit is vastly more versatile than the GOLDENSTONE in my humble opinion and I base that on hours of experimenting with the GOLDENSTONE and by using the two sharpening tools side by side.
Yeah "PayneTrain" you've experienced what I have in that those two sharpening tools are just great for compact, portable sharpening tools. I hope they do more DOUBLESTUFF stones down the road and I also hope that they bring back the 701 Profiles at some point >> and in more grit selections as well.
I don't find much need for sharpening on the go, but I do have a set of 701MF profiles and a couple Doublestuff stones. I find the profiles to be very handy at times for various tasks and I have rarely used the Doublestuff stones. I do most of my sharpening on the Sharpmaker. Now that you've brought it up, I think that I should add one of the Doublestuffs to my hiking pack.
I learned to sharpen as a kid on pocket stones so I am quite proficient with them. I LOVE the doublestuff and use one all the time. I wish there was another pocket stone that was diamond/ceramic like the DC4. The doublestuff works great for my EDC needs and I have kept one in the console of my truck for years now but for field/woods use it isn't aggressive enough. Sal said quite a while ago that they were working on a diamond/white ceramic pocket stone with some extra features built in. I am still eagerly awaiting that stone but until then the doublestuff and a diamond rod file are my go to portable combo.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
bearfacedkiller wrote:I learned to sharpen as a kid on pocket stones so I am quite proficient with them. I LOVE the doublestuff and use one all the time. I wish there was another pocket stone that was diamond/ceramic like the DC4. The doublestuff works great for my EDC needs and I have kept one in the console of my truck for years now but for field/woods use it isn't aggressive enough. Sal said quite a while ago that they were working on a diamond/white ceramic pocket stone with some extra features built in. I am still eagerly awaiting that stone but until then the doublestuff and a diamond rod file are my go to portable combo.
I hear what you're saying BFK because I've wondered why Spyderco doesn't offer up some more DOUBLESTUFF stones in more grit selections and hopefully someday in diamond as well. With all the positive fanfare that I've heard about the new CBN rods that they have made available for the 204 Sharpmaker I can't see why that wouldn't be a good way to go on the DOUBLESTUFF stones as well. For all the prepper/survivalists markets out there and all the vendors selling those types of survival gear I can't help but believe that DOUBLESTUFF stones in several grit selections would do well in those markets. I know I would stuff all my bug-out bags with small Spyderco sharpening tools.
You might check Fallkniven because they do have a portable/small stone that is diamond on one side and ceramic on the other. Hey I would rather have something with Spyderco's name on it but until they fill the void in that area of the market then maybe it isn't a bad idea to check out other sharpening tools until they do. I do own and use sharpening tools other than Spyderco's so hopefully they will look into some of our suggestions.
Also I still think that if the older/discontinued 701 Profiles were available in other grit selections it would really get a lot of people to take a serious second look at that great Spyderco sharpening tool. There just isn't anything you can't touch up with a Spyderco 701 Profile and they are extremely versatile and portable.
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