Blown away by Sharpmaker

[Bruce Mack]

I am familiar with edge tools and proficient at freehand sharpening of chisels and plane irons. I use a variety of sharpening media including Japanese water stones, Arkansas oil stones, diamond paste on cast iron plates, and the Spyderco fine bench stone. Knives have been hit or miss, even with magnifying goggles.
I got the Sharpmaker yesterday and tried it on my #6 Opinel, my EDC. Even as a neophyte I have acquired an astonishingly sharp edge, better than any before (at 30°). Thank you, Sal.

[abbazaba]

Always glad to hear another success story! The SM is the cornerstone of my sharpening equipment. Dead simple touch ups, very portable and accommodating. I keep hoping they will make a folding pocket model.

[Evil D]

It is indeed a capable sharpening tool, but I'd also give a little credit to the Opinel. Those knives are so thin and the steel takes an edge so easily. Amazing knives for the price.

[ZrowsN1s]

For serrated edges, I wouldn't use anything else now.

[Evil D]

For serrated edges, I wouldn't use anything else now.

Apart from my Dremel I agree. I'm still looking for a way to attach a Sharpmaker rod to my Edge Pro though.

[FWR132]

Tell me about it. I recently screwed the edge on the plain edge of my Leatherman Wave. It was a butter knife.

Immediately ordered the Sharpmaker, and when I received it, tried a cycle on my Wave.

That thing was razor sharp and shaving hair in around 20 minutes! (Learning Curve).

It's not perfect, but with practice, i'll get there!

Love the Sharpmaker.

[Bruce Mack]

It is indeed a capable sharpening tool, but I'd also give a little credit to the Opinel. Those knives are so thin and the steel takes an edge so easily. Amazing knives for the price.

Yes. My other knife, a Kershaw Leek, has not taken the same edge with the Sharpmaker. I’m still working at it.

[FWR132]

It is indeed a capable sharpening tool, but I'd also give a little credit to the Opinel. Those knives are so thin and the steel takes an edge so easily. Amazing knives for the price.

Yes. My other knife, a Kershaw Leek, has not taken the same edge with the Sharpmaker. I’m still working at it.

I have my friend's Leek, and I've found that stropping with compound keeps it razor sharp

[sal]

Hi Bruce,

Welcome to our forum and thanx much for the kind words.

sal

[ZrowsN1s]

For serrated edges, I wouldn't use anything else now.

Apart from my Dremel I agree. I'm still looking for a way to attach a Sharpmaker rod to my Edge Pro though.

I'm still power stroping too :D (After I use the sharpmaker).

....
And if no one here has said it yet OP, do yourself a solid and get an ultrafine stone for finishing.

[NickShabazz]

It's a very nice tool for keeping a sharp knife very sharp, and one that I still find myself using on a regular basis.

[sal]

Thanx Nick.

sal

[ConspicuousConsumption]

Nick and I are big KME fans (last he said on YouTube). The Sharpmaker is great for maintaining a sweet edge, for sure.

There's a gentleman named Ken Schwartz who is famous for his CBN strop emulsions, and he also cuts Spyderco bench stones for the KME platform. I just got an Ultrafine cut for the KME, and let me tell you, it's a real gem for cleaning up all the stone scratches from lower grits. Mirror finish in no time flat.

Basically, the Sharpmaker is great because of hte concept, but also the ceramic stones are hard to beat for ease of use (can use them dry) and durability (people are still using theirs from the 80s I've heard?).

[NickShabazz]

Nick and I are big KME fans (last he said on YouTube). The Sharpmaker is great for maintaining a sweet edge, for sure.

Yup, the KME is great for reprofiling or rehabbing a deeply dull knife, but if I get something in or realize a favorite is dull and just needs to be stupid sharp *now*, the Sharpmaker's the tool of choice.

[wrdwrght]

If you have the diamond (or CBN?) triangles to go with the Sharpmaker's browns and whites, you don't have just a means for maintaining an already sharp edge. You have a fully-fledged sharpening tool that works acceptably fast even on highly wear-resistant steels. How do I know?

With my three sets of Sharpmaker triangles, I just re-profiled (at default angles) my S110V PM2 (sharp but unevenly ground from the factory) and got the thing evenly-ground and "hair-poppin'" sharp in less than 30 minutes.

No bragging here. I just let Sal's little masterpiece TEACH me what to do.

Through several years of Sharpmaker experience, I have learned not to fixate on the some ideal number of passes per side of the blade, per corner/flat of the triangle, per type of triangle. Instead, I both listen for the noise and feel for the resistance of the steel as it moves with just a bit of firmness along the triangle. When sound and vibration are seemingly the same on both sides of the evolving bevel and noticeably reduced from at the start (that, there, is my metric for patience), you're (I'm) ready for the "next level".

[FWR132]

Nick and I are big KME fans (last he said on YouTube). The Sharpmaker is great for maintaining a sweet edge, for sure.

Yup, the KME is great for reprofiling or rehabbing a deeply dull knife, but if I get something in or realize a favorite is dull and just needs to be stupid sharp *now*, the Sharpmaker's the tool of choice.

I've been watching a lot of your reviews and videos on YouTube, I suddenly hear your voice when I read what you type. AWESOME!

Nice to meet you, Nick