Spyderco Forums

Hey guys, my S110V PM2 is in route from BladeHQ. So, I’ve gotta order a sharpener.

If I order the Sharpmaker, I will also need the Diamond rods to sharpen S110V, and I’d prefer the ultrafine stones too.


Before I drop $142.86 on a Sharpmaker with all additional goodies, I figured I’d ask some advice, from the best forum on the internet.


So I would sharpen with diamond rods first, then coarse, then fine, then ultra fine.


I haven’t ordered yet, but here’s my shopping cart. I was wondering what you guys thought. My wife doesn’t understand why I need a $165 knife, let alone a $140 sharpener.


I’m not good free hand sharpening. I can get a blade sharp, but probably not S110V. And My tips look ugly, so I don’t trust my self other than stropping, or high grit polishing.

CBN will work just fine also. s110v isn't all that tedious to sharpen imho.

I have all that and I think it's worth it. I don't use the diamond (I have CBN) rods very often now that I have a fixed angle system but I still use them once in a while. Same with the UF stones. I really only use them once in a while to go for that highly refined edge. I don't think I've ever tried to use the UF stones for S110V.

Also for S110V you're probably going to want something in between the diamond and medium rods. I've clipped some thin Moldmaster (SiC) stones to my SM rods before. That works pretty well. Lately when I touch up my S110V knives I've been laying some bonded diamond stones against the SM rods. It gives me more variety of grits between the SM diamond and medium rods.

Next time your wife asks why you need a $165 dollar knife tell her it's your new hobby. That's how I justify it. :) You can also look in her closet and ask you why she needs all these shoes (or whatever she's into)?

I have said this on at least 50 of the 204 Sharpmaker threads that if you are going to buy a 204 Sharpmaker unit>> then please!!! by all means!! go ahead and get the extra stones. Because I've found that in my 19 years of usage that it's just not a complete kit without those extra 204 stones.

I've had my first 204 Sharpmaker since 1999 when it first hit the market. It wasn't until 2002 however that I was able to get the diamond and Ultra-Fine stones and believe me it took that kit to a completely higher level>>> and I loved it just as it came from the factory but the extra stones really put the cherry on top so to speak :cool:

I'll go one further and I hope I don't make Mr. Glesser mad at me :o :rolleyes: I truly wish some other stone maker would also make additional stones for the 204 Sharpmaker on top of what Spyderco has already made available. For instance I truly wish they had a really extra-coarse stone for re-profiling really beat up blades. Because we need at least one stone for the kit that would be capable of rapid stock removal IMO.

But you did the right thing getting the extra stones. Keep us posted with your results :)

JD Spydo wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:25 am

I truly wish some other stone maker would also make additional stones for the 204 Sharpmaker on top of what Spyderco has already made available. For instance I truly wish they had a really extra-coarse stone for re-profiling really beat up blades. Because we need at least one stone for the kit that would be capable of rapid stock removal IMO.

I can't remember the name at the moment but there is a company that sells stones that are very similar to the SM stones. They have course, medium, and fine. I ordered the course stones and they look identical to SM stones. I wasn't real thrilled with them for whatever reason. Maybe I just didn't use them enough to break them in? IDK

You can also order 1/2" x 6" triangle Moldmaster stones from Congress Tools. They're available in 80 - 600 grit. I've never tried those because I've read comments that they didn't fit the SM holder the same as the stock stones. So the angle was off a little when using them. I've since read where others have used them successfully and were quite happy with them.

It doesn't look like you are getting much of a deal by purchasing everything together. Maybe just get the Sharpmaker, decide on what you need next, and then make a purchase (or not).

Sharp Guy wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:51 am

JD Spydo wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:25 am

I truly wish some other stone maker would also make additional stones for the 204 Sharpmaker on top of what Spyderco has already made available. For instance I truly wish they had a really extra-coarse stone for re-profiling really beat up blades. Because we need at least one stone for the kit that would be capable of rapid stock removal IMO.

I can't remember the name at the moment but there is a company that sells stones that are very similar to the SM stones. They have course, medium, and fine. I ordered the course stones and they look identical to SM stones. I wasn't real thrilled with them for whatever reason. Maybe I just didn't use them enough to break them in? IDK

You can also order 1/2" x 6" triangle Moldmaster stones from Congress Tools. They're available in 80 - 600 grit. I've never tried those because I've read comments that they didn't fit the SM holder the same as the stock stones. So the angle was off a little when using them. I've since read where others have used them successfully and were quite happy with them.

Hey thanks "Sharp Guy" because I might just check some of those out. I've actually been puzzled as to why they have never made a really coarse or extra coarse stone for quick ding and dent removal. Because a lot of times on my hunting,fishing & backpacking ventures I'm pretty rough on my cutlery at times and usually have to break out one of my diamond benchstones to remedy the problem. I've heard good things about "Congress">> I'm kind of surprised that one of those woodworking vendors like GARRETT WADE or JAPANWOODWORKER hasn't done some stones that would work. Because they both do offer a lot of specialty sharpening tools.

In all fairness though I do realize that Spyderco has a lot on their plate at this time. When you think about it the size of the stones that are used in the 204 Sharpmaker would be handy for a lot of different sharpening jobs even if they were not used in a Sharpmaker unit.

I think it is. All the best knives in the world are useless if you can't sharpen them.

diamond or CBN rods are 100% necessary and worth it. Ultra fine - maybe. I do not have them and my knives are sharp. If you want to split a free standing hair, then yes you need ultra fine too

It is easy to get all crazy with all the sharpening topics, youtube vids etc and invest a lot of money in gear and knives. I'd take it slow and just get some basic stuff first and see if you really like it. Nothing wrong with that Spyderco sharp maker, but it is a lot of money to invest for just one knife that won't get dull that fast anyway. And S110V likes a good working edge that doesn't need the most expensive equipment.

If you don't mind learning a little free hand sharpening (it's not that hard) you can also just buy a Chinese 400+1000 grit diamond plate for around $20 including shipping! No need to pay top dollar for an Atoma or DMT plate. Also plenty of edge pro, lansky and other clones with diamond blanks to go for if you really don't want to free hand. You really don't need the expensive stuff to get your knife sharp. If you really start to like the hobby and have loads of (expensive) knives it makes more sense to buy the fancy stuff. Thats just my 2 cents.

I’d say definately get the sharpmaker. I also would want the cbn rods, but I’ve never felt like I needed the ultrafine. I do finish up on a strop I made.

I’ve just recently decided I need the cbn rods to whip a knife into shape that had an absurdly relaxed apex. I like my edge bevels to be 30 degrees included, and the cbn rods would have made short work of it. I have 3 other knifes I want to reprofile, but I’ll wait to suffer through that until I have the cbn rods.

I don’t have the ultra fine. Many say they are not as useful. I’m fine without them.

My advice is get the regular sharpmaker. Don’t get the diamond or cbn rods yet. Plan on getting them later but you won’t need them for while. Save a little cost now. Maybe get those rods with a coupon or sale later.

I consider the diamond/CBN mandatory if you don’t have the tools or ability to reprofile freehand and I consider the UF to be optional and somewhat of a novelty. You should be able to whittle hair with just the fine stones. The UF are cool with steels like VG10 and Super Blue but I personally wouldn’t bother using them with S110V.

I can't recall reading the answer to this before, sorry if i have missed it, here goes:
I have the KME setup with 140, 300, 600 and 1500 grit diamond stones. I really only use it once/knife to get a good symmetrical edge, then i maintain it on the Sharpmaker. Now, what grit would you say the S.M. rods are? (Grey and white, the ones that come with the S.M.)

I have all that and love it. However, I agree that you should consider ordering just the Sharpmaker and order the other rods as you deem necessary as your experience/preferences grow.

$60 now, and a few rods later sounds like a lot less than $150 :)

Thanks for all the responses everyone. Im shopping for a good deal on the Sharpmaker right now, and the diamond rods too.

Im checking eBay out, and Amazon too.

I’d like to have all (4) sets of rods though for the Sharpmaker.

I’m a noob at sharpening, and I just wanna get the most out of my (2) Spyderco’s I have. Tenacious, and PM2 Blurple.

I agree with what other people say. Get the basic unit first, then add diamond or CBN rods (I have the diamond, can't comment on CBN versus diamond), then maybe get the ultrafine. If money is no object, by all means get the whole kaboodle (that is what I did, even though money is an object).

Ditto with others, you can find a better deal on the 204, you will need either the diamond or CBN rods. I have the UF but rarely use them. My knives stay plenty sharp without them.

I have all the above though I do reprofile with a guided system.

Something you may like to consider, is depending on your use of coarse S110V isn’t going to loose it’s edge in a hurry and a little tinkle with the medium (brown) rods at 40deg from time to time will keep your knife savage sharp.

The diamond or CBN rods will certainly be a must if you do need to reprofile but it will be a slow and arduous process on S110V.

Specifically on S110V I’m not too sure it lends itself to best performance at a highly refined edge so ultra fine rods may be a bit of overkill and if you rub simple blackboard chalk on the fine rods you’ll end up with close enough to the ultra fine.

Just my $AU0.02c worth. :)

Bloke wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 10, 2018 4:20 pm

I have all the above though I do reprofile with a guided system.

Something you may like to consider, is depending on your use of coarse S110V isn’t going to loose it’s edge in a hurry and a little tinkle with the medium (brown) rods at 40deg from time to time will keep your knife savage sharp.

The diamond or CBN rods will certainly be a must if you do need to reprofile but it will be a slow and arduous process on S110V.

Specifically on S110V I’m not too sure it lends itself to best performance at a highly refined edge so ultra fine rods may be a bit of overkill and if you rub simple blackboard chalk on the fine rods you’ll end up with close enough to the ultra fine.

Just my $AU0.02c worth. :)

Ok this makes sense. The standard spyderco Sharpmaker will maintain a S110V edge with the brown rods.