Starter kits?

[Albatross]

One of the most common recommendations for sharpening beginners, is a loupe. If Spyderco made their own, or partnered with a loupe-maker, to include with the Sharpmaker, it would help many first-timers on their sharpening journey. An included loupe might even prevent some from getting discouraged.

Most knife companies sell knives and maybe some sharpening supplies. I don't know of any other companies doing so much to help beginners on the knowledge side, or with techniques. Sal himself gives free advice on here. Who else does that?

Sal's vision for Spyderco, was a high performance knife company, and it only makes sense to include something that will help achieve even higher performance edges, than the Sharpmaker alone can offer.

It would be nice to also see Sharpmaker kits, with CBN(or diamond) and medium rods, in addition to the current offering of medium and fine, since Spyderco has been releasing so many high-carbide, high-hardness steels.

[sal]

Hi Albatross,

We did that for a while twenty some years ago. Maybe ahead of it's time? I agree that'a it's a good idea. I'll bring it up with management.

sal

[VooDooChild]

That way I can see how bad I am...

[Albatross]

Hi Albatross,

We did that for a while twenty some years ago. Maybe ahead of it's time? I agree that'a it's a good idea. I'll bring it up with management.

sal

Hi Sal,

I think it was, but the internet has changed a lot about how we view knives. Hopefully management sees fit to add a loupe. Thanks for your reply.

[Wartstein]

Great idea. I've waited much too long to get a loupe and CBN rods as well. Could sharpen my knives quite well (for my needs) on the sm before that, but loupe and CBN rods definitely took my sharpening a step further.

[kennethsime]

I agree, it's a great idea. Maybe even a "deluxe" kit with includes all rods?

[Dazen]

I’d love a Spyder Loupe!

[Sumdumguy]

I'm down.

[Johncjeff]

Bought a cheap one off of Amazon that had great reviews. Junk. Would have to set up on Jupiter to get it into focus. Lesson learned. I’d definitely be up for a quality Spyderco version.

[Ez556]

I’d be up for it, cause it’s one thing everyone here recommends to have, but I know NOTHING about them and have no idea where to begin looking for one.

[RustyIron]

I’d be up for it, cause it’s one thing everyone here recommends to have, but I know NOTHING about them and have no idea where to begin looking for one.

In my own sharpening journey, I progressed to a certain point, and then plateaued. I ended up getting a cheap little magnifier off Amazon, and then I could see where I was going wrong. It helped up my sharpening game.

I recommend this one because 60x allows you to examine characteristics that you'd miss with the naked eye. You can use it to look, see new things, and then hypothesize about changing your techniques. And this thing is only $7, the cost of your Carmel Latte Frommagiato.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQAANDS

The above magnifier allowed me to see what was going on at the edge, and I again plateaued. But being the curious sort, I wanted to see more. But I'm also cheap, so I wasn't ready to throw down for a high-power optical microscope. Then I saw a cheap USB "microscope" that cost $40. That's an amount that I don't just want to throw into he wind, but I decided to gamble.

I'll recommend this microscope because it helped me step up to the next level, but I'm not sure if there are better ones available at a reasonable price point. Setup was easy on the iMac: plug it in, and run one of the native programs on the MacOS operating system. Images at this level of magnification were confusing. Some of the folks here at Spyderco Forum and Bladeforums helped me understand a little better. And that helped me improve my technique.

Don't go straight to this level of magnification. Get something intermediate first, like the KingMas. But by all means, get something to help you look more closely at your edges.

https://smile.amazon.com/Plugable-Micro ... B00XNYXQHE