Sharpmaker - what else do you use?

[Surfingringo]

I do 90% of my sharpening with the Sharpmaker medium rods. It is relevant to mention that I use a microbevel on all of my edges though. Once I have a 30 degree bevel set, I use the Sharpmaker to do quick touchups a couple of times a week (more or less depending on how much I'm using the knife). These touchups take about 15-20 seconds on the Sharpmaker and bring the edge back to hair popping sharp in a half dozen passes. If I am carrying the same knife everyday (which I never am) then I will have to reprofile once every 3-6 months, then it's back to 15 second touchups. I have yet to find a quicker and easier way to maintain my edges at optimal sharpness and I haven't found a better tool for doing this than the Sharpmaker.

As far as reprofiling, sometimes I will just use the diamond stones on the SM. If you use a back and forth/up and down movement then its not really that slow. If I need to remove more metal or am working with thicker edges I have a double sided 325/600 Lansky diamond bench stone that is a great stone and still going strong after several years.

[ZrowsN1s]

KME with diamond hones, 3 sided rounded diamond hone for curved and hawkbill blades (I use this for almost everything these days), and tapered needle file for serrations.

Sharpmaker for kitchen knives, scissors, and Spyder edges. + Ultrafine stone.

Dremel for polishing spyder edges, leather strops for PE. I use diamond paste ranging from 5 micron to .25 micron.

[jmh58]

I am in the minority here.. I tried a SM a long time ago.. Late 70s/early 80s.. Pre computers, DVD.. When I bought it that was all I got.. Never did get the hang of it and gifted it a few yrs ago.. I am not bad talking the SM because I probably just never really put the effort to perfect using it.. I currently use a KME for all my sharpening needs!! John

[anycal]

Edge Pro when things are ugly.

DMT diafold for serious maintenance.

Spyderco tri-stones, free hand, for normal maintenance. Also used to microbevel couple of more difficult steels. And strop.

[Volfan4u]

For a major reprofile or a mirror polish I go with Edge Pro but for every day maintenance I use the Sharpmaker.

[toxophilus]

EdgePro, and within the past year obtained a Wicked Edge Field & Sport. Liking the consistency of the WE; recently been trying out stopping at lower grits (400/600), like the scratch pattern on the bevel :spyder:

[Snorky]

Thanks everyone... keep 'em coming!

[Snorky]

In order of importance:
Spyderco Benchstones (M,F,UF)
Spyderco 701 profiles (M,F)
Spyderco double-sided pocketstone
DMT benchstones
DMT aligner

Thanks.

If you don't mind me asking, what grades of DMT stones, and do you use them when the Spyderco stones just won't, er, cut it?

[xceptnl]

In order of importance:
Spyderco Benchstones (M,F,UF)
Spyderco 701 profiles (M,F)
Spyderco double-sided pocketstone
DMT benchstones
DMT aligner

Thanks.

If you don't mind me asking, what grades of DMT stones, and do you use them when the Spyderco stones just won't, er, cut it?

I go all the way from the XXC (silver) to the XXF (tan). This is just because I had all these stones before discovering Spyderco's products. I believe the progression I use is:
Silver
Black
Blue
Red
Green
Tan
I only use the DMT stuff now to save time on a reprofile job and save the wear on my medium Spyderco 302 benchstone. It would be fantastic to see a CBN 302 from Sal sometime in the future

[Snorky]

In order of importance:
Spyderco Benchstones (M,F,UF)
Spyderco 701 profiles (M,F)
Spyderco double-sided pocketstone
DMT benchstones
DMT aligner

Thanks.

If you don't mind me asking, what grades of DMT stones, and do you use them when the Spyderco stones just won't, er, cut it?

I go all the way from the XXC (silver) to the XXF (tan). This is just because I had all these stones before discovering Spyderco's products. I believe the progression I use is:
Silver
Black
Blue
Red
Green
Tan
I only use the DMT stuff now to save time on a reprofile job and save the wear on my medium Spyderco 302 benchstone. It would be fantastic to see a CBN 302 from Sal sometime in the future

Ah, I see. I used to be able to freehand sharpen, but that was in the before time, in the long long ago. I figure I can relearn, though. I'm leaning toward the Spyderco bench stones as a future purchase, but I reckon I need something a bit more aggressive for reprofiling and serious repair. This is where the DMT stones come in. I was thinking of a coarse 6" diasharp to supplement the 302s.

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind time and time again and end up with a small museum of sharpening paraphernalia collecting dust.

[xceptnl]

Ah, I see. I used to be able to freehand sharpen, but that was in the before time, in the long long ago. I figure I can relearn, though. I'm leaning toward the Spyderco bench stones as a future purchase, but I reckon I need something a bit more aggressive for reprofiling and serious repair. This is where the DMT stones come in. I was thinking of a coarse 6" diasharp to supplement the 302s.

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind time and time again and end up with a small museum of sharpening paraphernalia collecting dust.

I would say the Coarse or Xtra-Coarse would handle most anything that the medium 302 stone doesn't (not that it wont do the job, it will just take alot longer). As for for finishing, the Spyderco F & UF are head and shoulders above DMT for quality of finished edge. YMMV.

[Snorky]

I would say the Coarse or Xtra-Coarse would handle most anything that the medium 302 stone doesn't (not that it wont do the job, it will just take alot longer). As for for finishing, the Spyderco F & UF are head and shoulders above DMT for quality of finished edge. YMMV.

My thoughts exactly! Thanks

[ronT2]

I bought a KME system for setting a good symmetric edge but i maintain it with the S.M.

I do the same thing. Should have saved the $ I spent on the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker and put it towards the KME in the first place. It's a great combination.

[Larry_Mott]

I bought a KME system for setting a good symmetric edge but i maintain it with the S.M.

I do the same thing. Should have saved the $ I spent on the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker and put it towards the KME in the first place. It's a great combination.

Exactly! Fell a tree with a chainsaw and whittle a toothpick with a knife Saves a lot of time and grief

[bearfacedkiller]

I do use the sharpmaker as my main tool for touch ups when at home and I use pocket stones a lot when not at home. I also have the Spyderco benchstones, the 701 Profile stones, some small diamond stones and some random other stuff.

This is not all that common these days but I reprofile and sharpen with sandpaper all the time. I grew up learning to reprofile with sandpaper taped to a block with double sided tape. I would then finish the edge with a pocket stone. Through my childhood and into my twenties that was almost all I used. My parents bought me a Lansky system when they came out but I often stuck with the sandpaper and pocket stones. I lost the Lansky in a move at some point in my college days and didn't replace it.

[CaptainT]

My wife gave me a paddle strop some years ago which is awesome. I especially like that it comes with the leather case so I can store it away when I'm done using it.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/TIVOYS ... ravel-case

[xceptnl]

My wife gave me a paddle strop some years ago which is awesome. I especially like that it comes with the leather case so I can store it away when I'm done using it.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/TIVOYS ... ravel-case

That's a pricey strop Captain but it looks well made and I like the leather case.

[vivi]

I would say the Coarse or Xtra-Coarse would handle most anything that the medium 302 stone doesn't (not that it wont do the job, it will just take alot longer). As for for finishing, the Spyderco F & UF are head and shoulders above DMT for quality of finished edge. YMMV.

I would have to disagree.

For years I finished my edges with a 20 year old DMT Fine that's been heavily used.

I moved on to using F and UF Spyderco stones for finishing.

Every once in a while I go back to the DMT. I believe it's around 800-1200 grit, which is around the same grit as a Spyderco medium rod IIRC.

Every time I use the DMT fine I get edges that shave easily and slice aggressively. I really feelits about the perfect balance for an edge. Refined enough for excellent push cutting, but still toothy enough to slice well after some dulling.

I think the edge my DMT fine and Spyderco Fine or Medium stones give me are very different. Especially with certain steels. CTSBD1 will respond well to any sharpening device I use, but with higher wear resistant steels I feel like I get cleaner edges off the DMT.

So I wouldn't say one is better than the other, I think they have their pros and cons. Grits being ewual, the DMT's will work faster and create crisper edges, especially on high wear resistant steels or high RC steels. The Spyderco stones remove less metal, cost a bit less to purchase, and are designed for convenience when it comes to the sharp maker.

Which one Ifinish with depends on the knife. Most of my knives are finished with a medium or fine spyderco rod / stone, some get taken to UF, and some I prefer to finish on a diamond stone. PE H1 liKes the DMT, VG10 likes Spyderco Fines. *shrug*

[RLDubbya]

These days, I use the latest version of the Wicked Edge system for 98% of my sharpening, re-profiling, and touching up. Every once in a long while I reprofile a blade using the Darex WorkSharp Ken Onion with Blade Grinding Attachment; I am getting a Northridge tools 2x72" belt grinder next month for my reprofiling work, and will start to take in regrinds as well. I'll use the belt grinder to do my big reprofile jobs and repair work, and I have an itch to build a couple things for knives as well.

I have quite a few abrasives: the Wicked Edge Diamond stones going from 200grit to 1500grit; diamond lapping film running from 60μ to .1μ; and diamond paste running in small jumps from 2,000grit to 200,000grit - with some outliers at like 400 grit.

I also have some metallurgical polishing cloths that are stiff and thick, and I use them as final strops; sometimes dry, and sometimes with Simichrome paste; the Wicked Edge ceramic stones at 1.4μ and .6μ; and the strops that I have for the Wicked Edge and grits include substrates of cowhide, nanocloth, metallurgical cloth, kangaroo hide, balsa wood.

I think that you begin to intuit sharpness when you realize that putting a mirror-edge on a blade is actually dulling the blade from being as sharp as can be. It's a tradeoff: form v. function.

[JD Spydo]

I do all my reprofiling and edge repair with DMT diamond bench stones. I couldn't imagine using the sharpmaker for that, it'd take forever!

In the past few years I've kind of gone the with the same method that "Vivi" does. I have a few diamond benchstones myself. I have an extra-coarse diamond stone made by the 3M company and I also have a coarse diamond stone made by NORTON and both do an excellent and quick job of reprofiling.

I also own just about every ceramic sharpening tool that Spyderco ever made. For serrated edges I still think that the best manual tool for them is the Spyderco 701 Profiles which were discontinued some time back however Sal has said in the recent past that they are looking into at least a Sprint Run of the 701 Profiles sometime down the road.

But Spyderco's new DOUBLESTUFF 2 is next on my list to get>> but I use my Spyderco 701 Profiles almost daily and do hope to see them return to the main line up. There are only a couple of sharpening tools that Spyderco made that I don't own but do plan on eventually getting them. I also have some sharpening tools made by RAZOR EDGE SYSTEMS out of Ely Minnesota>> I find some of their stuff to be quite helpful >> especially their sharpening guides that are used on benchstones.