SharpMaker Ultra Fine Rods or Leather Strop??

[JaseRicco]

I am going to add ONE additional step to my Spyderco SharpMaker to give me an even sharper edge, and am curious if I will yield better results with the UF Rods or a Leather Strop?

If it is the latter, since I have never stroped, tips are welcome.

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

[ZrowsN1s]

Stropping is kind of a deep subject. Check out a website called science of sharp.
I would recommend the ultra fine stone for cost and simplicity. An ultrafine stone is $14 and works pretty darn good. And if you can use a sharpmaker, you already know how to use the UF stone.

...
Having said that, after I use the UF stone, I still strop my knives...
I like strops for a number of reasons. They are more forgiving of error than stones. Stropping uses edge trailing strokes instead of edge leading, I think this better aligns the "teeth" of the blade. Using a pasted strop (a strop with an abrasive polish on it) I can go weeks in between sharpening. I think it removes less metal from the edge than sharpening, therefore prolonging the life of the blade, and it helps polish the edge to a beautiful mirror finish. It gives a smooth shaving egde, and depending on the medium and pressure used you can convex the edge... it gets deep into the weeds from there.
If you want a good strop I recommend the Knives Plus strop block. They tossed one in for free when they messed up one of my orders, I really like it. They're about $22. Hope that helps :spyder:

[Sharp Guy]

I have the UF rods and a KP strop block that came preloaded with green compound. I don't use either very often but the UF rods get more use than the strop. If I use the strop it's after I use the UF rods to refine the edge even further. To be honest, the edge is so refined after the UF rods that I rarely use the strop.

[vivi]

I get better results from the UF rod than I do a strop. It also works for touch-ups while I find a strop isn't enough.

[JaseRicco]

Stropping is kind of a deep subject. Check out a website called science of sharp.
I would recommend the ultra fine stone for cost and simplicity. An ultrafine stone is $14 and works pretty darn good. And if you can use a sharpmaker, you already know how to use the UF stone.

If you want a good strop I recommend the Knives Plus strop block. They tossed one in for free when they messed up one of my orders, I really like it. They're about $22. Hope that helps :spyder:

Just simply going on cost, The Knives Plus Strop Block is $23 plus tax and shipping putting me at roughly $30. Since I can pick up the UF Rods for $15, think the decision is made for me. The fact that you are recommending the rods just seals the decision.

[JaseRicco]

I have the UF rods and a KP strop block that came preloaded with green compound. I don't use either very often but the UF rods get more use than the strop. If I use the strop it's after I use the UF rods to refine the edge even further. To be honest, the edge is so refined after the UF rods that I rarely use the strop.

Thanks for the Info

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

[JaseRicco]

I get better results from the UF rod than I do a strop. It also works for touch-ups while I find a strop isn't enough.

Thanks for the info.

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

[Surfingringo]

Neither. Diamond or cbn rods are going to prove much more important for maintaining extremely sharp edges. It is a simple matter to make any steel sharp enough to whittle free hanging hairs with just the regular fine rods. How much sharper than that do you want your edges? If you aren’t able to get those types of results yet then you are better off practicing your technique than trying to chase sharpness through higher refinement. Just my 2 cents.

All that said, I bought the UF rods years ago and had fun with them for awhile and still use them on rare occasions. There’s nothing wrong with owning them, it’s just that the diamond rods are a vastly more important addition to the Sharpmaker.

[Surfingringo]

Oh, and to answer your question, I would still choose UF rods over a strop. :)

[JaseRicco]

Neither. Diamond or cbn rods are going to prove much more important for maintaining extremely sharp edges. It is a simple matter to make any steel sharp enough to whittle free hanging hairs with just the regular fine rods. How much sharper than that do you want your edges? If you aren’t able to get those types of results yet then you are better off practicing your technique than trying to chase sharpness through higher refinement. Just my 2 cents.

All that said, I bought the UF rods years ago and had fun with them for awhile and still use them on rare occasions. There’s nothing wrong with owning them, it’s just that the diamond rods are a vastly more important addition to the Sharpmaker.

Oh, and to answer your question, I would still choose UF rods over a strop. :)

Don’t know much about what Diamond or CBN rods do for sharpening and where in the process you would use them. I’ll have to do a little research.

Thanks for the input and info...

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

[Bloke]

Neither. Diamond or cbn rods are going to prove much more important for maintaining extremely sharp edges. It is a simple matter to make any steel sharp enough to whittle free hanging hairs with just the regular fine rods. How much sharper than that do you want your edges? If you aren’t able to get those types of results yet then you are better off practicing your technique than trying to chase sharpness through higher refinement. Just my 2 cents.

All that said, I bought the UF rods years ago and had fun with them for awhile and still use them on rare occasions. There’s nothing wrong with owning them, it’s just that the diamond rods are a vastly more important addition to the Sharpmaker.

What The Gringo said!

[the Southerner]

I am going to add ONE additional step to my Spyderco SharpMaker to give me an even sharper edge, and am curious if I will yield better results with the UF Rods or a Leather Strop?

If it is the latter, since I have never stroped, tips are welcome.

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

About the Ultra Fine:

make sure you lap the ultra fine before you even use, meaning you buy a medium ceramic rod from whoever, doesn't have to be Spyderco, but it has to be medium ceramic. Put mineral oil on the ultra fine as if you were going to sharpen with it, and instead grind the medium ceramic parallel to the ultra fine's surface, use a lot of pressure and also don't use the flat side of the medium, use the triangular edge. What you're doing is cutting all potentially damaged abrasive off the stone so it cuts the steel better, and you need the ultra fine to cut as much as possible because of how insanely fine it is. I use a regular ol Lansky ceramic rod you can get for $8 off amazon.

>stopping

stropping is more bad than good because of how easy it is to dull your edge doing it. The leather basically just burnishes the edge, so if your angle is off, it won't cut the steel enough to sharpen it but it will burnish what's already there, basically concaving your apex. If you're going leather, try using a coarse stropping compound first. I've had good results soaking the leather with the green/fine compound, then scraping it all off with a butter knife, leaving a scattered dust of compound in the leather. This ensures that even if I screw up my angle on the strop, there's enough abrasive there to actually cut the steel accordingly. If you use too much compound, you'll basically overshoot if you angle is off and cut the edge right off the blade.

[sal]

Hi Southerner,

The ultra fine stone is tumbled for days in ceramic tumbling stones. I don't think a medium stone will affect the surface much. I think you should use our products more before you dis them.

sal

[Ankerson]

Neither. Diamond or cbn rods are going to prove much more important for maintaining extremely sharp edges. It is a simple matter to make any steel sharp enough to whittle free hanging hairs with just the regular fine rods. How much sharper than that do you want your edges? If you aren’t able to get those types of results yet then you are better off practicing your technique than trying to chase sharpness through higher refinement. Just my 2 cents.

All that said, I bought the UF rods years ago and had fun with them for awhile and still use them on rare occasions. There’s nothing wrong with owning them, it’s just that the diamond rods are a vastly more important addition to the Sharpmaker.

I don't use mine either, I don't even use the fine, I like the edge I get off the med personally. :)

Use the med, remove the burr and move on.

I don't normally strop very often and if I do it's on plain leather or Silicon Carbide impregnated slurry on leather.

[the Southerner]

Hi Southerner,

The ultra fine stone is tumbled for days in ceramic tumbling stones. I don't think a medium stone will affect the surface much. I think you should use our products more before you dis them.

sal

sorry, wasn't dissing your product, just noting that you should lap the stone before use, depending on how much it was used. Ceramics load/clog very quickly, and the finer you go the quicker that process happens. Also as you probably know the abrasive also wears out, so you need to cut it off again depending on usage.

[Ankerson]

Hi Southerner,

The ultra fine stone is tumbled for days in ceramic tumbling stones. I don't think a medium stone will affect the surface much. I think you should use our products more before you dis them.

sal

sorry, wasn't dissing your product, just noting that you should lap the stone before use, depending on how much it was used. Ceramics load/clog very quickly, and the finer you go the quicker that process happens. Also as you probably know the abrasive also wears out, so you need to cut it off again depending on usage.

The fine and UF Sharpmaker stones will NEVER wear out, the med can get worn over a long period of time, but it takes a lot of use.

I have had my SM for a VERY long time, decades and I still have the original stones.

[Evil D]

I have an assortment of strops and diamond compounds. I very very rarely use them. I use the UF rods every time.

[sal]

Hi Southerner,

Apology accepted. I don't think the UF stones can be made less abrasive, though cleaning with a good cleanser, like Comet, and a Scotch Brite pad (green) with each use keeps them working well.

Also the "White" ceramic material is actually a tad harder than the MED stones. The MED stones are friable (wear) so breaking the surface on the corners makes them more aggressive, but they also wear out faster.

sal

[JaseRicco]

Thank you for all the replies and advice. For now I have ordered the UF Rods, and they will be here some time this weeek.

:) :) :spyder: :spyder:

[ZrowsN1s]

It's always interesting to hear everyones experiences with strops and the stones. There is certainly a range of experiences. Reminds me there are no wrong answers. What ever gets your knife sharp easiest for you, is what you should go with.

I must have a talent for stropping, once a knife has been properly sharpened once, even if it has dulled to the point it won't shave arm hair, I rarely fail to get it back to shaving sharp in no time at all using nothing but a pasted strop. I only use stones to reprofile or when the edge has actual damage, chips, ect. (the exception to this rule for me is SE, I use the stones to sharpen those almost every time since I got the sharpmaker, because stroping SE is a pain).

:D I challenge all strop naysayers to work on their strop technique! You might find you don't need to use the stones nearly as often as you do... or maybe it's just me :o :spyder: I've certainly been wrong before.