New brown rod grit/process/or something?

[Evil D]

I recently got two new sets of brown rods during the Father's Day sales, they were so cheap I couldn't pass them up since they're my most used rods.

Right away I'm noticing a huge difference in how they feel, they feel much more aggressive and feel like they're cutting better.

I guess maybe some of this should be expected when compared to my older used rods, but then I'm also under the impression that they get better with use, Sal even having mentioned to rub them together too open up the surface before use (which I didn't do yet on this set).

They also just feel straighter and more precisely molded, kinda hard to describe but my old rods have all had small chips even when new that I can feel when sharpening (main reason I even bought new ones). All the sides and corners are smooth and just seem more uniform than in the past. I also noticed the ends seem lighter colored which is what had me wondering about grit change or something.

Anyway I'm pretty excited about them.

[abbazaba]

Good to know. I've felt like my set lost most of their bite over the years and you may have just sold me on a new set.

[vivi]

you can use loose carbide grit to get them back to like new, or even more coarse. I have three sets of medium rods all setup at different grits. They're all I use with my sharpmaker these days.

[WilliamMunny]

Good to know. I've felt like my set lost most of their bite over the years and you may have just sold me on a new set.

Same, or maybe I am just noticing the difference from my CBN rods.

[blueblur]

I bought a medium bench stone once I learned they were being discontinued and also noticed it just feels more aggressive in a good way, compared to my sm stones.

[mikey177]

Does the Sharpmaker packaging have a manufacturing date code? It would be good to know when this change was introduced.

I probably won't buy a new one any time soon though. I bought a spare unit last year as I wanted a backup in case I accidentally break one of the rods.

[Evil D]

Does the Sharpmaker packaging have a manufacturing date code? It would be good to know when this change was introduced.

I probably won't buy a new one any time soon though. I bought a spare unit last year as I wanted a backup in case I accidentally break one of the rods.

It doesn't seem like they use date codes or anything defining one from another, just matching UPC numbers and part numbers.

[vivi]

I've bought 5 sets of medium rods since I joined and I don't think they're making them any different than they did in the past.

[mikey177]

Got it. Thanks for the info, guys.

[Evil D]

I've bought 5 sets of medium rods since I joined and I don't think they're making them any different than they did in the past.

I'm sure it's me, like always

[GarageBoy]

you can use loose carbide grit to get them back to like new, or even more coarse. I have three sets of medium rods all setup at different grits. They're all I use with my sharpmaker these days.

What grit do you use to match the original finish?

[vivi]

you can use loose carbide grit to get them back to like new, or even more coarse. I have three sets of medium rods all setup at different grits. They're all I use with my sharpmaker these days.

What grit do you use to match the original finish?

I didn't. I was trying to make them coarser, which worked.

For most my knives, I pretty much just use an 8" chef knives to go diamond flattening plate and my medium spyderco ceramic bench stone.

That pair is what I use on everything that doesn't get a high polish edge, or convexed edge.

I also really like the medium sharpmaker rods I used silicone carbide grit on. I have three sets of medium rods. Fresh stock set, and two that were older (12 years old, 20 years old).



The older sets left a more polished edge than I wanted from them, so I rubbed them on some loose grit over a glass plate. I think I used 80 grit and 220. The 220 grit rubbed set is what I use for quick touch-ups.



They went from leaving a finish close to fresh fine rods, to leaving one in between my worn diamond rods and fresh medium rods.

I do agree 8" benchstones are more convenient to use, especially for longer blades.

Here's some comparisons between stones I've discussed and the HF stone.

HF vs Spyderco medium



Chef knives to go also sells a 400/1000 grit two sided bench stone that's a great value. Only issue is the included base doesn't have much clearance for folders. Here it is on the right, with their flattening plate on the left:






6" DMT's VS CKTG flattening plate



Sharpening is a lot of fun to nerd out on. Especially when you really start tweaking geometry and seeing just how thin you have to push steel to reach failure during your typical EDC tasks.

It's especially pronounced with large cutting tools. When I reprofiled my 12" kukri machete on my belt sander, the chopping efficiency nearly doubled. Here's a hatchet I did. Same story with some axes I've worked with.

[Bearcat1]

Can't you just use Bar Keeper's Friend to scrub the rods to clean them up?

[JD Spydo]

Many years ago I had experienced some problems with some of Spyderco's sharpening tools that I purchased at that time. I got one of the very first sets of the 204 diamond rods ( around 2002) and they were defective from the factory. But Spyderco promptly and immediately replaced them with no problem at all. I still have the replacement set. Then about a year or so later I had two of the 302 Benchstones that I had purchased from New Graham ( fine and Ultra-fine) that had waves and small ridges on one side on both stones. Again Spyderco made it right quickly.

I get the impression that the manufacturing process of those ceramic stones is probably a somewhat complicated process. In spite of that minor inconvenience I still like my Spyderco stones better than I do most of the other stones I've acquired over the years. I'm getting ready to replace stones for both my 204 Sharpmaker units ( medium, fine & Ultra-fine). If I do run into any stones that may have to be returned I'm not going to let it bother me because over the long haul I really love all of my Spyderco sharpening tools. Heck I still have one of the original Galley V sharpening kits from the late 90s. The stones for that unit have held up extremely well to this day. When I heard that they were going to discontinue it I bought two extra sets of stones for the Galley V which I still have. I hope to use all of them another 20 years.

[vivi]

Can't you just use Bar Keeper's Friend to scrub the rods to clean them up?

cleaning them is essential for making them perform well,but it doesn't stop the rods from wearing over time.

I've bought 2 spare sets of medium rods for my initial sharpmaker, and a second sharpmaker altogether to keep in my knife roll for work. each time I receive a new set of rods I compare them to my others.

I can always immediately tell a difference in sharpening response and the edge produced by the rods when I try the fresh set vs the old, older and oldest rods.

sharpmaker rods will keep working fine for decades with no upkeep besides cleaning, but the medium rods will give you an edge closer to fresh fines than fresh mediums eventually. fines will get closer to ultrafines.

[JD Spydo]

If I ever find anything that cleans Spyderco stones better than Bar Keeper's Friend I will immediately start using it.

I've also found that the stones clean up easier if you soak them overnight in Platinum Dawn Dish soap.

I've had a couple of the medium grit stones wear on my so slightly. But I have never had a Spyderco fine or Ultra-fine stone ever wear out on me. But cleaning them is of utmost importance.

[Evil D]

If I ever find anything that cleans Spyderco stones better than Bar Keeper's Friend I will immediately start using it.

I've also found that the stones clean up easier if you soak them overnight in Platinum Dawn Dish soap.

I've had a couple of the medium grit stones wear on my so slightly. But I have never had a Spyderco fine or Ultra-fine stone ever wear out on me. But cleaning them is of utmost importance.

I like to use SOS pads and Comet.

[vivi]

I've never had a sharpmaker stone wear out, but they all wear over time. They're not useless once they wear by any stretch, but they do leave a different finish than fresh rods.

If you prefer a coarser finish off the mediums it's something to keep in mind. After a few years of use worn mediums leave a finish more comparable to fresh fine rods.

Anyone that's been using the same medium rods for 5+ years should order a second set and compare them like I did.

[cabfrank]

Any idea if some type if sandpaper would work, instead of ordering the silicon carbide powder?

[pinchyfisher]

Any idea if some type if sandpaper would work, instead of ordering the silicon carbide powder?

I think best shot would be with coarse grit (120 or less) sandpaper that uses SiC as the abrasive. I don't think AlOx sandpaper would do much of anything.

Key would be to still have a very flat surface to use as a backing to maintain flatness of the stones.

I also imagine you'd chew through multiple sheets of sandpaper to get a significant change based on the hardness and density of the sharpmaker stones.

Not sure how much dust would be produced but I'm sure not great for the lungs.