Old sharpmaker question

[shiyfire]

I have a old model and just wondered what angle the base holds the stones at..Is the new model more effective ,i understand it uses different angles.Is 22.5 supposed to be the best angle?thanks

[Bruceter]

IIRC the older version of the Sharpmaker has an included angel of 40 degrees.
The new model has both 30 and 40 degree included angles.

Bruceter

[shiyfire]

I just checked it with a carpenters square and it is a 22.5 angle ,will that work ok or is a 30 or 40 better?

[yablanowitz]

22.5 per side would give you an included angle of 45 degrees. That would give you a less sharp but more durable edge. This assumes that your carpenter square is accurate, which most aren't. The older SharpMakers were 20 degrees per side. With a few years of wear on the holes, it may actually be 45 included now. I would suggest you consider replacing it with a newer unit. Most of the steels Spyderco uses now can handle a thirty degree included edge angle with no problems.