Sharpmaker vs freehand

[p3pe]

Is there really any benefits from owning the sharpmaker. I own several of the tri-angle stones (diamond, fine and uf) and use them freehand.

As I look at the sharpmaker from pictures, I cannot see any benefits for sharpening in correct angle, u still have to move the knife by hand right.. any thoughts?

[chuck_roxas45]

What works for you....

[p3pe]

I do not have the actual sharpmaker (the plastic part) and wonder if it has any benefits.

Im getting better and better freehand, that might be a plus :)

[chuck_roxas45]

If I could freehand, I would. :D

[bada61265]

Is there really any benefits from owning the sharpmaker. I own several of the tri-angle stones (diamond, fine and uf) and use them freehand.

As I look at the sharpmaker from pictures, I cannot see any benefits for sharpening in correct angle, u still have to move the knife by hand right.. any thoughts?

i sharpened freehand forever until i tried the sharpmaker recently. the benifit to this method is imo hitting the edge at the correct angle almost with every swipe. freehand is always going to be hit and miss, and if your not hitting the edge your not getting it sharp. i used to do pretty well freehand and still do now and then for reprofiling and larger odd size edges. but will use the sharpmaker now for the finnished edge.

[p3pe]

I do not understand how the sharpmaker works to hit the right angle every time. can you please elaborate. (stupid q maybe but still..)

[unit]

I think I might be a good one to answer this.

As a little history, I have spent a decent amount of time developing my free hand skills and have even developed a few gadgets of my own to enhance my results and abilities. When I got my Sharpmaker I really was not all that jazzed and eventually found that I only liked to use it free hand (not as it is generally intended).

On basic woods knives, carbon steel knives and kitchen knives I find that the Sharpmaker saves a bundle of time. AND on super steels you can keep your edges VERY sharp without re-addressing the main bevel each time...and this saves time and blade.

I used to regrind my single edge bevel every time I wanted my edges to return to super sharp. It was fun and I was passionate about it. Finally I broke down one day and pulled out the SM because I was in a hurry. I was amazed (even as a knowledgeable sharpening guy) at how simple and quick it was.

My only beef with the Sharpmaker is that it ought to be called the SharpKeeper. I think the people that like it most (on knife forums) are the ones that like to keep their knives very sharp (I say this because most people on forums seem to have modern steels that require coarser abrasives to re-bevel)....but the device was designed for the masses and improved (with multiple angle settings) to make it more use-able for us. The masses generally sharpen kitchen knives and such...and the Sharpmaker makes this task VERY easy.

Do you need one? Not sure.

Should every kitchen have one? I think so...because pulling out the stones when I start a meal and discover a knife is not to my liking is not realistic...and preparing a meal with dull knives is also silly.

[Joshua J.]

I would have the Sharpmaker if it had a ten degree per side (twenty inclusive) option. As is I could use it for the back bevel, but an 8x2" benchstone is so much faster for stock removal that there wouldn't be any point in that either.

If you don't use or plan on using an edge at ten degrees per side, go ahead and get the Sharpmaker. It probably would make life easier.

I do not understand how the sharpmaker works to hit the right angle every time. can you please elaborate. (stupid q maybe but still..)

It's much easier for a human being to keep a knife straight up and down than rubbing it side to side at an arbitrary angle. Basically, to get the right angle with the Sharpmaker, you only need to know how to make a vertical slicing cut with a knife.

[p3pe]

Ok I will buy one just to check the hype out, even though I own a pair of Spyderco diamond rods, a pair of spyderco fine ceramic and one spyderco Ultra fine rod + several japanese (Ohishi) waterstones with different grits (1000,3000,8000), a stone flattener and a Mac black ceramic honing rod. Knives is not a cheap passion to have :)

[unit]

Ok I will buy one just to check the hype out, even though I own a pair of Spyderco diamond rods, a pair of spyderco fine ceramic and one spyderco Ultra fine rod + several japanese (Ohishi) waterstones with different grits (1000,3000,8000), a stone flattener and a Mac black ceramic honing rod. Knives is not a cheap passion to have :)

Good choice.

Another thing I failed to mention deals with other blades.

The Sharpmaker is not just a device, but it comes with some literature and a DVD that educated me with regard to sharpening many things other than knives. I never had much success with shears prior to the Sharpmaker.

Now that I can sharpen shears very proficiently (with the sharpmaker) I have made a few women in my life even happier

[Left Hand Path]

i sharpened freehand forever until i tried the sharpmaker recently. the benifit to this method is imo hitting the edge at the correct angle almost with every swipe. freehand is always going to be hit and miss, and if your not hitting the edge your not getting it sharp. i used to do pretty well freehand and still do now and then for reprofiling and larger odd size edges. but will use the sharpmaker now for the finnished edge.

This is my experience as well. To me the advantage of the Sharpmaker is that I can put on a microbevel with ease and precision. I sharpen a primary bevel freehand, taking care to make sure the angle is suitably narrow (10-15 degrees-per-side) so that I can apply a microbevel with the Sharpmaker for the final edge. And then touch-ups are a breeze also.

[Leatherneck]

I've seen threads where one of us "KnifeNuts" is trying to decide to spend that hard earned $56 for a new knife or the Sharpmaker. It's worth skipping one knife for sure. Like mentioned it can be a super quick touch up tool for your folder, kitchen knife and Mamma's scissors. I have all 4 sets of stones and can get just about any knife as sharp as I ever need it.

[ChapmanPreferred]

I believe you will enjoy having the base for various sharpening positions for holding the rods in place.

[Javascript]

I do not understand how the sharpmaker works to hit the right angle every time. can you please elaborate. (stupid q maybe but still..)

As was stated earlier, it is easier to keep the blade straight up and down (vertical) as you move the blade edge across the stone, or in this case down the stone. Moving sideways on a flat stone while maintaining a constant and very specific--not arbitrary--angle requires skill. Repeating that process every time requires something that many folks do not want to acquire--patience. They just want a sharp knife right now and are not willing to dedicate their life trying to master a technique and then discuss it on a forum somewhere..... :D
Enter the Sharpmaker. The slanted stones provide the angle as measured against the vertical blade. It is quick, simple, and no muss no fuss.

If you remember from physics how light reflects when it hits a mirror, the normal is the line perpendicular to the mirror's surface. The light striking at an angle is the incident angle measured against the normal. The light leaves from the other side of the normal at the same angle.

Presto chango, the Sharpmaker is just two angled stones whose individual angles (incident) are measured against the vertical knife blade (normal). As long as the blade is vertical, the angle is fixed anywhere along the stone(for all intents and purposes).

[Frapiscide]

The only(and large for me) drawback is that with the sharpmake, you can't really hit the tip/end with it. Mainly because it's awkward to angle the edge down. That's why I've been starting to just freehand sharpen. The advantage to the sharpmaker is that you always consistently get a 30/40 degree angle.

[peacefuljeffrey]

I started out with the Sharpmaker back around 1994 (still have that one).
But as time went on, I realized that not every knife would conform to being sharpened at that one angle, and I needed the liberation of sharpening freehand, so I learned to do that.

I switched to the Spyderco Profile stones, and still use them
occasionally, depending on the blade shape and type. But mostly I use my Spyderco Ceramic Whet Stone (medium grit). Sometimes, as with a new knife, I will reprofile on a DMT DiaSharp diamond hone (big and flat like the SCWS) and move to the SCWS.

Freehand is not easy, and I am not all that fast at it, but it's rewarding when your finished product is nice and sharp.

[gunnut35]

I just got a sharpmaker today and have only used it on one knife but i can say, "it is well worth the money".

[Robert Ptacek]

This is my experience as well. To me the advantage of the Sharpmaker is that I can put on a microbevel with ease and precision. I sharpen a primary bevel freehand, taking care to make sure the angle is suitably narrow (10-15 degrees-per-side) so that I can apply a microbevel with the Sharpmaker for the final edge. And then touch-ups are a breeze also.

Bingo. This is exactly the sharpening process I use.