Lansky Sharpener

[jnichols2]

Is the Lansky Sharpener comparable to the Spyderco Sharpmaker?

If so, what angle works on a Spyderco knife?

Lansky recommends 25 degrees, but doesn't say if that's total (30 Spyderco) or one edge (30 Spyderco).

What are some pros and cons between the Lansky and Spyderco systems?

[jackknifeh]

Is the Lansky Sharpener comparable to the Spyderco Sharpmaker?

If so, what angle works on a Spyderco knife?

Lansky recommends 25 degrees, but doesn't say if that's total (30 Spyderco) or one edge (30 Spyderco).

What are some pros and cons between the Lansky and Spyderco systems?

Welcome to the forum Jnichols2.

Never used a Lansky but have used similar ones. They are good but have a few things that you need to know to avoid little issues with them. It will produce razor sharp edges though. Lots of people use them. If they say 25° I think they mean per side which is way too high IMO. If they mean 25° inclusive (12.5° per side) that's too low so I don't like 25 either way except in extreme cases. NOT for most EDC knives.

If you are considering one I think the Sharpmaker is the best choice. It will sharpen your knife to 30° inclusive (15° per side) and also 40° (20° per side). The idea is to get your knife sharp at the 30° setting. Then when you touch it up you should set the Sharpmaker to the 40° setting to ensure you will hit the very edge with the Sharpmaker stones. The 30° inclusive edge may take some time depending on the condition of your knife edge and which stones are used. It comes with medium and fine grit stones (rods). There are also diamond, coarse stones and ultra-fine stones. There are lots of people who use the Sharpmaker who can give better advise than me but I do know it's a great system.

Jack

[C.L.L 97]

Definitely get the sharpmaker, it's alot easier to use and hassle free, than to use a lansky.
Lansky sharpeners can get razor sharp edges, but the sharpmaker is probably better to get for beginner sharpeners, IMO...

[Clip]

I use the Lansky diamond system and on the factory edge of both my Manix2s, Lansky's 17° matches almost perfectly on the bug side of the blade, and 20° matches on the origin side of the blade.

I aim to keep the factory angles by coloring the edge with a permanent marker, then fine-tuning/adjusting the rods til it contacts the edge evenly. I don't worry so much about getting the angle perfect as much as I'm matching the factory edge.

The fact that the angles change according to the size, shape, and clamp position of the blade bothers me, but since I can usually get the clamp in the same area every time I can hold my angles constant. I'm planning on getting a Sharpmaker though because I've heard great things.

[jnichols2]

Thanks a lot.

I only considered the Lansky because someone said it was better for beginners (That's Me).

[jnichols2]

Question on grind angles from another thread.

30/40 Degree Grind Angle: Spyderco's recommendation is a 30 degree back bevel and a 40 degree edge bevel.

Exactly what is the difference between the "back" and "edge" bevel. I checked Spyderco's Edge-U-Cation, but it didn't say.

[Evil D]

I don't own a SM but i've used sharpeners of that style many times. I've also thoroughly been there and done it with a Lansky. Either setup has pros and cons, each one is better than the other in certain ways, and both have a learning curve. With the SM, you mainly just have to learn the muscle memory to hold the knife 90 degrees and apply even pressure. It's a lot more "idiot proof" than the Lansky, but IMO it's inferior when it comes to profiling bevels and polishing edges. This is where the Lansky shines. If you have the diamond set, you can profile just about any steel on the market with reasonable ease (though higher end steels require more work, it would be that much more work on the SM). The biggest thing to learn how to do right with the Lansky is setting up the clamp properly. It needs to be done in the right place, and in that same place every single time you sharpen a particular knife. If you can do this, then you'll get awesome repeatable results every single time.

Creepo and I have talked a lot about this, and he was kind enough to post up some math to give you a better estimate of what the actual degrees are that the stones are hitting the bevel at for a given slot on the clamp. There's a lot that goes into this, like the distance that you clamp onto the blade from the edge, whether or not it's a FFG, and even how long the blade itself is. The further from the edge of the clamp that the edge of the knife gets, the lower the resulting degree will be. So, for long blades, the tip and tang will end up being lower than the center of the blade, but this is really only an issue on blades that are over 4 inches. Here's a thread to reference as far as where to set up the clamp to achieve a given angle http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... -my-lansky

As far as those measures in the thread go, i found that for me i clamp at 1cm out from the edge on every steel, and i used the 17 degree slot on everything except VG10 or "lower" steel, in which case i used the next slot up. If i wanted to use a micro bevel, i still used the 17 degree slot, but i would slide the blade in 1-2mm which will raise the degree just slightly enough to hit the very edge. A single millimeter can make a difference in where your stones hit the bevel, so you need to use a ruler each time you clamp the blade to assure that you're in the right spot. I also would measure left and right of the clamp to make sure i was sitting dead center on the blade. I found that 1cm out and at the 17 degree slot was almost exactly 15 degrees according to my Edge Pro...it was very close.

So, obviously the advantage of the SM is that you don't have to go through all these tedious steps in order to sharpen or touch up your knife, you just run the blade down the sticks and you're done with it. But, if you're OCD about your edge like i am, i think the Lansky is the better choice. Buy the diamond kit and buy the yellow and blue stones with it (1000 and 2000 grit) for final polish of the edge. For touching up minor chips and such, i only ever used the fine diamond and yellow/blue stones and then a strop. You just can't get bevels on a SM like you can with a Lansky...


That's roughly 20 inclusive on ZDP-189, done on my Lansky.



Now....all that aside, if you really want my honest opinion, don't buy either sharpener, buy an Edge Pro. I know it's expensive, but you'll understand why when you use it, the results are outstanding. If anything, buy a SM for quick and easy touch ups. For the money you'll have in a diamond Lansky setup with the two extra polishing stones, you're half way to getting an Edge pro, which is a far superior sharpener.

[Evil D]

Question on grind angles from another thread.

30/40 Degree Grind Angle: Spyderco's recommendation is a 30 degree back bevel and a 40 degree edge bevel.

Exactly what is the difference between the "back" and "edge" bevel. I checked Spyderco's Edge-U-Cation, but it didn't say.

"Back bevel" or primary bevel, is what you actually see when you look at a bevel, that's the sharpened portion of the knife. When someone refers to the "edge bevel" they're talking about the actual very leading edge of the knife, the part that actually touches something when it cuts. 30 degrees would be for the entire bevel, the section ground out from the rest of the knife to make the edge, whereas the edge bevel or primary edge would be touched up at 40 degrees. The reason for this is that, if you were using a SM and you used the 40 degree setting, you're pretty much guaranteed to hit the actual edge of the knife when sharpening, and not just bottom out on that flat section of the "back bevel". As you sharpen more and more, you would start to see the 40 degree angle begin to wear into the rest of the 30 degree bevel, and over a long enough period you would eventually make the entire main bevel of the knife 40 degrees. At that point you would need to take it back down to 30 degrees and start the process over (or better yet, don't let it get that far to begin with).

This is an area where sharpeners like the Lansky and Edge Pro are maybe a little better than the SM, because you can touch up an edge at the exact same degree that it's already sharpened at, or even so much as 1 degree higher if you use the Edge Pro. On the SM, you're limited to 30 and 40 (which by the way is "inclusive", meaning both sides of the bevel added together, so each side of the blade would be 15 degrees for 30 and 20 for 40).

[phillipsted]

That's roughly 20 inclusive on ZDP-189, done on my Lansky.

I just can't get enough of looking at that edge, Evil. Nicely done.

TedP

[Evil D]

I just can't get enough of looking at that edge, Evil. Nicely done.

TedP

Thanks Ted but to be honest it's mostly reflection, it isn't quite as polished as it looks. Still, i think it's about as good as it gets on a ZDP with a Lansky (that's even without a strop).

[TyJo]

I'm new to knives and sharpening but I think the Lansky is a great system. I didn't want to do hand sharpening with stones because of the skill required (maintaining the correct angle), and I felt the Sharpmaker made this easier for the most part but you still had to maintain the correct angle to the stones. The Lansky system looked like it eliminated this problem so I was going to buy one, but oddly enough my Dad had one laying around that has never been used so he gave it to me (professional 5 stone version, not diamond).

The system works great for me, as others have mentioned the big thing is getting the clamp set up. I just make sure that the stone clears the clamp by 1mm and clamp the blade half way of the length, I feel this is adequate for replication purposes and making sure you are hitting the correct bevel angle. I measured the angles of the Lansky system and they were off slightly, but this probably is related to the clamping position. Personally, I don't care at all about the angle being off a degree or two from the stated value, as long as I am consistently hitting my primary bevel perfectly when re-profiling and secondary bevel perfectly when touching up. I just re-profiled my Paramilitary 2 about a week ago... I didn't believe some of those who said S30V can take a while to sharpen, I do now.
EDIT: I also like to use masking tape or blue painters tape and either tape the blade or the clamps to make sure the clamp holds the knife in place and doesn't mark the blade.

[Evil D]

The main reason to pay attention to what angle you're at is if you own a SM to do touch ups on. This way you know if the 30 or 40 setting is going to hit the edge right. For me though I'm just a perfectionist and I know there's performance to be had at different angles so I like to know where I am so I can make adjustments as needed.

[mark greenman]

Get the Lansky Fold A Vee. I find it easier to use than my sharpmaker, infinitely faster than my edge pro apex, and folds up to fit in my EDC 'toolitries kit' in my backpack.

Having a sharpener with you when out and about/ traveling is wonderful, and the thing is only $13 shipped.

Best of all, it was designed by Sal :spyder:



http://www.good-kit.com/lansky-fold-a-v ... sharpener/

[Deal4]

Lansky Fold A Vee? First time I have heard of this. Any other thoughts about this sharpener anyone? I have a Lansky system which I like ok, but was thinking of getting the Sharpmaker. How do they compare?
Would love to hear anyone's thoughts!