Spyderco Forums

A couple of threads that make you say hmmm...likely the ones ejames was remembering.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/s30 ... s.1535385/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/can ... t.1519674/

I sharpen my knives with DMT diamond stones using their guided system, the Aligner. I have no problem reprofiling and sharpening M4 and S110V steels. I also do a little bit of light stropping at the end.

I’m sensing a disconnect between theoretical knowledge and practical experience in this thread. I have sharpened M390 and S110V using diamonds, silicon carbide (Norton Crystolon), and Spyderco ceramics. They all work. It is frustrating reading declarations based entirely upon theory that I know from direct experience to be false. One advantage of the Crystolon stone is it works up a mud (similar to water stones) that polishes the edge at a finer grit than the rated grit of the stone. Another advantage is that they are inexpensive and contain good stuff all the way through their thickness. One disadvantage is they can be very messy when reprofiling.

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

Ankerson wrote:I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Interesting / ironic......

I wanted a knife in S30V, but the Manix II lightweight was not available with that steel.

So, for both steels, is the Sharpmaker suitable, without the addition of diamond stones, for maintaining sharpness? Do you also strop? If so, what compounds / polishes do you use? Thanks :)

BigCanadian wrote:

Ankerson wrote:I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Interesting / ironic......

I wanted a knife in S30V, but the Manix II lightweight was not available with that steel.

So, for both steels, is the Sharpmaker suitable, without the addition of diamond stones, for maintaining sharpness? Do you also strop? If so, what compounds / polishes do you use? Thanks :)

For maintaining the Sharpmaker is fine.

I don't normally strop, but if I do I use SIC slurry on leather.

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

What about maintaining it for that long when cutting abrasive material rather than kitchen use? I thought in your cardboard testing you always take the edges back to the coarse SiC stones rather than bring them back using the ceramics.

Standard according to who? Most kitchen knives are finished at 1000 grit or above, often up in the 5000-8000 grit range.

I understand the Spyderco ceramics are technically rated at 600 grit (although Spyderco even says it's hard to assign an actual number), but the finish they leave feels considerably higher.

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

What about maintaining it for that long when cutting abrasive material rather than kitchen use? I thought in your cardboard testing you always take the edges back to the coarse SiC stones rather than bring them back using the ceramics.

Standard according to who? Most kitchen knives are finished at 1000 grit or above, often up in the 5000-8000 grit range.

I understand the Spyderco ceramics are technically rated at 600 grit (although Spyderco even says it's hard to assign an actual number), but the finish they leave feels considerably higher.

I would agree. The finish I get from the medium rods is slightly more refined (and less aggressive) than what I get finishing with a 1200 grit dmt. If I had to rate/compare them to diamonds I would put them around 1200-1500.

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

What about maintaining it for that long when cutting abrasive material rather than kitchen use? I thought in your cardboard testing you always take the edges back to the coarse SiC stones rather than bring them back using the ceramics.

Standard according to who? Most kitchen knives are finished at 1000 grit or above, often up in the 5000-8000 grit range.

I understand the Spyderco ceramics are technically rated at 600 grit (although Spyderco even says it's hard to assign an actual number), but the finish they leave feels considerably higher.

That's in testing (testing is different as it has to be consistent), and it's more than just cardboard, once I am done with it I refresh the edge back to orginal.

For normal use ceramics are just fine.

An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

ZrowsN1s wrote:An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

I would think the CBN stones would be good for that, then move to the Med etc.

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

What about maintaining it for that long when cutting abrasive material rather than kitchen use? I thought in your cardboard testing you always take the edges back to the coarse SiC stones rather than bring them back using the ceramics.

Standard according to who? Most kitchen knives are finished at 1000 grit or above, often up in the 5000-8000 grit range.

I understand the Spyderco ceramics are technically rated at 600 grit (although Spyderco even says it's hard to assign an actual number), but the finish they leave feels considerably higher.

That's in testing (testing is different as it has to be consistent), and it's more than just cardboard, once I am done with it I refresh the edge back to orginal.

For normal use ceramics are just fine.

It would be interesting to see the difference in the level of sharpness between an edge that's been restored to original after testing vs one that's been brought back using the ceramics.

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ejames13 wrote:

me2 wrote:Its not like the harder carbide is unaffected by the softer abrasive. Somehow the notion that aluminum oxide just skates over harder carbides without doing anything to them gets repeated. There is an effect on both sides, just more on the softer side.

I don’t think anyone has said that, at least in this thread. Of course the carbides will be affected, but they will be polished more than cut.

I’m not saying the Sharpmaker won’t work, but the OP was about “the best bet” for S110v. The best bet is diamonds or CBN. Just because people have used other stuff successfully doesn’t make it the best choice.

There are microscopic images that show evidence of this in a thread over on BF. You can see the carbides sitting proud of the surrounding steel matrix when sharpened on the softer abrasive because the abrasive can’t shape them very well. Some are even torn out. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

For normal sharpening in NORMAL grit ranges 320 to 600 grit diamonds offer zero advantages over Silicon Carbide or Ceramics when dealing with steels like S110V.

The only time they offer any advantage is when going way up in refinement around 1 Micron or higher.

Diamonds actually tear up the steel in the lower grit ranges, that's bad for sharpening as that tears up the apex.

And you can't put the pressure on the diamond stones you can on the others, another reason why Silicon Carbide is actually faster when reprofiling.

I think the definition of "normal" will vary considerably depending on who you ask. Many people would consider ~1000 grit normal and don't even start below that unless they're doing re-profiling or edge repair.

You're saying diamonds offer no advantage unless you go up to 1 micron (approx. 14,000 grit). What about between 600 and 14,000?

In regards to the Spyderco ceramics, even the mediums leave a finish well above 600 grit. They are fine for final apexing or for a few quick and easy touch ups after initial sharpening, but you can only do so many touch ups before they no longer sharpen the edge effectively (particularly if you let it get too dull between touch ups). Eventually they end up just polishing the carbides because they are unable to abrade them, at which point you have to either go back to your lower grit SiC/AlOx abrasive, or switch to diamond/CBN.

Been using my 701 Profiles to maintain my S110V (65 HRC) Custom fixed blade that I use in the kichen for YEARS. Sharpened it once on my Edge Pro at 400 Grit SIC and that was it.

320-400 Grit has been the standard forever in general at least the last 5+ decades.

I treat S110V no different than I do S30V and I use S110V more than any other steel and have for awhile now.

Spyderco Med is 15 Micron, between 500 and 600 Grit.

What about maintaining it for that long when cutting abrasive material rather than kitchen use? I thought in your cardboard testing you always take the edges back to the coarse SiC stones rather than bring them back using the ceramics.

Standard according to who? Most kitchen knives are finished at 1000 grit or above, often up in the 5000-8000 grit range.

I understand the Spyderco ceramics are technically rated at 600 grit (although Spyderco even says it's hard to assign an actual number), but the finish they leave feels considerably higher.

That's in testing (testing is different as it has to be consistent), and it's more than just cardboard, once I am done with it I refresh the edge back to orginal.

For normal use ceramics are just fine.

It would be interesting to see the difference in the level of sharpness between an edge that's been restored to original after testing vs one that's been brought back using the ceramics.

Ceramics aren't coarse enough.

I use 320 and 400 grit SIC.

I bring up a nice burr to refresh the edges.

I put the knives through a lot when I test them.

Ankerson wrote:

ZrowsN1s wrote:An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

I would think the CBN stones would be good for that, then move to the Med etc.

The cbn/diamonds work great for reprofiling and even provide a good finish if you are looking for a coarse edge. Personally, I would love to have another set of rods in between the diamond and the medium ceramics. I think a set of 800-1000 grit diamonds rods would split the gap nicely. As it is, I often attach dmt fine diafolds to a set of UF rods to get the finish I like.

Surfingringo wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ZrowsN1s wrote:An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

I would think the CBN stones would be good for that, then move to the Med etc.

The cbn/diamonds work great for reprofiling and even provide a good finish if you are looking for a coarse edge. Personally, I would love to have another set of rods in between the diamond and the medium ceramics. I think a set of 800-1000 grit diamonds rods would split the gap nicely. As it is, I often attach dmt fine diafolds to a set of UF rods to get the finish I like.

That's finer than I normally do. :D

But everyone is different.

Ankerson wrote:

Surfingringo wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ZrowsN1s wrote:An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

I would think the CBN stones would be good for that, then move to the Med etc.

The cbn/diamonds work great for reprofiling and even provide a good finish if you are looking for a coarse edge. Personally, I would love to have another set of rods in between the diamond and the medium ceramics. I think a set of 800-1000 grit diamonds rods would split the gap nicely. As it is, I often attach dmt fine diafolds to a set of UF rods to get the finish I like.

That's finer than I normally do. :D

But everyone is different.

Oh, I know, but most folks finish on the fines and uf’s. Give em a semi coarse finishing option and they might start to experience the joy of the coarse edge. I still credit you (and that m4 knife you sharpened for me) with showing me just how sharp a coarse edge could get with careful finishing technique. I can reproduce those kind of results now but it’s like I had to see it to believe it and then it became simple enough to achieve. Kind of like the 4 minute mile.

Surfingringo wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

Surfingringo wrote:

Ankerson wrote:

ZrowsN1s wrote:An informative discussion guys, given what everyone has said so far about diamonds not offering an advantage at lower grits, and about the med shapmaker stones being on the finer side of medium... should we be bugging Sal and crew to make a coarse stone for the sharpmaker for reprofile work?

I would think the CBN stones would be good for that, then move to the Med etc.

The cbn/diamonds work great for reprofiling and even provide a good finish if you are looking for a coarse edge. Personally, I would love to have another set of rods in between the diamond and the medium ceramics. I think a set of 800-1000 grit diamonds rods would split the gap nicely. As it is, I often attach dmt fine diafolds to a set of UF rods to get the finish I like.

That's finer than I normally do. :D

But everyone is different.

Oh, I know, but most folks finish on the fines and uf’s. Give em a semi coarse finishing option and they might start to experience the joy of the coarse edge. I still credit you (and that m4 knife you sharpened for me) with showing me just how sharp a coarse edge could get with careful finishing technique. I can reproduce those kind of results now but it’s like I had to see it to believe it and then it became simple enough to achieve. Kind of like the 4 minute mile.

I still remember the look on your face when I gave it to you. :D :eek:

I like coarse edges better than fine personally in general, I think they just cut better. :)

I like the somewhat coarser edge on kitchen knives especially, slices/bites through delicate tomato skin without squishing.

So, if I’m understanding this discussion correctly, if I do a careful job of sharpening with the brown Sharpmaker rods to obtain a more coarse finish (say, 40º setting) I can get as good a cutting edge as finishing up with the white rods?

- from a sharpening novice -