Spyderco Forums

Just got my first Delica. It's my first Spyderco blade. It's also what I would call my first "real" knife. I've had a number of swatch knifes, and CRKT but they were all crap.

So; you guys with the paper slicer razor blade Delica's, what are you using? Well, what should *I* use? I'm not a pro knife sharpener. I do pretty well with a pocket DMT sharpener (red color) but it's small and clumsy.

What's the most affordable way to do this?

Spyderco sharpmaker?
The big DMT sharpener? red and blue color?

anything else out there?

homemade strop?

I have a sharpmaker, it does a fantastic job of keeping the edge on my knives including the delica.

+1 for the Sharpmaker (they can be had for $50 shipped on ebay). The key is to touch up you're blade every once a while before it gets to be dull.

+2 for Sharpmaker. As has been said, keep the blade sharp with regular attention and it will serve you well for many years.

Anybody go big money and get the apex pro thing?

I absolutely suck at sharpening...but with the sharpmaker, within 10 minutes I can go from barely a utility edge to being able to push cut through paper with little effort :) . I used a lanksky before that, but I think the Sharpmaker is probably one of the best knife-related investments you can possibly make. Plus I prefer being able to control the knife as opposed to a clamp system. Plus setup is 10x easier, and the thing's not gonna break like a lansky or dmt clamp.

PS-I've never used an apex pro, but I can tell you that it's more suited for reprofiling your edges than simply maintenance sharpening. Sharpmaker is way better for touch-ups from what I've heard. People who have both the SM and apex pro probably use the sharpmaker at least once a week, and the apex maybe once a month if that. One's for easily maintaining an edge, the other for reconstructive surgery. If I could afford an apex I would get one though

+1 Sharpmaker, I use it for 13 years now and the triangle rods are the finest system to sharpen your Delica and other sharp things.
Since the beginning I sharpen my knives free-hand and I am pretty skilled.
I don't use the base. If you decide to start freehand you don't need two rods of each stone. You can buy the rods separately and in addition you can buy an ultra-fine rod for the finish and diamondsleeves for the coarse work.

The advantage of the Apex Pro is that knife and stones and tightened in a system. With this you can very precise follow the bevel of the knife and keep it straight sharpened. I have seen it already and it is on my wishlist, though it is a bit expensive.

Recently I made myself an leather strop; a strip of thick cowhide glued on a small brett. In combination with polishing paste (kitchen-stuff for your stainless pots and pans) you can finish your blades freaking-sharp.
Especially suited for convex blades like my VG10 Fallknivens.

Cheers,
Tomas

As other have suggested, another vote for the Sharpmaker.

Canis

p.s. Welcome to the Forum.

decoy5657 wrote:Anybody go big money and get the apex pro thing?

From all accounts the Edge Pro Apex is one of the best gadgets among guided angle sharpeners.

I'm trying to save up for one. I hope I don't have to spend the money on something else.

+1 for the Sharpmaker.

Are the ultrafine stones worth paying 23 dollars for? or should I just stick with a leather strop and honing compound?

Paper wheels!

I looked at the paper wheel thing... and it looks perfect for kitchen knives and things like that..

It seems like they would be impossible to keep the nice crisp ground edge on a pocket knife though..

am I right or am I right?

I have the ultra fine sticks and use them regularly. I think that they do a nice job finishing an edge. They really shine on my Stretch CF's ZDP-189 in producing an extremely sharp edge at the standard edge angle but do a great job on VG-10 and S30v as well.

Welcome Decoy. This is a good place with friendly knowledgeable folks.

Sharpmaker works well for me. I have the Ultrafine stones and they do make an edge shine. There was a little bit of a learning curve for me, but once it kicked in I know I can get anything sharp.

I bought a DMT Aligner and it will sharpen well and quickly, but you get a much finer edge with the grits on the Sharpmaker stones.

Next step for me is to discipline myself to sharpen free hand again after 35+ years. Alas, I am still a student with sharpening :o

Charlie

decoy5657 wrote:I looked at the paper wheel thing... and it looks perfect for kitchen knives and things like that..

It seems like they would be impossible to keep the nice crisp ground edge on a pocket knife though..

am I right or am I right?

:) I'm a certified paper wheel nut. That being said, it's proving to be the best sharpening system I've used so far. In theory, you're doing exactly what you do on bench stones or ceramic rods but at high speed. As long as you keep your knife horizontal and hit the same area on the wheel, you will get consistent angles. There's no problem maintaining the same even grind all the way down the blade. (It took me 20 or 30 runs on old hack saw blades to learn to use it well enough for my folders.)

As for sharpness, I can get hair popping edges every time and with extra care, the edge can cut free hanging hair. You get a mirror finished edge and the best part is it takes only minutes to sharpen a completely dull edge.

Like anything, there are some drawbacks. Initial cost (if you don't already own a bench grinder), portability and it can't do Scandi and convex edges. PM me for extra info if you're interested.

+1 for the SharpMaker. My life changed after I got it.

I think the Ultrafine rods are worth it. They're easier and more consistant than a strop, but the strop will work until you find a deal on the Ultrafines. I'm always worried about dulling the edge with the strop if I'm not careful; which is often.

Jim

One of my first sharpeners was the Sharpmaker and I liked it for doing light touch ups on my kitchen cutlery and my utility knives. I then purchased a Gatco system and preferred it for bringing back dull edges. Finally bit the bullet last year and ordered my APEX PRO and have not used the others since. I can reprofile any of my knives with it no matter what they are made of or how dull they become and I can polish my edges and do quick touch up work using the finer stones and tapes only. Takes me less than time than it did to write this! Also, I keep a record of my sharpening angles for my various blades so I can duplicate those angles precisely. It is IMO the best rig you can buy although I would like to try the paper wheel system at some point in the future.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATBbNtNl ... re=related

This thing is the business!

decoy5657 wrote: This thing is the business!

Oh my lord :eek: I neeeeed a Tormek!

I've seen cheap versions of it, but never the real deal. And, to think I was going to settle for a belt sander as my next addition to the sharpening dept. :p This needs to go on my xmas list.

Thanks decoy. This forum is really bad for my budget :p :p :p

Jim