Sharpening system for the blind

[CrayzCanuck]

Hello everyone,
I have a question about knife sharpening. I am completely blind and I’m looking to find a way the easiest way to sharpen my knives. My knife collection consist mainly of folding knives including multiple Spyderco variance.
I have read a little bit about the Spyderco sharp maker and just wondering if someone out there could consider my blindness and direct me towards what day we can sit will be the most appropriate shirt making system. I’m not too worried about the price just want something that I think I can replicate a nice edge with little little room for damaging the knife.
I am really hoping someone out there with vast experience would be able to direct me in the right direction. Thank you all very much for your help.
CC

[sal]

Hi CrayzCanuck,

My wife Gail has personally taught many blind people to use our Sharpmaker with 100% success. Both in the shows we worked and in our store. It's easiest in person if you can find someone close that has some experience with the Sharpmaker.

sal

[JuPaul]

I'm sure a Sharpmaker would work very well, as Sal said. But I also think a guided system like the KME could be great since the machine controls the sharpening angle and I think the set up could pretty easily be done by feel. The only tricky part could be getting your knife into the clamp correctly, but I think you could figure out tricks for that, too.

[Ric]

I recommend the Gauntlet.

Only one angle.
The stones are easy to differentiate.

[Surfingringo]

I would definitely recommend the sharpmaker. Gravity and our body’s equilibrium give us a highly accurate interpretation of the vertical and horizontal plain, even without the aid of our eyes. If I had to put a blindfold on and use one of the two systems I would feel WAY more confident with the sharpmaker than any other system. I have a KME too but I feel like it would be MUCH more complicated to sharpen with in the dark.

I feel like I might need to test this...

[Ez556]

I am not visually impaired at all myself, however I will agree with Surfingringos statement that the design of the Sharpmaker uses our very natural ability for vertical alignment, and the Sharpmaker provides a very tactile experience during sharpening. In my own use I wrap my finger right at the base where the sharpened edge begins, whether that’s in a forward choil or not, and I simply bump my finger into the stone as the knife makes contact, and then draw downwards. If you are very picky about keeping an extremely acute tip, stopping on the stone before the tip slips off to prevent rounding it off slightly may be a bit of a challenge, but if you aren’t worried about a slightly rounded tip, simply drawing the knife down until it slips off the stone is fine. I would feel very comfortable sharpening with my eyes closed on the Sharpmaker, and I often sharpen without looking down at it anyways as I am often engaged in a conversation or something else as I am doing it.

[VWTattoo]

Hi, CrayzCanuck. As a fellow blind knife Knut, I understand your concerns about finding a sharpening system that you can feel your way through while also achieving successful sharpening. I am used to using the Sharpmaker for decades now, including when I had vision, so I know it completely. Let me tell you that the Sharpmaker is the way to go. I also have a KME system that requires extra planning to use, and while it’s great, it does have its challenges.

I think the Sharpmaker is the easier system to use because it can be felt for 30 vs. 40 degrees for the V configuration, and all other use configurations are fixed, so you know what you got. It also has guards to protect you from your mistakes, which is important for people like us. You can feel a difference in the coarse and fine stones, as well as feel when they are clogged and need a cleaning, so that’s good.

I’m sure that the Galley system would be amazing too but I don’t have one.

Best,
Scott

[CrayzCanuck]

Thank you all very much for the input. I think I will probably purchase the sharp maker. Thanks again wish me luck

[cabfrank]

Absolutely, best of luck to you! I don't think you'll need it though. You will become a proficient sharpener with the Sharpmaker. Enjoy it, and your knives!

[VWTattoo]

Congratulations on your choice, CrayzCanuck! Reply back once you’ve had some time to work with it, or contact me if you’d like to chat about techniques and such.