Having Second Thoughts about the Sharpmaker

[Kiwigunguy]

I bought a Sharpmaker in March 2014 and was quite impressed with its simple, easy-to-use design and consistent performance. However, earlier this year I started having problems with it and soon found it impossible to get a good edge. Upon closely examining the sharpening stones, I found that they were badly warped/bent, and thus I was making a mess of my edge every time I tried to sharpen it. The Sharpmaker had mostly been used for light touch-up work and had never been abused. I contacted the company that I bought the sharpener from and they told me that, "According to the manufacturer, a warped stone isn't covered by the warranty." I now need to buy a new sharpener or replacement sharpening rods and I really don't feel that confident in the Sharpmaker any longer, especially knowing that the sharpening stones could quickly warp to the point of being useless and not be covered under warranty. This situation sucks even more because of how much I have come to like the sharpening system and its results, and the fact that there really isn't another product out there that can do the same thing for a similar price. Whenever I buy a Spyderco knife, I have complete faith that the knife will be of good quality and serve me well for a long time, and I only wish that I could feel the same way about their sharpening products.

[Waco]

Do you have pictures of this warpage? This is the first I've heard of such a problem.

[awa54]

warped ceramic stones?? The only way I can conceive of the Spyderco ceramic rods "warping" would be years of wear, which might leave the faces slightly dished... There's no way that I know of that a solid ceramic triangle rod can actually warp, short of being put in a kiln at near melting point

If the rods are dished from wear then replace them or lap them flat on a diamond stone.

Are you talking about the flats of the rods or just the corners? either way truing them on a diamond stone to replicate the original geometry should make the stones perform again, just don't remove too much material...

[JD Spydo]

All of my 204 Sharpmaker stones I've owned and used over the past few years have fortunately all been relatively straight and well finished. Actually I had a FINE Spyderco 302 Benchstone that had waves in it that you could see when you held it up to the light just right. But Spyderco's Warranty & Repair Department promptly exchanged it for a better unit ASAP.

But please don't give up on the 204 Sharpmaker because I'm sure a few of us can put our heads together and remedy this problem you're having. One modification I did with one of my sets of Medium/gray stones for the 204 Sharpmaker was to take a diamond sharpening rod and rough up the corners which helped the stone to perform better especially getting all of the dings and rough edges abraded.

Another thing I did which helped me to free up both my hands so I could control my downward strokes a lot more consistently and that was to invest in some "VICE GRIP" 11P welder's clamps which holds the unit rock solid on the table or bench you choose to work on. It has really improved my results by having both my hands free for better overall control. A very good buddy of mine clamps his 204 Sharpmaker to the table using a small set of woodworker's clamps.

Also I've found another important key to excellent results is keeping those stones clean. I clean mine thoroughly after every two to three blades I sharpen>> I don't let my stones even turn gray much less do I let them turn all the way black. And I use "Bar Keeper's Friend" cleanser with a coarse Scotch Brite pad and it keeps the stones with a very uniform bite which gives you the grit consistency needed for doing the job right. Please this problem of yours is easily repairable and once you get everything right you'll love the unit.

[ChrisinHove]

There was a thread a short while ago about some sharpmaker rods being warped / out of true from new. I think one solution was to mark the rod ends to enable each face to be easily identified, for consistency' sake.

[Cliff Stamp]

Ceramics can warp in the firing/baking. If they are warped now it is likely they were always warped.

I would suggest contacting Spyderco / warranty directly to see if they won't replace them.

[sbaker345]

Yep, take pictures if they are warped enough to matter Sal should take care of you.

[swigert]

Why not call warranty and repair directly? That would be my first step every time.

[FCM415]

Thanks for sharing your experience and I get the sense that you welcome any advice being that you read that Spyderco doesn't cover warped stones in their warranty (may have deterred you from contacting them first). This after all is the place to learn, share, and help each other with all things Spyderco. The thing is, if this defect affects the tool's performance to yield intended results, I think that Spyderco would (or should) take care of it. I've witnessed enough happy endings in similar threads in the past to be optimistic. Being overseas complicates this a little more for you though with shipping :o . Hope it gets resolved quick.The SM really is a great tool.

[Donut]

How do you store the stones?

[Surfingringo]

I would not be surprised to find the edge bevel was getting a bit thick on Occam's Razor.

[TazKristi]

I bought a Sharpmaker in March 2014 and was quite impressed with its simple, easy-to-use design and consistent performance. However, earlier this year I started having problems with it and soon found it impossible to get a good edge. Upon closely examining the sharpening stones, I found that they were badly warped/bent, and thus I was making a mess of my edge every time I tried to sharpen it. The Sharpmaker had mostly been used for light touch-up work and had never been abused. I contacted the company that I bought the sharpener from and they told me that, "According to the manufacturer, a warped stone isn't covered by the warranty." I now need to buy a new sharpener or replacement sharpening rods and I really don't feel that confident in the Sharpmaker any longer, especially knowing that the sharpening stones could quickly warp to the point of being useless and not be covered under warranty. This situation sucks even more because of how much I have come to like the sharpening system and its results, and the fact that there really isn't another product out there that can do the same thing for a similar price. Whenever I buy a Spyderco knife, I have complete faith that the knife will be of good quality and serve me well for a long time, and I only wish that I could feel the same way about their sharpening products.

Hi Kiwigunguy,
As many others have stated, the stones can't warp over time. They are too hard. I've just had a quick chat with W&R and we've never seen something like you describe (to start off true and then later warp). There have been instances (rarely) with a warped stone from the very beginning - something that occurs in the firing process - but never something that happens over the course of one year.

Please contact our W&R department and explain the situation to Charlynn. Please be sure to include the name of the retailer that you purchased from as well as your complete contact information. We rarely can make a judgment without receiving the stones to review them in-hand, but given your location we can try our best to at least open a dialog with you via e-mail. The e-mail address is customerservice@spyderco.com.

As I mentioned, I've already had a chat with W&R and Charlynn will be keeping an eye out for your e-mail.

Kristi

[SpyderNut]

I would not be surprised to find the edge bevel was getting a bit thick on Occam's Razor.

+1

[Kiwigunguy]

Firstly, I would just like to apologise for the delay in responding. I was in the process of dealing with Spyderco's customer service so I didn't want to make any premature comments. I told them what happened and sent them photos and they told me to send them the stones. I should get around to that, but it isn't going to be cheap.

Do you have pictures of this warpage? This is the first I've heard of such a problem.

Yes, I did take photos and tried to attach them. I laid the stones lengthwise on a builders square-in one of the photos you can clearly see through the gap between the square and the stone and in a couple others you can see the LEDs of the workshop light that I put on the other side.

warped ceramic stones?? The only way I can conceive of the Spyderco ceramic rods "warping" would be years of wear, which might leave the faces slightly dished... There's no way that I know of that a solid ceramic triangle rod can actually warp, short of being put in a kiln at near melting point

If the rods are dished from wear then replace them or lap them flat on a diamond stone.

Are you talking about the flats of the rods or just the corners? either way truing them on a diamond stone to replicate the original geometry should make the stones perform again, just don't remove too much material...

The flats and corners are warped.

There was a thread a short while ago about some sharpmaker rods being warped / out of true from new. I think one solution was to mark the rod ends to enable each face to be easily identified, for consistency' sake.

I tried that but there weren't enough "straight" sides for it to be practical or usable and the "straight" sides were only vaguely straight anyway.

How do you store the stones?

On a desk, table, or set of drawers or in a drawer-pretty much always in a cool, dry, shaded area. I always kept them clean and only ever cleaned them with synthetic steel wool and abrasive compound, similar to that seen in the Spyderco instructional video.

[Kiwigunguy]

Do not, under any circumstances, read this post.

[endgame]

I love my sharp maker and use it for touchup after usuage.I use my wicked edge for full sharpening.never had any warping

[Surfingringo]

I have drawn scale pictures in the past of what a 1-2 degree warp would actually look like on a sharpmaker stone. This would equate to an extremely warped and distorted stone. I wish I still had the drawing...it was pretty impressive what a 2 degree warp actually looked like. Anyway, if you are talking about a little light bleeding through when held against a perfectly flat surface then we are likely talking a small fraction of one degree. If your sharpening technique is at such a high level of accuracy that THAT is what's keeping you from perfection then you are WAY ahead of me in this game.

It would definitely be interesting to see pics. If you are unable to post pics kiwiguy, then you can email them to me and I can post them for you.

[Kiwigunguy]

I have drawn scale pictures in the past of what a 1-2 degree warp would actually look like on a sharpmaker stone. This would equate to an extremely warped and distorted stone. I wish I still had the drawing...it was pretty impressive what a 2 degree warp actually looked like. Anyway, if you are talking about a little light bleeding through when held against a perfectly flat surface then we are likely talking a small fraction of one degree. If your sharpening technique is at such a high level of accuracy that THAT is what's keeping you from perfection then you are WAY ahead of me in this game.

It would definitely be interesting to see pics. If you are unable to post pics kiwiguy, then you can email them to me and I can post them for you.

Could you PM me your email address? The email function on here doesn't allow attachments.
I see you're also into the Salt series-my black PE Pacific Salt hasn't left my side in over 21 months and I love it. :spyder:

[Surfingringo]

Hey Kiwigunguy, here are the pics you sent me.




You do have more warping than what I have seen on my rods. I am still of the opinion that this is less than one degree and should not be having much effect on your sharpening. I'm not trying to tell you that you should not to pursue warranty replacement (that's up to you), I'm just saying that IMO, those rods should not be impeding your sharpening ability. I am confident of that to the point that if we were neighbors I would be willing to trade rods with you. :)

[jalcon]

I never get good edges with mine neither. However mine are from the fact that I don't think the two rods are symmetrical to each other when placed in their slots. If I do the marker trick, the sides do not get evenly hit. I've messed up a few perfectly symmetrical blades already. It's not my technique either, I've tried everything..even with different hands. ::shrugs::