Sharpmaker

[sir_mike]

Check out Amazon and Ebay as I have seen them on both for just over $50 new which is a good price.

[Laethageal]

As I said earlier, I would avoid buying this on ebay unless it's a reputable dealer you trust. Even then, I saw people with 10k+ positive review sell fake military. And selling it close to usual merchant price doesn't mean it's a true either.

[bearfacedkiller]

Sharpmakers are available from the same reputable dealers that we often buy our knives from and the prices are decent. I would rather support Knifeworks or another of our preferred dealers then Ebay anyway. I'm sure this price difference is minimal and saving $10 bucks isn't enough for me to go the ebay route. I have purchased knives from ebay that were discontinued but generally avoid it if I can. Just my opinion on it.

[christopher]

I want to agree whole-heartedly with Sharpmaker. Get a sacrificial, cheap knife to practice on. Do no start with an expensive one (I am speaking from experience.) Then, once you get the hang of it, be patient, the higher grade steels will sharpen the same way, just slower.

[Cliff Stamp]

...would you suggest I pick up any other stones for the SM, like maybe ultra fine?

It depends on what you are cutting. In addition to being far faster to sharpen a new knife, remove damage or just clean up a really heavily used knife, the CBN rods produce a finish which gives a much higher edge retention than the medium rods when slicing rope, cardboard, fabrics and similar material.

[Ankerson]

...would you suggest I pick up any other stones for the SM, like maybe ultra fine?

It depends on what you are cutting. In addition to being far faster to sharpen a new knife, remove damage or just clean up a really heavily used knife, the CBN rods produce a finish which gives a much higher edge retention than the medium rods when slicing rope, cardboard, fabrics and similar material.

The coarser the better to a point. :)

320/400 grit is hard to beat.

[chuck_roxas45]

Amazon. I would say diamond or cubic boron but you are not into reprofile.

I'm going to say you need the diamonds anyway. You have to realize that the Sharpmaker rods are set to specific angles. If your edges are actually at those angles (or less) to begin with, then you will not need to reprofile*, and will just be sharpening. However, if those angles are more obtuse than 40 degrees, then you ARE reprofiling, you're just doing it very slowly. Since the factory edge is done by hand, it often is not at a consistent angle, that is to say, not every single knife is 30 degrees from the factory.

*Well you are still reprofiling in this case too, but you're doing it from the edge back, so you will be sharpening all the while.

I would agree. And I would also say that if you get your knife dull then you'd need the diamonds anyway to make sharpening time efficient.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Ok so I am looking it up now but there are CBN and Diamond rods.

My guess is diamond is like a 220 stone and CBN is more 400 grit range?

[Cliff Stamp]

My guess is diamond is like a 220 stone and CBN is more 400 grit range?

They are very similar in abrasion level for more details : http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... =2&t=63254" target="_blank .

[HarleyXJGuy]

My guess is diamond is like a 220 stone and CBN is more 400 grit range?

They are very similar in abrasion level for more details : http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... =2&t=63254" target="_blank .

Thanks for the link Cliff. My Google Fu was strong today and it was one of the first things I found on the subject.

So simple answer is they are about the same with a slight nod to the CBN for less number of passes needed. Price is about the same so I will go with the CBN.

Plus the CBN just sounds more fancy.

[Knutty]

The first time you sharpen any new knife: Use a Sharpie on the edge, then use the brown rods in the "back bevel" arrangement for a bit and see if the angle matches. This should help you decide that you need the diamond rods.

[HarleyXJGuy]

The first time you sharpen any new knife: Use a Sharpie on the edge, then use the brown rods in the "back bevel" arrangement for a bit and see if the angle matches. This should help you decide that you need the diamond rods.

I am doing this to make sure the angel matches up with the knives I have? You are saying if it does I might not need the CBN rods. Well not right away at least.

From what I gather from Cliff and others here the CBN is good even if you do not need to change up your angle. Makes for a edge that lasts longer and is more better sharpness.

Thats what I get from the reading I have done anyhow.

Ordering a SM and some CBN action on the 15th when I get paid.

So I see sometimes it is just called Sharpmaker and sometimes it is called a 204 SM? Older model?

[Laethageal]

204SM is the sharpmaker number just like c36 is military number model and C10 for endura.

[rodloos]

So I see sometimes it is just called Sharpmaker and sometimes it is called a 204 SM? Older model?

The current version is the 204, there was an earlier version (203) which only had one setting, for 40°, but that was a *long* time ago. I still have my 203 from back then, but have also added the 204.

[HarleyXJGuy]

204SM is the sharpmaker number just like c36 is military number model and C10 for endura.

Good deal. Very much looking forward to finally being able to sharpen my knives.

On the other hand $50 for the SM and $50 for the CBN rods plus some shipping would get me most of the way on a sweet Domino.

[defenestrate]

HarleyXJGuy,
I would go ahead and get the SM, watch the video that comes with it, and start practicing. I do think you will end up wanting either the diamond or boron stones if you're going to be sharpening many different brands of knife as many makers have 45 or 50 degree edges from the factory and you will end up spending a long time whittling those down on the medium stones. If the M16 isn't nicked up you can ptobably start just fine with the stock stones, though, and until you start getting reliably sharp edges, the UF rods won't be very useful to you, IMO.

[JD Spydo]

I too used to have the original 203 Sharpnmaker which I cut my early teeth on shortly after I got my very first Spyder back in 1995. It was around 1997 that the 204 Sharpmaker was first advertised in the major knife magazines and it took me about 8 months before I was able to snag one. During that time period Spyderco was famous for advertising stuff way before it was available to the public.

But as soon as the diamond stones and ultra-fine stones became available I got them and I have used them extensively ever since. I do advise anyone who has gotten a 204 Sharpmaker unit to get the extra stones as well. I've yet to get the CBN stones now available but they are at the very top of my "GOTTA HAVE" list. I can't wait to see what I can do with them.

Now the Sharpmaker is more or less for blades that are not beat up badly. If you have a badly abused blade I would highly recommend to do most of your rough reprofiling on a good coarse or extra coarse diamond benchstone to save time.

That's the one big complaint I've had about the 204 Sharpmaker for years now is that the Spyderco won't come out with an aggressively coarse stone that can do rapid stock removal. That would help immensely in outdoor situations where portability is handy.

[HarleyXJGuy]

HarleyXJGuy,
I would go ahead and get the SM, watch the video that comes with it, and start practicing. I do think you will end up wanting either the diamond or boron stones if you're going to be sharpening many different brands of knife as many makers have 45 or 50 degree edges from the factory and you will end up spending a long time whittling those down on the medium stones. If the M16 isn't nicked up you can ptobably start just fine with the stock stones, though, and until you start getting reliably sharp edges, the UF rods won't be very useful to you, IMO.

Wait a cotton pickin second! What are these "many makers" you speak of??

Like other then Spyderco? LIes!!!!

On a more serious note yeah not to interested in the UF stones. Well at least not now.

[Cliff Stamp]

[...]

That's the one big complaint I've had about the 204 Sharpmaker for years now is that the Spyderco won't come out with an aggressively coarse stone that can do rapid stock removal. That would help immensely in outdoor situations where portability is handy.

Really low grit plates can be made with CBN/Diamond, the WE for example has them, 50 grit. The problem is that the rate of wear on ultra-low grit stones is much faster and there is much more of a chance of indirect wear/breakage by just ripping out the bond. This may be why they decided to use a ~400 rating for the CBN vs a 100, or they simply didn't want to make too much of a jump to the medium.

Another issue is just cost, put all of this together :

-Sharpmaker
-100 grit rods
-400 grit rods
-ultra-fine rods

That starts to be prohibitive and complicated for many which is sort of moving away from what the Sharpmaker is compared to say a Wicked Edge or Edge Pro for which you can find any abrasive under the stone.

Note Congress Tools (and others) also sell rods which fit the Sharpmaker and are really coarse, you might want to look at them. They however are solid stones and are going to wear and have issues with maintenance.

[HarleyXJGuy]

I know your post was in response to JD but I don't feel any need for a stone more coarse then CBN/Diamond.

Not one to abuse my knives to the point where need for something like that will come into play. I do agree with you about buying so many stone I could have scored a EPA with some nice Sharpton stones.

Still plan to do that at some point down the road.