Spyderco Forums

I love my Sharpmaker. It is the Toyota Hilux of the knife sharpening world. It just does what you ask of it with zero fuss and minimal maintenance until you are done. No dramas, just a quality field serviceable bit of kit you can take anywhere.

The one area where I feel the Sharpmaker could be elevated without detracting from its no-nonsense roots though is an adjustable angle range feature in the base. There are a few simple engineering solutions I can think of to execute this without needing hinges or moving parts, but would anyone actually want this as a feature?

You must not have experienced any fixed sharpening systems yet, to relate the Sharpmaker to a Hilux hahaha.

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:51 am

You must not have experienced any fixed sharpening systems yet, to relate the Sharpmaker to a Hilux hahaha.

I don’t get it Spell it out for me man

I’ve got a KME and a Worksharp Precision Adjust. The former gets used weekly when I bulk sharpen, and the latter gathers dust in a cupboard. I find them fiddly and temperamental at the best of times, and downright irritating at worst. If they were a vehicle they’d be some sort of Alfa Romeo or possibly a Ducati - look nice but bits keep falling off at inconvenient moments.

I just find the Sharpmaker to be extremely limited. It's great as a "SharpKeeper" as it's been thrown around in the past. Certainly not something I'd want to use to put a new edge on though. Touch ups, yes...but even so you better hope your edge matches up to one of those 2 settings.

For me, an alternate base with 17.5 and 12.5 settings would do. I know of the 3D-printable adapters, but I do like the original base concept.

More angle steps would be definitely welcome though it really does not need to be a continuous adjustment (our hand wobbles more than enough). What I would love to see a lot more would be a fine (say around 1000) grit CBN or diamond rods for the sharpmaker (AND also the double-stuff once we are at it). The brown rods are not much fun with k390.

Honestly. No i would not buy one.

What i am about to say only go’s for the 204 sharpmaker since i do not free hand sharpen i have no experience with all the other sharpeners spyderco makes so my experiences do not count for those.

I have the 204 sharpmaker and have the extra diamond rods and extra fine ones.
And honestly it seems to see almost no use anymore.

Since i have the worksharp precision adjust i find the sharpmaker an outdated sharpener.
On top of that the rods cost allot of money and are i hate to say this but they are low quality.
The original white and brown ones came okay with only 1 of the 3 sides not usable due to complete roughness of the material.
A replacement white rod came cracked and was replaced by one as bad as the first ones.
Then the fine stones they came worse and only had 1 side of the 3 usable due to the same problem.
Yes i know the trick to level them by using the stones against each other but no this did not help at all maybe if i tried for a month straight but who has the time for that!

And the diamond rods are i am even more sorry to say very disappointing they hardly even fit the base getting them in is a nightmare getting them back out is even worse , and the diamonds themselves are hardly doing more then the brown rods do.
Compared to the diamonds on the worksharp. Spyderco’s diamonds seem as dull as a wooden spoon from mc donalds.
And yes everything i have of it is original from a reputable dealer so nothing is fake!
The only real positive thing i can say about the sharpmaker is the dvd of Sal when i was younger that is kinda fun to watch.

I love Spyderco i love they’re knives so much I don’t even consider other brands. But as far sharpeners go i know they started with them but the 204 sharpmaker is not even close to 1% as good as they’re knives are.
So no i would not buy any sharpmaker of them anymore. Even if they made an adjustable system of some kind i am sure that even if they would get it as good as the worksharp its price would be 10 times more expensive and in that case i rather buy another high class spydie instead.
In any case my money will keep flowing to Sal and Eric but not for they’re sharpeners.

More interested in a full set of diamond rods for the existing base. I am always surprised this hasn’t happened yet.

Voted no.

The current price ($89) already seems wild to me especially given the diamond or CBN rods aren't included. I used to gift a nice knife and the Sharpmaker together to folks new to quality cutlery (kitchen or pocket) but stopped doing that once the Sharpmaker got over ~$70 new. More complications would just increase the price further.

For my own personal use I do still use my Sharpmaker for occasional quick touchups on recurved blades but most of my sharpening is now on benchstones (Spyderco CBN and medium ceramic).

The Sharpmaker is a good product and I'm glad I bought one ~15 years ago now, but even starting over with no sharpening knowledge it's hard to see the SM as competitive price-wise with the wide variety of guided or semi-guided sharpening setups now available.

One additional setting between 20 and 15 (18 or 17) and one below 15 (12 or 10) would be nice.

And a lot COARSER roads than the CBNs for quicker reprofiling and repairs of more substantial damages (as far as I know the diamonds are just a bit coarser, if at all)

I also voted no. I use my 203 Sharpmaker on most of my knives, I use a Worksharp for the kitchen knives, and I have no issues with it. I am fond of simple over complex sharpeners and short of using a bench stone the Sharpmaker is pretty simple and effective. I can get a reasonably sharp edge using my Sharpmaker an I don’t see any reason to complicate it.

I think that I sometimes get all caught up in what is the correct or most effective way to sharpen a knife and the fact of the matter is a sharp knife is a sharp knife regardless of how you get there.

I used to be really interested in more angles for the sharpmaker.

These days, not so much.

The way I use mine is almost exclusively for microbevels. 15 and 20 work well for that.

I set my bevels on a belt sander or 140 grit diamond plate from chefknivestogo. Then touch up using the sharpmaker at 15 degrees generally. 20 degrees for a few tools I run thicker than that.

Works for me.

I would like to see spyderco offer another base for those folks that want one.

Given how much the molded plastic base is already, I'm guessing I wouldn't pay what the adjustable one would cost.

An elastic band or a hair band on the stones to make it a bit more acute at each setting is good enough.

I vote no. I’m hoping Spyderco will introduce a Gauntlet with the ability to do 15dps as well as having more cbn stones to choose from. To me the Gauntlet with the cbn cat's eye stones are superior to the sharpmaker’s triangle stones. The stones don’t wobble around in the base on the Gauntlet like they do with the Sharpmaker. I get better results with the Gauntlet than I ever did with the Sharpmaker.
Bruce

Duplicate post

I thought I remember Sal saying awhile back that Eric was working on an adjustable base. Haven't heard anything since.

I've made a few of these for one of the members but it's not ideal IMO. The stones vary in width and, like the regular SM, the angles aren't exactly what they're supposed to be. I tightened up the slots for the stones but the angles still vary a little.



As Rick mentioned, I find a good sharpening system to be the best answer. I went with a Hapstone V7 that's like an Edgepro but much improved. You can use just about any stone within reason. I dig my Sharpmaker and use if for touch ups almost daily. But for reprofiling at different angles you can beat one of the better systems. Isn't there a Worksharp system available that's about the same price as a Sharpmaker? If I didn't already have the Hapstone I'd be looking real hard at that

JoviAl wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:17 am

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:51 am

You must not have experienced any fixed sharpening systems yet, to relate the Sharpmaker to a Hilux hahaha.

I don’t get it Spell it out for me man

I’ve got a KME and a Worksharp Precision Adjust. The former gets used weekly when I bulk sharpen, and the latter gathers dust in a cupboard. I find them fiddly and temperamental at the best of times, and downright irritating at worst. If they were a vehicle they’d be some sort of Alfa Romeo or possibly a Ducati - look nice but bits keep falling off at inconvenient moments.

You should look into the Edge Pro apex. It's a nice higher end guided system that uses the nice 6" stones or plates but it's much less hassle than the clamp systems. You can sharpen pretty much any size knife you want on it easily. I love mone and I came from a work sharp precision adjust.

Also for everybody saying they wish they had more grits to choose from and harder cutting stones you do know you can buy Moldmaster 1/2"x6" triangle stones from congress tools and they drop right in the slots in the base. They're the same size as the factory stones, they like $7 each, silicon carbide so they'll cut pretty much any steel and you can get them in grits from 80 to 600 and many in between grits.
https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/c ... ory/?id=27

Striple765Rider wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 4:04 pm

JoviAl wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:17 am

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:51 am

You must not have experienced any fixed sharpening systems yet, to relate the Sharpmaker to a Hilux hahaha.

I don’t get it Spell it out for me man

I’ve got a KME and a Worksharp Precision Adjust. The former gets used weekly when I bulk sharpen, and the latter gathers dust in a cupboard. I find them fiddly and temperamental at the best of times, and downright irritating at worst. If they were a vehicle they’d be some sort of Alfa Romeo or possibly a Ducati - look nice but bits keep falling off at inconvenient moments.

You should look into the Edge Pro apex. It's a nice higher end guided system that uses the nice 6" stones or plates but it's much less hassle than the clamp systems. You can sharpen pretty much any size knife you want on it easily. I love mone and I came from a work sharp precision adjust.

Also for everybody saying they wish they had more grits to choose from and harder cutting stones you do know you can buy Moldmaster 1/2"x6" triangle stones from congress tools and they drop right in the slots in the base. They're the same size as the factory stones, they like $7 each, silicon carbide so they'll cut pretty much any steel and you can get them in grits from 80 to 600 and many in between grits.
https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/c ... ory/?id=27

I made the move the otherway around. I find the work sharp precision adjust way better and less of a hassle then the edge pro. You always need to sharpen wet with the edge pro that not only makes a mess it also scratches your blades badly if you do not tape them up. And the clamp of the precision adjust keeps your blade way more stable then you holding it yourself in the edge pro.

I voted yes. I’ve toyed at times with the idea of making my own adjustable base for the SM rods, but it just doesn’t matter enough to make the effort. I can freehand sharpen pretty well, and bought a Galley Vee for the 10 dps geometry.

Wartstein wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:44 am

...And a lot COARSER roads than the CBNs for quicker reprofiling and repairs of more substantial damages (as far as I know the diamonds are just a bit coarser, if at all)

Sadly, those would last also a lot SHORTER than the current ones. It is just the nature of the beast. Diamond based abrasives are fantastic for steels with a lot of Vanadium carbides, but you really want actual sharpening stones and not surface coated plates.