Hapstone V6 - new knife sharpener on the US market
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Krav
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Please Let me know when you get these back in stock, I'm ready to get it with all the bells and whistles. Sending a P.M. With my info. Thank you.
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- May 4, 2007
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I'm having several issues with this sharpener right out of the box. Initially, I wasn't going to post about them, giving time for Hapstone to make things right. As I've thought about it and spent time formulating my own fixes to the problems, I realized the issue is more of a design flaw than simply shipping me out a new 'working part' type of issue.
First, let's list the good things about this sharpener:
Now the not-so-great:
Summary:
I was more frustrated and disappointed with this sharpener than my $30 Edge Pro Chinese clone. I wasn't angry, wanting to throw it across the room, but more like when your kid does something stupid, and you just have to shake your head. I expected more from it, you know? But, also like my kid, I've invested in it. I'm going to work with what I've got and shaped it into something great. You kind of expect a $30 Chinese clone to have poor quality control and know that you'll have to make some modifications to it. You don't expect it from a $259 sharpener.
All of that being said, everything is fixable. I'm pretty sure I've already worked out solutions to most of the problems (except for the horizontal shaft connection). With some tinkering and modifications, this will be a great sharpener. The quality of the materials used makes it possible to make these changes. Had this sharpener mostly been made out of plastic, it would quickly fall apart and not be worth the effort.
I just wasn't expecting to spend additional time making this into the sharpener it could have been right out of the box.
[Now as a disclaimer, maybe I've just received a defective unit, and others are having resounding success and are fully satisfied. My review is of my particular unit.]
First, let's list the good things about this sharpener:
- Konstantin, with Grit-O-Matic, is great. Quick responses to emails and is obviously committed to excellent customer service. Nothing to fear from Grit-O-Matic.
- The Hapstone v6 is built like a tank... almost (will detail below).
- The sharpener's base is heavy and stays in place.
- The table magnet is strong... maybe too strong. Using my Atoma 140 Diamond plate was difficult because the plate wanted to stick to the magnet.
- Initial impressions are that this a quality bit of kit.
Now the not-so-great:
- You receive one stop collar for the horizontal sliding shaft. Two are needed to prevent overtravel and the resulting damage to your blade from the metal parts of the stone holder slamming into it. Ask me how I know :grumpy:
- Receiving one wouldn't be so bad, except that one doesn't work... at all. Fully tightened the stop collar slides right off. (Grit-O-Matic has responded to my email about this concern and is sending out a stop collar with a "simpler design" in two weeks).
- The horizontal sliding shaft is two pieces. It connects via a similarly designed coupling as the non-functioning stop collar. This is not a stable connection. This instability causes a wobble that causes inconsistent blade angles. The horizontal shaft of these "edge pro" type sharpeners should always be a single piece to prevent this.
- The knobs for most of these parts are now plastic (though the website boasts an "all-metal" design). I'd like to take a pair of pliers to the knobs to apply additional force for tightening, but I would severely damage these knobs.
- The plastic knobs on the pivot unit and the stone thickness compensator interfere with placing a stone under the pivot unit to lock the compensator in place. This interference completely prevents the function of the stone thickness compensator. Now, I did figure out a way of maneuvering the very end of a stone into the correct position, but it was time-consuming and a pain in the rear. Way too much fiddling to do this with every stone in my progression.
- The pivot unit has a "PTFE" insert that doesn't ever need lubrication. This insert is a piece of plastic that has been epoxied into the hole. While I didn't experience any problems with it, I fear that this will wear and not be user replaceable.
Summary:
I was more frustrated and disappointed with this sharpener than my $30 Edge Pro Chinese clone. I wasn't angry, wanting to throw it across the room, but more like when your kid does something stupid, and you just have to shake your head. I expected more from it, you know? But, also like my kid, I've invested in it. I'm going to work with what I've got and shaped it into something great. You kind of expect a $30 Chinese clone to have poor quality control and know that you'll have to make some modifications to it. You don't expect it from a $259 sharpener.
All of that being said, everything is fixable. I'm pretty sure I've already worked out solutions to most of the problems (except for the horizontal shaft connection). With some tinkering and modifications, this will be a great sharpener. The quality of the materials used makes it possible to make these changes. Had this sharpener mostly been made out of plastic, it would quickly fall apart and not be worth the effort.
I just wasn't expecting to spend additional time making this into the sharpener it could have been right out of the box.
[Now as a disclaimer, maybe I've just received a defective unit, and others are having resounding success and are fully satisfied. My review is of my particular unit.]
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First of all, I would like to thank all early adopters of Hapstone V6 and especially Zatx for support and feedback. It was extremely valuable.
HAPSTONE V6 REV1 PUBLIC STATEMENT
In January 2017, we launched the new Hapstone V6 knife sharpening system. In mid-February, customers began to receive their orders. Unfortunately, many customers informed us that the sharpener they purchased had defects. After an investigation, we confirmed that the Hapstone V6 Revision 1 had a few serious flaws. We will do our best to correct our mistake and help our customers get the sharpener back to perfect working condition.
5 components of the Hapstone V6 may have a defect: the coupling on the horizontal shaft, the stopper ring, the thickness compensator, the pivot unit, and the pivot rod holder. All affected components share the same defect: the thumb screw or wing nut does not tighten properly. The percentage of affected sharpeners (where at least one component is defective) is approximately 15-20%.
If you have purchased the Hapstone V6 Revision 1, please check the following for potential issues:
We apologize for the inconvenience and regret that there were problems to begin with. We are doing everything possible to assure that this will never happen again in the future.
Hapstone, Gritomatic, and Jende Industries will handle the replacement of all defective components for our customers.
All mentioned components will be redesigned and/or manufactured in a different way.
If you have question, feel free to contact Gritomatic customer support via email support@gritomatic.com or Jende Industries customer support via phone 1-323-315-0353. We are ready to help you and answer any questions regarding the technical issues described above.
HAPSTONE V6 REV1 PUBLIC STATEMENT
In January 2017, we launched the new Hapstone V6 knife sharpening system. In mid-February, customers began to receive their orders. Unfortunately, many customers informed us that the sharpener they purchased had defects. After an investigation, we confirmed that the Hapstone V6 Revision 1 had a few serious flaws. We will do our best to correct our mistake and help our customers get the sharpener back to perfect working condition.
5 components of the Hapstone V6 may have a defect: the coupling on the horizontal shaft, the stopper ring, the thickness compensator, the pivot unit, and the pivot rod holder. All affected components share the same defect: the thumb screw or wing nut does not tighten properly. The percentage of affected sharpeners (where at least one component is defective) is approximately 15-20%.
If you have purchased the Hapstone V6 Revision 1, please check the following for potential issues:
The pivot unit cannot be reliably tightened onto the vertical rod using the thumb screw, while the parking hook is in an uncomfortable position. Remove or loosen the small black hex screw which holds the parking hook in place. Once done the thumb screw will tighten more. This is a result of incorrect factory assembly and can be easily corrected by the customer. If that does not help, please contact customer support.
The coupling wing nut on the horizontal shaft cannot reliably tighten. Unfortunately, this issue makes the sharpener unusable. Please contact customer support and we will send you a replacement. Temporary solution. Try to use pliers to tighten the wing nut using maximum strength.
The vertical rod holder cannot reliably tighten the vertical rod to prevent rotation. The sharpener can still be used, but with less comfort. Please contact customer support and we will send you a replacement. Temporary solution. Try using pliers to tighten the thumb screw using maximum strength.
The stopper ring cannot be reliably tightened onto the horizontal rod using the thumb screw. The sharpener can still be used, but with less comfort. Please contact customer support and we will send you a replacement. Temporary solution. Use a 6mm drill stop collar instead or a similar utility.
The thickness compensator cannot be inserted or reliably tightened onto the vertical rod. Please contact customer support and we will send you a replacement. Temporary solution. Use an 8mm drill stop collar instead or a similar utility.
We apologize for the inconvenience and regret that there were problems to begin with. We are doing everything possible to assure that this will never happen again in the future.
Hapstone, Gritomatic, and Jende Industries will handle the replacement of all defective components for our customers.
All mentioned components will be redesigned and/or manufactured in a different way.
If you have question, feel free to contact Gritomatic customer support via email support@gritomatic.com or Jende Industries customer support via phone 1-323-315-0353. We are ready to help you and answer any questions regarding the technical issues described above.
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+1 for Konstantin at Gritomatic and the crew at Hapstone.
While their sharpener has some issues, they were quick to investigate the problems and are working on a solution. As a new company and start-up, you're going to make mistakes, it's how you handle those errors that defines the relationship you have with your customers. They could have done what most companies do these days and blame the user or ignore them completely. Instead, they are making things right.
I have fixed all of the issues with my sharpener through parts purchased at my local Lowe's store and Mcmaster Carr. I now have an amazing sharpener that performs better than similarly designed products.
Should I have needed to make modifications or fixes? Absolutely not. But because of the quality of the unit these repairs were possible, and now I have a sharpener that should last my lifetime.
While their sharpener has some issues, they were quick to investigate the problems and are working on a solution. As a new company and start-up, you're going to make mistakes, it's how you handle those errors that defines the relationship you have with your customers. They could have done what most companies do these days and blame the user or ignore them completely. Instead, they are making things right.
I have fixed all of the issues with my sharpener through parts purchased at my local Lowe's store and Mcmaster Carr. I now have an amazing sharpener that performs better than similarly designed products.
Should I have needed to make modifications or fixes? Absolutely not. But because of the quality of the unit these repairs were possible, and now I have a sharpener that should last my lifetime.
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- Jan 9, 2013
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What kind of parts did you buy and for what specific issues? Thanks.
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- Apr 26, 2010
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@zatx Got his Hapstone modified to get down to a 5 degree sharpening angle. Not sure if it's really necessary, but it's cool!
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Krav
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- Jun 6, 2013
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What would be the ideal stones to use to sharpen 3v s35vn and like steel? Something good all round? Diamonds? I'm not so much concerned with a beautiful polished edge as much as a nice sharp keen edge. Also would like something to sharpen my Emerson recurves.
I'm on the mailing list, as soon as I get a notification I'm grabbing one of these. I was ready to get the edge pro but I think I'll wait for this.
I'm on the mailing list, as soon as I get a notification I'm grabbing one of these. I was ready to get the edge pro but I think I'll wait for this.
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- May 4, 2007
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The main issue is the thumb screws not holding tight enough onto whichever shaft. I bought thumb screws/knobs that have a hex head shaft so that I can use an Allen wrench to get more torque on the fitting. I also took a Dremel tool and roughed up the inside diameter of each of these couplings, so there was more grab on the shaft.
The thumb screws/knobs are 10/32 threads and you can find several alternatives at Lowe's/Home Depot. I got these from Mcmaster Carr.
Also, while waiting for my replacement fittings from Hapstone/Gritomatic, I purchased stainless steel shaft collars (6mm & 8mm) to act as slide stops. I glued rubber grommets to these so they don't slam into the pivot unit.
View attachment 687820
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For anyone wondering, this is a pretty good temp fix to get the horizontal shaft to come together tightly without the need to use pliers....
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I'm loving my Shapton glass stones. As long as you aren't reprofiling, pick up the Shapton glass 500 and 2000 grit stone. This produces a very sharp edge that shines, is a bit toothy, but isn't mirrored polish (though close). Alternatively, you could do the 1000 instead of the 2000. Finish with a few passes on a strop either hand-held or make a leather strop attached to a blank for the sharpener (I prefer to use the hand-held method).
If for some reason you are going to reprofile just use the 120 grit stone that comes with the kit. I found it works just a bit slower than my Atoma 140 diamond plate, but doesn't leave such an aggressive scratch pattern. This also had the benefit of not creating a huge burr, thereby wasting metal and affecting the life of the knife.
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Glad to see you got your's working, Polish Prince. Have you got a chance to use it and the clamp system yet?
I'm expecting my clamp to arrive today. I'll put it through its paces over the next day or two.
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- Apr 26, 2010
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No. I haven't hooked up up my clamp system yet. Waiting for my better stones to arrive.
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Received the @Gritomatic silicon carbide stones today, so I set up the clamp system. Very happy with the results so far. Works wonderful on my kitchen knives - no need to mark your longer blades with a sharpie marker to keep your knife in the same exact place. These knives are sharper than they've ever been. Need to warn wifey. I sharpened a long slicer and a cleaver - both were extremely dull and hadn't been really sharpened in years. Great results with the Hapstone.
When clamped, the knives are rock solid - no movement whatsoever.
After 2 kitchen knives, I put my shorter ZT0566 pocket knife in the clamps and set it up like @knifekrazy showed in his video from a few days ago. It worked fine, but you've really got to pay special attention to the tip and keep the stone parallel to the ground when approaching and passing through the belly of the blade. If you've got a fairly straight edge on your shorter blade, then this won't be an issue.
The clamps work very well with the longer blades, but I prefer the magnet setup for smaller length blades, or with any knife with a deep belly. I might just buy another Hapstone Pro V6 so I don't have to switch between the two setups. That's how much I like this sharpening system!
The roll out of the V6 wasn't fantastic after finding some small machining issues that arose, but Gritomatic has been superb in their customer service. New parts have already been shipped out to resolve the issue.
I am very happy that I made the decision to Pasadena on the TechStudio and opt for purchasing the Hapstone Pro. My knives have never been sharper and I know the Hapstone will last a lifetime. Great build quality. Nothing against TechStudio, but all I want to do is sharpen my knives.... not make love to them.
I highly recommend anyone looking into a guided sharpening system to seriously check out the Hapstone. You won't be disappointed.
View attachment 688504
View attachment 688505
When clamped, the knives are rock solid - no movement whatsoever.
After 2 kitchen knives, I put my shorter ZT0566 pocket knife in the clamps and set it up like @knifekrazy showed in his video from a few days ago. It worked fine, but you've really got to pay special attention to the tip and keep the stone parallel to the ground when approaching and passing through the belly of the blade. If you've got a fairly straight edge on your shorter blade, then this won't be an issue.
The clamps work very well with the longer blades, but I prefer the magnet setup for smaller length blades, or with any knife with a deep belly. I might just buy another Hapstone Pro V6 so I don't have to switch between the two setups. That's how much I like this sharpening system!
The roll out of the V6 wasn't fantastic after finding some small machining issues that arose, but Gritomatic has been superb in their customer service. New parts have already been shipped out to resolve the issue.
I am very happy that I made the decision to Pasadena on the TechStudio and opt for purchasing the Hapstone Pro. My knives have never been sharper and I know the Hapstone will last a lifetime. Great build quality. Nothing against TechStudio, but all I want to do is sharpen my knives.... not make love to them.
I highly recommend anyone looking into a guided sharpening system to seriously check out the Hapstone. You won't be disappointed.
View attachment 688504
View attachment 688505
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I watched that video... if he (you) flipped the knife around so that the tip wasn't in the center of the machine... I think you'd get better results. Having the belly/tip centered (or close to center) will make sharpening the belly/tip area more difficult (as you probably found out).
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I ordered 2 Hapstone V6 with Rotating Clamp by accident, anyone interested in my 2nd one, unopened new in box, these are currently out of stock if anyone is interested. I would take $300 with Clamp
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I received my clamp system for the Hapstone V6, and I gotta say, my initial problems with the V6 without the clamp are a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, there is some room for improvement, but this is a tank of a sharpener now.
So here goes:
Here are the specs:
These specs aren't completely accurate.
Here is a shot of my set up when sharpening one of my kitchen knives:
As you can see, I set this bevel at 12 deg.
When it comes to kitchen knives and large fixed blades, this clamp is excellent. The angle is dead on, and the sharpener is rock solid. You can adjust the tension of the rotating clamp, though I left mine on what they set to at the factory. You can feel it lock into place when the knife hits the horizontal and it stays there until you move it. It takes some force to do so, but I don't think I would loosen this any.
The solidness of this unit comes at a cost (other than $$$), and that is weight. With so much weight on the front of the sharpener, I found that it was front heavy and it was unstable. To counter this, I actually screwed it to my workbench, as you can see here:
Now on to pocket knives, the reason I bought this sharpener. I wanted a way to consistently sharpen my Paramilitary 2 rotation. I knew going into it that the clamp wasn't the ideal method for this, but figured with the quality of the materials I could modify it in some way.
Here is my first go at sharpening a folding knife. It's an Endura and as you can see I attached one clamp to the lock bar and the other to the blade.
This worked surprisingly well, but I knew this wasn't going to work for my PM 2's.
Hapstone tells you that you should use two clamps on one side for short bladed knives, and I tried it, but it just didn't work well. The reason this doesn't work well is that both clamps are on the one blade and the clamps interfere with the sharpening stone at low angles. The best I could manage was around 22 degrees. I'm not walking around with a 44-degree bevel; my ax isn't even at that!
So here was my first attempt at an alternate configuration:
I slipped one clamp into the frame of the knife and the other on the blade (using several layers of tape for protection). This worked to hold the knife, but I wasn't able to get a consistent angle from side to side because the blade wasn't perfectly horizontal. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I just felt there could be a better way.
And there was...
[REVIEW CONTINUED BELOW]
So here goes:
Here are the specs:
- Compatibility: Hapstone V6, Hapstone Pro V5
- Sharpening angle range: from 13° to 45°
- Angle tolerance: 0.5°
- Maximum thickness of the knife spine: 6 mm
- Maximum blade length: 20 сm (8")
- Size: 17 x 20 x 18 cm (6½" x 8" x 7")
- Shipping size: 27 x 17.5 x 9 cm (15½" x 7" x 3½")
- Shipping weight: 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs)
- Materials: Stainless Steel
These specs aren't completely accurate.
- I was able to attain an 11deg. angle when sharpening my large kitchen knives, but only 15deg.'s when sharpening a Paramilitary 2 (more on that in a bit).
- Secondly, the only thing made out of stainless steel on my unit was the two screws that go in the bottom to hold it to the sharpening table. Everything else on this beast is high-carbon steel that I can literally stand and watch rust form. It appears to have some Cold Blue or some other product slathered on it, but it isn't very effective. I use a lot of water in my sharpening process so when I'm finished with my sharpening for the day, I wipe it down then soak it in Ballistol.
- It says .5deg. angle tolerance, but I found that it was closer to .1, which, considering my electronic angle gauge has a .2 margin of error, that's pretty darn accurate.
Here is a shot of my set up when sharpening one of my kitchen knives:
As you can see, I set this bevel at 12 deg.
When it comes to kitchen knives and large fixed blades, this clamp is excellent. The angle is dead on, and the sharpener is rock solid. You can adjust the tension of the rotating clamp, though I left mine on what they set to at the factory. You can feel it lock into place when the knife hits the horizontal and it stays there until you move it. It takes some force to do so, but I don't think I would loosen this any.
The solidness of this unit comes at a cost (other than $$$), and that is weight. With so much weight on the front of the sharpener, I found that it was front heavy and it was unstable. To counter this, I actually screwed it to my workbench, as you can see here:
Now on to pocket knives, the reason I bought this sharpener. I wanted a way to consistently sharpen my Paramilitary 2 rotation. I knew going into it that the clamp wasn't the ideal method for this, but figured with the quality of the materials I could modify it in some way.
Here is my first go at sharpening a folding knife. It's an Endura and as you can see I attached one clamp to the lock bar and the other to the blade.
This worked surprisingly well, but I knew this wasn't going to work for my PM 2's.
Hapstone tells you that you should use two clamps on one side for short bladed knives, and I tried it, but it just didn't work well. The reason this doesn't work well is that both clamps are on the one blade and the clamps interfere with the sharpening stone at low angles. The best I could manage was around 22 degrees. I'm not walking around with a 44-degree bevel; my ax isn't even at that!
So here was my first attempt at an alternate configuration:
I slipped one clamp into the frame of the knife and the other on the blade (using several layers of tape for protection). This worked to hold the knife, but I wasn't able to get a consistent angle from side to side because the blade wasn't perfectly horizontal. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I just felt there could be a better way.
And there was...
[REVIEW CONTINUED BELOW]