Sharpmaker storage

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midmo

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Jun 13, 2010
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I currently have Spyderco sharpmaker. It has the medium and fine stones but I am looking at adding the ultra fine stones to my set. I have two questions; 1) is it worth it to get the ultra fine stones? And 2) how do you store all of it if you have the ultra fine stones as well? There is only enough room for two sets of stones. I really do t want to leave a set out in the open. I want something to keep everything together for ease of carrying the system to work or just to keep it all in one nice case.
 
midmo said:
I currently have Spyderco sharpmaker. It has the medium and fine stones but I am looking at adding the ultra fine stones to my set. I have two questions; 1) is it worth it to get the ultra fine stones? And 2) how do you store all of it if you have the ultra fine stones as well? There is only enough room for two sets of stones. I really do t want to leave a set out in the open. I want something to keep everything together for ease of carrying the system to work or just to keep it all in one nice case.
Click to expand...

Even tho my kitchen counter is small, I find room for my SM at the back behind the sink, with the white rods installed for frequent stropping. I don't find the ultra fine stones at all necessary. Why would one need stones finer than the white stones? Instead, the CBN rods are much more useful for reprofiling edges.
 
For me, the Ultra Fine rods are not worth it.

I simply have no need for edges that polished. The standard Fine rods (2400 grit) are more than good enough for my needs. Indeed, for my kitchen knives, the Medium rods (1000 grit) are just right.

The CBN rods (400 grit) are much more useful than the Ultra Fine rods (4800 grit).

Optional rods (like the UF, CBN, Diamond) come in plastic tubes. Wish I could get these tubes for the standard rods. I keep everything in a small cardboard box.
 
I can't say if the UF stones are for you. I have a set and I think they are worth it.
I store my UF stones on the bottom of the SM in the grooves and wrap a couple of rubber bands to hold it secure.
I have never had them move or shift even when I put it in my bag.
When I don't have it in my bag I store it in a wooden tool box that I use for my EDC storage.
 
you don't need the ultra fine stones! the ones that come with the sharpmaker is all most people need! i would add the CBN rods for re-bevels but thats it,i store my sharpmaker and other stones in a large wooden cigar box to keep them all in one place,easy reach and find in one place,and don't have to hunt all over the house.
 
I don't use mine much. They're nice for touching up my chefs knife or doing light touch ups, but the medium stones tend to work better for me. YMMV.
 
I would skip the uf stones, add the diamond stones and keep the sharpmaker out and setup in the kitchen. That is what I do.
 
I agree. I bought UF stones, and then a year later i could afford to buy CBN stones. i regret didn't buy the CBN/diamond stones earlier. the UF stones is rarely used as I prefer toothier edge
 
I think one could reasonably argue the 'necessity' of each level of stone above or below the mediums...its something that everyone must determine for themselves. If you're satisfied with the results of the fines, as many often are, stop there. For me, the money I spent for the UFs was worth it, even though the results are not that dramatic...its not a huge investment IMO, and the Sharpmaker stones (of all levels) are useful for way more than just sharpening/edge maintenance.

I've got the Diamonds, the kit stones (Medium and Fine) and the UFs. I have a desk in my spare bedroom dedicated to hobbies and I keep the Sharpmaker, with the additional stones in their respective tubes nearby.
 
if u need additional stones, CBN/diamond should be the one to get first. Then u r ready to reprofile your blade and get it very sharp
 
Storage is no problem. I use a small cardboard shipping box that came from Amazon.com to store my sharpening tools.

The UF stones are my most used, both for the Sharpmaker and the Spyderco 8" bench stones. I touch up my knives after every use and they seldom need more than a few swipes on the UF stones to keep them sharp at all times. If you let your knives go dull then you probably need the diamond, medium and fine rods more than the ultra fine rods for the Sharpmaker.
 
TravisH said:
For me, the Ultra Fine rods are not worth it.

I simply have no need for edges that polished. The standard Fine rods (2400 grit) are more than good enough for my needs. Indeed, for my kitchen knives, the Medium rods (1000 grit) are just right.

The CBN rods (400 grit) are much more useful than the Ultra Fine rods (4800 grit).

Optional rods (like the UF, CBN, Diamond) come in plastic tubes. Wish I could get these tubes for the standard rods. I keep everything in a small cardboard box.
Click to expand...

I bet you could find a piece of PVC pipe to cut up and a handful of end caps at Lowes or HD that would work for this.
 
I bought the ultra fine stones first and then the diamond later on. If I could to it over again I would buy the diamond first. That's because my kitchen knives need serious work and the medium stones just weren't working. I use the uf more but the diamond are more needed if that makes sense. The uf are just a luxury. And I just put all of it in a drawer in the cabinet. The stones come in a plastic container and I just leave em in there.
 
The diamond rods are more useful than the UF rods. My diamond rods and my UF rods all came in plastic tubes and I store them in those tubes. If I am traveling then i just rubber band the extra tubes to the sharpmaker.
 
My diamond stones came in tubes so I just toss those in a zip lock along with the SM kit.
 
I've added the UF stones, and diamond as well. Over the years I've used them, I've felt they are well worth it. I like the UF stones for just doing a real quick touch up and taking off the wire edge I get sometimes.

I've a small plastic tray that holds everything. I mounted the stone base/holder on a small block of wood, then use a C clamp to affix it to the table edge when in use. I find this creates a more secure platform and is a large improvement over me holding the base with my hand. More comfortable for me to use as well.
 
I put my surplus triangular prisms in drawers in a Festool cabinet. The collection is up to 8 pairs (1/2" equilateral cross section). Diamond, CBN, coarse India, medium India, Ruby 320, medium Spyderco, fine Spyderco, and extra fine Spyderco.
 
My UF stones are stored in the plastic tubes in a drawer with other sharpening gear. Seems to work fine.
 
Didn't read all the answers, but saw plenty of skip the UF'. I'd agree to a point. Just get something more coarse first. I have found that I can always get an edge that clean shaves off the brown rods and rarely even use the fine. I use the diamonds more than the fine r or UF.

On storage, I put all my rods in the lid and the sharpener base snaps into the lid on top. It's not as compact but they are all together.


Added pics, thought it might help explain what I do. I can't believe I'm the only one who does this!


 
I have all four grits from diamond to uf. Ialso keep them in the lid, but unlike you I wrap them with a thin paper tissue to prevent them from touching each other
 
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