Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

I've had mine since the instructions came on VHS.
For me it is simple to use.
 
Spyderco makes a bigger version, called the Gauntlet. The Sharpmaker is awesome, and the Gauntlet is even more versatile, especially for serrated and recurved blades.

When I cannot get a perfectly sharp edge with stones/ceramic stones, I pull out one of the Spyderco sharpeners, and problem solved!

Coincidentally, the guy on the Instructional video is an acquaintance of mine, Jerry Mallet. He also used to be a distiller, good guy.
 
LJTanzer said:
Is the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker worth the $80 for routine touch-ups..?
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it's impossible to keep a 100% straight edge , say a 2inch section (yojimbo, shaving razor, etc) , 100% straight. not over time but with the 1st application (following the instructions from the original booklet) will you have generated a recurve.

that's my indirect answer to your funny question
 
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Malty Falcon said:
Spyderco makes a bigger version, called the Gauntlet. The Sharpmaker is awesome, and the Gauntlet is even more versatile, especially for serrated and recurved blades.
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I have not used the Gauntlet, but it only supports 20° per side. My vote here would still be the Sharpmaker because it can be used with 20°, 15°, or as a bench stone. I use my Sharpmaker stones for recurves without a problem.
 
To my knowledge, the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is the most versatile and effective of any of the fixed angle stick sharpener style systems. It has triangular sticks which eliminates a common problem with round sticks not being able to reach the full length of the edge on some knives. The corners of the triangle sticks are also usable for sharpening serrations.

With the Sharpmaker you get 2 pairs of slots at 2 different preset angles for knife sharpening. One pair is at 20 degrees per side and the other pair is at 15 degrees per side. Each of these slots allows you to face the rod in one of 2 orientations; either with a corner facing inwards or a flat side facing inwards. You will normally be sharpening on the flats.

You also get one extra slot on the end of the base for sharpening scissors.

Lastly you have two additional slots on the bottom. You will have to flip the Sharpmaker upside down to use these. You take both rods and lay them horizontally into these slots, resting side by side, and this allows you to use the Sharpmaker like a more traditional flat whetstone.

The Sharpmaker is awesome and in my opinion it's worth the money. It's excellent for maintaining edges, but it's very slow if you have to remove a lot of material to reprofile or fix a damaged blade. Spyderco does sell diamond coated sticks for the Sharpmaker to deal with this, but they're not exactly cheap and I hear they don't last long enough to justify their cost.

Fixed angle stick sharpeners are super easy and convenient to use. Basically anyone can use them effectively, no matter what their individual skill level is. I think the Tri-angle Sharpmaker is probably the best ever version of that style sharpener.
 
I have the “old model” Sharpmaker and like others here I won’t get rid of it! I love mine for almost all of my sharpening needs. If I need to remove a lot of metal to fix a chipped edge then I reach for something else.
 
Absolutely worth it.

Have had my Sharpmaker for over 10 years, and have replaced the brown ceramic stones once. Pretty sure I paid $50-$55 for the sharpener, back then.
It's kept at work, since that's where I spend the majority of my time. Several of my co-workers now own Sharpmakers, after seeing how easy it is to use.
I was sure to tell them that the Sharpmaker is for maintaining an edge, not for repair or reprofiling. (Not unless you have a lot of time to kill!)
I also have the diamond stones for the Sharpmaker, and they add a lot of capability to the system.
If my old Sharpmaker ever disappeared from my toolbox at work, I would immediately buy a replacement!
 
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Guy McVer said:
but they're not exactly cheap and I hear they don't last long enough to justify their cost.
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Too much pressure will shorten their lifespan. And if you use a bit of water and a tiny bit of detergent it helps extend their lifespan as well. 👌
 
After nearly 20 years of using the Sharpmaker I finally bought the diamond rods to back bevel.I routinely look at the rods under magnification for signs of wear but I really don't see any after 2+ years.I do though use a light touch.
 
LJTanzer said:
Is the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker worth the $80 for routine touch-ups..?
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I sort of straddled the fence for years, in deciding if the money I spent for it was worth it. But in continuing to use it and discovering where its sweet spot is in usability, I've come to the conclusion it's well worth it. It's at its very best precisely for those routine, light touchups. Heavier shaping of bevels is better done on something more aggressive that can be used with some pressure. But the SM's 'wheelhouse' is perfectly in that light touch finishing zone - I rely on it more and more for those on-the-fly tuneups and for some precise, measured refinement after setting new bevels on other stones. Once you get the feel for it, it becomes almost automatic and intuitive in use.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Heavier shaping of bevels is better done on something more aggressive that can be used with some pressure.
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I have just done exactly that on the Idahone V ceramic sharpener on the purple rods. They say they are approx 200 grit, the key is just using the bottom half of the rods, then you can apply more pressure. Takes time, but can be done. Once a burr is formed on one side it does not take long to finish the other side. Not the best way to do it, but it is doable. Don't know about the harder steels though, i suspect that might be an issue.
 
cudgee said:
I have just done exactly that on the Idahone V ceramic sharpener on the purple rods. They say they are approx 200 grit, the key is just using the bottom half of the rods, then you can apply more pressure. Takes time, but can be done. Once a burr is formed on one side it does not take long to finish the other side. Not the best way to do it, but it is doable. Don't know about the harder steels though, i suspect that might be an issue.
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Yeah, I do my bevel-setting and at least some refinement on bench stones or diamond hones. One of my favorite strategies lately, for both simple stainless like 420HC and more wear-resistant stuff like S30V, is to set the bevels with an XC or Coarse diamond hone to full apex. Then, apply a very, very minimal microbevel on the Sharpmaker with the corners of either the medium or fine ceramic rods. That tiny microbevel with the SM's ceramic rods does a nice job cleaning up the burr remnants and also narrows the apex a bit more. So, with that med/fine ceramic micro atop the XC/C diamond scratch pattern, it makes for a vicious slicing edge. Each complements the other - and that's what I think is the best aspect of using the SM. It's a very good enhancement tool, used very minimally. For cleaning up edges, my SM replaces any need for stropping after sharpening, most of the time.
 
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Depends on what you want to do. I would not drop $80 for something that only was used for “touch ups”. Paired with a coarse/fine combo bench stone, the Sharpmaker is one of the best tools out there for applying the final edge. For reference I’ve had one so long I dished the corners of the brown rods and replaced them.
 
J justpico , I don't have any experience with the CBN stones/rods, but my diamond stones/rods are still going strong, after about 4 years of occasional use.

Copy and paste "spyderco sharpmaker diamond vs cbn" into your search bar, and you'll have plenty to read about this evening.
 
We have 3 with lots of extra Sharpmaker form factor stones: Coarse Idahone Ceramic, Congress Moldmakers SIC, regular sandpaper and wet n dry held on with small binder clips, small DMT interupted extra extra fine diamond hone. I like the way Obsessed with Edges described what Sharpmaker is best at. Lots of free ways to vary angle, as we wait for Spyderco to integrate digital angle finder into robust adjustable angle stone holder. Visit Thingiverse and search on sharpmaker, or big river / bay and search on "digital angle finder."
 
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