What is the best KNIFE SHARPENER for a beginner?

S

starchaser

Joined
Oct 14, 2000
Messages
98
I am wondering what the consensus is regarding the best knife sharpener for a beginner? What do you think and why?

All tips and comments are welcome
smile.gif


Thanks,
starchaser
 
Get a flat bench stone (or three) and a book on sharpening; Lee Valley Tools has a good one (www.leevalley.com) and John Juranitch of Ely, Minnesota, has written one also (his firm is called Razor Edge, I believe). The technique is not difficult. I prefer DMT diamond hones which come in various grits from coarse to ultra fine.
 
Lansky, GATCO, Sharpmaker. Anything wiyh pre-set angles is pretty much fool-proof. Just take your time, you'll get the hang of it.

Paul
 
I would have to go with the Sharpmaker. It is very easy for the beginner to use and it enjoys a great following on these forums. All you have to do is keep the knife straight up and down...very easy and very sharp.
 
Sharpmaker is probably good, but it has faults. It has no coarse pieces, and so it can't rebevel edges. Also, the angles aren't all that adjustable, and so you often will end up freehanding anyways. Works good on serrations though I hear. I never owned one, just saw some in action. Works real good if you combine it with the strop and some very fine polish.

I personally use an Edge Pro Apex. This is by far the best hand powered system out there, in my opinion. Make sure you get the upgrade set. Of course, it costs about $160 with the upgrades and takes more practice to use than the Lansky clampers and the Sharpmaker by Spyderco.

I've also owned and heavily used a Lansky deluxe kit. This kit is pretty good, but it also has faults. The stones are about half an inch wide, and they didn't cut into the metal very quickly at all. Also, the angles are incorrect (says they are higher than they are).

------------------
Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
Spyderco Sharpmaker.

If you can hold your knife level and slice down evenly, you WILL get a razor-sharp edge everytime.

(In fact, my knives are SO sharp after using my Sharpmaker, that I'm now afraid to handle 'em.
biggrin.gif
.).

------------------
Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
Sharpmaker - it really is fool proof, but try to learn to sharpen on stones, it's an invaluable asset. If you want to move up in the world of sharpeners got for an EdgePro Apex; I'm moving higher still with the Professional model. Hope this helps.
 
Sharpmaker, no question about it. It comes with an excellent video that explains the basic pretty well. I'd also recommend getting Razor Edge System's "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening", and definitely read Joe Talmadge's sharpening FAQ here at BF!


This topic comes up so much, I wonder if we need either a separate forum for sharpening, or at the least, a knife basics area where we could keep the core useful info?

Mike, Spark, what do you think?
------------------
Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith. - Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988

AKTI Member #A000831

[This message has been edited by Codeman (edited 10-26-2000).]
 
I believe that the equipment is only as good as the person using it. Someone who doesn't understand what the goal of the motions of sharpening is isn't going to have success with anything. It's a little bit more complicated than many people realize. Therefore I reccomend that you read this Sharpening FAQ if you haven't already. http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsharp.shtml It's very informative about the objective of sharpening. Also, John Juranitch's Razor Edge Book of Sharpening is also very good. You don't even neccesarily have to buy it, check at your local library, or see if a library in the area has one that they can send to your library for you to borrow. That's what I did.

After reading the sharpening FAQ, nearly any quality system will work for you with some practice. My personal favorite is the Edge Pro, but the sharpmaker or even just free hand bench stones will work pretty well. But the most important tool is an understanding of why you do the different steps in the process and when to go on to the next one. IMHO

 
Well I have never sharpened a knife before, and I ordered myself the Sharpmaker earlier this week. I will post a review of it, and let you know how easy/difficult it is for a newbie to learn.

------------------
Knife newbie.
 
I was a 'sharpening newbie' not long ago. On advice from 'forum guys' I picked up a Sharpmaker. It's a great tool. Two issues though.
1. (Pointed out by Chang) It can't rebevel high-tech steel. But... I hear a diamond stone is in the works at Spyderco.
2. *** DO NOT LET THE TIP SLIP OFF THE CORNER OF THE ROD!!! They fail to mention this bit of advice in the video. I made this mistake and rounded off my BM350's tip
frown.gif
It took a while with my Lansky to recreate it.
Brent...
eek.gif
 
I posted about the same question a while ago and recieved about the same response, Spyderco. Although I'm going to get it, I went ahead and ordered the book and a kit from Razoredge. Want to learn freehand first and will use the guide to help with that. Just my thoughts. Dave
 
I just got my Spyderco Sharpmaker 204, and it's truly great. Very easy to use, and just about foolproof. I myself am living proof of the foolproofness of this system...

As an example, about a year ago, while trying to sharpen my Buck Crosslock with a DMT folding diamond hone, I somehow managed to totally "reprofile" blade, without even trying! I'm totally serious, when I got done
"sharpening" that poor knife, it had no belly left at all! And what's more, the dang thing still wasn't sharp.
Needless to say, after this extremely poor showing, I was afraid to actually use the knives I had, because I just could not sharpen them again without ruining the blades...

Well, I got the Sharpmaker, practiced with it using my trusty Victorinox SAK, and sure enough, I put a hair popping edge on that bad boy...In fact, it's now so sharp, that just today I managed to cut the pad on my middle finger to the bone while cutting gasket material! Now I seem to be surrounded by a bunch of blood thirsty blades
smile.gif


All in all, the sharpmaker is no joke..

Now, if anyone is looking to buy one of these, I can tell you that the best price on the net is at : www.theknifestore.com .

 
One thing I've learned is that it's easy for a newbie to go overboard on the theory of sharpening. When you read Joe's FAQ and Juranitch's book (both of which are excellent), you tend to get the impression that you have to get busy reprofiling the edges of all of your knives. In most cases, this isn't so.

Most people that are new to sharpening simply need to touch up the edges of knives that are not terribly dull, but just not as sharp as they used to be. For these purposes, a Sharpmaker is a great solution. Don't worry about grinding one side until you get a burr (right now). Just do as they say in the video and alternate sides for twenty strokes on each of the four grinds and you'll have a very sharp edge, unless the knife is really trashed.

As you learn more and become more discerning, you can start learning about freehand sharpening and reprofiling and secondary bevels and such. For now, you probably just want to get that hair-popping edge back on your knives as quickly as possible without getting too frustrated, and the Sharpmaker is perfect for that.
 
Well this is kind of a divided topic around here but I say you should start out with a good set of benchstones and learn from there. Even if you don't end up using it forever (I'm a sharpmaker man) you'll learn to appreciate the old fashion way of doing things (also good to fall back on if you kit gets stolen). I started sharpening knives on stones when I was about eight years old and it took me many years of practice to get it right. Once I did I started getting cheater systems. But if you are impatient then get a sharpmaker and you'll be making knives shaving sharp in a matter minutes. Hope this rant helps.
Mykl

------------------
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.
 
It depends on what you expect to sharpen, your budget, and how much time you want to spend. For under $10.00 you can find an 8" long combination fine/coarse silicon carbide bench hone that will sharpen anything but serrated knives. This can sharpen really dull knives and tools as well as do touch-ups. Silicon carbide is hard enough to handle even the harder alloys. This is the maximum-bang-for-the-buck answer. The risk here is that you will mar the finish on your knife due to inexperience. Put some masking tape on the side of your blade (leaving .25 inch bare by the edge) to protect the finish.

The Sharpmakers don't offer coarse grits or diamond grits, so they aren't as efficient for heavy work on dull blades. They work well if your knives aren't extra dull and they are great for serrated blades. Their greatest advantage is that they are idiot simple and produce a very nice edge.

If you are short on time and long on money you could get yourself a couple large diamond bench hones (one coarse and one extra fine). This will set you back over a hundred dollars. I like the way these work, but for less money I can get a small belt sander.

Whatever you use, clean your hone with sink cleanser and running water periodically.


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 10-27-2000).]
 
It seems like most everyone is saying to go with the Sharpmaker 204.

Does anyone have any experience with the skarb? What do you think about the Skarb compared to the Sharpmaker or even the EdgePro Apex for that matter?

Thanks,
starchaser
 
Shapmaker 203 or 204

W.A.

------------------
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tenneson
Ranger motto
 
Originally posted by SVTNate:
Well I have never sharpened a knife before, and I ordered myself the Sharpmaker earlier this week. I will post a review of it, and let you know how easy/difficult it is for a newbie to learn.

Click to expand...

Hi SVTNate,

So what do you think of the Sharpmaker so far? I was wondering how a newbie felt about the Sharpmaker after using it a few times.

I am leaning towards getting the Sharpmaker unless someone here convinces me otherwise in the next few post.

Thanks,
starchaser
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top