Hey TW! Let's see your knives!

I've got the Sharpmaker with all 4 sets of sticks, as well as freehand stones. I don't go to the stones anymore.

I can easily get my knives to hair-popping sharp with the Sharpmaker, and a little touch up on the super fine stone from time to time keeps them that way. It's extremely easy to use and difficult to mess up an edge. I'm talking fresh box-cutter blade sharp or better.

Whatever sharpener route you choose, I do recommend you get a little handheld microscope to see what you're doing and/or what needs to be done to the bevel and micro-bevel to get your edge perfect. It's amazing how much this helped get me to this point.

Next thing I need to get is a leather strop to really finish the job.

 

BTW, for those with Prime

$14 Carson MicroBrite 20x-40x LED Lighted Pocket Microscope for Learning, Education and Exploring (MM-24)

Amazon has this for $11.34 w/free Prime shipping so you can have it by the end of the week. According to camelcamelcamel the cheapest it's ever been is $7.84 shipped so if you're not in a hurry it might be worth setting an alert and waiting to see if it comes down in price. According the Camelx3 it seems as though it spends most of it's life under $10 so could be a safe bet.

 

I assume that with these sharpeners, you get what you pay for. Probably worth it, but hurts that the sharpener is going to cost more than the knife I got it for.

 

Doesn't need to. A Worksharp is quick and electric and is a tool in itself. Lansky kits are helpful because if you're terrible at freehand sharpening, the guide rods will help keep you from inadvertently changing the sharpening angle and ruining the edge or prevent you from really getting an edge in the first place.

A Smith's type sharpener is cheap, equally idiot proof and fine for inexpensive EDC blade sharpening.

Harbor Freight sells the same as the Smith's for like $4 or something.

 

And the Sharpmaker can be used to sharpen anything with a blade or point. Scissors, fish hooks, your kitchen knives, knives of friends and family, zombie axes, etc...

My father asks me to bring my sharpener with me from time to time to touch up his EDC after making it stupid sharp a while back.

 

Good points Pee and b0ules!

 

I like the idea of a simple sharpening stone, but don't have enough experience to not ruin the edge angle.

 

Honestly I'd buy a Smith's or HF knock off and be done with it, a Sharpmaker is more versatile but does the exact same thing in practice as a Smith's does at significant price increase. For an EDC Kershaw I personally wouldn't spend the money for a Sharpmaker yet, unless you want to and have the funds for it.

 

Yea, I bet those, along with flat stones are fairly difficult to hold the knife at the proper angle.

 

I use a Fällkniven DC4 pocket stone and a strop, $50 between the two. I try to maintain sharpness by stropping so I am not just removing metal for the sake of removing metal. But it's a workable combo for me.

Also, T Fades, use a Sharpie marker on your edge bevel so when you sharpen, you can easily see if you're hitting the edge at the proper angle or if you need to adjust. Helps a lot.

 

LOVE IT

 

I have one and love it also! Kicks open hard!

Ebay find!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zero-Tolera...591?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item5b0605b26f

 

What's been in my pocket for going on five years I think. This one replaced a smaller auto, a 2550, that I had for probably seven years before I finally lost it.

 

I use a "Edgemaker Pro" . Lo cost, simple ,two sets of rods & works great on all of my knives. Sometimes I use a "EZE Lap" diamond stone .Also works well ,but you have to watch the angle. I finish with a small ceramic rod. All pretty small money & with some practice you can put a good edge on your knives. Works well on my Cryo ,by the way.

All the Best,
greenpants...mike

 

i have the same sharpener!! mine is from the first or second year they came out. it is in a nylon sheath..not the plastic case it comes in now.

mind me asking, what FOUR sets of sticks you have? i have the brown coarse, and the white finer WHITE sticks..what else do you have? finer than what i have?

i have gotten to where i put a square of paper towel in the hole and then jab the stick in. holds it firmly. i seem to get a better edge that way. i think my holes have enlarged all this time.

 

oh, in my hunting pack i carry an ACCUSHARP. i find it is the best way to get a good edge back on a knife with bloody hands. i would break my sharpmaker, plus it is too heavy.

 

my new baby

 

thats a nice knife. I want to get the boker version but just havent pulled the trigger whenever it is actually in stock