@GraysonKeever The groove can be used to sharpen awls, darts, dental-style picks, fishhooks, etc. I rarely use the grooves, but sometimes they're just the ticket. If it was an option, I'd probably buy rods without the grooves.
@PCRedman: when using the edges of the triangular rods, slow down as you get to the tip of the blade and don't roll the tip off the edge. I mostly just use the flats anyway.
My brother bought one of these for sharpening his (entirly to vast) array of production knives, he has kershaw spyderco wolfrt( never heard of it untill he pulled a slide scallop switch blade made by them out of his pocket. (meaning one of the handle scallops rotates down as a switch) alot of torronto knife co. Knives and this thing zips them sharp. I cut an rf-id tag off of a flashlight i just got and it dulled my kershaw, took ten seconds and its razor again. Though im not toughing it with my
@Darkstar2520 Yes. In fact, the Sharpmaker is one of the best things to sharpen a deep recurve on, using the corners of the rods. I've sharpened my old ZT301 on it.
@gatesofpearl Yeah, I bet it would be. You could always carefully stop each stroke just short of rolling the tip off the rod, and then finish the tip freehand on a small stone. Kinda defeats the purpose, though.
It's hard to see exactly what you're doing to un-blunt the tip. Are you holding it at an angle, and what part of the stones is it in contact with - the flat surface, or is it in the groove between the stones?
@Supermassively I'm taking some steel off the spine of the knife. THe angle is less important than the steel removed -- lay the spine of the knife flat on the stone, then lift the handle an inch or so. The knife is in contact with the flat of the stone, not the groove on each stone or the groove between the stone. Any benchstone would work just as well.
@leowulffan This repointing technique is suitable for any knife, awl, or blade. As far as the Spyderco Sharpmaker itself, I have sharpened kitchen knives (to include the Henkels 4 Star in this vid).
@marcclarke01 Awesome, glad it helped! I made this vid to explain the technique to my MIL, and originally only used YT so she could view it easily. I'm really stoked that so many people have checked it out.
@jvthatsme Sure, you can regrind the original grind but that is far beyond the scope of this video, and IMHO is way more work than it's worth. I've worn the coating off a few users so I would advise to not worry about scratching it.
@urkingod: Use the corners of the rods, and sharpen as normal. Use very slow strokes otherwise the serrations will bounce and chatter off the rods. This video doesn't cover it, but there are others on YT that do.
good vid. another "tip" is to not put too much strength into the down push against the stone...that causes the slingshot effect. I also do a quick pull at the last second toward me when knife would leave the stone...this actually has been keeping my tips nice and sharp
For other commentors having trouble with the harder steels, the diamond stones work really well for me. before them, 440C was a real bitch.
I bought one of these Sharpmakers and am 100% disappointed with it. So far it has ruined two knives and no matter what I do I cannot get any of them past letter-opener sharpness. It's ridiculous. I followed all the instructions, watched the DVD, yet it just doesn't work for me. I spent ALL of yesterday trying to touch up a old knife I tried varying methods, slow, fast etc, I could barely get it to cut paper and that was only when the paper was real tight and held in the exact right position.
It's definitely not for everyone. For example, it is not great for reprofiling obtuse grinds, which is what it sounds like both your knives suffer from. The DVD could go a lot further in explaining this, with diagrams for example.
@leukotic Check the profile of the blade. Usually has to do with the shoulder of the grind meeting the edge so you are not making good contact with the edge. A great technique is to take a magic marker and color the edge. If you are making good contact then the magic marker will come off. If not then you will know what is wrong.
Dish washing soap won't work well. Use AJax or Comet, available at most supermarkets, with a green scrubbing pad. Wet the pad and apply the powder and the rods are easy to clean.
I never thought to try youtube for help with my sharpmaker - I'm glad I did!
My rods can't seem to maintain any "bite" for very long. I have to repeatedly clean them, or rub them against each other to get any traction. Also, there seem to be a couple of rough spots that stand out. I can eventually get a good edge, but I have to use way more pressure than is shown in the dvd. Am I doing something wrong? Or do you think I got "lemon" rods? Any advice would help. Thanks!
Yeah, my Sharpmaker rods "load up" with steel pretty quickly. The only thing I've found that works to clean them quickly is "Bar Keepers Friend", a widely-available cleaning powder in a gold can.
My brown stones seem to have rough spots as well, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
As far as time/pressure, IMHO the Sharpmaker is much more of a touch-up tool than a "dull-to-sharp" sharpening tool. More like a Sharpkeeper.
I was also wondering what the "spa treatment" is for, and what it is supposed to do. Has anyone had it done recently, and do you just send your rods to spyderco? Thanks
About it being more of a sharpkeeper than a sharpmaker, I totally agree.
Anyway, I have not tested the diamond rods, and they could change this, being way more abrasive.
Also, sharpening any really hard steel is a real PITA (thinking about D2, VG-10, S30V , ZDP-189), ceramics have a hard time "cuting" those steels efficiently.
Again, the diamond rods may havez a word to say about that. But they're expensive...
Geez, I think sharpening a hawkbill would be tricky. I think if you dropped your wrist as you made the pass it would work. I bet if you posted the question on the Spyderco forums you'd get a good answer.
I just purchased a Sharpmaker for a (new) Wave like in the video and some older Cold Steel knives...thanks for posting this, as I can make certain to get my technique down properly to avoid blunting.
The Sharpmaker DVD covers serrations -- yes, it is pretty much the same way, except you only use the corners of the rods, not the flats. Honestly, I've had OK results with this, but I prefer to sharpen serrations using a diamond rod, like a fishhook sharpener.
Ya it doesnt cover a few things, like what to do to get nicks out or to touch up the blade. I know for most knife people its common sence but im a noob haha and i needed all of that so i had to ask around
The sharpmaker is a brilliant tool and I use it on all my knives from tke Ka-Bar kukri I use for splitting wood and garden tasks to the Spyderco UKPK that I carry for EDC. Keeps them all razor sharp.
Newbie here. The EDC I like the best is the Spyderco Endura Wave 4 due to Wave feature. VG-10 SS. SOG Flash II has AUS 8 SS. Byrd 'Cara Cara' has 8Cr13MoV. The Wave has been used, the others are new, unused. Flash II and Cara Cara passed my paper cutting test easily. Wave wasn't so good. Sharpmaker set @30 degrees, many times Step 4. I believe Endura Wave out of box would have passed easily too. Help? Owner of Spyderco says Sharpmaker can make better than factory new.
That has not been my experience with settings at 40 or 30 degrees. At 30 degrees, supposed to be even sharper.
My Endura Wave 4 is DULL and I can't make it any better with the Sharpmaker. I don't even trust it to cut tomatoes, boxes, string. Yeecchh, I feel that I wasted my money.
Ya man, you must be. I sharpen mine with the 40 degree and after like 25 passes on the medium edge and flat the like 15 of the fine egde and flat mine is hair shaving sharp.
Hmmm...the VG-10 steel in the Endura Wave can take VERY keen edge. Consider watching the included DVD again, but it is also possible that the factory grind is too obtuse (too wide and axe-like). Short of thinning it down yourself, you can send it back to Spyderco for what they call the "spa treatment", and ask them to check (or thin) the grind angle. Good luck!
WADR, I had watched the DVD plenty - read the instructions numerous times also. This is MOST frustrating for me because I usually get a 'handle' on such things quickly. I even joined and made a small donation to become a member of bladeforums. I've watched numerous videos on youtube and I just can't understand why I can't sharpen to pass paper test, never mind 'whittle a human hair'. I love the knife for EDC. I've been considering sending it back to Spyderco.
Send it to Spyderco so that they can fix the grind, or just send it to Tom Krein to get a sick grind that will totally rehabilitate the Endura for you. Once the grind is right, I'm sure you can maintain it just fine. Otherwise, no matter how good you are it's like trying to sharpen a lamppost.
It depends on how dull it has gotten. I touch up my Delica every week or so, with about 5-6 swipes on the white rods. The pressure is light-moderate, a bit more than, say, what I use when shaving in the morning.
If a knife is dull or needs time on the brown rods, I will be at it for 20 minutes (I do not have the diamond rods). The DVD specifies 20 swipee on brown corners, then brown flats, then white corners, and then white flats -- about 5 mins. work.
On the triangle rode there are three sides. duh.
But you use the point on the triangle and the flat side.
What is the side with the line down the middle?
GraysonKeever 4 months ago
@GraysonKeever The groove can be used to sharpen awls, darts, dental-style picks, fishhooks, etc. I rarely use the grooves, but sometimes they're just the ticket. If it was an option, I'd probably buy rods without the grooves.
Tradja 1 week ago
@MrBobsagget420
The secret of the Sharpmaker is to maintain the blade perpendicular to the Sharpmaker's base at all times, period.
ve2zzz 5 months ago
When you are remaking the tip, is the blade tilted at at angle or perpendicular?
MrBobsagget420 9 months ago
@MrBobsagget420 The spine is perpendicular. Tilting the blade off-axis when re-shaping the tip would create a weird asymmetrical swedge.
Tradja 9 months ago
how do you help that with the edges?
PCRedman 11 months ago
@PCRedman: when using the edges of the triangular rods, slow down as you get to the tip of the blade and don't roll the tip off the edge. I mostly just use the flats anyway.
Tradja 11 months ago
My brother bought one of these for sharpening his (entirly to vast) array of production knives, he has kershaw spyderco wolfrt( never heard of it untill he pulled a slide scallop switch blade made by them out of his pocket. (meaning one of the handle scallops rotates down as a switch) alot of torronto knife co. Knives and this thing zips them sharp. I cut an rf-id tag off of a flashlight i just got and it dulled my kershaw, took ten seconds and its razor again. Though im not toughing it with my
natospec1 1 year ago
Can my Zero tolerance 0200 work on this sharpener its got a fatty re-curve blade on it
Darkstar2520 1 year ago
@Darkstar2520 Yes. In fact, the Sharpmaker is one of the best things to sharpen a deep recurve on, using the corners of the rods. I've sharpened my old ZT301 on it.
Tradja 1 year ago
@gatesofpearl Yeah, I bet it would be. You could always carefully stop each stroke just short of rolling the tip off the rod, and then finish the tip freehand on a small stone. Kinda defeats the purpose, though.
Tradja 1 year ago
It's hard to see exactly what you're doing to un-blunt the tip. Are you holding it at an angle, and what part of the stones is it in contact with - the flat surface, or is it in the groove between the stones?
Supermassively 1 year ago
@Supermassively I'm taking some steel off the spine of the knife. THe angle is less important than the steel removed -- lay the spine of the knife flat on the stone, then lift the handle an inch or so. The knife is in contact with the flat of the stone, not the groove on each stone or the groove between the stone. Any benchstone would work just as well.
Tradja 1 year ago
@Tradja Ahh, that's what was confusing me. I couldn't see the handle, so I thought you were grinding the edge, not the spine.
Supermassively 1 year ago
can i sharping a kitchen knife or only poket and hunting knife?
leowulffan 1 year ago
@leowulffan This repointing technique is suitable for any knife, awl, or blade. As far as the Spyderco Sharpmaker itself, I have sharpened kitchen knives (to include the Henkels 4 Star in this vid).
Tradja 1 year ago
I had not thought of this. I tried the technique in the video and it works. Thank you!
marcclarke01 1 year ago
@marcclarke01 Awesome, glad it helped! I made this vid to explain the technique to my MIL, and originally only used YT so she could view it easily. I'm really stoked that so many people have checked it out.
Tradja 1 year ago
Is there another way to do this without using the spine? My blade is coated and I don't wanna ruin the coating.
jvthatsme 1 year ago
@jvthatsme Sure, you can regrind the original grind but that is far beyond the scope of this video, and IMHO is way more work than it's worth. I've worn the coating off a few users so I would advise to not worry about scratching it.
Tradja 1 year ago
how do you sharpen a Serrated Edge knives?
urkingod 1 year ago
@urkingod: Use the corners of the rods, and sharpen as normal. Use very slow strokes otherwise the serrations will bounce and chatter off the rods. This video doesn't cover it, but there are others on YT that do.
Tradja 1 year ago
@Tradja Would you mind sending me those videos that are better? Thanks much.
NewDaysofNoah 1 year ago
@NewDaysofNoah Sorry for the delay. I was on the PCT all summer. Which vids are you referring to?
Tradja 1 year ago
@Tradja I have no idea what the question was anymore. lmao ; :)>
NewDaysofNoah 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Tradja I can't remember what the question was. lmao ;: )>
NewDaysofNoah 1 year ago
@Tradja I can't remember what the question was. lmao ;: )>
NewDaysofNoah 1 year ago
Thanks rksoon! PM back at ya here, or PM me at BF.
Tradja 2 years ago
what do you use to clean the stones? thanks.
Deathless2288 2 years ago
Get "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". It's like $4 for a pack of 4 of them. It's like a small sponge and they just soak up the mess on the rods.
mongomondomongo 2 years ago
good vid. another "tip" is to not put too much strength into the down push against the stone...that causes the slingshot effect. I also do a quick pull at the last second toward me when knife would leave the stone...this actually has been keeping my tips nice and sharp
For other commentors having trouble with the harder steels, the diamond stones work really well for me. before them, 440C was a real bitch.
dtester 2 years ago 2
I bought one of these Sharpmakers and am 100% disappointed with it. So far it has ruined two knives and no matter what I do I cannot get any of them past letter-opener sharpness. It's ridiculous. I followed all the instructions, watched the DVD, yet it just doesn't work for me. I spent ALL of yesterday trying to touch up a old knife I tried varying methods, slow, fast etc, I could barely get it to cut paper and that was only when the paper was real tight and held in the exact right position.
leukotic 2 years ago
It's definitely not for everyone. For example, it is not great for reprofiling obtuse grinds, which is what it sounds like both your knives suffer from. The DVD could go a lot further in explaining this, with diagrams for example.
Tradja 2 years ago
@leukotic Check the profile of the blade. Usually has to do with the shoulder of the grind meeting the edge so you are not making good contact with the edge. A great technique is to take a magic marker and color the edge. If you are making good contact then the magic marker will come off. If not then you will know what is wrong.
EnduringEagle 1 year ago
nice
orlando0lucena 2 years ago
I like the sounds of the blade sliding against the sharpening rod ...
JSM10069 2 years ago
...and when that familiar sound changes, you know it's time to scrub the rods with scouring powder.
Tradja 2 years ago
where do yo get that ? can you use dishwshing soap?
andpinger 2 years ago
Dish washing soap won't work well. Use AJax or Comet, available at most supermarkets, with a green scrubbing pad. Wet the pad and apply the powder and the rods are easy to clean.
VealParmigiana 2 years ago
I've just bought a spyderco kris....amazing blade, and very sharp...going to be a pian in the butt to sharpen though...any ideas any one?
snakeshite71 2 years ago
I never thought to try youtube for help with my sharpmaker - I'm glad I did!
My rods can't seem to maintain any "bite" for very long. I have to repeatedly clean them, or rub them against each other to get any traction. Also, there seem to be a couple of rough spots that stand out. I can eventually get a good edge, but I have to use way more pressure than is shown in the dvd. Am I doing something wrong? Or do you think I got "lemon" rods? Any advice would help. Thanks!
Hair4eva 3 years ago
Yeah, my Sharpmaker rods "load up" with steel pretty quickly. The only thing I've found that works to clean them quickly is "Bar Keepers Friend", a widely-available cleaning powder in a gold can.
My brown stones seem to have rough spots as well, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
As far as time/pressure, IMHO the Sharpmaker is much more of a touch-up tool than a "dull-to-sharp" sharpening tool. More like a Sharpkeeper.
Tradja 3 years ago
Thanks for the response!
I was also wondering what the "spa treatment" is for, and what it is supposed to do. Has anyone had it done recently, and do you just send your rods to spyderco? Thanks
Hair4eva 3 years ago
I believe that the Spydie "spa treatment" is a tune-up for the knives, not for the Sharpmaker rods.
Tradja 3 years ago
About it being more of a sharpkeeper than a sharpmaker, I totally agree.
Anyway, I have not tested the diamond rods, and they could change this, being way more abrasive.
Also, sharpening any really hard steel is a real PITA (thinking about D2, VG-10, S30V , ZDP-189), ceramics have a hard time "cuting" those steels efficiently.
Again, the diamond rods may havez a word to say about that. But they're expensive...
chibraxial 2 years ago
Try a pink eraser to clean your sticks. Works like a charm.
willisp2 2 years ago
That work's! thanks!
Hair4eva 2 years ago
Geez, I think sharpening a hawkbill would be tricky. I think if you dropped your wrist as you made the pass it would work. I bet if you posted the question on the Spyderco forums you'd get a good answer.
Tradja 3 years ago
I'm going to buy one of those when i get my Spyderfly.
GravemindLFX 3 years ago
I just purchased a Sharpmaker for a (new) Wave like in the video and some older Cold Steel knives...thanks for posting this, as I can make certain to get my technique down properly to avoid blunting.
xxxlotus000 3 years ago
The Sharpmaker DVD covers serrations -- yes, it is pretty much the same way, except you only use the corners of the rods, not the flats. Honestly, I've had OK results with this, but I prefer to sharpen serrations using a diamond rod, like a fishhook sharpener.
Tradja 3 years ago
well hes not gona dull his $100 spyderco knife just to show us how to re-point the tip, hes using that cheap ass kitchen knife to do that
GravemindLFX 3 years ago
Why would I sharpen a $50 Spyderco Delica when I can demonstrate using a $120 Henckels 5-Star Chef's Knife?
Tradja 3 years ago
Thanks for the info, you just convinced me to get a sharpmaker (blunted the tip of my Delica). Btw is that a Wusthof kitchen knife?
benlg 3 years ago
Good eye, but it's a Henckels.
Tradja 3 years ago
Very informative! Good work...
aerial501 3 years ago
thanks for posting this, gave me even more incentive to buy a Sharpmaker from Spyderco. i heard they're great, but this shows me their capabilities.
and btw, your voice is very good for making instructional videos. (not in a gay way, i was just expecting a redneck of sorts to be making this :P)
mutez0r 3 years ago
Thanks! The Sharpmaker is pretty versatile. Yes, many gun and knife vids are pretty redneck. I grew up redneck, but I'm undercover now. Shhhh.
Tradja 3 years ago
i'm from Arkansas and try my best not to sound hick/redneck. i guess you could say i'm undercover too. ;)
mutez0r 3 years ago
lol
13u12sT 3 years ago
is it just me or is your spyderco a blueish grey?
Lamepro1 3 years ago
Yes, it is. I swapped on the handle scales from the ZDP-189 Delica, although mine is a plian VG-10 Delica.
Tradja 3 years ago
Awesome man! I just fixed two of my blunted tips cuz of this video. Thanks!
sk8freeordie34 3 years ago
Great, thanks! Glad it helped. The DVD that comes with the Sharpmaker is generally excellent, but doesn't cover this.
Tradja 3 years ago
Ya it doesnt cover a few things, like what to do to get nicks out or to touch up the blade. I know for most knife people its common sence but im a noob haha and i needed all of that so i had to ask around
sk8freeordie34 3 years ago
The optional diamond rods are the best for getting nicks out, but they are SPENDO.
Tradja 3 years ago
Exellent tips and tutorial!
The sharpmaker is a brilliant tool and I use it on all my knives from tke Ka-Bar kukri I use for splitting wood and garden tasks to the Spyderco UKPK that I carry for EDC. Keeps them all razor sharp.
TallNHairyDave 3 years ago
Newbie here. The EDC I like the best is the Spyderco Endura Wave 4 due to Wave feature. VG-10 SS. SOG Flash II has AUS 8 SS. Byrd 'Cara Cara' has 8Cr13MoV. The Wave has been used, the others are new, unused. Flash II and Cara Cara passed my paper cutting test easily. Wave wasn't so good. Sharpmaker set @30 degrees, many times Step 4. I believe Endura Wave out of box would have passed easily too. Help? Owner of Spyderco says Sharpmaker can make better than factory new.
brentfoto 3 years ago
Iv always heard to use the 40 degree for edc and most knives, cuz they say it thins out the blade and yes it will make it an amazing edge
sk8freeordie34 3 years ago
That has not been my experience with settings at 40 or 30 degrees. At 30 degrees, supposed to be even sharper.
My Endura Wave 4 is DULL and I can't make it any better with the Sharpmaker. I don't even trust it to cut tomatoes, boxes, string. Yeecchh, I feel that I wasted my money.
I must be doing something wrong.
brentfoto 3 years ago
Ya man, you must be. I sharpen mine with the 40 degree and after like 25 passes on the medium edge and flat the like 15 of the fine egde and flat mine is hair shaving sharp.
sk8freeordie34 3 years ago
Unintelligible. Sorry.
brentfoto 3 years ago
Hmmm...the VG-10 steel in the Endura Wave can take VERY keen edge. Consider watching the included DVD again, but it is also possible that the factory grind is too obtuse (too wide and axe-like). Short of thinning it down yourself, you can send it back to Spyderco for what they call the "spa treatment", and ask them to check (or thin) the grind angle. Good luck!
Tradja 3 years ago
WADR, I had watched the DVD plenty - read the instructions numerous times also. This is MOST frustrating for me because I usually get a 'handle' on such things quickly. I even joined and made a small donation to become a member of bladeforums. I've watched numerous videos on youtube and I just can't understand why I can't sharpen to pass paper test, never mind 'whittle a human hair'. I love the knife for EDC. I've been considering sending it back to Spyderco.
brentfoto 3 years ago
Send it to Spyderco so that they can fix the grind, or just send it to Tom Krein to get a sick grind that will totally rehabilitate the Endura for you. Once the grind is right, I'm sure you can maintain it just fine. Otherwise, no matter how good you are it's like trying to sharpen a lamppost.
Tradja 3 years ago
Okay, I intend to send it off today to Spyderco. I don't know who Krein is but I don't want to spend any money other than postage. Thank you.
brentfoto 3 years ago
$40 for the Sharpmaker.
Tradja 4 years ago
So, from what I gather from this, you bring the knife down with the blade vertically [at 90 degrees] instead of at an angle.
In other words, the rods are at the right angle to sharpen instead of angling the knife.
[Reason I ask is my grandad used a similar device and he always had his knives razor sharp]
DigitalSim 4 years ago
Yes, vertically (90deg to the tabletop) and 90 relative to the base as well (don't twist it left or right)
Tradja 4 years ago
I find the corners of the stones on the sharpmaker work well with the recurve of the 710.
guitarplayr51287 4 years ago
how long does it usually take you to sharpen lets say a delica? how many swipes? how much pressure do you put on the blade?
Jager1988 4 years ago
It depends on how dull it has gotten. I touch up my Delica every week or so, with about 5-6 swipes on the white rods. The pressure is light-moderate, a bit more than, say, what I use when shaving in the morning.
If a knife is dull or needs time on the brown rods, I will be at it for 20 minutes (I do not have the diamond rods). The DVD specifies 20 swipee on brown corners, then brown flats, then white corners, and then white flats -- about 5 mins. work.
Tradja 4 years ago
So, maybe I should try 20 minutes on the brown rods. 10 minutes on the edge and then 10 minutes on the brown flats?
brentfoto 3 years ago
I wouldn't bother with a 40 minute sharpmaker session. Either get the diamond sharpmaker rods or send it back to Spyderco to thin it out.
Tradja 3 years ago
awesome man hey my like kunai(knife)is this but i wana sharpen it what should i do?
ramenchild 4 years ago
??? What's wrong with your knife?
Tradja 4 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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karlybigbabeqe 4 years ago
Verry nice info video. Cool. Going to order the sharpmaker soon for my Spyderco's
Keep it up \0/
Shaggy8675 4 years ago
Cool video :) could you do a video showing how to do serrations plz ? :)
mrnoobzor 4 years ago
I was gonna post the same thing. Please do a vid on how to sharpen the Spyderedge.
brottarnacke 4 years ago
That is a great video! I was wondering why my tips were getting blunted on the sharpamker! Good job!
krazichinaman 4 years ago
Thanks krazichinaman! I actually just made the video for my mother-in-law, but then I thought, "why not post it on youtube"?
Tradja 4 years ago