Sharpest Tool in the Box

Submitted by Eric Daniel

All this talk of knives got me to thinking.  “Sure, all knives come plenty sharp from the factory, but what do you do when they get dull?”

Just like small arms, I freely admit I am not a knife person.  I use them, and when they get dull I flail about and sharpen them to the best of my ability.  Hell, I’ve more experience sharpening hand tools with a Nicholson mill bastard file than I do sharpening knives. 

Prior to my last deployment I made the decision to remedy this defect.  I had purchased a sharpening kit for my brother a number of years ago for his kitchen knives (he BBQs a lot and likes having sharp cutlery for carving.)  He was pleased with the kit I’d gotten him so I figured if it were good enough for him, it’d be good enough for me.

What I’d gotten was the Spyderco Sharpmaker (model 204.)  The kit comes with two pair of stones; two medium grit stones for initial sharpening, and two fine grit stones for finishing up.  By varying the angle you set the stones into the sharpener base you can quite literally sharpen anything from darts and fish hooks to pocketknives and pruning shears.  The kit itself comes with a comprehensive guide to sharpening, describing which stones to use and what angle to set them, based on the type of instrument being sharpened and what kind of edge you want on it.  In addition, the stones themselves are meant to be used dry, which is great for field applications, as there’s no need to pack special oil or other fluids just for use with the stones.  Finally, in addition to the fine and medium grit stones included with the kit, a diamond coated “stone” (made of steel actually) and an ultra fine grit stone are also available for the Sharpmaker, in the event you need to either do some heavy duty or very fine grinding.

Get the Sharpmaker here

Comments

[Richard Siena]

I have had one for years they are great. Gets most items razor sharp in a couple of uses. Make sure you use the diamond stones wet, you don't need a lot of water just as long as they are wet, the heat generated form them while sharpening can burn out the diamond dust on the stone.

[Matt]

Another product I constantly use for keepin knives sharp is the Diafoldby DMT. http://www.dmtsharp.com/ It is a diamond impregnated steel mesh mounted to a plastic plate. It has handles that fold around it like a butterfly knife. Comes in multiple grits. Weights about 1.5 oz. Very handy and effective, lasts a very long time. I've always used mine dry, and get around 10 years of use out of them. They are handy enough to carry in a pocket or tuck into a tool pouch etc. I use the blue, medium grit for sharpening everything.

[Ki Song]

You can get one from http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SP204MF for $49.95, $30 cheaper than direct from Spyderco!

[Gordon Read]

I agree it's by far the best, simplest, and quickest way to get the sharpest blade possible for one that's not electric or factory/foundry based. I got my first one from a vendor outside the Ford Ord, CA Post Exchange in the mid-1980s for $25, which I thought expensive at the time, but well worth it after bandaging my finger. I too bought my brother one--by that time the cost had risen to $35. Now, I see it has been improved with the additional angle and better case--they used to come only with a plasic zip-lock bag.

Another system, worth mentioning mostly due to it's diamond coated stones, is the "Smith's" brand. Similar to the Buck system of clamping a guide to the blade and drawing the stone over it. Two problems I have with that style is: one, set up time; and two, if you have a longer blade the clamp needs to be re-possitioned; also, the clamp does not go well on some blades.

I plan to buy this newer version of an old, tried, tested, and true blade sharpener. I only wish it came with a third set of "diamond" rods (I will keep my eyes open for a pair because it ony seems like a natural, practical progression of an already great sharpening device.)

Be very wary everyone, you will be asked to sharpen a lot of kitchen knives, along with you fellow compadres` field, combat/fighting, and tactical folders--but that just goes with the territory of being "a knife man."

ex-US Army Helicopter Pilot
el Gordo (Zorro) of the W.O.L.F Pack
Charger 13, 4/7 Air CAV Sqdn
Korea 1983

[Showey4u]

first I would say i'm not a fan of SPYDERCO knives, but this is the best sharpener I have ever used. It is very low maitanance & very veratile.