Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener

Have tried many horizontal sharpening stones and will admit I am hopeless at getting the angle consistent. But within minutes I was getting fantastic results with this bit of kit. Easy to use, great dvd showing you how to use it and a good little instruction manual. Is not cheap, but will work for so many cutting tools it is a godsend. Get it, you will not be disappointed.

Honestly my go to recommendation for beginners, takes close to little skill and the edge you get by following instructions is more than enough. They also got beveling and apexing down which is rare. Cons: Expensive for something essentially old, Medium rods cut far to slow which not only has beginners sharpening for hours the first time but also increases chances of making a mistake by tedious repetition, rods often come bent off-setting angle, and the overall plastic construction is mediocre. Like i said not bad for beginners, but as others have said, not a substitute for skill and to make it truly effective you need the coarse rods which add even more expense.

This is a very tidy design, and I think it is very good value for money. I only sharpen Spyderco folders on mine, for anything else I use a different system. Don't allow you bevel to deteriorate too much, and you will stay out of trouble. Don't forget to remove the glaze from the fine(white) rods, and you will then enjoy the results of you labour.

Let me explain, this will only work if your knife already has a correct angle set on the secondary bevel.Most knives that arrive blunt have said bevel set too steep,that's why they are blunt.This system will not remove enough metal fast enough to achieve a 20 degree angle that is flat and accurate, you would need hundreds of strokes, even if you were patient enough to do this the inevitable fatigue would cause you to round the bevel and not achieve a good edge. I'm not talking about convex grinds as they are generally thin enough at the edge to benefit from slight roundness, but this system is not for convex grinds. This kit is not a total loss as the rods are useful and it will touch up blades that already have a correct angle on the bevel.It works better on pocket knives than large blades and is brilliant on serrated blades,I use mine in the kitchen as a quick fix.If you are new to sharpening don't start on your best knife it will end in tears,get an old kitchen knife and a cheap oil stone and practice and practice.When you've mastered it, and not every body can , buy yourself some good sharpening stones from Heinnie .I would recommend Japanese water stones but beware they are expensive and do wear out Arkansas stones are worth having too. If you cant master it find someone you can trust to do your best knives for you.I'm not trying to be smug but to save heartache for anybody new to the game.Finally please realize that a lot of knives produced now have such a thick edge grind that it's impossible to sharpen them without re profiling the entire blade.Fine if you want to smack your knife through a log but not if you want to cut things with it.I've been collecting long enough to remember when things like a mk2 Gerber came out of the box hair popping sharp with a zero grind.

The Sharpmaker is a well designed. cleverly thought-out piece of kit.. It can sharpen just about any tool or knife you might have in your house. It's very good with fish hooks, hawkbill blades and serrated blades. If you don't have the hand-eye coordination of a world-class sportsman (I freely admit I don't) then maintaining a consistent angle with a traditional carborundum whetstone is tricky. The way the Sharpmaker rods are set up in the base, all you have to do is keep the tool or knife vertical. Takes out the guesswork and produces good results. So why only four stars? The rods have a slight wobble when inserted in their slots, which can be quite disconcerting, especially when you're applying lateral pressure. Also, with dull, soft steel knives, the rods take off too mch steel, so the rods need cleaning each time. With these sort of knives, you're better off starting with a whetstone and using the Sharpmaker when you've got a rasonable edge. I quite liked the video. Usual great service from HH.

My first effort with the Sharpmaker (a well blunt Goldhamster Solingen kitchen knife) produced an edge that not only popped hairs but was only a strop away from straight-razor sharp. That took about 5 minutes. I was initially put off by the price, but having used it I think it's pretty foolproof and well worth the money. If you have Spyderco knives with serrated edges, it's a necessity; otherwise it's a real luxury compared to other sharpeners.

A fantastic bit of kit and great for newbies like me! I'm not saying you will become an instant sharpening wizard, but with a little practice you will be getting hair popping sharp edges! It comes with a handy reference booklet and a instruction DVD. Although the DVD is super cheesy, it's well worth a watch as it shows you how to sharpen different styles of knife and other tools such as scissors and chisels. It may seem pricey for what it is but seeing as it can be used to sharpen and maintain various other tools about the house I think it's well worth the cash. And as always, Big thanks to Heinnie for the outstanding service

I cannot add anything more on the quality and workmanship of this sharpening system. Just a piece of advice: Keep your angle consistent between alternations and do not worry about the angle degree. Consistency is the solution for a hair-splitting edge.

I've managed to get some knives razor sharp with this, to the point they'll easily slice cleanly through paper and shave hair. However, don't expect it to work miracles. I tried to sharpen some dull kitchen knives and the results were poor. I think the supplied rods are good for knives that are in reasonable condition to begin with. There are some more abrasive diamond rods available at significant extra cost. It probably could sharpen those kitchen knives with a lot more effort and time, but the whole point of set like this is that it saves you effort and time. Nearly £60 for a plastic box with four ceramic rods is expensive, and it should really cope with all levels of required sharpening at that price. An additional set of more abrasive rods for initial shaping of very dull knives should be included as standard.