Spyderco 204MF Tri-Angle SharpMaker Knife Sharpening Kit. The key to sharpening any cutting tool is removing the steeel at the edge while maintaining a consistent angle between the blade and the stone.
Fantastic for the kitchen, even full-sized chef knives; still dialing it in for my woodworking tools. For chisels and plane blades, you still need a flat stone (or diamond plate) for the back side and the approach doesn't work well for narrow chisel blades. Here I still prefer a Veritaz (type 2) jig and sandpaper or diamond plates. If you're careful you can use it to touch up jointer knives and "disposable" blades (Rali hand planes; Dewalt 13" planer blades). Haven't figured it out yet for gouges either.
Very easy to use Sharpens faster than what other people had to say about it. just hold the knife straight up and down, can't get any easier than that. Mounts to the bench I would recommend to anyone who needs an easy and efficient way to sharpen any knife. I am using this in my sharpening business.
I purchased this based on many different knife forums and wanting what should be an effective, simple and very user friendly sharpening product. The materials are of obvious quality, and with some practice I was able to achieve the utility of the product, however it isn't as "easy" as touted. Clearly maintaining a consistent angle is the key to achieving a sharp blade, which is the basis of the very product itself. While it would seem logical that pulling the knife down the rod in a slicing motion is easy enough, there is still a chance for variation of knife edge contact along the stones, which can result in an uneven edge and thus not a sharp knife. This may seem a little overly critical, however I wanted to provide an honest assessment. With practice and attention this is a very useful and effective sharpening system. It should be noted that I have several sharpening tools, from two sided Norton stones to professional level diamond bench sharpeners and I am proficient with free hand sharpening. Thanks for the opportunity to review this product.
This sharpener is fairly easy to use. It puts a very sharp edge on knives. Some of the finer kitchen knifes do better with the 30 degree angle, while most of the folders sharpen nice with the 40 degree angle. The rods build up metal pretty quickly so regular washing helps keep these working good.
Product is neatly designed. When not in use it really takes minimal amount of space. Two sets of sharpstones, one is rougher and the second is fine, you can adjust the angle by 15 and 20° which is exactly what you need. Ease of use and maintenance makes this high value sharpening kit. Manuals included and are also online.
Had a chef's choice sharpener prior to this for a month. After eating 3 knives I sold it, thankfully I was able to re-profile with a course lansky stone. I bought this to try for the ease of use. It is really easy to use puts on a great edge. The size is much larger than it appears. This is my new go to for bringing my blades back. I even used it on my long kitchen knives and curved blades with great results. Comes with instructions which can be viewed on you tube.
I tried my hand at regular sharpening stones, but I don't have the skill yet to keep the angles consistent, and I don't have enough knives that I could write one off as a practice knife to demolish while I learn. This kit is extremely easy to use: it's much easier to keep a blade straight up and down than it is to keep it angled at exactly 20 degrees. Watched a few video reviews online, and after 30 minutes of practice, I had a (nearly) razor sharp knife, helped by the extra, ultra-fine stones I bought with the kit. After bit more practice, I'm able to keep all my kitchen knifes at least as sharp or even sharper than they were out of the box, with only 5 minutes or so of work per blade.
The Spyderco Triangle sharpmaker is the best investment I've made in cutlery. Especially if your buying expensive knives & after use you do not have wonder can I get it back razor sharp again.I would recommend starting with a cheap pocket knife then once you get it sharp you will be more confident using it on your favorite High end knives.
Getting a knife sharp (really sharp) takes know-how and practice. This sharpening system comes with an instructional DVD to show you how to use it. While you won't be a master sharpener after one or two sessions sharpening a knife, it guides you on the way. The Sharpmaker makes getting the right angle straightforward, and the sharpening stones give a nice, sharp edge. I recommend this.