Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Review of product at end Over the past years, I've been becoming more intelligent on all (some) things knives. One thing I always stressed on was sharpening them though. I stressed so much that I could not bring myself to buy a sharpener! I didn't want to waste what money I have and there are so many options and different price ranges and... I didn't want to make a wrong decision. So, I didn't make one at all for a while, I just kinda collected a new knife every time one would get a little duller... That was fine, for a while, but 3 or 4 knives later you kinda have to stop and figure things out. So, I did. I'm sure someone else will be where I was in the future so I'll just go through my thoughts on each one. The sharpeners I thought about and ultimately decided against were the work sharp, edge pro apex, lansky stone system, wicked edge system, and DMT diamond stones (and other normal flat-stone type sharpeners). 1) Work sharp. This one was easy for me to say no to. I like the idea of it, and maybe when I have a lot of expendable income I will get one, but my primary sharpener needs to be one I don't have to constantly replace things like belts on. Also, I don't want to have to rely on electricity to sharpen a knife. 2) Wicked edge. I like this one, too expensive though. The end. Pro: it lets you do both sides of the blade at once. Something the spyderco sharpmaker does as well. 3) Edge pro apex. Also too expensive. I am aware of "knock-off" stands you can buy, and then replace the cheap stones with actual stones from edge pro, but even then it was a bit costly. I didn't like the idea of having to piece together an expensive system. I did like that it made it very easy to get a consistent edge, but it only sharpens one side at a time. It was ultimately too much money for its value. 4)Lansky stones. Similar to edge pro apex, just extremely cheaper. I can't speak on quality of it, but I did read reviews of people having to do a bit of work to get their system in good condition. 40 bucks vs. 60 with spyderco, it was hard to justify NOT spending the extra 20-30 dollars. 5) DMT Diamond stones (and other flat stones). These were pricey too, it turns out. I didn't want to get cheap stones. I wanted quality tools. A set of 2 or 3 stones would run me about the same as this, and I'd also have to acquire the skill of sharpening on a flat stone. I have tried, it is doable, but it requires practice and patience. Plus, the cost is similar to the sharpmaker. These are the reasons I ended up picking the sharpmaker. I heard it was quick to pick up, it did provide me with a way to keep a consistent angle fairly easily. I could adjust the angle, maybe not as much as I first thought I would like to though. Bonus nachos: it stores in a wonderfully sized kit. Probably as big as the box a new phone comes in, a little longer though. Extra stones were available if I wanted a finer edge. So, how did it stack up? -------- SHARPMAKER REVIEW------------ I could not be happier with this. As soon as I found it in the mail I opened it up and began sharpening with one of my cheaper knives (just in case...). I was able to get that knife pretty sharp, so, onto the nicer one I really didnt want to screw up, my endura 4 wave. After my 5-10 minute session with the first knife, I was able to get my endura even sharper than the first in less time. Onto the third knife. Similar results. Onto the 4th knife. Similar results. This is just to illustrate how easy it is and how quick it is to pick up. You do not need any past experience do master this system. How sharp does it get your knives? There are some ultra fine stones available that people claim you "need" to get what they call "the ultimate edge"... screw em'! Let them be tacticool. I bought the ultra fine stones, do they sharpen my knife a little more? Yes. Were they worth 20 bucks? No. The edge you get from the fine stone in this system is super sharp, sharp enough to slice paper with ease. The ultra fines just give them a bit more ease. Not a very noticeable amount I'll add. If you don't buy the ultra fine stones, and I meet you on the street and ask if you did, you can show me your knife and lie, and say you did, and I would believe you. You're the only person who is going to know the difference. Literally, the thickness of the knife is more important than the ultrafine stones. But, your money, do with it as you wish.