evidently I need to up my game

[Boriqua]

I have been sharpening knives on bench strops for probably 25 years. Thought I was pretty good but ... I have to up my game!!

[semperfisurveyor]

Makes two of us ...that is SHARP!

[knockonit]

damyum

[LField]

watch what this Japanese kid can do with whetstones

[weenis]

The knives I carry are usually this sharp. My Rassenti Paysan is in this league of sharpness.

I was at a gunshow, and there was this huckster asking people passing by if he could see their knives. He'd show how dull the knife is, and then sell this little pocket sharpener thing the size of a quarter. He looked at me, asked to see my knife. I gave it to him. He tested the edge, and then looked at me and said, "This knife is too sharp to carry, it's actually dangerous this sharp." Silly guy.

I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker and a home made strop.

[Boriqua]

I have to admit that being a horror movie fan and just generally a person with to much imagination .... when I saw the young guy do the sharpening and then the paper tests ... and THEN HE BROKE OUT THE CAT!!!! well .. I was hoping for a bit more..

I have read for years about the Japanese water stones and how amazing they are but they are pretty pricey. I have a set of 6 inch arkansas stones and a fine and course diaond hone for when I have let a blade go to crap and need to rip up the edge a little before really sharpening. I have two knives here that will easily do most of those tests but .. it required a bit of stropping after sharpening to really polish that edge up. I have a piece of 5 oz leather glued to a piece of 1x4 loaded with green rouge I have used for years.

[Flash]

Like weenis, I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker and that's as sharp as I need or want and it's fast.

[Boriqua]

If the sharpmaker is the one with the plastic base and two different grades of triangular stones that go in the base .... I have one. I was never able to get the hang of it. It sits fairly unused in the shed. Works well on the spyderco serrated edge my wife uses so I keep it around but just never figured out how to do regular edges on it.

[Flash]

The instructions are pretty straight forward and about the only mistake that I see that would be easy to make is to put the triangular stones in the wrong holes, thus getting the wrong sharpening angle.

[Boriqua]

The instructions are pretty straight forward and about the only mistake that I see that would be easy to make is to put the triangular stones in the wrong holes, thus getting the wrong sharpening angle.

I think after years of sharpening ice cream sticks on concrete to stab my brothers with I am just used to sharpening things on flat stones. It works for me and I can get a laser edge. I think the trouble I have with the sharpmaker is keeping the blade perfectly perpendicular to the base during the stroke.