Spyderco Medium bench sharpening stone amzn.to/2KnWTii Spyderco Fine bench sharpening stone amzn.to/2S3QeMM Spyderco Ultra fine sharpening stone amzn.to/2S4xk8i SECRET STROPPING COMPOUND amzn.to/2Q8HbwK The rest of the links are in the description. These are amazon affiliate links. I bought these with my own money, and was not sent any of these items by any company. Thanks for watching!
Give me an affiliate link to the ultra fine 8x3 so when i buy that one u can get some money for it. IDK if its worth the extra $ but i think i wll like the larger stone more? Also When are you going to do the DMT video??? im between spyderco UF and the DMT XXF 8k grit stone... need assistance!
Siaddar I got both and I go from the DMT Diamond plate (a claimed 8000 grit) ultra fine to the Spyderco 8x3 ceramic Ultra fine bench stone (again a claimed 8000 grit) and it makes a improved difference to the edge quality as in doing this further refines the edge off of the DMT So I felt that both are worth having But I bought the Spyderco Ceramic Ultra fine first and wished that I would have bought the DMT ULTRA FINE first as it works better used in a progression this way, one day I’ll get the Spyderco medium and fine bench stones and then I’ll probably get even better results as it’s good to go from diamond for bevel setting to Ceramics for refining and polishing.
i guess Im randomly asking but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb forgot the account password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me
Hi there, I know Jeremy at Simple little life uses windex as well. I can't remember if you have already tried but i use a pencil eraser to clean my ceramic rods , it may work for the fine stones as well. Good health and stay safe.
Bar keepers friend (powder) and a green scouring pad with warm water takes them back to factory clean in under 30 secs ... since I heard this tip it's all I use
I bought this trifecta from Spyderco simply because they’re a customer of ours (we haul their LTL shipments to and from Golden, CO). Glad it turned out to be a worthy investment based on this review.
Phins S110V is one of the hardest, most wear resistant cutlery steels in use, so unless you are intentionally trying to start a new full time career of sharpening that one knife blade I would recommend that you Start forming the bevel with DMT medium Diamond, move to the fine and extra fine and then remove the deep Diamond scratches with and finish up with the 3 Spyderco Ceramics, from the video above and you’ll be happy, and a little bit less tired. Note: I have a S110V blade and I totally gave up on trying to sharpen it with the Spyderco Sharp Maker kit, which is the same exact ceramic sharpening material that is used in these stones in this video above. Good luck
@donnelhuddleston2478 Atoma 400 to apex. Few swipes on a 6-10 micron diamond strop and then refine further on a 1 micron diamond strop. Easy hair popping sharp edge on any high carbide steel.
I'm not sure of you'll see this but, first thanks for all you sharpening videos, you taught me a lot.(a lot that I am still practicing) I also love your knife making videos. But since those probably take you a week+ to film edit and post. Maybe you can do a test I just tried. Dollar tree has a two tone wet stone. I'd be interested to see your results, as many others on a budget may as well. It's a quick video idea if you are looking for something to put up in between knife making vids that will still get views.
Seriously, use the UF dry and clean it to near spotless during use with a pencil eraser...the large rectangle type. It takes about 5 seconds. Edit: Erasers are all different and the type that works excellently is the PVC- free Faber-Castle. I’ve used other types and some don’t do too well
I too will vouch for the eraser cleaning method. I just use the cheapo Pink Pearls & they remove all but the faintest trace of steel on the fine stone. If the Faber-Castels are even better, I may consider splurging.
Hi . Thank you for your good work. May I ask , instead of the stropping process, why didn't you just transition from the medium to the fine and from there to the ultra fine? Would that not have given us the full functionality of this set of stones?
I use them and have for years. Clean them with Comet or Bar Keepers friend, they’ll remove 100% of the glazing buildup. Gets my knives razor sharp. Scary sharp 😂 . The brown medium is still very smooth, you’re going to have to have something coarse for dull knives. If you keep your knives sharp, and sharpen often...it’s fine.
I used 60 grit SIC from Edge Pro to flatten and roughen up the medium stone. The end result is extremely aggressive, it cuts about the same as a DMT course if not better, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve sharpen ten knives without any loss of courseness, I really recommend doing that to those who think the medium stone is too fine (which it is).
Very interesting! Thanks for the tip! I have a 6"x1" cut from the benchstone and mounted to a blank for the Edge Pro and it's even finer than the triangular Sharpmaker rods. I think the process of cutting it made it super smooth. Either that or it was lapped flat, but it's lost so much bite and doesn't cut even as aggressive as the stock triangular medium rods, so this tip is great to hear and I'll definitely be trying it out! I generally love the aggressive edge a coarse ceramic provides (on the right steel of course) and have wanted something coarser than the Spyderco medium, so this could be the ticket. Thanks!
@@topfueljunkie100 anytime man, good luck! :) your solution with the edge pro sounds very interesting as well! Great way to solve the problem of different stone thickness. I have an edge pro but stopped using it due to the constant adjustments at every stone change. Free hand is much easier to me, and gives the same results. I haven’t roughened up the medium stone since I made the comment, and have used it extensively. It has lost some of its aggressiveness, but not enough to reapeat the process. When you finish the stone, use fresh SIC as a final step to make the stone as rough as possible. All the best to you! :)
Ok so I’m goin back to having a backpack for EDC instead of the small igloo cooler I’ve been EDCing for the past 2.5 years. The box was nice to have, it’s a seat, small work table, completely sealed off from outside world but after almost 3 years I’m ready to go back to the backpack. That being said I want to thoroughly sharpen my own knife and axe that I keep in my bag. So without re-profiling the blade could I keep just the medium stone and a good strop in me bag.... learned tons from you videos and for that I thank you!
I have the medium and ultra fine stones. Love them to death. I do use dmt extra coarse and extra extra fine plates (the big 3x8” I think?) before these. I’m debating on picking up the fine. Not super sure I need it yet though. I have a double stuff and the sharpmaker that obviously have fine stones. Lately I’ve been resharpening my straight razors on the ultra fine and then stropping. I can’t say enough about those stones.
Barkeeper’s Friend, a Magic Eraser, or a big pink eraser are what I use to clean my ceramics. Combined with water of course. Makes them look nearly new.
I actually ground my knife 90° and it taught me so much about what I was doing wrong with my sharpening motion. I stopped and looked and I wasn’t getting the heel and tip as well as the middle. I actually got my first razor sharp edge on a knife with good steel! I still haven’t been able to do the course stone then strop a hair whittling edge yet!
IV had the med and fine stones for around 2 years now I love them. I used 2k and 3k wet sandpaper to resurface one side of the fine until it was "ultra fine".saved 60 dollars on buying a uf. I swear by them, you do get what you pay for. I'm considering buying some of spydercos budget line of knives byrd? For beater knives
For cleaning, try getting a 1/2" thick bristle paint brush and cutting the bristles off to about 3/8". Then use this with a bit of Windex or whatever (I just use honerite sprayed on to clean as well as during sharpening).
Those stones have a syderco logo but we make them at the CoorsTek ceramic factory in Golden. That is why spyderco is located in Golden Colorado or so I've been told.
I can only speak for the medium stone. But if you use a Nagura just 5 seconds on it, it's like new. Levels above compared to all the other methods I've tested so far.
I bought the fine and ultrafine... outta flat both of them. Flattened them only to realise the the fine and ultrafine is the same stone but different grits due to the was they mill it. So now I have 2 Uber ultra fine. Just got the medium today, again not flat. So flattened and it’s a little finer then the original medium... perfect. So it’s double sided atoma diamond 400/1200, Spyderco medium(more medium fine) then uber ultra fine. What I did was use the atoma 400 to flatten...faster than sandpaper 100grit.
Nice work 👍. I ordered the stone on Amazon and looking forward to giving it a go. The ability to get in out and use it with minimal setup is a bonus. My diamond plates are more involved to use and I don't get nearly enough practice. Thanks for the video. 😎👍
Alexs There is even finer diamond stopping/polishing compound available, like SIGNI Diamond Lapidary Paste for Finest Mirror Finish 5 Gram (30%, 200000 grit / 0-0.1 Micron) on amazon. Not as convenient as a pump spray product, but can really take it to the next level John
Amazing video :) my edges are capable cutting thin magazine paper when folded and standing up (just like you showed at the end), still I'm far away from making any knife so sharp, it can cut a hair like yours does. It amazes me time and time again, how sharp your edges are. A true master :)
@@OUTDOORS55 you are welcome. An awesome trick indeed. One day I'll make it👍 Also, I'm gonna try and get the sweet recommended spyderco for christmas. It sure is a good edc.
I've purchased 2 different med grit stones both came with blemishes. They also were not completely square is there a good way to flatten without ruining my diamond plates?
Damn the 90 degree for re-profiling is pure gold, thanks for sharing that tip. I think im going to order these stones, do you happen to have any idea as to roughly what grit each stone is equivalent to?
One of the greatest benefits of the 90 degree passes are de-stressing the edge (removing fatigued steel), and giving you a flat plateau that makes it easy to monitor your progress. Since the soon-to-be apex is a flat plain, you can easily see which places still reflect light during apex formation. This is important if you want to attempt to sharpen the knife without forming a burr. As you get good at sharpening, you'll eventually realize that forming a burr is like training wheels. If you never form one to begin with, you never have to deal with removing it. It's extremely difficult to achieve this, but it's still a great goal, as the smaller the burr is, the better. After you form a burr, it gets bent back and forth until it breaks off. The steel on and around the spot where it breaks is fatigued (just like when you bend a paperclip back and forth until you break it), and must be removed if you want too performance. The smaller this spot is, the better.
@@oceanwaves83 Im not a master at sharpening on stones but I can get a blade sharp enough to shave hairs and easily pass a paper test which is good enough for me. I think ending with a leather strop and green compound after using the stones was the one step that really refined the edge and determined how effective the end results were.
Great review. I am just starting with stones and finally starting to get some descent edges. My problem with different sharpening techniques are getting a decent tip on my blades. Would love to see video on “Tips for Tips”
I have a video on that. I cant post a link at this moment but it should be easy to fine on my channel page. Ill try to fine the link when I get a chance. Hope this helps😀
I found a video you made about a year ago. Pretty funny it’s the same knife I am having tip issues with “Spyderco Tenacious” I will see if it helps get a better tip. Thanks.
HI. if you haven't figured out yet a Sabitoru medium rust eraser is the best stone cleaner in the world i have the fine and ultra fine and after flattening them for real "they where not dead flat from new" they work alright as polishing stones but they are much smaller then i would like i use them with a bit of water and it works fine
Its been a good blade. Its getting worn out though. Ive damaged the tip so many times that it will start to protrude from the handle soon. Thank you for watching my videos! Its always appreciated!
Thanks for the review man! I got the Medium, and Fine based on your recommendations. Should we be getting a burr on stones after the Medium (or any initial stone for that matter)? Basically, should we be getting a burr on both sides every progression until a strop? Thanks!
Ideally you want to for a burr on your coarsest stone. Then work on removing it while refining the edge as you progress through the grits. You can only apex once (unless you round the edge after you apex, in which case you have to re-apex).
My medium stone has the tiniest little bit of a dip (dish) in it, and, the ultra fine is still flat. I've had these stones for going on ten years now, and, they get used a lot. I don't think that ultra fine stone will ever dish out in the middle. It's one seriously hard mutha.
These stones wear like Arkansas stones: They never go out of flat but they *do* get smoother with age. The only time you need to flatten them is when they are brand new as they don't come particularly flat from the factory. (Most people never do this and never even notice.)
Its a great knife that will last you for years. Ive had mine for somewhere around 10years now. There more to a knife than the steel type. It certainly doesn't have the best edge retention (it will get better though after 5-10 sharpenings) but its a solid knife. For the money its hard to beat.
Thanks for the review...it was spot on. As I have the set and I agree with you that a coarser stone would be more useful. I have a diamond plate that I use in lieu of a coarser Spyderco ceramic, but if they sold one that was lower grit I would probably buy it. The stones, as you mention are very flat and so far haven't needed any flattening. Lol...I don't know if you can flatten them. What could you use for that job...ceramic is almost as hard as diamond. It would more than likely damage a diamond hone trying. Keep up the great videos as I consider them some of the best, useful, and most entertaining that I watch on TH-cam.Cheers Mike In snowy Nova Scotia, Canada.
great point...I love Alex's videos and wish he would have the output of a year ago...I know life gets in the way sometimes, but he has taught me so much about sharpening I'm giving away sharpening coupons for Christmas!
Great video :) As you’ve already taken quite a bit of stock off of the Sage’s blade, is the tip still hidden in the handle or does it stick out by any means? Have a good one
It was already really close from the factory but it’s still barely in there. I’ve beat this thing to crap and will retire it soon. Thanks you as well 👍
I'm definitely not the best sharpener (I somehow managed to ruin an edge on my Worksharp), but the stones really are amazing. I took an edge that was pretty dull, and got it to pass on fingernail test. It couldn't cut phone book paper or shave, but that's ok. I just needed the blade to be serviceably sharp anyway
Man your good brother, I have the original work Sharp, I just picked it up I suck with that even but then again I ruined all the profiles on my knives the knives that were in good shape they came out nice
Thanks for the great video Alex! Always love seeing notifications in my inbox that youve released new content. For someone that is trying to transition from using something like the Spyderco Sharpmaker to one of these stones, or similar, do you know of anything out there that will help a newbie maintain a consistent angle for sharpening on a stone like this? Any tips or secrets or previous videos you might recommend? Thanks!
Not really, the angle guides dont work well IMO. Id just dive right in and practice. Its no different than the sharp maker. Either you maintain a vertical angle on the sharp maker or maintain your angle on the stone. Its just a different orientation. 🙂
Would you also recommend removing the chips on a scandi grind blade like that? I'm trying to reprofile my Karesuando (think it's in 12c27) It has/had a massive micro bevel (with only tiny chips) I'm using 80 grit sandpaper (rated for paint, wood and metals) backed by a square piece of glass. And it's taking forever :( Been at it for hours and still haven't apexed -.-
Scandis are hard. No matter what you do youll have to remove the chip and reprofile. I would suggest a corse stone. You will not be able to reprofile on the fine or ultra fine stone. Especially with a scandi.
I only got a knife that past the paper test you did twice, that's when I sharpen my knife up to 1500 grit sandpaper. I don't have a sharpening stone higher than 800 grit. The stone seems to work well. Did ceramic really don't wear off like water stone? Is putting too much pressure while stropping effect the sharpness of the knife, I have a strop with really hard leather and it didn't seems to rounds on the edge while stropping.
Sand paper can have a tendency to roll over an edge as well if you no super careful. The ceramic doesn’t wear away. What you are seen is the metal particles in a windex solution. They are still as flat as they were new. Pressure is relative, the harder the stropping surface the more pressure can be used.🙂
Bummer to hear about the DMT not being flat. I do recommend them but I went looking into them and other have had the same problem. I bought a pile of them years ago and mine are extremely flat after looking so maybe it's new ones that have the problem. I did buy a green DMT bench stone about a year ago and I honestly hate the thing. It just doesn't seem to cut any steel very well. It will scuff up and edge or gouge it in a few spots if that's what anyone is going for... DMT use to be a good brand but I'm not sure anymore. Norton has never failed me but they do cost more and have to be taken care of. My one constant complaint with DMT is a very pointy tip or major up sweep in an edge can easily catch in one of the tiny voids on a DMT stone easily and it can be seriously frustrating.
Yeah, ive never been a huge fan of diamond stones. My one dmt is wavy as crap, definitely not flat. Not that its a big deal to me, its just that flatness seems to be the reason everyone uses diamond stones in the first place. The other issue is they wear out fast. I also sharpen a lot though. Especially experimenting and doing stuff for youtube. I use diamond abrasives a lot in everyday life outside of knife sharpening, and the only reason I use them is because I have to. Sometimes they are the only thing that will cut what im cutting. I dont believe they are necessary for knives though, at least 99.99 percent of them. I like Nortons, especially the higher grits. They are messy though. I guess you cant have everything😂
Dude Spyderco came out with a bench stone that looks like it will complete this setup nicely.. It's a 8×3 CBN double sided 400 mesh and 800 mesh would love to get your opinion on it
bp69 I didn’t want to argue with him. But the logical question would be to ask. Good feedback compared to what? You can say it has good feedback compared to my kitchen countertop. But to a waterstone or something like that. Obviously not in the same ballpark
neroknives no what I’m compareing these to is diamond plates I believe that’s a good comparison I think these have better feed back then diamond plates nothing compared to a waterstone
Get a sanding belt cleaner (big rubber block) and some abrasive cleaner, Comet, Ajax or Bar Keepers Friend. Wet the stone, sprinkle on cleanser and rub with the block. The stone will stay cleaner than the day you bought it.
I have the sage 1 myself. I screwed the apex up trying to learn how to do. I'm having the hardest time getting a nice apex using my sharpmaker system. The medium stone just isn't aggressive enough. I don't like the rounded looking apex I now have. Would you be willing to put a new apex on my blade? Would love to have that new apex like you have on that beautiful knife. Would happily pay you for your expertise and time?
I would love to, but I don’t think I have the time right now. If you want someone who is really good who can, check out Michael Elmer here on youtube. He has a sharpening business and he’s is a very good freehand Sharpener. Definitely better than me. He will get it straighted out for sure. 🙂
Glycerin is the ultimate lubricant for alumi ceramic stones .I DO NOT know why glycerin is so effective at lifting swarf off alumi ceramic and Arkansas translucent and black surgical stone , but it works better than oil or water or even dish soap and water. Could be the viscosity , I'm not a hydrologic engineer, I just know it works , one wipe off and usually clean as a whistle. After a long time , never hurts to use bar keepers friend, ( no chlorine in bar keepers )abrasive powder , but not too often. Try it You'll like it.
I’ve been using the spyderco sharpmaker to sharpen my knives (including the ultra fine) for about 2 years. What would be the advantages to get getting these bigger stones versus the sharpmaker?
It depends on what your used to. The stones do provide a much larger surface area and are more stable for freehand but they are exactly the same as the rods. If the rods are working for you and you dont do any "freehand" than there would be no real benefit. Other than maybe sharpening slightly larger blades. I know some people who use the rods freehand and it works for them. It all depends on how you intent to use the stone. 🙂
Spyderco Medium bench sharpening stone amzn.to/2KnWTii
Spyderco Fine bench sharpening stone amzn.to/2S3QeMM
Spyderco Ultra fine sharpening stone amzn.to/2S4xk8i
SECRET STROPPING COMPOUND amzn.to/2Q8HbwK
The rest of the links are in the description.
These are amazon affiliate links. I bought these with my own money, and was not sent any of these items by any company. Thanks for watching!
Give me an affiliate link to the ultra fine 8x3 so when i buy that one u can get some money for it. IDK if its worth the extra $ but i think i wll like the larger stone more? Also When are you going to do the DMT video??? im between spyderco UF and the DMT XXF 8k grit stone... need assistance!
Are you going to do a DMT stone review soon please?
Siaddar
I got both and I go from the DMT Diamond plate
(a claimed 8000 grit)
ultra fine
to the Spyderco
8x3 ceramic
Ultra fine bench stone
(again a claimed 8000 grit) and it makes a improved difference to the edge quality as in doing this further refines the edge off of the DMT So I felt that both are worth having But I bought the Spyderco Ceramic Ultra fine first and wished that I would have bought the DMT ULTRA FINE first as it works better used in a progression this way, one day I’ll get the Spyderco medium and fine bench stones and then I’ll probably get even better results as it’s good to go from diamond for bevel setting to Ceramics for refining and polishing.
i guess Im randomly asking but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb forgot the account password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me
@Giovanni Arturo instablaster :)
This video genuinely taught me a lot. The wire that comes off on the stone? I never cleaned those off my stones. Now I know. Thank you.
Hi there, I know Jeremy at Simple little life uses windex as well. I can't remember if you have already tried but i use a pencil eraser to clean my ceramic rods , it may work for the fine stones as well. Good health and stay safe.
Bar keepers friend (powder) and a green scouring pad with warm water takes them back to factory clean in under 30 secs ... since I heard this tip it's all I use
Comet / Ajax works fine as well
I bought this trifecta from Spyderco simply because they’re a customer of ours (we haul their LTL shipments to and from Golden, CO). Glad it turned out to be a worthy investment based on this review.
Okay so the higher pressure works like a charm! It cuts so much so much faster and helps maintain a constant angle. It also polishes it more
Definitely my favorite knife related channel, learned lots from you! So thanks hope you break 100k :)
Thanks my friend! Hopefully one day! There will definitely be something special at 100k!😀
I started sharpening my Spyderco Native 5 with s110v in 2015. I really think this might be the year I apex it. Fingers crossed 🤞
Phins
S110V is one of the hardest, most wear resistant cutlery steels in use, so unless you are intentionally trying to start a new full time career of sharpening that one knife blade I would recommend that you Start forming the bevel with DMT medium Diamond, move to the fine and extra fine and then remove the deep Diamond scratches with and finish up with the 3 Spyderco Ceramics, from the video above and you’ll be happy, and a little bit less tired.
Note: I have a S110V blade and I totally gave up on trying to sharpen it with the Spyderco Sharp Maker kit, which is the same exact ceramic sharpening material that is used in these stones in this video above.
Good luck
@donnelhuddleston2478 Atoma 400 to apex. Few swipes on a 6-10 micron diamond strop and then refine further on a 1 micron diamond strop. Easy hair popping sharp edge on any high carbide steel.
I'm not sure of you'll see this but, first thanks for all you sharpening videos, you taught me a lot.(a lot that I am still practicing)
I also love your knife making videos. But since those probably take you a week+ to film edit and post. Maybe you can do a test I just tried. Dollar tree has a two tone wet stone. I'd be interested to see your results, as many others on a budget may as well. It's a quick video idea if you are looking for something to put up in between knife making vids that will still get views.
I have some older Spyderco bench stones I got from my Grandpa. I like them and use them a lot
I have used Dawn dish soap added to the water for over 30 years with good results . Thanks for your insights and video Sir.
Seriously, use the UF dry and clean it to near spotless during use with a pencil eraser...the large rectangle type. It takes about 5 seconds.
Edit: Erasers are all different and the type that works excellently is the PVC- free Faber-Castle. I’ve used other types and some don’t do too well
Interesting tip.
I too will vouch for the eraser cleaning method. I just use the cheapo Pink Pearls & they remove all but the faintest trace of steel on the fine stone. If the Faber-Castels are even better, I may consider splurging.
Great tip, thanks!
It’s cool going back and seeing these and how much the process has changed. That green compound never touches super steel now 😅
Could you do a video on scandi grind knife (puukko) sharpening?
Old video I know, but I clean mine with Lava hand soap. It works great and you don't need a scrubbing pad.
great review of this set I have a feeling at least 2 of these will be on my bench soon
Hi . Thank you for your good work. May I ask , instead of the stropping process, why didn't you just transition from the medium to the fine and from there to the ultra fine?
Would that not have given us the full functionality of this set of stones?
I use them and have for years. Clean them with Comet or Bar Keepers friend, they’ll remove 100% of the glazing buildup. Gets my knives razor sharp. Scary sharp 😂 . The brown medium is still very smooth, you’re going to have to have something coarse for dull knives. If you keep your knives sharp, and sharpen often...it’s fine.
I used 60 grit SIC from Edge Pro to flatten and roughen up the medium stone. The end result is extremely aggressive, it cuts about the same as a DMT course if not better, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve sharpen ten knives without any loss of courseness, I really recommend doing that to those who think the medium stone is too fine (which it is).
Very interesting! Thanks for the tip! I have a 6"x1" cut from the benchstone and mounted to a blank for the Edge Pro and it's even finer than the triangular Sharpmaker rods. I think the process of cutting it made it super smooth. Either that or it was lapped flat, but it's lost so much bite and doesn't cut even as aggressive as the stock triangular medium rods, so this tip is great to hear and I'll definitely be trying it out! I generally love the aggressive edge a coarse ceramic provides (on the right steel of course) and have wanted something coarser than the Spyderco medium, so this could be the ticket. Thanks!
@@topfueljunkie100 anytime man, good luck! :) your solution with the edge pro sounds very interesting as well! Great way to solve the problem of different stone thickness. I have an edge pro but stopped using it due to the constant adjustments at every stone change. Free hand is much easier to me, and gives the same results. I haven’t roughened up the medium stone since I made the comment, and have used it extensively. It has lost some of its aggressiveness, but not enough to reapeat the process. When you finish the stone, use fresh SIC as a final step to make the stone as rough as possible. All the best to you! :)
I’d love your thoughts on the Sharpmaker. That’s all I use, and it’s ok.. but seeing your technique attracts me to this sharpening style.
Ok so I’m goin back to having a backpack for EDC instead of the small igloo cooler I’ve been EDCing for the past 2.5 years. The box was nice to have, it’s a seat, small work table, completely sealed off from outside world but after almost 3 years I’m ready to go back to the backpack. That being said I want to thoroughly sharpen my own knife and axe that I keep in my bag. So without re-profiling the blade could I keep just the medium stone and a good strop in me bag.... learned tons from you videos and for that I thank you!
I have the medium and ultra fine stones. Love them to death. I do use dmt extra coarse and extra extra fine plates (the big 3x8” I think?) before these. I’m debating on picking up the fine. Not super sure I need it yet though. I have a double stuff and the sharpmaker that obviously have fine stones. Lately I’ve been resharpening my straight razors on the ultra fine and then stropping. I can’t say enough about those stones.
Barkeeper’s Friend, a Magic Eraser, or a big pink eraser are what I use to clean my ceramics. Combined with water of course. Makes them look nearly new.
Already got the medium from your link. I think I will pick up the fine too. Great review!!
I like the fine. There’s a noticeable difference between the medium and fine. Less so between the fine and ultra fine. Thanks my friend 🙂👍
I actually ground my knife 90° and it taught me so much about what I was doing wrong with my sharpening motion. I stopped and looked and I wasn’t getting the heel and tip as well as the middle. I actually got my first razor sharp edge on a knife with good steel! I still haven’t been able to do the course stone then strop a hair whittling edge yet!
Windex is good, Trend Diamond Lapping I've found to be another world, I also use this to hand sand my knives
IV had the med and fine stones for around 2 years now I love them. I used 2k and 3k wet sandpaper to resurface one side of the fine until it was "ultra fine".saved 60 dollars on buying a uf. I swear by them, you do get what you pay for. I'm considering buying some of spydercos budget line of knives byrd? For beater knives
For cleaning, try getting a 1/2" thick bristle paint brush and cutting the bristles off to about 3/8". Then use this with a bit of Windex or whatever (I just use honerite sprayed on to clean as well as during sharpening).
Spyderco stones clean up easy with BKF and a scotch brute pad. I have all three stones with the 8x3” UF.
Simple green works the best in my opinion. Great video man cant even telk ya how much ive learned over the years. Keep it up
An happy Thanksgivin
backyardbladesmith
yep I like the Simple Green as well.
Those stones have a syderco logo but we make them at the CoorsTek ceramic factory in Golden. That is why spyderco is located in Golden Colorado or so I've been told.
I use bar keepers friend on my sharpmaker stones. It helps get them mighty clean.
I can only speak for the medium stone. But if you use a Nagura just 5 seconds on it, it's like new. Levels above compared to all the other methods I've tested so far.
I bought the fine and ultrafine... outta flat both of them. Flattened them only to realise the the fine and ultrafine is the same stone but different grits due to the was they mill it. So now I have 2 Uber ultra fine. Just got the medium today, again not flat. So flattened and it’s a little finer then the original medium... perfect.
So it’s double sided atoma diamond 400/1200, Spyderco medium(more medium fine) then uber ultra fine.
What I did was use the atoma 400 to flatten...faster than sandpaper 100grit.
Looks like sage. My favorite model!
I recommend one of those cheap stone holders from China for sharpening to limit the amount of wear and tear on those plastic cases
This. I got one of those for my venev stones and it's great.
Try using a nagura stone that is used for water stones to clean the surface. Just use with water the same as you would on a conventional water stone.
Have you tried cleaning them with a powder scrubbing compound and a green pad? It works for me.
I use a product called Gif. Its a bit like Ajax but finer. Works instantly and removes all swarf.
Nice work 👍. I ordered the stone on Amazon and looking forward to giving it a go. The ability to get in out and use it with minimal setup is a bonus. My diamond plates are more involved to use and I don't get nearly enough practice. Thanks for the video. 😎👍
Hi, I'm near to buy my first stone or stone set, do you advise to buy all the three stones? Or just the medium, the fine and a strop?
Yes at least I would
Alexs
There is even finer diamond stopping/polishing compound available, like
SIGNI Diamond Lapidary Paste for Finest Mirror Finish 5 Gram (30%, 200000 grit / 0-0.1 Micron) on amazon. Not as convenient as a pump spray product, but can really take it to the next level
John
Amazing video :)
my edges are capable cutting thin magazine paper when folded and standing up (just like you showed at the end), still I'm far away from making any knife so sharp, it can cut a hair like yours does.
It amazes me time and time again, how sharp your edges are. A true master :)
Thanks my friend! Taking a knife edge to hair whittling is really a party trick in my opinion. Not much use for it outside if shaving. Again thanks!👍🙂
@@OUTDOORS55 you are welcome.
An awesome trick indeed. One day I'll make it👍
Also, I'm gonna try and get the sweet recommended spyderco for christmas. It sure is a good edc.
You are a sharpening freak. Thanks for the review. Like someone else said, this is my favorite knife related channel. Happy Thanksgiving
Thanks my friend! You as well!
@@OUTDOORS55 ive been meaning to ask. What angle do you sharpen your EDC's?
I've purchased 2 different med grit stones both came with blemishes. They also were not completely square is there a good way to flatten without ruining my diamond plates?
Damn the 90 degree for re-profiling is pure gold, thanks for sharing that tip. I think im going to order these stones, do you happen to have any idea as to roughly what grit each stone is equivalent to?
One of the greatest benefits of the 90 degree passes are de-stressing the edge (removing fatigued steel), and giving you a flat plateau that makes it easy to monitor your progress. Since the soon-to-be apex is a flat plain, you can easily see which places still reflect light during apex formation. This is important if you want to attempt to sharpen the knife without forming a burr. As you get good at sharpening, you'll eventually realize that forming a burr is like training wheels. If you never form one to begin with, you never have to deal with removing it. It's extremely difficult to achieve this, but it's still a great goal, as the smaller the burr is, the better. After you form a burr, it gets bent back and forth until it breaks off. The steel on and around the spot where it breaks is fatigued (just like when you bend a paperclip back and forth until you break it), and must be removed if you want too performance. The smaller this spot is, the better.
@@oceanwaves83 Im not a master at sharpening on stones but I can get a blade sharp enough to shave hairs and easily pass a paper test which is good enough for me. I think ending with a leather strop and green compound after using the stones was the one step that really refined the edge and determined how effective the end results were.
Another great sharpening video. You have a talent. Thank you for the show and tell.👏👍
Great review. I am just starting with stones and finally starting to get some descent edges. My problem with different sharpening techniques are getting a decent tip on my blades. Would love to see video on “Tips for Tips”
I have a video on that. I cant post a link at this moment but it should be easy to fine on my channel page. Ill try to fine the link when I get a chance. Hope this helps😀
I found a video you made about a year ago. Pretty funny it’s the same knife I am having tip issues with “Spyderco Tenacious” I will see if it helps get a better tip. Thanks.
green scrubby pad and cleanser work good to clean them but what is that "secret" compound though???
Have you every try to use lansky for sharpening?
HI. if you haven't figured out yet a Sabitoru medium rust eraser is the best stone cleaner in the world
i have the fine and ultra fine and after flattening them for real "they where not dead flat from new" they work alright as polishing stones but they are much smaller then i would like i use them with a bit of water and it works fine
Great video! I have the medium and fine stones and I love them. They’re just so easy to use. Subscribed, looking further to more great vids!
Great review. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
I really like the medium stone. Have the 306UF and 302UF as well. Really like the teeth from the medium. 👍
I agree👍
Thanks for the great videos I found the very best cleaner for these stones is to use some sort of cleanser and a green scrub pad work great and easy
Can you do a review on a Norton India combination Stone
I have the same blade, it is my edc. Just found your channel, great work. Thank you.
Its been a good blade. Its getting worn out though. Ive damaged the tip so many times that it will start to protrude from the handle soon. Thank you for watching my videos! Its always appreciated!
Do you know about points of diminishing returns?
Have you tried soaking them in water or splash and go?
Do you think a spyderco works best with a secondary bevel?
You can clean ceramic really well with a simple eraser
You recommend these over the Norton stones have some m390 and 20cv. And have you watch Michael Christy cause I think he uses the same spray
Thanks for the review man! I got the Medium, and Fine based on your recommendations.
Should we be getting a burr on stones after the Medium (or any initial stone for that matter)?
Basically, should we be getting a burr on both sides every progression until a strop?
Thanks!
Ideally you want to for a burr on your coarsest stone. Then work on removing it while refining the edge as you progress through the grits. You can only apex once (unless you round the edge after you apex, in which case you have to re-apex).
OUTDOORS55 thanks for the reply! Do you look for anything in particular when refining? Or do you have an amount of strokes you try to accomplish?
Will these wear down and need flattening like a natural stone?
Generally speaking no. They pretty much stay flat longer than any other type of stone.
john wallace nope
My medium stone has the tiniest little bit of a dip (dish) in it, and, the ultra fine is still flat. I've had these stones for going on ten years now, and, they get used a lot. I don't think that ultra fine stone will ever dish out in the middle. It's one seriously hard mutha.
These stones wear like Arkansas stones: They never go out of flat but they *do* get smoother with age. The only time you need to flatten them is when they are brand new as they don't come particularly flat from the factory. (Most people never do this and never even notice.)
They are not exactly flat out of the box, mine was way off, and all ceramic sharpening supplies I have from Spyder co are the same way for me
Well this confirms it, gonna be getting the medium first using the affiliate links of course, thanks Alex.
Thanks my friend!
Be good to see the edge with the micro scope you have now.
Bar keepers Friend and a green scrub pad will clean it like magic.
Planning on getting a tenacious soon I’m sure it will be awesome
you will love it unless you have experienced better steels
Its a great knife that will last you for years. Ive had mine for somewhere around 10years now. There more to a knife than the steel type. It certainly doesn't have the best edge retention (it will get better though after 5-10 sharpenings) but its a solid knife. For the money its hard to beat.
Just got it super sharp I think I will throughly enjoy it
Glad to see you expanding the collection of stones. Wow is your Manix 2 working for you btw?
It’s ok, not my favorite, but definitely not the worst 🙂
Hey Alex , how do you clean a strop? It’s amazing how sharp you can get that knife!
I have a video one it. I dont have access to the link right now to post, but its easy to find on my channel. Its a recent video. Thanks my friend!
Thank you my friend
Use the spine or the edge of a beater knife to scrape the compound off then chalk it up again 👍 cheers
Thanks for the review...it was spot on. As I have the set and I agree with you that a coarser stone would be more useful. I have a diamond plate that I use in lieu of a coarser Spyderco ceramic, but if they sold one that was lower grit I would probably buy it. The stones, as you mention are very flat and so far haven't needed any flattening. Lol...I don't know if you can flatten them. What could you use for that job...ceramic is almost as hard as diamond. It would more than likely damage a diamond hone trying. Keep up the great videos as I consider them some of the best, useful, and most entertaining that I watch on TH-cam.Cheers Mike
In snowy Nova Scotia, Canada.
great point...I love Alex's videos and wish he would have the output of a year ago...I know life gets in the way sometimes, but he has taught me so much about sharpening I'm giving away sharpening coupons for Christmas!
Great video :)
As you’ve already taken quite a bit of stock off of the Sage’s blade, is the tip still hidden in the handle or does it stick out by any means? Have a good one
It was already really close from the factory but it’s still barely in there. I’ve beat this thing to crap and will retire it soon. Thanks you as well 👍
If you really wanted too you could regrind the blade later on to keep it thin. It’s not that bad to do. This video was awesome.
I'm definitely not the best sharpener (I somehow managed to ruin an edge on my Worksharp), but the stones really are amazing. I took an edge that was pretty dull, and got it to pass on fingernail test. It couldn't cut phone book paper or shave, but that's ok. I just needed the blade to be serviceably sharp anyway
Your ability to hold the same angle every time is amazing
These are the same stones that’s on the sharp maker rite?
I found Murphy's oil soap spray works better than windex.
You always have interesting views on your channel . You make me think !!!
Haha thinking for me is usually a bad thing. It never leads anywhere good😂
Man your good brother, I have the original work Sharp, I just picked it up I suck with that even but then again I ruined all the profiles on my knives the knives that were in good shape they came out nice
Glad you went with the Windex! Great video
Thanks my friend!
I absolutely love mine
Thanks for the great video Alex! Always love seeing notifications in my inbox that youve released new content. For someone that is trying to transition from using something like the Spyderco Sharpmaker to one of these stones, or similar, do you know of anything out there that will help a newbie maintain a consistent angle for sharpening on a stone like this? Any tips or secrets or previous videos you might recommend?
Thanks!
Not really, the angle guides dont work well IMO. Id just dive right in and practice. Its no different than the sharp maker. Either you maintain a vertical angle on the sharp maker or maintain your angle on the stone. Its just a different orientation. 🙂
Pink eraser cleans the ceramic.
What is the secret compound I am all about new compounds
Jason Erickson
Diamond emulsion sprays I use both Diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride, and the grade that I use most often for stropping IIRC is 0.0125.
Would you also recommend removing the chips on a scandi grind blade like that?
I'm trying to reprofile my Karesuando (think it's in 12c27)
It has/had a massive micro bevel (with only tiny chips)
I'm using 80 grit sandpaper (rated for paint, wood and metals) backed by a square piece of glass.
And it's taking forever :(
Been at it for hours and still haven't apexed -.-
Scandis are hard. No matter what you do youll have to remove the chip and reprofile. I would suggest a corse stone. You will not be able to reprofile on the fine or ultra fine stone. Especially with a scandi.
@@OUTDOORS55 alright thanks for the reply.
I only got a knife that past the paper test you did twice, that's when I sharpen my knife up to 1500 grit sandpaper. I don't have a sharpening stone higher than 800 grit. The stone seems to work well. Did ceramic really don't wear off like water stone? Is putting too much pressure while stropping effect the sharpness of the knife, I have a strop with really hard leather and it didn't seems to rounds on the edge while stropping.
Sand paper can have a tendency to roll over an edge as well if you no super careful. The ceramic doesn’t wear away. What you are seen is the metal particles in a windex solution. They are still as flat as they were new. Pressure is relative, the harder the stropping surface the more pressure can be used.🙂
@@OUTDOORS55
Thank you for taking your time to reply and answer. But what if I taped the sandpaper on to a flat surface like a glass table?
Could you do a how to sharpen D2 please ??? wholly S*** its a pain in the neck
Glad you're back. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks! Hope you had a good one as well👍
Dude thats insane sharp ! Awesome
Bummer to hear about the DMT not being flat. I do recommend them but I went looking into them and other have had the same problem. I bought a pile of them years ago and mine are extremely flat after looking so maybe it's new ones that have the problem. I did buy a green DMT bench stone about a year ago and I honestly hate the thing. It just doesn't seem to cut any steel very well. It will scuff up and edge or gouge it in a few spots if that's what anyone is going for... DMT use to be a good brand but I'm not sure anymore. Norton has never failed me but they do cost more and have to be taken care of. My one constant complaint with DMT is a very pointy tip or major up sweep in an edge can easily catch in one of the tiny voids on a DMT stone easily and it can be seriously frustrating.
Yeah, ive never been a huge fan of diamond stones. My one dmt is wavy as crap, definitely not flat. Not that its a big deal to me, its just that flatness seems to be the reason everyone uses diamond stones in the first place. The other issue is they wear out fast. I also sharpen a lot though. Especially experimenting and doing stuff for youtube. I use diamond abrasives a lot in everyday life outside of knife sharpening, and the only reason I use them is because I have to. Sometimes they are the only thing that will cut what im cutting. I dont believe they are necessary for knives though, at least 99.99 percent of them. I like Nortons, especially the higher grits. They are messy though. I guess you cant have everything😂
@@OUTDOORS55 Norton is a great brand 👌 if you have the money and don't mind maintaining them they are great.
Dude Spyderco came out with a bench stone that looks like it will complete this setup nicely.. It's a 8×3 CBN double sided 400 mesh and 800 mesh would love to get your opinion on it
At the moment we cant get them but when they are available ill be testing them👍
@@OUTDOORS55 Blade HQ has them
Honing oil works best to clean out the stones. It’ll take load up off instantly.
neroknives apparently he disagrees with you on the feedback of these stones I don’t think they have the best feed back but yeah
bp69 lol it’s a hard peace of slick ceramic. It’s physically impossible for it to have good feedback.
bp69 I didn’t want to argue with him. But the logical question would be to ask. Good feedback compared to what? You can say it has good feedback compared to my kitchen countertop. But to a waterstone or something like that. Obviously not in the same ballpark
neroknives no what I’m compareing these to is diamond plates I believe that’s a good comparison I think these have better feed back then diamond plates nothing compared to a waterstone
bp69 I’m note sure if he uses the uf in this video. The higher the grit he goes the less feedback the stones will have.
Get a sanding belt cleaner (big rubber block) and some abrasive cleaner, Comet, Ajax or Bar Keepers Friend. Wet the stone, sprinkle on cleanser and rub with the block. The stone will stay cleaner than the day you bought it.
I have the sage 1 myself. I screwed the apex up trying to learn how to do. I'm having the hardest time getting a nice apex using my sharpmaker system. The medium stone just isn't aggressive enough. I don't like the rounded looking apex I now have. Would you be willing to put a new apex on my blade? Would love to have that new apex like you have on that beautiful knife. Would happily pay you for your expertise and time?
I would love to, but I don’t think I have the time right now. If you want someone who is really good who can, check out Michael Elmer here on youtube. He has a sharpening business and he’s is a very good freehand Sharpener. Definitely better than me. He will get it straighted out for sure. 🙂
@@OUTDOORS55 appreciate it. Will do
Cleaning the strop? How?
Kevin Sluder There’s a TH-cam video on that.
I have the med, the fine is about the same price. Both are 20 more than two years ago. Man the extra fine is twice the price of the other two.
Thanks, Now I'll get the set.
Glycerin is the ultimate lubricant for alumi ceramic stones .I DO NOT know why glycerin is so effective at lifting swarf off alumi ceramic and Arkansas translucent and black surgical stone , but it works better than oil or water or even dish soap and water. Could be the viscosity , I'm not a hydrologic engineer, I just know it works , one wipe off and usually clean as a whistle. After a long time , never hurts to use bar keepers friend, ( no chlorine in bar keepers )abrasive powder , but not too often.
Try it You'll like it.
I’ve been using the spyderco sharpmaker to sharpen my knives (including the ultra fine) for about 2 years. What would be the advantages to get getting these bigger stones versus the sharpmaker?
It depends on what your used to. The stones do provide a much larger surface area and are more stable for freehand but they are exactly the same as the rods. If the rods are working for you and you dont do any "freehand" than there would be no real benefit. Other than maybe sharpening slightly larger blades. I know some people who use the rods freehand and it works for them. It all depends on how you intent to use the stone. 🙂
ammg16
Speed and convenience.
Is the secret 1/2 micron or 1/4 micron?