knife sharpening

[45calibre]

I recently purchased a spyderco delica 4 and i dont think it is very sharp. Is it just not meant to be very sharp to begin with? Its not a very expensive knife but i would like it to be as sharp as possible.

 

[acarnahan]

All my spydercos including a Delica 4 have been very sharp out of box. I had a fairly long quest of trying sharpeners, and all I can say is that some work great for certain people but suck for others. After testing about 7, I landed on Spyderco's Sharpmaker and I'm happy with it for most of my knives. I have recently purchased an Apex that does an amazing job but may not be the first sharpener I'd recommend.

We have a shop in town that will sharpen knives for $1 per inch, so it's probably $3 for a Delica. Look locally to see what businesses charge.

 

[DBH]

I think the sharpmaker is a great product for touching up and sharpening knives. It might seem pricey to some, but works great on knives that are not super dull or just need a touch up to get sharp again. I use a belt sharpener or paper wheels on a buffer now, and get the results I want. The Apex system or wicked edge systems are great but pricey. Looks the previous poster indicated might want to check with a local business to sharpen as well.

 

[redneckmedic]

im a fan of the apex edge pro.

 

[45calibre]

There are no knife shops close to me.

 

[Sgtusmc]

Belt sander - $39 + cost of belts

Sharpmaker - $53 + cost of fine rods

Other system?

Which one would you choose for obtaining truly razor sharp edges?

 

[WhitleyStu]

An inexpensive belt sander from Harbor Freight will do a nice job of sharpening with a few micron belts and a leather belt from Lee Valley, but the edge will be convex and not a perfect “V”. I use a Tormek to grind the nice “V” profile and the belt sander with a leather belt charged with white jeweler’s rouge to power strop to a razor edge. I can usually sharpen then strop to a razor edge 15 knives per hour with this process. The two blades in the third image have just been sharpened and are a Strider SNG and SMF.

 

[BJones]

I am surprised your knife did not come razor sharp. But to get it sharp I recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The sharpmakers are compact, easy to use and they come with a video to show you how to use it.
Amazon has them for a good price.

 

[ashby koss]

I do Convex grinds. Mouse pad and various levels of grit sandpaper. Then follow with leather strop and honing compound. Cheap setup and makes a wicked edge.

 

[tt5stargeneral]

I second the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It is easy to use and creates a scary sharp edge. Make sure you pick up the diamond rods for dull edges and the super fine ceramic rods (and perhaps a good strop - knives plus being my favorite - to get hair splitting results.