Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Stone, Ultra Fine Grit

I am a big fan of the Spyderco Sharpmaker system. I have used the Lansky system, a random crockstick system, Japanese water stones, ceramic/glass stones (like the Shapton), oil stones and Arkansas stones. I haven't used the Edgepro and some of the higher-end systems. Regardless, truth be told, I have drank the Spyderco kool-aid and love it, my knives are laser sharp in much less time than my second favorite system, which is a progression of water and Shapton stones followed by felt/leather strop with chromium oxide. So that said... I had the Sharpmaker basic kit for a while, and was reading about these ultrafine stones. The fine stones already got my better knives to pop hairs right off my arm, and my $30 Victorinox chef's knife will slice bread as well as any scalloped/serrated slicer, without crushing the bread at all and producing almost no crumbs. Veggies and chicken and other products simply don't stand a chance, every knife in my drawer will destroy them and stay sharp for weeks, even with heavy use on NSF plastic cutting boards. I've sharpened a few dozen knives and scissors and other implements for my friends, and they are amazed. So I'm reading about these ultrafine stones and had to try them out, see if they can get an edge polish equivalent to what I was achieving with much more time and effort on flat stones. Well, the hype is true. These are the real deal Holyfield. With a light touch these stones brought out a wicked sharp edge that is almost too eager to slice through anything within reach. Or maybe that's me. Just kidding. Actually, not. I had way too much fun shaving newsprint, push cutting through corrugated cardboard, making paperthin cucumber wafers, shredding my junk mail, slicing cleanly through rope, and trying out this new, sharp, durable edge on everything I could afford to have two of. haha Now this all begs the question, do you need a knife this sharp? That's a personal decision. For utility work, I'd say probably not. For industrial work, be it cutting vinyl tile or carpet or something like that, yeah it would be useful. For a butcher or wood carver or something of that nature, yes. So it really depends on your blades and what you do with them. I do believe that I can polish the edge a bit more with felt or with micron paste on horsehide to strop, which is something you would want with, say, a straight razor, which can basically never be "too sharp," as the sharper it is the less effort and pressure required. For less than an additional $30 to an already outstanding system that's under $50, I think it is money well spent. Fact is most people won't use these ultrafine stones on most of their knives all too often, so they'll last forever. Downsides? Well I certainly wouldn't drop one, as I am guessing they shatter quite easily. I do like how they are sold individually, so if one chips or breaks on you, can you replace just the one. They are easy to clean and come in a little plastic packing tube (mine did) with end caps to protect it. Some people might have a tough time getting the stone into their Sharpmaker base. Try reversing it. One side is painted red (on mine). Put that end into the base. Hope it helps!

I got two, for the full Sharpmaker experience. They're relatively cheap considering. If you're making the Sharpmaker your primary system, these are great to get an even finer, more precise bevel. They get a decent polish on the edge which is excellent priming for a strop to get you closer to a mirror edge. Are these mandatory? absolutely not. Are they nice to have? I think so. Definitely worth the money. I have had issues, mostly user error, lazy with maintaining my angle (yes, even with the Sharpmaker), and have completely broken off my micro burrs and destroyed my edge on some high-quality 20CV (American M390 equivalent) on an Olamic Whippersnapper. It actually left me kind of baffled. That same steel was quite prone to rolling over on a strop, but I haven't had that experience with other 20CV's, 204cp's, or M390's. These stones, like other ceramics, are prone to chipping. They are rather versatile for many, many blade shapes and are super easy to clean with a brillo pad and dish soap. I think the positives outweigh the negatives in every respect, but only if you have the Sharpmaker as your primary system.

Best money can buy. Works perfect every time and will get a knife razor blade sharp. Easy to use and maintain. Had mine for years and still works like the day I got them.

Spyderco Ultra Fine Triangle Stone Although the actual "grit" equivalency for the Ultra Fine stones are hotly debated, I couldn't tell a significant difference from touch versus the Spyderco Fine triangle stones that are included in the Triangle Sharpmaker kit. That said, when using the stones, the Ultra Fine does seem to be smoother to the touch of a blade versus the Fine stones. I couldn't really find an instruction set for the Ultra Fine stones, so I used them as a "third stage" with the medium and fine grit stones that are included in the Sharpmaker kit. First off is the quantity. The stones are sold individually, so one must purchase 2 of the stones for each Sharpmaker kit. They are shipped in a clear tube to prevent damage. I noticed that my stones came with small chips which could be felt with a blade as I used them. I scrubbed the two stones together to smooth it out and it seems to have helped. These are extremely hard ceramic stones with an equivalent grit of at least 2000 or higher. They are very easy to use with the Sharpmaker kit and will give that razor-like edge to most blades. I used the Ultra Fine to put the finishing touches on a Spyderco Tenacious, a meat cleaver, pocket knife, and a letter opener. The Sharpmaker kit worked well enough on its own, but the Ultra Fine put that extra fine razor edge on the blades. Some people may not care about this part, so the standard Sharpmaker kit should suffice for most users. Overall: 5/5 stars, works as advertised, but not quite mandatory for everyone.

If you feel you really must get your knife sharper than what the fine stone included in the Sharpmaker kit will give you, this is for you. That said, I'm not entirely certain there is any point to having a knife sharpened to this level, other than sharp knife compulsion. The sharpness off the fine stone is good enough for nearly any conceivable use. Make sure to buy two! One point on usage: when these stones are brand new, they appear to all come with random clusters of abrasive particles that stick out above the surface. You won't see them, but you can feel them when sharpening as a sudden "tick" and catch against the knife edge. I've experienced this personally, and have read reports in various forums mentioning the same. This is not good for your edge, so make sure to smooth down the flat surfaces by lapping them with the edge of the other stone. If you watched the Sharpmaker DVD, there is a point where Sal demonstrates this procedure in another context (at 2:05 here: [...]

Been using the triangle sharpner for 3 years. Results were adequate, shaving sharp. Then read the review on this once. How such a frivolous additional stone could be justify. Price felt right, only bought one. Return on investment is phenomenal. Close to mirror polish finish, stroke 30 for 5 minutes, stroke 40 for 1 minute seems to give the best results with a few drops of water to make the edge slide against the stone. I thought I once knew what cutting meant. This little stone redefined that word. Proven result on my classic chef knife. Effortless motion, vegetables are now properly sliced, just like in the old japanese Iron Chef video! It really make you feel that way, as the cutting stroke requires less energy, you are cutting faster with greater accuracy and precision. The result on D2 steel benchmade 710 is quite remarkable, no word can describe it, I guess the harder the steel, the greater the result. The stone came new with no chip. Haven't had the chance to use my paring knife yet, wonder if it would have as much wowness on it.

I have the Sharpmaker and the white stone that comes with it give all knifes a nice sharp edge. This stone brings it to the next level. There is a very noticeably difference when used - knifes are razor sharp when used properly. Could shave with my Delica if I wanted. Only ordered one and it will become a "pain" to use in the future, so will be getting another for use in the Sharpmaker. Glad I read the reviews as it lives up to them. never was I able to get a knife this sharp. I am not great at it is why I got the Sharpmaker kit and this stone just adds to the positive experience. No longer fear or hate getting a blade sharp - now razor sharp with ease. Update 12.18 - got the second stone to make it a little easier. Went on a "if it has a blade, going to sharpen it" binge. Scissors, kitchen knife's and all my pocket and EDC's. The EDC utility that I use most often (Spyderco), I found that if it starts to get a little less sharp - give it a couple of passes with these stones and I am back to razor sharp. Very little effort to get it back. Never had a pair of Scissors this sharp - I just followed the instructions in the book. Again - worth the total cost of the kit and extra stones.

As long as you have a 204 sharpmaker this is a must have add on to an already great set. After the fine stone you can move over to the puppy and really take that blade to the next level. If you are working on CPM m4 or ZDP 189 make sure that the edge highly refined on the previous stones or you will get nothing the stone doesn't have enough bite to really affect the bevels of steel in that hardness range, but that should be a given since it is an Ultra fine stone. This stone with minimal effort can put a near mirror like finish on my ZDP delica in 5 mins on the 30 degree side(after the bevel is set with the lower grit stones) It also makes quick work on the 40 degree side of taking a pretty sharp knife and taking it to the next level(for edc blades). Even being as great as it is, i still do see minor edge improvement after some very light stropping on 3 micron chromium oxide(this may be a fault in my technique on the sharpmaker) All in all I find myself using the sharpmaker even more than my whetstones since i added this to my collection. Also it allows me to hit the edge on recurved blades(ie: kershaw shallot) with a high grit ceramic that is fixed in place rather than held in had like most are. Giving me much better control over the edge geometry.

Per molti anni ho usato con molta soddisfazione un affilatore Spyderco con la dotazione standard. La rifinitura era demandata a una coramella. Il tisultato finale era soddisfacente, ma non al livello di un'affilatura fatta sulle pietre, fino alla 8000. Non altrettanto efficace, sicuramente meno duratura. Queste pietre ultrafini si sono rivelate l'uovo di Colombo: comode e rapide da usare, molto più di quelle tradizionali, capaci di dare risultati se non pari almeno paragonabili a quelle e migliori della coramella. Last but not least, adeguate anche per l'affilatura dei tenacissimi acciai inox moderni, dalle durezze altissime. Unica nota dolente il prezzo, a mio giudizio ingiustificatamente più alto di quello usuale negli Stati Uniti.

Muy buen complemento para el sharpmaker, se nota la calidad spyderco, totalmente recomendado

Obwohl ich zwei Stück gekauft habe, benötige ich nur einen. Wer Erfahrung mit der Thematik des Schärfens hat, benötigt auch nicht mehr den schwarzen Plastik-V-Ständer. Der Sharpmaker ist auch nur als Hilfe für Anfänger gedacht, die so etwas am Anfang als Einstieg in die Karriere benötigen. Erfahrene benutzen diese Steine freihand, z.B. mit der 204-freehanding Methode. Interessanterweise ist der 204UF feiner als der 302UF. Man bekommt Spiegelpolitur damit hin, fürs Entgraten benutze ich aber echtes DD57F, das genauso fein ist aber eben noch effektiver sich fürs Entgraten eignet. Der Amazonpreis schwankt täglich, bei einem günstigen Kurs ist das Produkt auf jeden Fall eine Empfehlung wert. Natürlich können nur Geübte mit so einem Präzisionswerkzeug alles herauskitzeln: hair whittling ist danach möglich. Das heisst die allerletzte und wichtigste Zutat ist das Können des Nutzers. Können ist wichtiger als dieses Produkt. Aber ohne dieses Produkt hilft einem Können auch nicht weiter. Ergo, beides wird gleichzeitig benötigt!

The stones them selves are awesome but the storage tubing could be a little more sturdy.

Greetings, When I utilized the Spyderco System I took a Henckels blade from the kitchen block and the Ultra Fine worked beautifully, BUT even dull, this knife has the best steel in the world as other famous names. I honed this morning an opening knife that did not give me satisfaction the day before with the standard kit, so I used the diamond pair, the standard kit and the soft edge and the result was far from my expectations. It isn't the Spyderco that poses the problem, but the steel itself. When I married we bought that set of knives for 500.$ thirty-seven years, nowadays the smallest cost 300.$. I conclusion do not expect your 20.$ knife to perform like a 300.$. Remember I told you to put the odds on your side, do not buy under 50.$; because honing is not a question of system if you are good with Arkansas and you can keep your kife properly angled, you do not change, during a race, a horse that is winning. But the thing you can not change is the quality of the metal. I saw once a Bowie for 37.$ and a few days later I stumbled on a site where the cheapest Bowie was 1,250.$. I will bet with anyone of you that the steel in the 1,000.$ was better, not only that but fancier sheath, fancier handle, autograph by Roy Rogers himself. When you hone it is the blade that matters. Your 37.$ Bowie will cut better after honing, is it worthwhile; it is forty strikes by the rod, basically with the standard kit it means 40 x 4, the complete set 40 x 8 ( the finest is only one but your knife has to hit it four times) A fine blade even rusty can be saved and will hold the cut, a shiny cheap blade will hone only your nerves. Regards, so keep your collection to the minimum and be aware that a dagger is twice the work. KEEP ON HONING! Frédérick Turgeon