I've heard that belt sharpening is no good, that it actually weakens the blade. I have a H&K (made by benchmade) 14200 model and I have a diamond stone for sharpening. What is the proper technique for making this thing razor+ sharp? Below is a stock pic of the knife I have. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

There's going to be many ways to get your blade sharp.. a plain diamond stone is going to take lots of practice. I'd suggest practicing on something you don't care for much. A spyderco sharperner or other instant sharpening tool may be up your alley.

Last there is the EdgePro... pricey, but you'll get that razoredge your looking for.

The belt sharpening works as long as you don't heat the blade enough to effect the temper of the metal and mess with the martenite/austenite.

Lansky makes some nice kits that excel at getting a fine edge on pocketknives made out of modern stainless steels. I use a variety of sharpening stones/techniques for my various specialized cutting tools. But for my expensive stainless pocketknives, I've gotten the best results with the lansky system.

tk

I recently bought the DMT magna-guide. I love it. The nice thing about it to me is you hold the knife, and you can alternate which side of the blade you sharpen. Of course, ask 100 people and they will tell you at least 75 different methods to sharpen a knife. But I have the best luck with one stroke on one side of the blade, one stroke on the other side. Like Lansky, Gatco, and the other guided sharpeners, the DMT set I use keeps you angle constant, but it lets you do your stroke with the knife, instead of with the stone. I get an edge as smooth and as uniform as any factory edge.

YMMV, and I hope this helps!

http://dmtsharp.com/press/dmgef.htm

Google. There is tons of info out there on this. I like flat stones, but they do take practice. Knowning what is happening, and how to do it helps a lot. Most do not know what they are trying to do, other than to sharpen the knife.

Look here: http://users.ameritech.net/knives/index.htm

The Spyderco Sharpmaker may be the easiest way to get a good edge.

I've been wanting to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker. My dad and his buddy both have Gatco sharpener kits that they really like.

One thing I noticed is that the Gatco doesn't get that "like brand new" edge on there. Does the Spyderco get closer?

quote:

Originally posted by kx90:
I've been wanting to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker. My dad and his buddy both have Gatco sharpener kits that they really like.

One thing I noticed is that the Gatco doesn't get that "like brand new" edge on there. Does the Spyderco get closer?

A leather strop with some polishing agent after regular sharpening will get you a "better-than-new" edge.

I use the lansky 3 piece system, with an ultra fine stone that I picked up later so I can get a razor sharp edge. I strop my knives as well. But yeah go with the lansky it's cheap and idiot proof.

The MAIN thing to remember/do, is to MAINTAIN THE ORIGINAL ANGLE OF THE EDGE. Unless, of course, you're reprofiling. But that's really not for beginners on good knives.

+1 on the Lansky.

I will admit to never being able to sharpen a knife properly using any method but the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I have tried everything mentioned here (really) and some not - like powered sharpeners. I am not sure what it is about the Sharpmaker (maybe the intuitive ability to draw a knife vertically), but I get a consistent angle of 30 deg. from bolster to tip, and the white stones deliver a sharper edge than factory Spydies.

quote:

Originally posted by kx90:
I've been wanting to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker. My dad and his buddy both have Gatco sharpener kits that they really like.

One thing I noticed is that the Gatco doesn't get that "like brand new" edge on there. Does the Spyderco get closer?

No, the spyder far exceeds any factory sharpened steel (except razors and exactos) that I have ever come across.

Seriously, all of "MY" kitchen knives are shaving sharp.