knife newbie

Well I just got my first real knife as a gift. BM mini griptilian. This thing is sharp! Any knife advice for me? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker to keep your Mini Grip shave-sharp. You won't regret it.
Did you get a grip with oval hole or thumbstud? I love the Griptilians and have a 555, 556 and 552.

Mine has a thumbstud and uses 440C. I thought I read somewhere that it uses another type of steel too... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

The Griptilians are nice knives with the wondeful Axis lock. Good start for a 'knive newbie'. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Make sure you sharpen your knive carefully on the Sharpmaker. Eventhough it is easy to use, if not done carefully you might dull/round your tip by accident.

That be why I don't like the Sharpmaker. Too easy to do that by far.
Lansky works better, but is a bigger hassle to set up.
IMHO.

Biggest advice I give folks I know who have bought their first knife is to keep some toothpicks and Q-tips handy. Clean the pivot and lock areas regularly. If you don't, even an AXIS lock will fail to completely lock up. The lint and dirt will wedge the lock and allow the blade to close under pressure (usually at the wrong time). A good, sharp knife with a cruddy lock can result in some really sore fingers. Use the toothpicks & Q-tips to swab out the crud that builds up from being in your pocket every day.

Wanna bet you've got stuff in your pockets that you don't want in your knife? Just pull your pockets inside out right now -- I bet that there's quite a bit of lint and stuff along the seam. BTW, to keep that stuff from building up as quickly, just pull the pockets inside out when you toss them into the wash.

And you probably don't want that stuff on your lights either -- not only dirties up the light but might scratch 'em up, too.

Be wary of leather sheaths, too. Some tanning compunds can cause a knife to rust very, very quickly.

Just a few hints.

-(a different) Craig

Sharpmaker is a good way to waste $50.

[ QUOTE ]
Frangible said:
Sharpmaker is a good way to waste $50.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is timely.

which relatively inexpensive and simple-to-use knife sharpener would you recommend for a newbie!

Bob

Heck if I know. The only thing they've seemed to sharpen so far is the edge of my wallet . I've heard praise for the Lansky, but I'm a bit disinclined to spend another $120 on a knife sharpener that will "hopefully, maybe work" this time. If you go with the Lansky let me know how it works out for you.

There are knife sharpening FAQ's on other forums and websites. This is an area for huge debate. Do a little (or even alot of) research, but more importantly, ask some knife guys in your area for help. You'll form your own opinions.

Finding the proper angle and maintaining it are always the keys to sharpening. However, there are even questions as to how sharp do you really need your knife to be (depends on what you want to cut).

BTW, don't test the edge of a knife on your thumb -- most folks don't carry bandaids. And shaving the hair off your arm isn't something a novice (or anyone else) should do, either. Cutting yourself seeing how sharp the knife is will make your wife and kids laugh at you.

Best to see if it will cut or slice a piece of paper that's loosely held.

For what it's worth, I use a Lansky system, but I've got several knives and they may require different angles. Also, I'm terrible at getting the muscle memory thing to work for the different angles for three different knives (do some research and that'll make sense).

Enjoy your knife!

-(a different) Craig

i have a lansky system and it gets all my plain edges very sharp - i plan on getting a serrated stone for it asap

Awesome first knife! THe mini-grip is handy, small, and functional to a T! I have got good results with the Sharpmaker, and find the Lansky seems to be too much trouble and fuss.

daloosh

would a sharpmaker work with kitchen knives?

Bob

Yes,it will work on kichen knives.
The mini Grip also came in D2 steel as a exclusive run for Cabelas.
A note here.I have a 204 and it is a great system but it is not made to sharpen extremely dull knives.It takes a long time to reprofile an edge useing it but to keep a sharp knife sharp there is none better.If you want to sharpen really dull knives with it,you can get the diamond rods for it and they will make short work of the job.

Hey pedalinbob, J Smith is right, the 204 is great for your kitchen knives. We have an assortment of Wusthof Trident knives, and the Sharpmaker keeps 'em humming along nicely.

daloosh

I have a mini griptilian and love it. Easy one hand open and close, very sharp. For sharpening I have had good luck with a Meyerco Sharpen-It. See the evaluation at the bottom of the article.

The Spyderco 204 will do most anything with the addition of the diamond stones (albeit a bit pricey), and is great for everyday use and touching up knives. However, the lansky is easier to reprofile with (especially if you haven't used the 204 much).

The 204 works well... once your edge is as thin or thinner than the preset angles