I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It works well on all but the hardest steels. It comes with medium and fine stones... the manual and DVD explain how to do it. It's not difficult. There are better and more expensive systems out there like the Edge Pro and it's equivalents...just depends how much you want to invest in the system...
I also purchased the Ultra Fine stones for my Sharpmaker to get a more refined edge, but they are not necessary.. For knives with a really hard steel you will have to step up to the diamond stones before you switch over to medium. They are also an extra purchase, I dont have any experience with them though.
There is always a trade off between soft and hard steels. For example Aus8 steel is a softer steel so it's easier to put a sharp edge on your blade, the downside is your edge retention isn't going to last as long as say an S30V steel. However, S30V, being a much harder steel, is harder to sharpen.
Knives and knife steel can be a hobby in and of itself. About 6 years ago I bought a couple of Zero Tolerance 0350 knives and since then have kinda gotten out of the hobby. I found what I liked and went with them. They are overbuilt, American made folders. They have a lifetime warranty with free factory sharpening. I send them in every now and then and the company does a great job on them. But for all my other knives I still use the Sharpmaker sharpening system.
RobertHively wrote:
