Spyderco - Tri-Angle White Sharpening Stone with Ultra-Fine-Grit for Professional-Grade Finishing and Polishing - 204UF1

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!

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.

These sticks are great!! A great addition to the Sharpmaker system. Some of my knives now are "scary" sharp. There are a couple things to keep in mind though. If you can't get a good knife really sharp using the basic Sharpmaker these sticks won't help you - like all sharpening methods - you need the proper technique. The quality of steel is also a factor, these sticks are extremely fine so they are of little help when used on low quality steels. These sticks do not remove much steel, they hone or polish your edge. As to price, I paid less than $35 for two sticks - stones from Arkansas or Japan in the same grit/mesh/micron range are more expensive. Note - As I go through my users, touching them up with the new sticks - I have seen improvement over all steels but, as I said before - the better the steel, the more impact. I can get AUS-8 very sharp but, it doesn't stay that way. My BG-42 blades seem to love whatever the mesh/grit/micron rating is - one is a little neck knife by Kit Carson - it catches and lops off hair without touching skin. Can' t wait to get to the S30V stuff - it seems that finer grain = sharper - is true. But, how long that lasts is the next question.

In all honestly you probably don't need these stones. The fine stones that come with your Sharpmaker will get your knives plenty sharp. This is for the obsessive folks (like me) who want to take it to the next level. If you're looking to get that mirror finish on your knives this will do it for you. In terms of increased sharpness, your mileage may vary, but I'd estimate 10-20% sharper. The trick with these stones, and the rest of the stones in the set for that matter, is that you want to spend more time on the lower grit before hitting the higher grit or you'll be wasting your time. The only reason I gave them 4 stars instead of 5 is because the the stones aren't perfectly smooth. On some of the edges there are divets which make those edges unusable. I've instpected 4 of these stones and 3 of the 4 had these divets on their edges. Luckily it's usually only one of the three edges that have the divets so you still have 2 usable edges. Hope this helps!

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