Hi I'm Jay and just sub'd because I appreciate your common sense approach to sharpening. Your delivery and terminology just makes the process very simple to follow along. Thanks again.

Thank you so much. I have not been able to get my spyder 110v near factory sharp since i got it. This knife would stick 1/4" into concrete if dropped. I will never buy anything but 110v since using it. A truly super steel.

I’m not sure why people freak out about sharpening these steels...they’re not *that* bad to sharpen if you have some basic skill. Reprofiling, grinding and apexing can be a bit of a chore sometimes but standard sharpening? The first time I went to sharpen k390, I really strapped in for a long one....then had a burr developing within roughly 30 seconds....

Subbed because of the confidence you had sharpening that beautiful Para2 at speed - dude I was nervous but you are obviously experienced! ATB

Man I have been racking my brain learning to sharpen stainless. I've been a die hard 1095 guy for years. This video and your technique with making a bur made all the difference

Great vid. Interesting to see how your sharpening technique has evolved over the last couple of years. I'm now finishing with edge trailing strokes only, per you and a few others.

Damn. You’re amazing dude. I absolutely love your style. Very smart and to the point. You know what you’re talking about

Thanks for this video. I have just ordered a Para 3 with S110V and i'm definitely wanting to make sure I care for and maintain in properly.

I keep a super thin ceramic card that’s glued to the back of a 400 grit diamond plate. It rides in my rigid wallet everyday. I can get a burr back on my k390 knives and be slicing miles of cardboard effortlessly within just a few strokes. I know I’m creating a sabre edge and more blunt with each sharpening without using the diamond so about every 4-5th ceramic touch up I cut it back at 17° on my Worksharp precision adjust. Anyway. I was a gunsmith and always have tools nearby. Been hand sharpening razors since I was 16. Love metallurgy and heat treat with a Paragon double barrel furnace. Much like to your channel.

Wow-- great presentation -- probably the best I've seen so far on KZfaq re knife sharpening. Thank you for the info. I'm looking to get a PM2 S110V blurple this week to add to my endless collection of EDC folders. This video is very helpful.

Thanks again for this Bear! Especially the angle advice. I was so worried about angle that it stopped me from learning how to free hand sharpen. I practiced on my beater s110v Manix lw and have moved on to the pm2/Millie. This method works so well using the work sharp field sharpener (used the guides at first but now I don't) . I can cut cardboard all day no problems now. You were right about the aggression, it's nuts! I'm a lover of s110v now because of your advice. I like that in a previous comment/video you stated to get the steel/grit/angle for the right job. I've found my happy steel it seems. Thanks for all your awesome content and enthusiasm!

I just sharpened my used eBay s110v pm2 and it was actually so easy. Never sharpened a knife before too. I just used a $50 diamond stone from amazon and went to work. Got it hair cutting sharp (although I couldn’t split it or whittle it)

Thanks BBB. S110V makes me think of super steel Steve.

I also use that field sharpener rod to de-burr. Lovely little bit of kit

Hey man just sharpened my Para Military 2 in s110 v for the first time, ive been sharpening my knives since i was 9 or 10 but i had only ever sharpened my Mora and my sak's so i was a little bit hesitant about buying the knife because i didnt know what maintenance would be Like. Because of your Video i decided to get it along with the worksharp field sharpener and 1 Micron compound. Worked pretty well after a brief break in on the Diamond plates and i got a real toothy edge, cuts really agressively and shaves with no problem. Your Video took away any doubt in buying the knife or sharpening it and was the final reason for me to pull the Trigger on the purchase. Thanks for the simple explanation, brought me a lot of Joy using it, merry Christmas man.

Great video. Love the lesson. Just now getting into freehand.

Eraser to clean off the ceramic honing rod is a neat trick. Mine's been dark forever, and normal solvents / soap + water don't really do much for it. A normal eraser actually worked to give it some of it's original abrasiveness back.

Thanks to you i can finally sharpen my PM2 S110V. I just use diamond sharpener like you said. My is DC4 Fallkniven. Thanks again,

Wow….learned not to be afraid of these supersteels, done in 5 minutes! I’m newer to knives, figured sharpening costs/technique were prohibitive. “Polished toothy”, everything doesn’t need to be mirror finished☝

Thanks very much for the advice about leaving the edge "toothy",, I've been wasting my time so much, trying for a "smoother" apex,,, no idea why.!! Ha ha,, I just love a toothy edge, with plenty of "bite",, ps,, my ukpk in S110v is my most carried knife, as I live in the UK,, thanks again for this brilliant video,,, no idea how I missed it years ago,, lol..

Great video answered a lot of questions I had! Thank you 😊 you earned a sub!

That was fast to get a burr. I sharpened my s110v with a king 1000 with no complaints. Took a while but enjoyed every minute.

Thanks BBG as usual very well done .

Totally agree! I hear of people working through multiple grits down to extra fine ceramic. Doesn’t work for me. I go diamond then med or fine ceramic, then 9 micron diamond strop then 3 then 1. Seems to me like a lot of time on the fine ceramics causes micro chipping. I know other people do fine with the ultrafine mirror edge. But I agree with your findings almost exactly. Good job man. Makes me feel like I’m not crazy.

Thanks, man. You're a good instructor.

Thanks for sharing. Im geting more and more in to higer end knifes and its fun to watch. I have a forge and made some knifs but only spring and tool Steel knifs. But after geting som s35vn and m390 knifes i can see way people whant to get more hi end knifes. Thanks for sharing.

Man you really have a skill there.

Thanks, I've got some S110V inbound and I was a little nervous of sharpening it. Cheers :-)

Your videos are the best brother! Thanks

Thanks, I just got the para 3 in s110v, gonna save this video for later

I have sharpened M390 and S90V. They are difficult to sharpen--time consuming--but probably not a s much as S100V. I have found the ceramic stone works so well after sharpening also. I use the strope, but it honestly does not do that much. So many knife sharpening users on KZfaq rave about stroping but ignore the ceramic steel.

This is good to know, I just bought a couple diamond stones for my Edge Pro. Everyone always talks about s110v and some of the other higher vanadium steels being hard to sharpen, but I figured there was more to it, because how else did my my PM2 come so damn sharp from the factory, lol

That's an awesome working edge. I got to have an S110V PM2.

New to learning sharpening on bench instead of hand holding the stone. Its like starting all over again. Man it feels awkward, but i do believe its more precise on getting consistent bevels. Got a long road ahead...

When you dulled the edge like that i cried

Nice easy to follow. Thank you.

Great video... Thank You for the lesson 👍

Good sharpening information

Nice work!

I've experimented with some really polished edges and found that they have diminishing returns for anything other than shaving really really smoothly. I think I'm going to get off the stones at 1000 grit from now on and go straight to the strop to yield those "polished teeth" which seem to be much more useful for an edc knife.

Who makes the 300 grit diamond stone in this video and where can I get one? Thanks for your great videos.

Nice, that knife is a beast to sharpen without diamond stones... I tried, lol. This makes sense, I’ve never seemed to get it stupid sharp with smaller grit, it likes to be toothy for sure.

Thank you for this

That's talent. Thanks for the video.

Very informative video, thank you! ..what do you think of the Spyderco Tri Sharpener ?

How's that video of the diamond waterstones coming along? Really am eager to see them in use and reviewed. Thanks.

Hey BBB! i enjoy so much watching your videos! please tell me, i love using xhp steel with a super toothy edge, lansky coarse dyamond with only leather stropping , stays very shaving , and cut very aggressive cardboard ! I love it! but I wanted a better steel for this super toothy finish, will the s110v is the best for me ? or maxamet be better? thanks !!!

@Big Brown Bear would you mind listing the materials used in this video somewhere maybe in the description possibly with some links maybe even? About how much should this cost to someone JUST getting into these "Super Steel's" and higher end steel's and knives. My sharpening gear is VERY low tech. At this point I'd have to buy new equipment or send it in to the company for sharpening.

Wow, I've certainly been overthinking it this whole time. Thanks for a great video. I spent a couple hours trying to sharpen mine on a lansky and the edge was still garbage afterwards. Will give this simpler method a try

Do your beveals match when your sharpen like this? Mine don't seam to match when I sharpen like this. Thanks

Excuse me, but where did you get that strop compound? Thanks for the video

I have a military with s110v and a sharpmaker with diamond and ultra fine stones in addition to the normal stones it comes with. Are there any tips or tricks to using this system with s110v? Thanks for your help and advice!

I just finished an S90V sharpening with no diamonds... just stayed very coarse to avoid putting any small abrasive particles directly up against carbide particles. I didn't see what all the fuss is about. I was able to raise a burr on a 1000 grit waterstone, refine it on medium ceramic, and then remove the burr on strops. The edge doesn't cut free-hanging-hair, but it can make wavy cuts through thin paper all day.

u got skills bro

I have the exact same Spyderco knife. I need to sharpen it badly. But this seems like a multi-stage steel it's so tough.

I have a Spyderco UKPK in S110v , I dont own any diamond sharpening equipment. Besides the 300ish-grit diamond stone, what else should i invest in to get my S110v sharp.

Is there any other compound I can use besides diamond spray to strop my S 90 V?

hello, I have watched this video multiple times now (along with a bunch of your other videos). I cook for a living and have always sharpened my own stuff for at least 15 years now. Just recently, I have started getting into folding knives and different steels and have really fallen back in love with sharpening. To the point where I find myself "playing" around with different edges and steel types to find what suits my needs best. I am in need of some new stones/equipment and am looking for maybe some recommendations on some new sharpening gear. The reason for this, is that I just purchased a manix 2 lw in s110v and have yet to sharpen it. I have a bunch of Damascus kitchen knives among a ton of other miscellaneous kitchen knives that I have never really paid any attention to the steel, just sharpen as needed. The "highest" end steel that I have worked with that I am aware of to this point is spyderco's s30v (native). I have zero issues sharpening it on normal stones (I believe it's a 1000/4000 stone that has significantly become worn down to where it's no longer flat), no stropping then just using until it needs touching up. I use my knives quite a bit and am usually good about touching the edges up and not letting the knife get completely dull. I am very interested in the work sharp system you have in this video, but can I pick one up and have the versatility I am after as far as how many different knives I sharpen? Sorry for the wordy question and thank you ahead of time for any insight.

What is the grit on your diamond stone ? Thanks for an awesome video.

What stones are there/what would you reccomend? I'm using DMT with the spots but I am having some issues

I basically do the exact same thing but I use an edge pro knock off with Shapton stones 😆

Thanks man-

Looks like a REALLY steep angle, like 25+ degrees a side, is this an optical illusion? My S110V blades hold a great edge around 17*, they keep that edge better than any other steel I own. I keep them polished more shiny than other steels, and they stay sharper for longer.

Great video. Much appreciated. Is it necessary to dull the blade first on the sharpening stone in order to get a burr?

Do you have the link to this pad ?

I am going to call you Big Brown Burr from now on, the master of getting a burr no matter what carbide wall of defiance he faces. The day of reckoning is coming soon, me sharpening my blue Spyderco Military in S110V I have dreaded for some time.

How do you not round the tip?

What diamond compound were you using?

I use a ken onion worksharp on super steels.

This is the way.

Following your short method I used a DMT dia sharp course (probably close the plate you're using) and then the Spyderco Fine benchstone and then strop. I am apexing both sides on both stones, however, i'm not getting this same level of sharpness. Where would I be going wrong?

Hey Sean (Shawn, Spelling? Lol), question for ya bro. At the 3:50 mark you demonstrated “weakening” the burr before moving to the ceramic rod. My question is, was it necessary to use a reverse (stropping) stroke on the stone, or could you simply have used an edge-leading stroke and alternate sides every stroke (same as what you did once you started using the ceramic)? I’ve just always found it awkward to use edge trailing motions on stones. Also, what are your opinions on using circular motions to sharpen on a stone instead of the back and forth scrubbing motions you show here? I really became a fan of circular motions when sharpening because I found that using a scrubbing motion becomes hard when your sharpening something very large (like a sword or machete) or something very heavy (like a hatchet or axe), where in these cases it’s easier to take the stone to the tool, than it is to take the tool to the stone as you would when you use the scrubbing method of sharpening. Furthermore, you can’t use both hands to use a scrubbing method when you use certain sharpening media like rods (obviously because one hand has to hold the rod), or if you use a stone but don’t have a secure platform handy to hold the stone stationary. I’ve found that all of those issues are alleviated when you use circular motions because you only need one hand on the blade, and that frees up your other hand to hold the stone so you don’t need to worry about stable platforms and/or stone holders, and if the tool being sharpening is large or awkward, you can take the stone to the tool and the motion doesn’t change. Instead of moving the tool in circles, you move the stone in circles; it’s certainly a lot less awkward than moving the stone in a scrubbing motion. You can also use circular motions on rods without issue. And you can sharpen any size of tool with any size of sharpening stone (ie: I can sharpen a 26” machete with a 3” pocket stone) because you simply move the stone in circular motions along the entire length of the edge. Anyways, just curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks bro, and great vids man! Btw, what state are you from?

I have a set of 3 DMT diamond whetstones. Could I expect the same results with those instead of the Worksharp?

What is the system you are using here?

I'm thinking about getting this exact knife, and was wondering about what sharpening system to buy along with it. I've narrowed it down to the Lansky with the diamond hones and it's stropping hone or the Work Sharp with the Upgrade Kit. Even if I have no sharpening experience should I go with the Work Sharp? I feel like it's better in every way except for it being harder to use, but I think I could learn it well enough to sharpen something like S110V.

Good video. Just don't understand how you keep a consistent angle the way your doing this.

Quick question, can Shapton glass stones cut the vanadium carbides effectively? They should be harder than the ceramic stones. Is diamond really the only way to properly sharpen high vanadium steels without tearing the carbides out?

That’s the way I do it. Except I never use my other hand. Been doing it 30 years the same way. I even have the same sharpener. Well I have multiple that’s just one of them.

I don't have any high end steel yet in my knives but I am just learning to sharpen free hand.i was going to buy a dmt coarse stone do you agree it's a good long term buy.atb paddy

Hey Bear. You are buff and hairy like a bear. Me too. :) NOICE video. Sorry, but I'm new here. Mind telling me which stones you sharpen with and what you think of those ridiculously high end and high priced Japanese water stones? Shapton, Chosera, etc. Thanks!

Trying to sharpen that exact same blade.. what a son of an onion it is!!

I appreciate this is an old video but will you not end up with uneven bevels if you sharpen one side more than the other?

Hey Sean/Shaun/Shawn, What diamond spray do you use? I know there are a lot of diamond sprays/emsulsions/whatever the hell you want to call it and I was wondering what you would suggest.

Hey Shaun thanks for the great video. Is there anyway i can dm you? Id need to get some advice on stones and diamonds for steels i have s110 being one. Keep up the good work and ill hope to talk with ya

Just bought a maxamet pm2 and s110v pm3 and I'm about to send the maxamet back when it gets here. I'm scared of it breaking... Should I just hang onto it? What angles do you use and what grit?

I just cant get it done. I get it work sharp but just cant get any sharper. This is the only steel i cant get past

Every time I see you dull a knife I think a piece of my soul dies. Great vid nonetheless mate. I can't really tell from the vid, but do you angle up as you reach the tip (when forming the burr)?

Do you test or check for slicing aggression or slicing sharpness? If so, can I ask how? I am wanting to get a polished edge that push cuts well and will still slice. Thank you!

Does cbn work pretty good too?

Anyone struggling with s110v i would say light touch i repeat light touch. I can get an perfect edge with DMT fine and Spyderco ultrafine but i can't atm explain why light touch is so important in bringing up that razor edge on this steel.

You sharpen for customers?

I know allot of ppl that would love to argue with you that you don't need to form a burr. I don't fully understand it yet, I get there argument against forming a burr even if I don't fully believe the drawbacks of burr formation. But at the same time I think you'd have to form a minor burr no matter what.

Sharpening material available. User unable...

Oh man im 1000 like

This is about roughly... 17” I am holding

Be smart - buy a GOOD jig. People talk about muscle memory often. However, that only applies if you sharpen often and use the EXACT same angle. Even then, tipping even one degree adds time to your sharpening efforts [to get back where you were] and requires removing more metal off your valued knife. Meanwhile, many of us are dealing with about twenty different angles. Good luck with muscle memorying that. For example: - Kitchen knives have at several different angles (Japanese, vs European, fillet knives, skinning knives, paring knives, etc.). On some, there is only one angle on one side, rather than "inclusive" angles. - Carving knives have a couple different angles. - Wood chisels have four or so angles. - Lathe knives have compound angles, angles on curved steel and so on. Angles for bowls are different than for spindles. Then there is the carbide thing. - Carving chisels are like lathe knives, but with just one angle. - Meat cleavers are dull compared to a Japanese knife. - Pocket knives have different flavors of angles too. - Lawn mowers are way dull compared to the above, to survived the abuse they take, and rely on high speed to get the job done. - A straight razer angle wouldn't last long on a knife dedicated to cardboard. - Exacto blades can last decades, after the stock tip breaks and you put a new one on, Then there is that sharp cutting angle. - I forget what my draw knives like. - Wood planes are a different animal . - Axes are interesting. - Scissors are interesting too. - Pruners, I have to look that angle up each time. - Garden hoes, when weeding, play well with a file and a guess though. - A scythe is pretty fussy about its angle and may even involve a hammer and peeing, if you want efficiency. In the end, sharp knives spoil you. As a good chef if he/she would use dull knives, if he/she had choices.

I had the exact same PM2 in S110V and I could never get it razor sharp like the rest of my knives. it was semi sharp at best.....and then it would lose it's edge in no time. no matter what I tried it was never a super sharp knife. I could never understand what people were raving about this steel so much. I thought it was complete garbage and got rid of it as soon as I could now I just stick to S30V and D2.....I don't even bother with any of the super steels. I'm a user, not a collector. I'm in Canada so knives are really expensive. whatever the price is in the US.......double or triple the price to get what we have to pay after the exchange rate, shipping, and all the taxes

Hmm.

Like the content. Turn off your autofocus

Use a KME or wicked edge sharpening system problem solved