Thread: Is the Spyderco UF really that bad?

Hi I have a spyderco UF stone and I wonder what people think of it. What edge it produces and if its considered a good finisher?
How is the edge compared to a naniwa SS 12k or the shapton glass 16k or pro 12/15k for example?

I have read many threads here but they mostly seem to focus on lapping this stone and how hard that is to do.
I have not lapped mine. I simply took a white sharpmaker rod and ran it over the surface to knock the high riding particles off and it seems smooth enough to me now. I also chamfered to corners, but thats it. No diamonds on mine.

I have shaved straight of this stone but its also my only bench stone so I have no real reference. And it was several years ago since I last used it.
I remember it removing almost no material at all.

The reason I'm asking is that now I have a kamisori on order and I might need a new finishing stone. Or simply keep the UF and be happy.
I would be maintaining 1 single razor with my stone.

Aslo another question. I will be getting a shapton pro 1k and a 2k (for kitchen knives) and possibly a 4k glass and a coticule. And a xc dmt for the 1k and 2k.
Can I use a flattened 1k or 2k pro stone to flatten a 15/12k pro stone or coticule?

I get a very good edge off of my un-lapped 8" x 2" Spyderco UF, much sharper than my Coticules but more harsh. A pasted strop can soften the edge a bit. I don't own other synthetic finishing stones so I can't compare them. Personally, I wouldn't use one hone to flatten another I would use the dmt or wet/dry sand paper on a flat surface for lapping.

I wouldn't lap it at all. I'd give it a go as is. Really no need to buy another stone.

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Really no need to buy another stone.

I keep telling myself this, somehow its just not working.

Regarding the Spyderco, it can work to give you a serviceable edge but as already stated, it can be a harsh edge. It's going to work like a barber hone in that only a few strokes should be used. On harder steels, it will have a much greater likelihood to cause chipping. I'm really not a fan of it.

I have experimented with it, including lapping one side, cutting a rubbing stone off the end of it, using it as a substrate for other slurries, and still I think it might work best as a knife hone.

Regarding flattening using one hone on another, it can work but it can cause trouble. The non-flat hone can cause the formerly flat one to no longer be flat, particular if there is a significant difference in hardness of the hones. Especially for the coticule, once you have that flat, it probably will remain flat enough for the rest of your life. There also is always a possibility of transferring and embedding larger grit into a more fine hone.

I also gave mine a break in similar to that recommended for the DMTs to knock off any exceeding high points.

As others have reported, mine displays a swarf pattern slightly curved at about 45 degrees from lengthwise as if a flattening wheel was pressed down on it.

At 60X the surface appears like other fine stones like CNat, welsh slate, norton 8k, i.e., many tiny crystals. It is, however, much harder. With the others, if you can locate the point of a knife under the scope and scrape the surface, you quickly get a pile of 'sand', quartz crystals in the case of the slates. Attempt this with the UF and you draw on it with steel as easily as a pencil on paper with no sand pile.

A few passes of a blade then view with a scope you can easily see the peaks on the UF surface. Similarly, make a pass with a dry erase marker and quickly wipe it mostly off to reveal the valleys.

It seems likely that peaks sticking up higher than their neighbors would cause the chipping described by Utopian.
As the UF is useable dry, holding it at a 45 degree angle allows less than 'weight of the blade' pressure and seems to minimize adverse affects for me.

What type of edge quality do you get from yours? Is it comparable to a glass stone 16k or similar?

I'm just trying to quantify how good or bad this stone is based on what other people think of it (people that have other finishers).

Also regarding lapping/flattening other stones. I've read on many kitchen knife forums that they recommend the XXC or the XC dmt for flattening. (the Xc was the favorite before the XXC was released). I have no problem with using an XC (220 grit or similar I guess) on a 1-2-4k stone, but on a finisher like a 12k.. Well then I'm a bit sceptical. But then again I have never tried it and I only have 1 stone for now.

What do you guys use to flatten high grit stones? Anyone tried using a an XC dmt? What was the result?

I'm a bit hesitant to buy 2 different dmt plates.

I would only use my dmt for flattening since I have another special mini stone made out of boron carbide for chamfering (norton norbide), its like no 3 on the hardness scale after diamond and cbn. And its a solid stick not a thin coating on a plate. Mine has a rough surface. When I initially got my UF I chamfered it with a triangle white sharpmaker stick, and it took forever. But doing the same with the norbide took me like 1 minute and no precious diamonds got dislodged from some plate either. The norbide showed zero wear after doing that too.

I have one, and would compare it to more in the range of 6-8k grit. For me, it doesn't produce a shave ready edge and is better suited to knives over razors.

They finish a razor very well in my experience, very keen edge. It's a little harsher edge than a coticule though, for sure. The "curved lines" you see when there's a little bit of swarf embedded in the surface are simply the grind marks from when the stone was produced. The stones are ground flat with a diamond wheel after they are fired.

They can be lapped to produce a bit better edge, but personally I wouldn't recommend using a diamond plate. I used SiC loose grit to do mine. If you get it smoothed out and nice and flat it gives quite a nice edge, but won't do a whole lot of cutting - so you'll need to use at least an 8k synthetic stone or something equivalent before going to the UF.

The Norbit stick is an interesting idea - are you a machinist? I have a few of those in my toolbox but have never used them for much other than touching up a bench grinder wheel.