The Hapstone RS Sharpening System: An Hour-Long Quick Shabazz Review 

Loved this review. It felt real because it is real. It felt like I had done the unboxing and was using it for the first time. Thanks Nick!👋👋

This long form vid is good. The instructional value it provides is tremendously helpful.

I get open mine in 3 days, perfect timing!!! Thanks Nick.

Love the comedic energy of a great Nick Shabazz video. Hope all is well and Happy Holidays Nick.

Happy Holidays. Thanks for the informative video. It was a topic that took an hour, I jumped ahead if I got bored. That's a nice sharpener system.

Thanks for the video, today I needed something just like that

I ve been using the Hapstone RS with Venev and diamond plate stones for 3-4 weeks and so far I like it . I like the compactness and how the slider goes through the tube on the stone holder . I used to have to do one side at a time but now with the flip thing a burr isn’t an issue anymore .

This is better than White Christmas while wrapping presents on my workbench! Thanks for making an appearance this holiday weekend, ‘saint’ Nick! I hope Santa brings you a new zombie knife!

Nick, you are wrong about the angle finder. If you put it on the place marked "zero level" and zero the level, then place it on the "Hapstone" on the stone holder with a knife in the clamp, it does tell you the sharpening angle.

I hap a wonderful time watching the full video. Thanks for that. Looks like a great rod-based system. Im going to look into it now. Love the fact its Ukrainian.

I love my Hapstone RS. Ive had it for about 3 weeks now and i love it. I was going to try out the CBN stones but the venev centaur stones are alot cheaper and great quality.

Excellent video! Thank you

Put two tight O rings on the rod as a travel limiter.

I have this unit and the KME and I can say without question you get an equal edge from both. One isn’t better than the other. However, the KME Deluxe with 4 diamond stones is cheaper and USA made. But I still love both units.

Thanks for posting the whole set -up and sharpening . It really is good to see everything . I just purchased this unit and am waiting for them to ship it now ... I didn`t buy those stones (CBN) that`s a crazy price ,imo) but got a mid priced diamond instead . I don`t have need for that type of polish . I want sharp ... Good job ...

Not seen even one minute but I'm very very happy for a new review here and the more time I can watch the better. Exited for this one

The reason the flipper unit can be removed is because they have different modules like a scissor sharpener, chisel sharpener, different magnetic flat plates and so on.

The magnet and ball thingy seems like a great idea but the rod in a rod not so much. They shoulda drilled the ball. That way they could have had stop collars which are a nice thing to avoid having to be careful with the length of the stroke.

perfect this is my evening sorted

Thanks Nick, enjoyed the whole video, was looking to try a fixed blade SS and was wondering if other stones would fit that 45’ fitting slots that those stones attach with ? Hope you got a polished edge on your watch band 🤣

Like the video Nick, I wanted to see the system in action for a while. I agree the rod should have some stops on it. Other than that it looks like a good system

Really interesting setup

Hey, sorry for the offtopic but what bracelet do you have on the Seiko? I love the watch but hate the factory bracelet, especially the diver extension that digs into my wrist.

Love it that the Nick can make so much fun of himself😁

Looks good!

I just bought this exact system a month ago 11/23. I sure wish I could have got a set of stones like you did. Seems like they gave you a bonus. However, it does work quite well and easy to use. Note: if you buy this, you will not get any stones at all.

Hi Nick, I'm thinking of upgrading to this system from a DMT Aligner and saving cash by initially using my 4" DMT stones. Have you tried it with your 4" KME stones? Would it be workable?

Long Shabazz videos have big Bob Ross energy.

Thanks 👍

What would you recommend for a hobbyist/home use? The Hapstone RS or the KME?

the absolute fastest way to sharpen with this is silicon carbide mold polish at 120 and 240 grits. What I do is reprofile down to below 13 dps with those and microbevel on spyderco sharpmaker. Did 15V manix and K390 endura within 30 minute each.

Love the video! What’s the watch?

"Only thing we have to sphere, is sphere itself" 😂😂😂

I love when videos are an hour long but referred to as "quick" as a joke. Reminds me of patricianTVs 8 hour long "Morrowind a quick retrospective"

Remember Metallic bonded cbn or diamond stones can not be lapped the traditional way. They require a chemical lapping. I use ferric chloride to lap my Metallic bonded stones, a 20/30 second etch is all it takes to restore the stones to cutting like new.

Great video and a good look at the system. Are we supposed to ignore the batman situation?

Angle finder: There's a neon sign pointing toward the reference surface where you zero the angle finder, then move it to the stone holder. Personally I don't care about the angle either and just try to match the factory bevel.

What do you do if you want to change angle? If you practice with the angle cube you will find it's usefulness and accuracy. Many of the cubes are "lazy" in minute angle changes and are not well suited for this task, I strongly suggest to try the Klein angle cube, the longer one is even better if it will fit where needed. The manufacturers do such a poor job of establishing an edge I prefer to not use sharpie to establish my edge, I choose 20 dps for hard use knives and 17 dps for better steels and edc, mirror etc. I've always found it funny that so many high-end knife owners you ask them about their knife and they can tell you about the steel, the handle, the designer and manufacturer, but then ask about the most important part of a knife the edge, what angle do you sharpen at... uh, sharpie... Take care, be well.

I don't know if an hour of Nick is a blessing or a curse

More vids please

Could you use O Rings as stops on the rod?

Got my Hapstone R2 a couple of days ago, which seems like the bigger brother of this one. So far it seems like a really cool and reliable piece of equipment, more industrial than the RS, which I like. It's good to see a valid sharpening system not coming from Russia's military-industrial complex.

Just from eyeing the edge near the tip it does look like it very subtly begins to re-curve.

I just sat through an hour of Nick Shabazz sharpening a knife and don't feel like I wasted a second!! The HapStone system looks great! Thanks for the video! I also believe that you set your angle with the 2000 grit. Is that what caused the discoloration?

Painters tape the handles to avoid scratches

Bought the KME, years ago, when it first was introduced, and used it as a learning tool. Since then (a decade) I have become a very competent freehand sharpener, and think that should probably be most people's endgame: Once you've mastered freehand sharpening (built the requisite "muscle memory") your "sharpening system" consists of your brain and a double-sided pocket stone like the Worksharp Guided Field Sharpener® which consists of two stones, a ceramic rod and stropping leather affixed to a single object that's cheaper than 1 of these Ukrainian CBN stones. Bonus: The Worksharp, zippered case fits in your backpack -- or pocket in a pinch -- and will teach you how to produce a serviceable knife edge on a river rock, in an emergency. A "garden knife" (suitable for pushing lava rocks hither and yon) can be "hair-popping" in five minutes with an under-$40 Amazon purchase. Or, you can drop a grand on a "guided system" that will produce a showroom finish in half an hour -- and maybe purchase a separate, Italian leather travel satchel for it because, why not? The only downside (in addition to the second-mortgage cost) -- in the absence of your NASA-engineered, Grimsmo-cost sharpening system -- is that if you're traveling (camping, whatever) the knife in your pocket will dull, and your sharpening solution is back in your shop.

There's probably no stop because it would knock the magnetic ball off. Seems like a bad design choice but I guess you could make the argument that hitting stops negatively affects the cut due to the jolt it gets. I'm more concerned with the telescoping action and the play you might get towards the end of the stroke.

So I would hate to tell Nick Shabazz the great he did something wrong but if you go the same direction with the stone, not circles and such and only up to the tip or down to the heal, you will have consistent micro teeth for a better cutting experience.

Is he wearing a Batman mask? lol

Had this system, used it a few times before reselling it. Unless you're completely OCD with the sharpness of your knifes, this is way too bulky and inconvenient a system. Bought the HORL 2 sharpening system: cheaper, faster, does the job just fine.

You are working off camera a lot.

Slava Ukraini

That horrible question must arise once more - Is this $279 item better than learning to sharpen on a regular whetstone? 1.Is it fast? No, it's the same as every other clamping system which requires assembly, adjustment, and flipping out the little stones. They're still slower than learning to use a whetstone. 2.Is it cheaper than a whetstone? No, a Shapton 120, 320, and 1000 + strop + 8 hours practice on a whetstone which will sharpen almost any kind of knife damage for normal kitchen knives still costs less and has greater flexibility. If you bought King stones which are cheaper still, you could fit more practice into that. 3.Is the quality of the edge you get better than the whetstone? It's certainly going to be more precise than an amateur sharpening, but I would say that it could come up to a similar quality as a whetstone...SO YAY! Yes, this can do a thing goodly! 4.Can you sharpen anything *besides* knives on it? Axes? Gardening tools? Scissors? Hair shears? No. 5.Can you sharpen a Japanese style single-bevel knife? I don't see *how*. So, again, as with every other one of these systems...defeated by the way we've done stuff for 3 million years.

Mine has been stuck at the sorting center in Austin Tx. for 8 days now. Ruined getting it for Christmas. Grrrrrr!!!! Thanks USPS!!! Picked it up from Grit O Matic. Wonderful people to do business with! KnifeMaker

Glory to Ukraine!