The bench is level. It was the first thing I've checked. Also, I measured the angle compared to the base, not to gravity

billym: I haven't given up on Spyderco yet...they're getting a chance to take care of it. I can use the Lansky to fix the bevels, then put the final edge on the blades with the Sharpmaker once it's fixed/replaced. Like backbeveling on the sharpmaker but not with such an aggressive angle.

The reason I'm considering this is that when I was sharpening knives which have harder steel, I noticed that it took A LOT of strokes before I was getting burrs. I never did get any on my Gerber Freeman with the S30V blade...and we're talking about WAY more than the 40 passes recommended by Spiderco. I marked it with a Sharpie and after nearly 100 strokes I'd barely made a dent.

And I can buy a lot of Lansky diamond stones for what the diamond sticks from Spyderco are priced at. I don't like to mix systems because I know the Lansky system's angles aren't exact...but at least they'll be consistent.

Well, if you're using light pressure, there's always the possibility you won;t even raise a burr. THis doesn;t mean the edge isn;t being sharpened. I have 2 S30V blades and I don;t have a problem sharpening them on the SHarpmaker.

I'm hoping Spyderco will still take care of the problem, Hacksaw. If they don;t, it's going to stick in your craw and you might never get the thing to work for you. Hindsight's 20/20, but I think the system should've been shipped back - back in October (back when everybody was saying "Send it back, Man! Send it back!"). Remember?

In the end, look at it this way. IF you can find a production knife, out of the box, where both "edges" are ground at the same angle, you hang on to it because it'll surely be a collector's item. So....having one of the Shaprmaker's angles off by a degree or three, while not right, isn;t the end of the system.

I just heard back from Spiderco. The good news is that they're going to evaluate it and replace it if there is a problem. There really wasn't any fuss or pushback either...they were very happy to help and made mention that the rods are sometimes warped from new (an issue I'd heard of but I don't think this is my problem)

The bad news is that I'm going to have to ship it to them in Colorado out of my own pocket : (

That's warranty I guess.

I'm going to use the down time to try and source the diamond rods. If it's determined that the angles are out, I don't want to spend a crazy amount of time re-profiling all my knives again.

Hacksaw,
You could just wrap the rods with 280 or 320 wet/dry, and grind away. Then go to 400 maybe before using your medium stones. It works, I've done it.

If you cut your strips of wet/dry just right, they'll wrap around the rod so you can clip them with paper binder clips or small sping clips. I admit though, the diamond rods would be nice, but as far as I know they only sell them in fine. I'd want coarse or at least medium to re-bevel (not re-profile) the edge.