Decent knife sharpener

[Texasslinger]

Hey gang. Got my collection going of knives and wanted to know some decent inexpensive handheld knife sharpener. Was inconclusive on my search here regarding sharpeners. Any help would be appreciated

 

[jbcalhoun]

Lansky is the best I've ever used. You can't go wrong.

Brad

 

[40Arpent]

Search on sharpener, several threads. Here's one: http://www.texasguntalk.com/forums/gear-accessories/28104-knife-sharpeners.html

 

[shortround]

The best knife sharpener ever discovered is the Arkansas stone with some light machine oil and a rag to wipe away the dirty oil. That should be followed up with a steel and a leather strap.

The next best is the simple hand-held "Smith's Sharpener" made-in-china knife sharpener found at Wal Mart and Academy for less than ten bucks.

 

[Medic218]

Lansky is the best I've ever used. You can't go wrong.

Brad

x2

 

[scap99]

Spyderco Sharp Maker


Tapatalk sent it.

 

[M. Sage]

Lansky and Gatco make good kits. The better tools you buy, the better edge you'll get. A good, cheap hand-held that will get you an OK edge (as long as the blade isn't too far gone) is the Gatco Tri-Seps. The downside is that you have to know what you're doing and be able to hold the proper angle without a guide or clamp. If you're new to sharpening, or don't know what 22 degrees has to do with sharpening a knife, get a Lansky or Gatco kit with the angle guide and clamp. Then set it up for a 22 degree angle.

 

[AKM]

Or just ship your knives to M. Sage lol

 

[Texasjack]

The sharpening device is not the important part of the activity. The "sharpener" - i.e., the guy doing the sharpening is the key. For that reason, any question on "what sharpener?" is always going to produce a long list of possibilities. Some people like the Lansky, but few knifemakers use it. You can do an amazing job of putting an edge on a knife with a series of sandpapers taped on a flat surface (like glass) - a method woodworkers call "Scary Sharp". Good old Arkansas stones are hard to beat. The Japanese make some water stones that will sharpen a knife to surgical levels. All sharpening systems leave a wire edge on the knife, so you need to finish it on a leather strop.

Ceramic rods also do a great job, provided that you don't get the knife too dull to begin with. (In a pinch, you can sharpen a knife on the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.)

Some steels are easy to sharpen - 1080, 1095, O1 - some are difficult - D2, ATS34 - some are extremely hard and require a lot of patience - BG-42, S30V. You can touch up an O1 blade with a fine stone, but you might have to work a series of grits to get S30V from dull to sharp. Of course, if the knife is hard to sharpen, then you don't want to let it get too dull - and that affects how you get it sharp as well.

Knife sharpening is a skill (like shooting) and requires some effort to do well. Don't worry so much about the "system" - find one you are comfortable with and use it 'till you know it. An outdoors writer some years back made the great suggestion that you go get all the knives in the kitchen (which are usually dull) and use them to practice on.

 

[stdreb27]

I use Japanese water stones for my blades, and razors. But it takes time.

 

[Red78]

Count me as one of those who never could "get it" with regard to stones, steels, etc. Could not get a sharp edge, period. Got the same result with every gadget I tried. Then I saw a Work Sharp at a gun show. I purchased one a while later, and I will say that I've finally found one that works. It will get any knife shaving sharp, and that's what I've been looking for. Link to the Work Sharp website it below. You can find better prices at other websites such as Amazon. Highly recommend this tool, especially for those who have problems using stones/steels.

Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener | Work Sharp Tools

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

Lansky when I have time, Fallkniven DC4 when I'm out and about and need a touch up.

I need to get a strop. It makes the difference between having a workable blade and a blade that shaves. Right now I just wing it with a belt or cardboard I have around.

http://graybear.com.au/gear/fallkniven-dc4/
Quote: "...The truth is, if it sharpens, its the right way for you...."

 

[jtriron]

Spyderco Sharp Maker


This is the sharpening kit I use also, however YOU have to be sharp enough to hold the blade at a 90 degree angle.

 

[M. Sage]

The sharpening device is not the important part of the activity. The "sharpener" - i.e., the guy doing the sharpening is the key. For that reason, any question on "what sharpener?" is always going to produce a long list of possibilities. Some people like the Lansky, but few knifemakers use it. You can do an amazing job of putting an edge on a knife with a series of sandpapers taped on a flat surface (like glass) - a method woodworkers call "Scary Sharp". Good old Arkansas stones are hard to beat. The Japanese make some water stones that will sharpen a knife to surgical levels. All sharpening systems leave a wire edge on the knife, so you need to finish it on a leather strop.

Ceramic rods also do a great job, provided that you don't get the knife too dull to begin with. (In a pinch, you can sharpen a knife on the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.)

Some steels are easy to sharpen - 1080, 1095, O1 - some are difficult - D2, ATS34 - some are extremely hard and require a lot of patience - BG-42, S30V. You can touch up an O1 blade with a fine stone, but you might have to work a series of grits to get S30V from dull to sharp. Of course, if the knife is hard to sharpen, then you don't want to let it get too dull - and that affects how you get it sharp as well.

Knife sharpening is a skill (like shooting) and requires some effort to do well. Don't worry so much about the "system" - find one you are comfortable with and use it 'till you know it. An outdoors writer some years back made the great suggestion that you go get all the knives in the kitchen (which are usually dull) and use them to practice on.

+1. I've used (and still do sometimes) lathe tool blanks as steels to touch up my blades. Whatever works, works. Use it and be happy.

 

[CachookinLA]

Hey gang. Got my collection going of knives and wanted to know some decent inexpensive handheld knife sharpener. Was inconclusive on my search here regarding sharpeners. Any help would be appreciated

Spyderco Sharpmaker. Invest in the diamond stones; they remove steel like nobody's buisness, great for very dull or hard-to-sharpen knives.

/

 

[Wabbit69]

The sharpening device is not the important part of the activity. The "sharpener" - i.e., the guy doing the sharpening is the key. For that reason, any question on "what sharpener?" is always going to produce a long list of possibilities. Some people like the Lansky, but few knifemakers use it. You can do an amazing job of putting an edge on a knife with a series of sandpapers taped on a flat surface (like glass) - a method woodworkers call "Scary Sharp".

Funny you mention that. I've got a Lansky Diamond system for my knives. For my chisels and plane irons, I use Si-C wet-dry paper on a piece of plate glass. Austin Bolt sell sheets all the way to 2000 grit. With a good iron and a properly tuned chip-breaker and frog setup, I can get whisper thin curls of red oak with almost no effort from my #7 jointer plane.

 

[Shuutr]

Count me as one of those who never could "get it" with regard to stones, steels, etc. Could not get a sharp edge, period. Got the same result with every gadget I tried. Then I saw a Work Sharp at a gun show. I purchased one a while later, and I will say that I've finally found one that works. It will get any knife shaving sharp, and that's what I've been looking for. Link to the Work Sharp website it below. You can find better prices at other websites such as Amazon. Highly recommend this tool, especially for those who have problems using stones/steels.

Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener | Work Sharp Tools

I know it's been a while, but do you still think the work sharp knife and tool sharpener was a good investment?

 

[Shorts]

The sharpening device is not the important part of the activity. The "sharpener" - i.e., the guy doing the sharpening is the key. For that reason, any question on "what sharpener?" is always going to produce a long list of possibilities. Some people like the Lansky, but few knifemakers use it. You can do an amazing job of putting an edge on a knife with a series of sandpapers taped on a flat surface (like glass) - a method woodworkers call "Scary Sharp". Good old Arkansas stones are hard to beat. The Japanese make some water stones that will sharpen a knife to surgical levels. All sharpening systems leave a wire edge on the knife, so you need to finish it on a leather strop.

Ceramic rods also do a great job, provided that you don't get the knife too dull to begin with. (In a pinch, you can sharpen a knife on the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.)

Some steels are easy to sharpen - 1080, 1095, O1 - some are difficult - D2, ATS34 - some are extremely hard and require a lot of patience - BG-42, S30V. You can touch up an O1 blade with a fine stone, but you might have to work a series of grits to get S30V from dull to sharp. Of course, if the knife is hard to sharpen, then you don't want to let it get too dull - and that affects how you get it sharp as well.

Knife sharpening is a skill (like shooting) and requires some effort to do well. Don't worry so much about the "system" - find one you are comfortable with and use it 'till you know it. An outdoors writer some years back made the great suggestion that you go get all the knives in the kitchen (which are usually dull) and use them to practice on.

This is pretty good input here.

I'm using an old school Craftsman two sided stone and a leather strop on my knives. Gives me an edge that I can trim skirt & flank for fajitas or trim up ribs without needing two hands to hold the meat in place. If a knife does that, it is sharp enough for my needs.

 

[Shuutr]

But if you don't want to put in the time to hone the skill, how is the gadget? Worth it?

 

[dcpotts@gmail.com]

If you dont want to put in the time, the Worksharp... any of them really- but they have a new Ken Onion signature (?) version of the WorkSharp Knife Sharpener...
And as was mentioned by someone else, I'm a BIG fan of fine grit auto-body sandpaper on a rubber mouse.