Best general + kitchen sharpeners

[mountainranger]

Already have high grit sandpaper + mouse pad for convex sharpening of my BRKT knives, and was going to pick up a 2 sided 4 in. fine/medium diamond hone like this by Hewlett, one side has 600 grit and the other 1800 grit, for general sharpening:

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SharpeningCatalog.html

and then realized I needed a longer sharpener for long kitchen knives, like this:

Three Sided 12 in. Diamond Stick, $49
http://www.ragweedforge.com/SharpeningCatalog.html

1) With the Three-Sided 12 in. Diamond Stick, would the Two Sided 4 in Diamond hone be necessary (except for portability)?

2) Would this little Gerber Pocket Sharpener be enough for kitchen sharpening? http://safezonellc.com/gerbersharpener.html

3) Are there any sharpening tools you'd recommend instead of these? Looking for 2-3 good, dependable sharpening tools

 

[lotoblades]

I've used most of the big brands in diamond sharpeners, and I can say I've been happiest with hewlett. They just seem to cut faster and clog less than dmt in my experience. I've had a couple of there "jewel sticks" for 5 or 6 years and they are excellent! I bought the large 3 sided steel for kitchen knives but after using it I use it on every type of blade, from pocket knives to thick bladed military fixed blades with no complaints. The course side cuts faster than my x course dmt, the medium side is good for most touch ups, and the fine will leave a nice polished shaving edge. I also have the two sided 4 inch plate, I have the course and medium and it works great as well. I have sharpened hundreds of knives on the large 3 sided steel , including a lot of re-profiling thick blades and have to say its my favorite all around sharpener. I do prefer a flat plate for Scandinavian grinds though.

 

[mountainranger]

Thanks lotoblades. On another knifeforum Mike Stewart said (and I highly respect his opinion): "Why would you sharpen your kitchen knives any differently than all of your other knives ?

Diamond stones leave a coarse toothy edge.

I'm not seeing why that would be better then a nice refined edge like your field knives.

I use a Diamond Nothing for sharpening anything.

Just my humble opinion."

Asked what he would suggest using and looking forward to his response. Would anyone suggest using the same fine grit sandpaper over mousepad that I use for my BRKT convex grind field knives for kitchen knives?

For kitchen knives looking for fast regular touch up so that they slice efficiently and safely.

 

[mountainranger]

Hope you guys are enjoying the summer and can spare a few minutes to help me with some sharpening advice for keeping field knives as well as kitchen knives sharp.

1) Which grits (and brands if certain are better) and size paper of sandpaper would you recommend using for sharpening field user knives as well as kitchen knives?

Currently I have fine grit sandpaper plus a mousepad to sharpen several convex Bark River field knives.

2) Where's a good place to purchase a good quality strop at a good value? Which strop maker/model do you recommend? How long should it last?

3) Which techniques would you use with sandpaper to get different edges, like scandi, convex, etc.? With convex the mouse pad method works quite well for me. But not sure how to use sandpaper effectively for other edges.

4) Can you point me toward good sharpening instructions or a video?

All advice much appreciated.

 

[Jason B.]

Field sharpening, DMT diafolds coarse & fine or a fallkniven DC4.

For kitchen knives it depends on the knife, average cheap kitchen knives a 600 or 1200 diamond hone is fine. High end Japanese kitchen knives would be best done on waterstones.

Sandpaper is nice for convex but for other edge types I prefer stones because they don't wear to different grit levels, last longer, and don't have a repeat cost which can actually add up to more than the price of a stone.