Best Sharpener for someone not into knives (yet)?

M

MeanStreaker

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Jan 13, 2006
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I gifted a CV Sodbuster Jr to my dad awhile back. He's 65 and has never previously carried a pocket knife.

He's now converted in the sense that he tells me all the time about how useful it is and how he'll never be without it. He must use it as it usually needs a good sharpening when they visit our place.

I would like to get him a sharpening system, but I'm positive he won't be interested in learning to use a stone, and I bet even something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker would be too much "hassle" for him to set up , or he'd get on me for spending $70 so he can sharpen his $15 pocket knife.

So what should I look at considering his birthday is coming up? I have no idea if any of those little V-shaped pocket sharpeners are actually any good? What else is dead simple and can do a good enough job for someone who isn't really a knife nut yet? Thanks!
 
My father-in-law used to have a basic AG Russel ceramic sharpener. He loved it.
 
Perhaps the lanskey turn box crock sticks ? I've considered this for the same reasons but haven't tried
 
I don't claim to be an expert at knife sharpening.... However I have tried most of the sharpening methods from belt sanders, paper wheels, Edge Pro, and stones. I think the easiest and best for him would be a WorkSharp. Not only can he sharpen his knife.. he can keep all the kitchen knives very sharp very easily. It does not take much time for setup. It is very easy to change belts. The only problem... it does run about $70 .... but it will be useful for all the knives he has and will do a good job.

I am not a fan of the V Knife pocket systems... I think they are mostly good for simple touch ups and not good if the knife is very dull.
 
JohnIrish said:
I don't claim to be an expert at knife sharpening.... However I have tried most of the sharpening methods from belt sanders, paper wheels, Edge Pro, and stones. I think the easiest and best for him would be a WorkSharp.

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If I think he might not pull out a SharpMaker and throw some rods in holes, there's no way he'd be into anything needing belts like the WorkSharp. But thanks.
 
A simple Lansky set is a pretty decent bang for the buck to be honest. You won't be getting mirror polished edges with it, but they are very functional and seems like it would be a good fit for your Dad.
 
If you see each other frequently, you could get him another sod buster and tell him when one gets dull, put the other one in his pocket and give the dull one to you to sharpen.

The other thing i could recommend is pre treated strop like the Knives Plus strop to maintain a sharp edge longer. Takes no setup, no maintenance, and super easy and therapeutic to do.
 
If setting up the Sharpmaker is too much hassle, just go get him a cheap pull through sharpener from any hardware, big box, grocery store, etc. Then if it's too much of a hassle for him to pull it out of the drawer, let him suffer with a dull knife until you can sharpen it for him.
 
One of those pocket diamond rods might be OK. Simple to use, if you are patient, and for basic stainless or carbon it should be no problem.
 
Txjohn said:
Perhaps the lanskey turn box crock sticks ? I've considered this for the same reasons but haven't tried
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I'd go for this option. I have the two pair version, it was pretty cheap and it works well. I use SAKs and Opinels as working knives on the croft and they get eaten up quite badly. The course (brown) rods work well for re-profiling and the fine rods touches them up to a serviceable sharpness. It's very portable too which is why I bought it.
 
i have lansky crock sticks and most recently a spyderco sharpmaker. i dont really sharpen my knives though because they are rarely used. i am more the collector than I am a user. those lansky crocks are a quick set up tho.
 
I gifted one of the Lansky turn box sharpening kits to a buddy of mine earlier this year. When we skinned out an elk last year, he kept mentioning the need to have a sharpening stone with him, because his knife was getting pretty dull. So I decided to get him a kit that would be simple to use and relatively portable. The reviews were pretty decent for the Lansky setup and so I got that one for him and he has been pretty happy with it.

I actually used it to sharpen my brother-in-law's Benchmade folder and I got a pretty serviceable edge on it. It isn't going to win any hair/paper cutting awards but it will keep the knife plenty cut worthy.
 
Freehanding for such a simple knife is not hard to learn. Once you "get it" - the mental picture of the blade edge geometry, the idea of a burr, and how to remove it, you can literally keep a Case Sod Buster shaving sharp using nothing but the bottom unglazed ring of a ceramic coffee mug, and strop on a belt, a piece of cardboard or denim cloth with some compound on it.

Otherwise - just get him a Gatco, Lansky or Smith's pull-through sharpener. Ideally something with only ceramic or ceramic & diamond. Avoid carbide cutters. Gatco makes a simple sharpener, GATCO Super Micro-X Sharpener, with medium and fine ceramic rods for about $7.

Honestly - if you are going to use knives, you have four choices: learn to sharpen them, have someone else sharpen them for you, use dull knives, or throw them out and buy new ones. Option 4 is why they make box cutters. He should learn to sharpen.

Also - if he has a honing steel that came with some set of kitchen knives laying around, the softer CV steel in a Case knife will respond pretty well to steeling in between true sharpening sessions. Of course, use of a sharpening steel requires pretty much the same techniques as using a rod-based sharpener like the Lansky or Sharpmaker, so that may not help much if he's not interested in learning that.
 
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MeanStreaker said:
I gifted a CV Sodbuster Jr to my dad awhile back. He's 65 and has never previously carried a pocket knife.

He's now converted in the sense that he tells me all the time about how useful it is and how he'll never be without it. He must use it as it usually needs a good sharpening when they visit our place.

I would like to get him a sharpening system, but I'm positive he won't be interested in learning to use a stone, and I bet even something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker would be too much "hassle" for him to set up , or he'd get on me for spending $70 so he can sharpen his $15 pocket knife.

So what should I look at considering his birthday is coming up? I have no idea if any of those little V-shaped pocket sharpeners are actually any good? What else is dead simple and can do a good enough job for someone who isn't really a knife nut yet? Thanks!
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I think that bolded description above IS my Dad. :D

My Dad has carried a SAK for many years, maybe 30-40 years in fact (he's 86). I don't think I've ever actually seen him sharpen the blade on it, though he somehow manages to keep it sharp enough to be usable (I have seen him actually use it for stuff). The one thing I have noticed is, he has kept a V-crock type sharpener in a drawer in the garage for a long time. So far as I know, it's the only dedicated sharpening tool he owns; therefore, I assume he's been using it to keep a decent edge on his SAK's blade.

My point is, if MY dad has relied on that V-crock sharpener for so long, in the absence of any other sharpener at all, I'd think most anyone could use it. If looking for a sharpener for your Dad, I'd probably start with something like that. The Sharpmaker or the (less expensive & simpler) Lansky Turn Box style sharpeners would fit the bill.

A.G. Russell was also mentioned; I have a 'Field Sharpener' from him along the same lines, with both diamond and ceramic rods and the setting at a 30° inclusive angle. It's very compact, not very expensive, and works very well.


David
 
Since this is not my moderation forum I get to have an opinion.

Sharpening and sharpeners are like politics, everyone has there own ideas. I think I have owned every sharpener mentioned at one time or another. Some folks pound their stones and strops like preachers do the good book on a hot day. I think I can use a stone and do as good as 80% of the folks on BF. BUT, I sharpen to make a knife sharp, not as a recreational pursuit. And for certain don't hold one in the air and proclaim it is the purest of methods. I use a Lansky guide system if a knife has no edge at all. Otherwise I pull out my wooden white and gray rod Lansky box. Once an edge is close to being the correct angle, a few gray rod strokes and a few more white rod strokes will shave hair or cut paper. I put the rods in their storage holes and put it in a drawer. If you like to sharpen for fun go for it. Learn to use stones and feel the spirit.

As mentioned I will not use a carbide draw sharpener. I use my Worksharp as a belt sander for small items, but never to touch a knife blade. There is only so much steel there, you only need to make it sharp. 300
 
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The easiest would be the lansky crock sticks + diamond paste strop on cardboard or leather. Or no paste and just strop on cardboard or leather.

The latter stropping process more than makes up for the lansky system doing a pretty darn good job vs a bang up job that you would get on a more complicated system.

If the user can hold an angle convex sharpening on ultra fine sandpaper and a mousepad will yield some incredible results as well!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
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Another vote for the Lansky turn box. I gave my parents one a couple years ago for the same reasons.


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