Best Sharpener for someone not into knives (yet)?

John,
I have two WS be careful they can round the tip of your kitchen knives.I sharpen knives (stopped doing resturant knives) .
Do mostly for friends & family now.
Jim
 
If a "crock stick" type sharpener would be too much hassle for your dad, then I would recommend a pull-through type, that have rounded ceramic or carbide rods set in a fixed position. I've used a LeBeau honer and found it to work well. (And I'm one of those old f@rt$ that like to use flat stones or diamond-coated rods or plates.)
 
I would go with the Lansky that others have recommended or the A.G. Russell sharpener that is similar to the Lansky.
 
Eze Lap 86SF, including a leather pouch. 81SF without, but get the pouch! Super fine 3" x 8" for around $50 and it will see you both out. I have the crock sticks, the Spyderco, and the Edge Pro Professional for when I want to obsess over a knife, but the Eze Lap is the one I reach for most often now. Break down the new surface with the bottom of a beer bottle and you will be amazed at how quickly it works. Six passes per side on most knives and you are done. No water. No oil. The Super Fine is a bit of a misnomer because it is more aggressive than any 1200 grit I have ever seen, but it moderates with usage (and a beer bottle). It is a great tool that will sharpen almost everything you have, from a lawnmower blade to a hatchet to a traditional pocket knife or a wood plane. You can even reprofile the nail file on the fingernail clipper in a couple of strokes. It takes a little skill but I would not underestimate my Dad!
 
I bought my dad a spyderco sharp maker several years ago. When he uses it he holds the rod in his hand and free-hands it. Whatever stones he's using he gets his knives sharp but they look like someone has skipped them across a cement parking lot (scratches). I don't say anything because he's been sharpening knives since way before I was born. I wince when he shows me a case tested knife with fresh scratches on a beautiful old patina blade.

I'd get your dad a pull thru sharpener even though they are blasphemous. Merry Christmas

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Alberta Ed said:
Get him a DMT Diafold.
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+ 1 to this idea. Easy to use, effective for the average casual knife user (and knife knuts too when nothing else is on hand :)) and well priced. My first thought when I read the OPs post.
 
willard0341 said:
I bought my dad a spyderco sharp maker several years ago. When he uses it he holds the rod in his hand and free-hands it. Whatever stones he's using he gets his knives sharp but they look like someone has skipped them across a cement parking lot (scratches). I don't say anything because he's been sharpening knives since way before I was born. I wince when he shows me a case tested knife with fresh scratches on a beautiful old patina blade.
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That's how my dad's knives looked, lots of scratches. But his knives were always very sharp and he could dress and skin a deer like nobody's business. A knife is a tool; if it's to be used, a man shouldn't be worried about scratches.
 
I learned to sharpen my knives using a Lansky Turn Box with 4 croc sticks. It's basic, portable, and easy to learn. I taught myself. And it gets my knives more than sharp enough for me. Big thumbs up from me! I have other methods I use now also, but I still use the Lansky often. Very highly recommended and inexpensive.


Alex
 
jrawk said:
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...
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I like this answer.

My dad is a fantastic guy, and he has had a knife in his pocket for as long as I can remember (and I'm 53). He's exceptionally skilled at many tasks, but knife sharpening isn't one of them. His knives always look they've been attacked with a wood rasp by a nearsighted drunk. Whenever I see him I ask him for his knife and put a new edge on it.

Works for us.
 
Check out Spyderco's Double Stuff stone--small enough to carry anywhere, and will get your blade arm hair shaving sharp with a little practice. I've used one for a few years with great results.
 
I use Worksharp WSS221 , simple, small and quite unexpensive. Can get a knife razor sharp. More than sufficient and will last forever if used once a week!
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^^Ive looked at the worksharp before . I like the angle guide that's build in .
 
EZ Lap round diamond butchers steel/rod. I think AG has them. This will put a toothy edge on anything you own. I use mine for all types of knives.
 
Sounds like your Dad needs simplicity over all else. Even if it means using a method that most of us knife knuts would frown on. If he won't learn to use stones and you want low cost then that really narrows it down quite a bit.

Considering your Dad's age, there's a good chance he might have an old electric can opener sitting around with a built in knife sharpener on it. Many people that own these can openers don't even know it has a knife sharpener on it. You might take a look around next time you're in his kitchen.

It will take off a lot of metal but it will get his knife sharp in a minute or two and it will be super easy to do. Turn on the device, run the blade through a couple times and he's done.

Those can openers are still made and can be bought for around $25. Not something I would normally recommend but under the circumstances....
 
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Here's some other low cost simple options

Lansky dog bone and a smiths diamond rod. The dog bone sharpens fishing hooks and serrations too!

If there is any one great lesson learned from bf on sharpening is that a simple stropping does some kind of hoodoo magic to an edge.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
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an old electric can opener sitting around with a built in knife sharpener on it. ...
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My mother used to attempt 'sharpening' her kitchen knives on one of those, back in the '70s I think. Even at that time (I was a teenager then), before I knew anything about sharpening, I knew it was wrecking the edges on those knives (and it did; they never held an edge again). And the grinding noise alone was as painfully bad as listening to a dentist's drill. A 'sharpening' add-on to a $20 electric can opener is basically an afterthought, and might've accounted for <5% of the manufacturing cost of it. The abrasive contact area is too small (read: it'll clog and/or glaze almost immediately), with no easy way to clean it or resurface it like a stone. In short, it'll quickly lose it's ability to efficiently grind steel, and will do nothing but generate excessive heat at the edge from there on.

I'd beg and plead that no ever use one of those; especially as a first foray into attempting sharpening. It'll take off lots of steel and ruin the temper of what's left.


David
 
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Can't imagine anything simpler or easier to learn than an EZE-LAP diamond hone. About five bucks.
 
The Sharpmaker is good for touchups but if you want something more rounded/versatile I too would have to say try the Worksharp for the same money or less. The Worksharp guided system that someone posted a pic of just above a bit is also a great choice and shouldnt cost more than $30.
 
Meanstreaker, you said your dad wouldn't go through the hassle of setting up a crock stick setup or go through the hassle of learning to use a stone. That leads me to believe he doesn't much care about sharpening at all because those are really the simplest ways to do it. If he wants FAST then you could try some paper wheels on a bench grinder. They're not very expensive either. Just one wheel with a medium grit compound will probably do what he needs. Just set it up on the bench for him and all he needs to do is turn the motor on and figure out which angle he wants and how to make quick, even passes without heating up the blade too much. If even that is too much work then there's really nothing he wants to do because fast and simple to operate with a small learning curve is out. Slower but simpler is out. I guess the only other option would he Fred Rowe's little pull through sharpening thing but you have to set even bevels on the knife and then set the correct angle on the pull through. It'd still take time to remove steel though. Nothing is good, cheap, and easy. You can only pick two.

Here's Fred Rowe's sharpening thing:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Edge-Renewal-Utility-knife-sharpener-((((((((
 
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