good field sharpeners?

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darkinertia

Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
28
so ive been looking around and im trying to find a decent field sharpener, and im kinda confused on what to get. my brother has a smiths pocket pal and a gerber field sharpener, and ive tried them out and it seems like it doesnt do the trick. also, i have a smiths sharpening kit, and i noticed that the angles on it dont seem to be the standard angles(40 and 50 inclusive, and i believe the standard is 60? correct me if im wrong)

will this mess up with most field sharpeners out there? is there ones that are the same as my smiths kit or do i need to ditch it altogether and get 2 different sharpeners altogether....i figure if i want to get the best out of my knives i need to get a good sharpener so im willing to spend some money on them, preferably under 70 or so.
 
Over the years I have tried and discarded many field sharpeners that I don't like, mostly carbide scrapers, ceramic V's and diamond rods. I haven't found any single field sharpener that does all that I want it to. The closest I have come is the Fallkniven DC3/DC4, but the Spyderco Double Stuff and the DMT Diafold are pretty good too.

I carry a variety of useful field sharpeners depending upon the knives I am carrying and keep another small kit in my bob, but most the time I have a small pouch that contains a Fallkniven DC3, a small veggie tanned piece of leather loaded with Cr02 on the rough side and untreated on the smooth side, and some small pieces of wet/dry sandpaper of different grit that I can lay on the leather. Sometimes I add a DMT Mini XC or Coarse. That gives me lots of versatility and doesn't take up much space. Right now I am in the process of switching pouches to a Maxpedition 3x5 notebook cover, which will allow me to use larger pieces of leather and sandpaper as well as the 4" DMT's and maybe squeeze in a Tuf-Cloth.
 
whoa thanks for that...im def getting the diafold now, it looks perfect for what i need it for since its fairly compact and easy to use since it has its own handle that protects it closed. i just need to get better at hand sharpening :P

i kinda figured there wasnt too many good V sharpeners, i thought about getting the benchmade one since i have both a griptilian and a bm 51 for edc and i figured since it was made by the same manufacture, they would be compatible but i rather not risk it now that i know this is about the same price

thanks!
 
the diafold is the best sharpener for me when comparing the dc-4 and doublestuff with it.

but, same as the doublestuff, it is larger than the dc-4 and as such it takes more space.

The handle makes freehanding a breeze, absolutely awesome. It is much easier to hold a steady angle by holding the handle and moving the diafold over the knife than to move the knife over a benchstone (not as good of a visual reference).

The plastic handles are a weak part of the design. they protect the diamond surfaces very well, but being plastic, they can damage or break.

I have taken all three in the field and used them. often, simpler means better. less chance of breaking, less trouble. but even if the handles break, the diamonds will of course still function ;)

I use the dmt in my urban/daily kit. For woods, I go with dc-4 or doublestuff
hope that helps!
 
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