I hate being OCD about my knife edge.

@Billy The Hungry im the same way Brother!
I can not stand a dull knife even if it’s sitting my safe. I’m very OCD and it has to be hair popping sharp at the minimum. Or I can’t wait to get it out of pocket and on a stone.I love my Worksharp pocket sharpener. Ceramic and diamond stones also some torque bits.
Hair popping sharp in minutes.
5b8pHEu.jpg
 
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If my knife cant slice paper towel it's dull and needs to be honed, since I switched to ceramic rods I have been able to touch up my knives much faster than I could on stones. I now give all my knives tiny micro bevels as it speeds up my honing process. Literally 4-6 passes and they are back up to real sharpness. I find that little lansky turnbox system ideal, because it comes in a neat little hardwood box and the ceramic (or diamond if you like) rods fit right inside the box. So it's a perfect little travel system or even something to keep on your desk or bench. My rod system is always at hand, it has made my whetstones and pocket stones obsolete, I only use them to reprofile edges. I also find if you hone your blade on a regular basis it stays in better condition and needs very little long periods of sharpening. The only time I need to spend long shifts on a stone is repairing an apex from a roll or a chip.
+1 for ceramic rods and regular honing.
 
Toothy edge guy here as well (converted). Much less time to achieve than a polished edge, and works very well.

Working Edge said:
EZ-Lap diamond rod, the type that stows into its own tubular brass handle, is a 600-grit hone which fits in a pocket easily and does a very good job of touching up a worn edge.
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I have something like this, can't remember the name but I've had it for years and it's part of my EDC. Goes in the right front cargo pocket, and looks like a pen. It's seen a ton of work.

But you can strop on just about anything. In a pinch I often strop on the cut edge of a piece of corrugated cardboard (easy to find almost anywhere). Since most of the steels I use nowadays are simpler alloys with finer grains, this can usually do the trick, and if not, a couple passes on the diamond first, and then I'm good to go.
 
Just a reminder - if you are out and about, you can restore an edge with just a few swipes across a rolled down car window.

One big kick I got out of doing that was when I worked for a Chevy dealership. We'd put pinstriping on some of the new & used vehicles and I'd use my pocket knife to trim it.
I loved using the edge of a Corvette window to keep the edge scary sharp. :D

(I just wish I'd of had a Beemer or Benz)(but - since I was a "truck specialist" trained by GM to sell and spec Light and Medium Duty trucks - we never saw those :D )
 
TheFactor said:
@Billy The Hungry im the same way Brother!
I can not stand a dull knife even if it’s sitting my safe. I’m very OCD and it has to be hair popping sharp at the minimum. Or I can’t wait to get it out of pocket and on a stone.I love my Worksharp pocket sharpener. Ceramic and diamond stones also some torque bits.
Hair popping sharp in minutes.
5b8pHEu.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey Bro!!

I'll look into it!

David Mary said:
Toothy edge guy here as well (converted). Much less time to achieve than a polished edge, and works very well.



I have something like this, can't remember the name but I've had it for years and it's part of my EDC. Goes in the right front cargo pocket, and looks like a pen. It's seen a ton of work.

But you can strop on just about anything. In a pinch I often strop on the cut edge of a piece of corrugated cardboard (easy to find almost anywhere). Since most of the steels I use nowadays are simpler alloys with finer grains, this can usually do the trick, and if not, a couple passes on the diamond first, and then I'm good to go.
Click to expand...

Hello!

I had stropped it on my work boot, and had managed to get it back to working sharp, but it wouldn't sharpen up more than that. I guess it needed a ceramic!
Hal said:
Just a reminder - if you are out and about, you can restore an edge with just a few swipes across a rolled down car window.

One big kick I got out of doing that was when I worked for a Chevy dealership. We'd put pinstriping on some of the new & used vehicles and I'd use my pocket knife to trim it.
I loved using the edge of a Corvette window to keep the edge scary sharp. :D

(I just wish I'd of had a Beemer or Benz)(but - since I was a "truck specialist" trained by GM to sell and spec Light and Medium Duty trucks - we never saw those :D )
Click to expand...

I forgot about auto glass! I'll have to try that!!
 
Hal said:
Just a reminder - if you are out and about, you can restore an edge with just a few swipes across a rolled down car window.

One big kick I got out of doing that was when I worked for a Chevy dealership. We'd put pinstriping on some of the new & used vehicles and I'd use my pocket knife to trim it.
I loved using the edge of a Corvette window to keep the edge scary sharp. :D

(I just wish I'd of had a Beemer or Benz)(but - since I was a "truck specialist" trained by GM to sell and spec Light and Medium Duty trucks - we never saw those :D )
Click to expand...

I've never understood using car windows or the bottom of coffee cups to sharpen things, I mean if you are already in your car or in a civilized place which has coffee cups nearby, then surely you can put a rod sharpening box in your glove compartment/box. I don't know it seems like forced improvising. I always have a bag with me or carry case, and my sharpening equipment is always on me, be it a pocket stone or more lately I carry the Lansky turnbox rod system in its neat little small box.
 
Londinium Armoury said:
I've never understood using car windows or the bottom of coffee cups to sharpen things, I mean if you are already in your car or in a civilized place which has coffee cups nearby, then surely you can put a rod sharpening box in your glove compartment/box. I don't know it seems like forced improvising. I always have a bag with me or carry case, and my sharpening equipment is always on me, be it a pocket stone or more lately I carry the Lansky turnbox rod system in its neat little small box.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying. However in my case, I don't have anything small at the moment to touch up my knife. So in my case, a car window, or mug, is a solution!
 
Cup bottoms & car windows are just more convenient.
Sure I could toss my Spyderco Sharpmaker in the car & pull it out to touch up the blade, but, that would mean having to carry it in and out of the house all the time.
Or - springing about $70/80 for another one.

Anyhow - it'll all a part of the "I'm too lazy" thing. ;)
 
I learned a bit about sharpening big knives 40+ years ago in Thailand. I worked with farmers and an old blacksmith. Got a cheap "machete" and a soft sandstone about the size of a brick. In a year or so I had that stone worn down like a swayback horse.

Later I got some better knives, especially the Hill tribe knives. Fairly thick at the spine, beaten out of old truck springs, but fairly flat ground profile with a convex edge. Though they didn't grind them back then. The swayback stone virtually guaranteed a convex edge, LOL.

One time I had a Hmong hill-tribe knife in my pack, maybe a 10" almost Bowie style blade. We had a bad flood and my future mom-in-law was going to butcher a hog. He ex-hubby was going to do it, but asked for a knife. I produced my knife and he laughed at me. I rolled up my sleeve and proceeded to shave the hair of my forearm from elbow to wrist in one stroke. Done deal and the pig was food. Not sure if he was more impressed by the sharpness or because I actually had hairy forearms.

Knife was like this:

hmong-knife-s-vietnam-special-forces_1_1a718ed2fe7eec5afdbbdd8837648a19.jpg
 
USMCPOP said:
I learned a bit about sharpening big knives 40+ years ago in Thailand. I worked with farmers and an old blacksmith. Got a cheap "machete" and a soft sandstone about the size of a brick. In a year or so I had that stone worn down like a swayback horse.

Later I got some better knives, especially the Hill tribe knives. Fairly thick at the spine, beaten out of old truck springs, but fairly flat ground profile with a convex edge. Though they didn't grind them back then. The swayback stone virtually guaranteed a convex edge, LOL.

One time I had a Hmong hill-tribe knife in my pack, maybe a 10" almost Bowie style blade. We had a bad flood and my future mom-in-law was going to butcher a hog. He ex-hubby was going to do it, but asked for a knife. I produced my knife and he laughed at me. I rolled up my sleeve and proceeded to shave the hair of my forearm from elbow to wrist in one stroke. Done deal and the pig was food. Not sure if he was more impressed by the sharpness or because I actually had hairy forearms.

Knife was like this:

hmong-knife-s-vietnam-special-forces_1_1a718ed2fe7eec5afdbbdd8837648a19.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey Pop,

I've swaybacked several brick stones myself, haha.
Your picture isn't showing up sir.

Semper Fi Pop!
 
Get a Gerber EAB.

Its a small folding utility knife that can fit anywhere or even as a money clip and you have 2 blades (by switching it around) and it's an amazing thin blade and simply, replaceable.
 
What I really need is a QUALITY EDC sharpener that is thin enough to touch up the blade deep in the throat of a Felco pruner while I'm doing all-day pruning. I've bought half a dozen tapered rod-type sharpeners but they're either too course or don't last. Something diamond or carbide, probably not ceramic (too smooth?).
 
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