inexpensive knife sharpener

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camper415

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Dec 18, 2013
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I am looking for a knife sharpener to maintain an edge on my knives , but my budget is under $50.00 . I currently use a smith pull thru .
 
Go to a real old time hardware store and purchase a Norton India stone.

They have two sides and will work fine while you learn the basics of free hand stone sharpening. About 8-15 bucks?
 
Smith pull though? Throw that thing in the garbage ASAP. That does nothing but scrap the everlovin life out of your edges and you end up cutting with a jagged and torn edge. If you want a proven "system" and not just a stone, buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It sharpens just about anything in your house.
 
Hi Camper,

For maintenance, I use the Lansky 4 Rod Turn Box. I set my kitchen knives to 20 degrees per side and my pocket and field knives to 25 degrees. Now, I use this and a strop most of the time to keep my blades paper shaving sharp. http://youtu.be/Gns2QsQufB4
You should find it in the low $20 dollar range.
 
Thanks for the reply's I have a friend that uses Lansky but I didn't know if it was good or just some junk he picked up.
 
camper415 said:
I am looking for a knife sharpener to maintain an edge on my knives , but my budget is under $50.00 . I currently use a smith pull thru .
Click to expand...

You can actually do quite a bit toward making that carbide scraper work a lot better with nothing more than a Norton economy stone from Home Depot (which is also a good idea for an inexpensive sharpener) and some aluminum foil.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...and-you!-(with-micrographs)?highlight=carbide

I also sell a full service sharpening block that goes for $48 to your door - details through the link in my signature below.

Martin
 
A good place to start is the Smith's Tri-hone. You can pick one up at nearly any Lowe's. The one near me sells them for about $35. Those will handle most your basic carbon and stainless steels just fine. Add some 3-in-1 oil as a lube and you will be set until you are ready to invest in better stones.
 
The diamond turn box is good for touchups. You need other equopmemt for reprofiling at times. I always finish on a fine stone freehand at the end.
 
If you can spare about $60 look at a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Good solution for maintaining an edge with nearly bullet proof results assuming you like the present angle options. I have a Wicked Edge which is great but still find touch ups on the Sharpmaker to be fast and effective.
 
I've had a lot of stuff. Mostly I use a fine India stone for dull knives and a soft Arkansas stone. On a budget you can get a bench size india stone and a pocket arkansas for probably less than $35.
 
What are you interested in a guided setup or free hand? If you don't care, may I suggest free hand there less limitations going that way. Such as the lowest angle a guided system may do, smallest blade it support (it sucks if you like traditional slip joints for a lot of guided setups), etc.

What kind of steels are you working with?
 
IMHO freehand sharpening is a great skill, but most beginners have a tough time with it. I've used both the Lansky and the Spyderco Sharpmaker, and I have to give the nod to the Sharpmaker. Far less hassle than the Lansky and it sets up the same every time. It can take some time to profile your edges to match the Sharpmaker, but once done it's a great system for any newbie. Another plus is the Sharpmaker doesn't require any water or oil and the stones (rods) clean up easily.
 
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