Pocket sharpners

O

Old Guy

Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
92
Doe sanyone have a recommendation as to whether there any decent pocket sharpners. I have had several over the years that were advertised as being for machetes, however at work we found they didnt really do that well, some of this may be due to the type of steel in the machetes. I was wondering if there are any decent ones that could be carried with you. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
 
I just saw on line a Norton Sportsman India/Croystolyn combination on line.
It looks good to me.
 
I carry a couple of DMT Diafolds in my back pocket next to my knife. They are both double sided, Coarse/X-coarse and Fine/X-fine. They let me do anything from a quick touch-up to a full chipped edge repair no matter where I am. I don't know how well they would work for something as long as a machete, though.
 
Eze-lap's retractable diamond hone, secured in a brass tube and comes with a leather sheath.

I just ordered some ezelap credit card sized diamond sharpeners, will have to wait and see how nice they are.
 
Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
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Buck makes a small steel that stores within its own handle, very similiar in design to an EZE-LAP. I've carried one in my vest pocket for the past 3 years and it works really well for quick touch-ups. Plus, the steel is tapered, so it doubles as a crude scribe. I've engraved more than a few tools with it.
 
I always carry a Spyderco Double-Stuff sharpener, but I think DMT x-coarse/coarse Dia-Fold would be a lot more reasonable for a machete (just guessing because I don't edc a machete).
 
For machetes, an 8" mill bastard file is all you need. Cuts faster and more consistently than a stone or diamond sharpener. When it finally gets dull, just buy another for $10.
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
For machetes, an 8" mill bastard file is all yo need. Cuts faster and more consistently than a stone or diamond sharpener. When it finally gets dull, just buy another for $10.
Bill
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Thank God! Somebody with real world experience and common sense understands how to sharpen machetes! :D That's probably gonna make somebody mad, but that's not my intent. I just get soooooooo tired of some folks honing this and stropping that just so they can shave hair and slice paper to impress their buddies. :rolleyes:
 
Old Guy said:
Doe sanyone have a recommendation as to whether there any decent pocket sharpners. I have had several over the years that were advertised as being for machetes, however at work we found they didnt really do that well, some of this may be due to the type of steel in the machetes. I was wondering if there are any decent ones that could be carried with you. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
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Gerald, the problem I see is that we seem to have many different ideas here of how to go about sharpening knives and what degree of sharpness is appropriate. Some people seem to get a kick out sharpening a knife down to the ultimate edge so it will be "hair flinging" sharp. Others, though they seldom post here, simply need to quickly touch up their knife so they can more easily finish butchering some large, tough critter that's down. Maybe they'll spend some time putting a more finished edge on it later after they've cleaned themselves and their knife up and rested awhile. If sharpening knives is somebody's hobby and they get a real charge out of seeing just how sharp they can get one, then more power to them. I guess that beats hanging out in bars and chasing strange women, but it's not how I like to spend my time. I'd rather devote a modest amount of time to putting a good "real world" working edge on my cutlery and then go on to something else. I lean toward putting a quick and dirty edge on a blade if necessary to handle whatever the task at hand may be, and then I'll go back later and hone it to a more refined edge.

In that light, a few years ago a good friend of mine with a lot of practical experience with knives and other cutlery turned me on to a neat little gadget that is so small and flat you can easily put it in your billfold. That's where I keep one, just in case I need it when I'm not home. This thing is so simple that I almost hesitate to mention it here for fear of other people crossing themselves, recoiling in abject horror, clutching their bibles, grabbing a sharp wooden stake, and loading Old Betsy with silver bullets. I'll give you a hint: it uses two little carbide chips. I didn't put much stock in this device, either, until I tried the one my friend gave me. Now I understand. If you want to know more details, let me know.
 
Buy a combination pack of Wet or Dry sandpaper and cut pieces that fit in your checkbook. If you have something like 120, 220, 320, 400 grit & 600 grit in your checkbook cover you can repair or touch up a dull edge. If you want to go for real fine edge work you might throw in some 800 and 1500 grit paper. Other than that you could get a credit card size fine grit diamond hone.
 
Machetes aren't exactly for shaving! The edge gets beat up pretty quickly. A file takes care of it in no time.
Bill
 
Dr. Mudd said:
I'll give you a hint: it uses two little carbide chips. I didn't put much stock in this device, either, until I tried the one my friend gave me. Now I understand. If you want to know more details, let me know.
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I want to know too :confused:
 
I use the diamond file on my leatherman wave for knives. takes a couple minutes to get a damaged edge to rough shaving. My martindale sheath has a pocket for a file, and there just so happens to be a file in it.
 
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