quick and easy sharpener

[carspidey]

Thanks for the compliment Dannyboy. IMO, stay away from gimick sharpeners. Sharpening is a skill that has to be learned by doing it. The edge geometries on knives can be different depending on which brands/makers you own. So preset angle sharpeners may end up screwing up the edge geometry on your knife.
I've been sharpening knives for 40 years and learned alot the hard way. Every knife I own has a convex edge because they are the easiest to maintain.
Scott

this is just what i needed too!!! i was debating on whether to spend the money on a fancy sharpener like the lansky system or the (i forgot the name right now) but you guys are right... i should practice my sharpening skills the hard way to it is easier when I really have to sharpen

thanks

 

[wreckager]

I was thinking of the lansky system because once i learn how to get the angles right, i can use the stones freehand.I've also heard good things about the spyderco sharpmaker

 

[Mentor]

I'm a fan of Spyderco's double-sided stone. It comes with a durable leather pouch and it has served me well for field sharpening for years. Fits neatly in a pack or pocket, too. Plus, there's just something enjoyable about using a sharpening stone while sitting by the campfire at night. As far as being quick and easy goes, you can restore a great edge to a knife with one of these in a few minutes.

All the best,

- Mike

 

[nc527]

In both of my wilderness bags, I keep a little 2 sided yellow smiths sharpener. They were $4, and the carbide is good for an edge with damage, then the ceramic. I also keep a piece of cardboard 2x5" coated with polishing compound.

 

[PayetteRucker]

Smith's 4 inch hard arkansas stone and some 1 and 2,000 grit wet and dry sandpaper-small, fast, easy. The hard stone gets iffy once you get up into the 60RC range or so, the steel just gets too hard.

 

[carspidey]

to the OP... i just tried a free hand sharpening with a stone (i paid a buck for it at a hardware store) and it did not seem that hard... i mean, my technique is not perfect but i am pretty sure with practice i'll get better at it...

i think the advice given here about the free hand sharpening is very good... i mean... in a survival situation where you need to sharpen your knife, are you really going to have the spyderco or lanskey system???

I just sharpened my ESEE RC6 and RC3 with the stone i mentioned and then with some wettodry 1000 grit sandpaper and finished it with a strop (i put a leather belt to a flat piece of wood attached with a rubber band) with no compound yet... and my knives are really sharp right now... not the sharpest but i think once i get the compound and get that strop a little better i should be able to get it even sharper...

 

[SouthernCross]

.....Learn to use a variety of freehand sharpening techniques and you will never be a slave to a gadget again (you should see all the gadgets they sell for sharpening broadheads). A true sense of freedom will overwhelm you!

:thumbup::thumbup:

Obviously there weren't any outdoorsmen before sharpening systems, or mousemats




Kind regards
Mick

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Scott is a good teacher, take a second and watch his Youtube video on sharpening.

I used to use the gimmick pull through sharpeners. They might be okay for junk knives, scissors etc. Not good for the average knife nut here. Don't take the easy way out, it will bite you in the rear sooner or later (ruined plenty an edge before I started to use a diamond fold sharpener).

 

[lumpymike1]

I have a smiths at home that I got at REI for a few $. I use it on my kitchen knives and sometimes on my kershaw leek.
They get the kitchen knives sharp enought to do a good number on ripe tomatoes, but they dull a bit qucikly (I use a bamboo cutting board if that means anything).

For all other sharpening I use a mixture of stones and a fine EZ-lap card. Usually toss the card into my pack if I think I will need to sharpen something when I am out.

 

[Hawkings]

:thumbup::thumbup:

Obviously there weren't any outdoorsmen before sharpening systems, or mousemats




Kind regards
Mick

Thats pretty funny

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

Post expired.

 

[facablade]

In the field I use Spyderco doble side pocket ceramic stone or Fallkiniven DC4

 

[sadiejane]

carry one of these in my billfold always
http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9107
found them locally too
typically the fine
but have three
easy out in the field carry

but as has been mentioned here already
a little practice goes a long way....

 

[dipbait]

I recently touched up the edge on a knife with the diamond file from a Leatherman Surge. I couldnt get it hair popping sharp but got it to cut a few hairs.

 

[ziptrickhead]

The only pull through sharpener I've ever used was the one Gerber makes. I got it when I first got into knives and it really sucked. Even as a knife newbie I wasn't happy with the edge it gave me.

Then my friend gave me one of the fine DMT keychain sharpeners and I forced myself to learn to freehand. When you have no other ways of sharpening, you'll learn to freehand fast. I ended up getting a Spyderco sharpmaker as well, and it was just okay, but I was too use to freehand so I just used it like a ceramic stone.

Right now I keep the same keychain DMT as well as a small ceramic rod in my outdoors kit, although I plan to replace the tiny DMT with a coarse/fine diafold.

Looking back though, I do wish I had invested my money on full size bench stones from the get go, like getting the Spyderco ceramic stones over the sharpmaker. The extra surface area would be awesome.