I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker with the optional diamond rods that I use on my good knives. But I also need something quick and dirty for use on beater knives. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to bring back a really trashed edge even with the Sharpmaker diamond rods, so I find myself willing to use it only on knives that will be properly cared for. But the world seems full of cheap, dull beater knives that would benefit from a little crude sharpening.
I am considering a carbide slot gadget. A prime application would be when I go on vacation and the kitchen in the condo has a set of abused cheap knives that won't cut. I just need a functional edge fast, to use only a few times, and don't want to invest a lot of effort on someone else's junk knives. I'll probably also use this on my wife's Wusthof kitchen knives, but only because my wife just tosses them in the sink, cuts against hard surfaces and otherwise trashes the edges to the point that I am sick of putting a nice edge back on that lasts one day. No amount of explaining how to use a knife will change these habits much.
I have considered the electric sharpeners, but that would be heavy and bulky for travel, so I prefer something compact and manual (and cheaper). I have read that the Accusharp is the best of the carbide slot gadgets (picture below) and would serve this need well. It would take up almost no room in a suitcase and only costs $10-12, which is nice in case I accidentally leave it behind or it gets stolen from my luggage. Would the Accusharp be a good choice?
So, what is the quickest and easiest way to put a merely functional edge on a beater knife? By "functional," I mean that it does not need to shave or cut paper, just cut significantly better than a butter knife. I am willing to accept some minor edge damage or premature wear.
I am considering a carbide slot gadget. A prime application would be when I go on vacation and the kitchen in the condo has a set of abused cheap knives that won't cut. I just need a functional edge fast, to use only a few times, and don't want to invest a lot of effort on someone else's junk knives. I'll probably also use this on my wife's Wusthof kitchen knives, but only because my wife just tosses them in the sink, cuts against hard surfaces and otherwise trashes the edges to the point that I am sick of putting a nice edge back on that lasts one day. No amount of explaining how to use a knife will change these habits much.
I have considered the electric sharpeners, but that would be heavy and bulky for travel, so I prefer something compact and manual (and cheaper). I have read that the Accusharp is the best of the carbide slot gadgets (picture below) and would serve this need well. It would take up almost no room in a suitcase and only costs $10-12, which is nice in case I accidentally leave it behind or it gets stolen from my luggage. Would the Accusharp be a good choice?
So, what is the quickest and easiest way to put a merely functional edge on a beater knife? By "functional," I mean that it does not need to shave or cut paper, just cut significantly better than a butter knife. I am willing to accept some minor edge damage or premature wear.
) extra coarse diamond or maybe just coarse file to quickly set up bevel and then something finer (e.g ceramic rod like Sharpmaker's, or fine diamond) to create microbevel (which would take only few passes if primary bevel was set acute enough).
