- Joined
- Sep 3, 2003
- Messages
- 2,432
I understand your reservations about sharpening it yourself, but as you stated, you know how to sharpen. Don't be afraid to do it yourself. If your freehand method is less than stellar, perhaps you might consider purchasing a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It'll cost you over half what the Mini Grip did, but you can touch up the factory edge (or whatever is left of it) beautifully, time and again, with no further investment. As long as you're not prone to random and violent spasms, it's almost impossible to screw up the preset angles.
I'm always surprised to hear of folks sending off knives for sharpening. I figure after two or three of these sharpenings (shipping both ways and the service fee itself) you could almost certainly own a Sharpmaker (or similarly priced alternative) which would last you virtually forever. You can slowly hone your freehand skills further on less important knives while maintaining your more valuable or prized blades on your angle sharpener without ever having to fret that you've done it wrong.
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but honestly, once you own a decent sharpening system and you begin to use it regularly, it becomes almost more important and valuable than the knife itself.
I'm always surprised to hear of folks sending off knives for sharpening. I figure after two or three of these sharpenings (shipping both ways and the service fee itself) you could almost certainly own a Sharpmaker (or similarly priced alternative) which would last you virtually forever. You can slowly hone your freehand skills further on less important knives while maintaining your more valuable or prized blades on your angle sharpener without ever having to fret that you've done it wrong.
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but honestly, once you own a decent sharpening system and you begin to use it regularly, it becomes almost more important and valuable than the knife itself.