Small Sharpener for EDC Bag

J

John H.

Joined
Sep 28, 2017
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68
Hello folks, I have many different knives including Benchmade, Spyderco, and Cold Steel. I m very particular about keeping my edge angles correct. I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker and I love it a lot. I want to keep a small sharpener in my EDC bag. Seeing as the sharpmaker is too big to fit, what would be something you would recommend? I am not a huge fan of the pull through sharpeners. Are there any small sharpeners you would recommend for a high quality knife that could easily fit in my bag? Thanks!
 
I prefer a DMT Diafold.
Depending on my expected uses and alloys carried I will either have a Coarse/Fine or Fine/Extra fine on me.
 
For travel you really can’t beat the DMT Aligner stones. Actually the whole system breaks down small and is pretty light also.

I have quite a few pocket stones in the 4”x1” size range that I use a lot.
The DC4 and the Baryonyx pocket stones are great too and it is also handy to have a SiC stone in this size.

I like to use these small stones free hand and I get the same results as my bench stones as long as I take my time.
With a few of these tucked away in my work bag I never worry about having a dull knife away from home.
 
I'll add have a look at the Baryonyx BYXCO ARTIC FOX FIELD STONE ... its a combination stone works great for a small field carry ... or they have a pocket version also.
 
A G Russell's small field sharpener is a Sharpmaker-like setup with diamond rods (IIRC). Mr. Russell said they were set at 15 degrees when I asked him about it. I believe that both of his V-shaped sharpeners are 15 degree sharpeners.

If you use the 20 dps setting on your Sharpmaker, the Worksharp Field Sharpener, and the Benchmade version of that sharpener, both have built-in 20 dps angle guides. Don't know how accurate the guides are but the sharpener itself is pretty easy to use. And it has 2 diamond grits, a ceramic rod, and a leather strop built in.
 
If you haven’t enough space and its just for touch up, so lansky mini knife sharpener. But be sure your knife bevel os under 20 dps. Or anything similar. I believe os something between 800 and 1000 grit.

If you need something more agressive then I would go with any retractable diamond rod. Usualy at 600 grit.

Actually I'd pack more space into the bag and take it with me a small guided sharpening system like gatco or lansky...
Now, if you could give up a system and take just few diamond stones then DMT Diafold should be what you are looking for. But keep in mind that shorter is the stone more dificult is to use.
 
dalefuller said:
A G Russell's small field sharpener is a Sharpmaker-like setup with diamond rods (IIRC). Mr. Russell said they were set at 15 degrees when I asked him about it. I believe that both of his V-shaped sharpeners are 15 degree sharpeners.

If you use the 20 dps setting on your Sharpmaker, the Worksharp Field Sharpener, and the Benchmade version of that sharpener, both have built-in 20 dps angle guides. Don't know how accurate the guides are but the sharpener itself is pretty easy to use. And it has 2 diamond grits, a ceramic rod, and a leather strop built in.
Click to expand...

I really like the A. G. Russell Feild Sharpener. The only thing is I would prefer the settings to be at 20 dps. I guess I could always hold the knife at an angle instead of perpendicular. But this is exactly what I'm looking for!
 
John H. said:
I really like the A. G. Russell Feild Sharpener. The only thing is I would prefer the settings to be at 20 dps. I guess I could always hold the knife at an angle instead of perpendicular. But this is exactly what I'm looking for!
Click to expand...

I have one of them. It's a handy little tool. I freehand sharpen most of the time; but sometimes, this little sharpener is just too convenient to ignore for quick touchups on an edge, and I still use it for that at times. The diamond rods are worth a bundle in a sharpener of this type.

If you're looking to use it at 20°/side, instead of at the stock 15° setting, you could improvise a shim to place underneath one end of the sharpener's base, to give it the extra 5° of tilt. In fiddling with mine just to check this, and using an angle cube as the reference, a simple pink eraser ('Pink Pearl' brand, ~ 3/8" thick) placed underneath the end of the base, will tilt it about 5°. If you do have an angle cube or another means to accurately verify the angle, it's just a matter of sliding the shim in or out, underneath the end of the base, to get the angle you're looking for. Obviously, anything else could be used to tilt the base in a similar manner.


David
 
John H. said:
I m very particular about keeping my edge angles correct. I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker and I love it a lot. I want to keep a small sharpener in my EDC bag. Seeing as the sharpmaker is too big to fit,
Click to expand...

OP seeing the responses here, they cluster into 2 groups: freehand stones (including the 3 suggested in my linked reviews), and guided field sharpeners. Of the ones I suggested, my favorite for non super-steels is the Arctic Fox. If using super steels like s30v or anything with higher vanadium content, I prefer the DMT diafold.

From your comment, wonder if you are looking only for a guided sharpener. If you do that, good idea to confirm that the angle options on the field sharpener are compatible with those of your Sharpmaker (15 and 20 dps).

If you are willing to consider learning freehand, that is worth doing for a field sharpener. It is a bit more versatile (you can sharpen to any angle you want), and of course, smaller to carry. Sharpening those folders you mention by freehanding on a small stone is actually slightly easier to learn than freehanding on a bench stone (at least, it was for me). It may be because with a pocket/field stone, you are not going such a large distance on the stone, you can slightly more easily see and control what's going on with your edge angle with each stroke you make. In any case, if willing to go freehand, I'd highly recommend that option, get one of the excellent freehand sharpeners folks have suggested in the thread, take a beater knife or three and practice till you can hold an edge angle. It should be totally do-able.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I have one of them. It's a handy little tool. I freehand sharpen most of the time; but sometimes, this little sharpener is just too convenient to ignore for quick touchups on an edge, and I still use it for that at times. The diamond rods are worth a bundle in a sharpener of this type.

If you're looking to use it at 20°/side, instead of at the stock 15° setting, you could improvise a shim to place underneath one end of the sharpener's base, to give it the extra 5° of tilt. In fiddling with mine just to check this, and using an angle cube as the reference, a simple pink eraser ('Pink Pearl' brand, ~ 3/8" thick) placed underneath the end of the base, will tilt it about 5°. If you do have an angle cube or another means to accurately verify the angle, it's just a matter of sliding the shim in or out, underneath the end of the base, to get the angle you're looking for. Obviously, anything else could be used to tilt the base in a similar manner.


David
Click to expand...
Great! That's very helpful information! Thank's for sharing! If I get that sharpener, I will definitely try that.
 
maximus83 said:
OP seeing the responses here, they cluster into 2 groups: freehand stones (including the 3 suggested in my linked reviews), and guided field sharpeners. Of the ones I suggested, my favorite for non super-steels is the Arctic Fox. If using super steels like s30v or anything with higher vanadium content, I prefer the DMT diafold.

From your comment, wonder if you are looking only for a guided sharpener. If you do that, good idea to confirm that the angle options on the field sharpener are compatible with those of your Sharpmaker (15 and 20 dps).

If you are willing to consider learning freehand, that is worth doing for a field sharpener. It is a bit more versatile (you can sharpen to any angle you want), and of course, smaller to carry. Sharpening those folders you mention by freehanding on a small stone is actually slightly easier to learn than freehanding on a bench stone (at least, it was for me). It may be because with a pocket/field stone, you are not going such a large distance on the stone, you can slightly more easily see and control what's going on with your edge angle with each stroke you make. In any case, if willing to go freehand, I'd highly recommend that option, get one of the excellent freehand sharpeners folks have suggested in the thread, take a beater knife or three and practice till you can hold an edge angle. It should be totally do-able.
Click to expand...
Ok, I like the thought of freehanding, because I could carry a smaller stone instead of a whole setup!
 
Buck edgetek flipstik has been good to me in my field bag for excursions through the woods with. 3 grits of diamond sharpener. It's a little fast for my machete but still works on my CPM-M4 camp/bushcraft knife and various hardness levels inbetween. It works well with my s30v millie and cts-xhp bladed CS broken skull.

I'm also a fan of the larger edgetek stick for home use. I can use both with kukri's and pruner/hawkbill type blades as well like a byrd crossbill or spyderco tasman. I just find it quite versatile so I don't have to avoid recurves which can make nice brush choppers in a small package.
 
Another option is to use an angle wedge. I use a variety of pocket sized stones and just use a 17 degree wedge, 17 degrees being an overall angle that works for me. Wedges in a variety of angles are available readily. With the wedge you can keep your desired angle but use any of numerous pocket sized stones be they diamond, ceramic, Alox etc. I haven’t quite come to terms with pure freehand sharpening yet, but with an angle wedge I get consistent results.
 
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