Small sharpener vs big knife

Have done a 16" machete on a 6" combination stone, worked OK. All depends on your technique. I use a real short scrubbing pass, so aside from swarf and abrasive debris buildup, really doesn't matter that much.
 
J-P SAN said:
Inefective or not? Your thoughts?
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Trick question, I say. :D

Effective, maybe, depending on the steel and abrasive used for it, AND if the 'sharpening' task requires heavy grinding (re-bevelling). But assuming everything is done by hand (unpowered), a larger abrasive surface area will always speed things up. Sometimes dramatically. I recently tried to use a diamond Lansky kit to re-bevel a ZDP-189 blade to a very acute angle (lots of steel to be removed), and the going was horrid slow. The Lansky hones are very small (about 4" long X 1/2" wide), and even that's bigger than the kit will utilize, as the guided setup doesn't really make use of the full abrasive surface. I switched to a DMT 8" C/F Duo-Sharp bench hone, and the difference in speed was night & day.

Some time back, I did actually use a Lansky to re-bevel a ZT-0350 blade, in thick & heavy S30V. I finished the job, but it still took ~6 hours to get it done. Also ruined two of the standard Lansky hones I attempted to use. I finished everything with the only supplemental diamond hone I had at the time (Lansky medium grit diamond), and even that one showed extra visible wear by the time I was done.

Point being, assuming the abrasive is up to it, a small hone will work and therefore be 'effective', but with LOTS of patience and elbow grease. Even low-wear steel like 1095 can go slowly, if a lot of it has to be removed (big & thick blades).


David
 
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While I agree with both of these gents ^. Technique does play a big role as well as grit type. A 6X2" combinations stone is effective on most blades. For me the 2X8" stones is near Ideal and can handle a 8" + blade well. A larger stone greatly reduces sharpening time but is not as handy to transport and price increases for size. Your call. DM
 
When using pocket stones on long blades, I hold the knife by the handle in my nondominant hand, tip pointing toward my face. Holding the pocket stone in my dominant hand, I sharpen in sections, by moving the stone, holding knife still. It takes a while, but is easy to get the angle right.
 
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