Victorinox Dual-Knife sharpener for SAKs (and others)

CSG

CSG

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Dec 15, 2007
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I put this thread here due to it being a Victorinox and for use with my Victorinox knives.

Along with my other purchase (Knipex 5" Cobra wrench) today, I also got the Victorinox Dual-Knife sharpener, specifically for my SAKs. Now, I normally have little use for these types of devices and use one of my Spyderco sharpeners (Sharpmaker, bench stones, pocket stones). However, with the generally good reviews this thing has along with it's ergo design and ceramic pull through discs for putting a fine edge on, I had to give it a try. All of my knives are sharp but, as we all know, Victorinox steel can dull a little quicker than we like. I dulled my Executive large blade and Classic blade a bit to see what the pull through would do and, damn, if it didn't put hair popping edges back on in ten pull throughs. It also has a honing rod that may be ceramic but I'm not sure and the Victorinox site doesn't say. Still, for about $13.50, this is a very neat, super light sharpener. Cleaning the honing rod with an eraser/Bar Keeper's Friend will be simple enough but I wonder how to clean the little white pull-through ceramic rods? That's the only possible negative I can think of.

https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/Accessories/Dual-Knife-Sharpener/p/4.3323
 
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It is a great sharpening tool and very portable. I keep one in my lunchbox. I believe the rod is ceramic.

I clean the sharpening surfaces on mine with a dish brush, then I pull a cloth through the V.
 
There are no coincidences ... Mine arrived last week and while I have used it a little, more for my own practice at this time, I cannot say how I like it yet. I have read somewhere that the rod is indeed ceramic. I must admit that the rod's elliptical cross section shape is quite interesting as there is a groove down the length of it on both of the wider sides that might be used to sharpen fish hooks among other things. The elliptical shape also allows for sharpening serrations on the narrow sides of the ellipse. Of course, this depends on the size of the serrations you are working on. Between the arthritis in my thumbs and diminished sensory functions in my fingertips, I am unable to feel a blade angle contact the stone, as a result I am sort of the Barney Fife of blade sharpeners. I usually end up where I need to be for an effective cutting edge. But, I am not the guy that ends up with a mirror finish that cuts tissue paper by the sheet falling on the edge of the blade and makes all the attendees of the knife sharpening convention envious. Do I expect this to be the magic end all of sharpening tools ... probably not. But I do have hopes of making progress in making sharper blades. They say practice makes perfect ... .
 
Hairy Clipper said:
There are no coincidences ... Mine arrived last week and while I have used it a little, more for my own practice at this time, I cannot say how I like it yet. I have read somewhere that the rod is indeed ceramic. I must admit that the rod's elliptical cross section shape is quite interesting as there is a groove down the length of it on both of the wider sides that might be used to sharpen fish hooks among other things. The elliptical shape also allows for sharpening serrations on the narrow sides of the ellipse. Of course, this depends on the size of the serrations you are working on. Between the arthritis in my thumbs and diminished sensory functions in my fingertips, I am unable to feel a blade angle contact the stone, as a result I am sort of the Barney Fife of blade sharpeners. I usually end up where I need to be for an effective cutting edge. But, I am not the guy that ends up with a mirror finish that cuts tissue paper by the sheet falling on the edge of the blade and makes all the attendees of the knife sharpening convention envious. Do I expect this to be the magic end all of sharpening tools ... probably not. But I do have hopes of making progress in making sharper blades. They say practice makes perfect ... .
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A working edge is far more important to me too . Honestly, I expected to return it because of the aforementioned Spyderco sharpeners I have and I was skeptical of the pull through portion of this sharpener (I have a couple Gerber pull throughs in my daypacks and they do not provide a good edge). However, this Victorinox sharpener does. You get really good finished edge through those little ceramic discs, at least with SAKs which is why I bought it. I'll still use my Spyderco sharpeners for my heavier bladed knives.

Most of the vids I've seen have people putting the rod into the cap. That's the wrong way to do it IMO. Even the Victorinox video has the rod into the cap and not the bottom. And pulling the blade towards you on the main rod IMO is not the way I like to sharpen. Better to put the the top into the the bottom piece rather than leaving it in the cap as you can then use it like a Sharpmaker with the rod braced on a table or other flat surface and, if you want to pull the blade towards you as the Victorinox video shows, you have a lot more to grip onto and it's safer. Lastly, you get the full length of the honing rod. Mounting it into the cap reduces its length by about 3/8" (due to the pocket clip). However, unless you need to reprofile a blade, I think all you need for a blade in decent condition is that little ceramic disc pull through. It really put arm shaving sharp on my Executive and Classic even though I thought they were pretty sharp already. This is a great tool to carry in the field for consistent touch-ups if you're using the blade hard. I plan to buy two more for the vehicles I drive (and keep this one in my nightstand drawer.

BTW, I've also read that the rod is ceramic but it's a lot grittier than the gray ceramic stones from Spyderco. It feels more like a coarse stone.
 
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Well, the V-sharpener is ceramic. And the stone should be an aluminium oxide abrasive. I know it as a "Korund", I hope AlOx is the correct translation into english. The groove is indeed for sharpening fish hooks. The grit is 360 (stone) 1.000 (ceramic-V). That's what Victorinox says. I am not 100% sure but I think this is FEPA. I would not rate the stone as "coarse". It is abrasive enough for a duller edge. But I would not go with it when my edge is super dull or damaged. Took me too long to reprofile the edge. And the pull trough leaves a decent edge. Not my sharpest edge. But sharp enough. Not that hair popping sharpness. But sharp enough to slice tomatoes or to whittle.
 
Pomsbz said:
It does make a lot of sense as a close to hand companion for a SAK.
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Yup. Other than the little Executive that's always in my pocket, I have a Champion Plus in each of those vehicles along with another SAK in in each of the total of four daypacks I have (a larger and smaller in each vehicle). SAKs are my most carried and used knives so keeping a sharpener close by makes sense to me.
 
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