So, my father is the most capable man I know. He builds houses, fixes anything with an engine, builds any tool he needs, and taught me every good and useful thing I know.

However, there is one thing he isn't very good at. He's never been very good at sharpening knives. I think it is a mental block.

So, for his birthday, I want to get him a sharpening set that takes all the work out of it. Something he cannot go wrong with. Maybe something that holds the angle of the blade for you...

He carries a traditional stockman style pocketknife (always has), so that will be what he is mainly sharpening with it. Anything else is just a plus, but it has to tackle that knife style.

Anybody have any ideas?

I like the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It is very easy to use and works well for me.

get an edge pro. hands down, end of story...he will love it. sharp maker is okay and it seems to be popular, but i think this is so mostly due to budget issues. from what i can see, the sharp maker requires the user to completely freehand the blade while the stones are at a set angle. in my opinion, you may as well be using a traditional flat stone. the edge pro gives you the flexibility to set any angle you desire and move through the grits to get an absolute razor edge. you can easily get better than a factory edge with it. it's fool proof. im not knocking anyone who uses the sharp maker...use whatever you like.

I vote for the edge pro as well, a little more expensive but DAMN!....I can get an awesome edge with it!!!!

edge pro it is! Thanks for that, looks like just the thing.

sharpmaker for sure