quote:

Originally posted by kho:

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
I have lots of sharpener systems Ken Onion belt Spyderco and Warthog. They all have their plus/minus I am not in love with any of them. I select depending on the knife itself.
I did buy these for SIL's Christmas gifts

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L...dt_b_product_details

For the money and for the average knife sharpener, it would be my recommendation

Minuses- there are not any additional grit stones you can add to the system,

KHO, look into this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...=A1Z46TLB8UOBP&psc=1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: downtownv,

KHO corrected link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...=A1Z46TLB8UOBP&psc=1

That must be relatively recent. Excellent! Just ordered one. Thank you!

 
I use bench stones, from India up to Hard Arkansas. I cut some blocks at different angles to assist with getting a consistent angle.
 
Then, one day, while I was working with my neighbor, I asked to look at his knife, nothing special, but it was super sharp. I asked what he used.
 
Generally I steer away from "as seen on TV" things, but the AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener that he referred me to is nothing short of amazing. I can take my carefully formed 25* angled pocket knife, and two or three passes with this thing and it is extremely sharp. I realize it is putting a shallower angle on it, but the ease of use makes it a snap to touch up. Strictly for pocket knives and such, I think, but a good bit of kit, and cheap.

The "accusharp" type products have been in use since Ekco was first started up. You can get good results. The Crock sticks will work, too, and leave less gouging.

Arkansas stones will work if the user has a steady hand and can keep the angle consistent, which doensn't really happen. What does result isn't flat, but slightly rounded off - like a hatchet or axe, which can be very sharp. It's also good at wedging the material and with some things that isn't a plus.

Why Lansky, DMT and others came up with the guided stones at set angles should be obvious, the typical knife owner stepping up to those lacks the hand and eye coordination to keep the angle consistent. The device will do that and does accomplish the job.

One significant issue is that maintenance needs to be ongoing, not a once yearly trial in patience and extensive effort. For many, that is their downfall - had they been using a simple fine crock stick weekly most of the nicks and dull spots would be minimized. Another is knowing that alloys will make things considerably more difficult. The average paring knife in carbon steel cleans up really quick, move to a higher carbon content with manganese, etc adding abrasion resistance and you exponentially increase the difficulty getting it dull - or restoring the edge. The blade can't tell the difference - if its highly resistant to micro abrasion it's definitely highly resistant to fine stones sharpening it.

Recently "touched up" a Ganso auto in 440C and it took literally thousands of strokes to clean up years of abuse. I have a S30V blade which used to be hair popping sharp, it's well used, still cuts, but getting it back? Id rather send it to the "spa" for the maker to do it. Nope, not taking a grinder to it - seen that in the day, results are always poor. Most grinders dont use a fine stone and they are actually hard to source at the hardware store level. Nope, 40 grit seems to be the norm, and that's not so good even for a lawn mower blade. In the Ozarks I've come to just tossing mower blades after one sharpening on the grinder. Our soil has the effect of 5 Grit and the other rocks are close to Arkansas stone sticking up on edge. Seeing sparks blown out the discharge chute here is common.

Seeing sparks thrown off a grinder when someone is "sharpening" their pocket knife is common, too. Just no. While a professional or experienced craftsman certainly earned his skills, the average knife owner doesn't need to be shamed into buying or using equipment far beyond their need. We just want to get our affectionately abused knives back into some kind of useful shape for less than the cost of a new one.

And there is the price point - another new knife for $40 is an attractive solution compared to $40 for a kit which may or may not get results. It's the crossover point from User to Hobbyist and most won't go there. For the best success a guided stone kit works, but the patience to use a slow hand moved stone on high alloy doesn't come in another bottle in the kit, and I don't recommend other substitutes with the sealed necks either. But, at least you might not care how the job comes out.