They don't need much sharpening if they are properly maintained. We have had hunters bring their blades back to us after several years of use and a pass or two with a fine diamond stone will have it hair popping sharp. A knife that has been really been used until it is dull might take a lick or two on a stone that is a little more coarse to set up the edge prior to going to a fine one. Most customers that ask us about sharpening the knives don't have a problem once they get the proper stones. We are glad to recommend the proper stones as well as explain how to use them to develop the kind of edge the customer wants.
We do offer our customers, that don't want to sharpen their own knives, a free sharpening service if they will bring the knife in to the shop or ship it to us and pay for return postage. We get the knife back in the mail on the next business day after we receive it and sharpen it while you wait if you bring it in. We will also show you how to do it yourself while you are here if you want us to.
I have seen some attempts at sharpening blades that stop just short of turning your stomach. It doesn't have much to do with the steel, it is technique that is causing the problem. The best technique is to not allow the blade to get dull. After use, a quick backwards strop or two on the edge of a folded over piece of cardboard will help maintain the razor sharp edge and really prolong the necessity of a serious sharpening. Maintaining a proper angle seems to be the problem most people have when trying to sharpen a knife. Using a Lanskey Sharpening system (diamond stones only) can relieve this problem. They work best if you use super glue to fix the blade in the clamp so that it doesn't shift while you are sharpening. They don't tell you this in the instructions, but it makes a world of difference in the results. Finish up by stropping backwards on cardboard or a strop made by loading a backed piece of leather with polishing compound. Scary sharp is the result.
There are steels out there that are much harder to sharpen than CPM S30V and people don't have a problem with them. CPM M4 comes to mind. Using a couple of good diamond stones of the proper grit will go a long way towards making using these high performance steels a real joy.
