I’ve used everything from whetstones to lansky type sharpeners to the Ken onion worksharp belt system. I can get a good edge on all of them but I do have my favorites.
For kitchen knives the worksharp is fast and easy. I don’t like it for nice knives or field knives, although it does work well. It will scratch your blade sides, take a bit more material off than you want, and creates a convex bevel that may be a bit harder to touch up with a stone.
For pocket and hunting knives I really like the Spyderco Sharpmaker, although it is kind of expensive for what you get. Add the diamond or CBN stones and use light pressure. It is one of the only systems that will sharpen serrations (if that’s your thing). It is probably the easiest manual system to learn. I use it for all my folders and outdoor knives.
Plain flat stone also works, within the limit of the users skill. I usually have a small dmt diafold or similarly handy for field sharpening.
I have achieved good results with the lansky type systems, but I don’t like them, as they are pretty labor intensive on the setup. I have never used the kme, wicked sharp, edge pro, etc. they all have their fans.
If all my sharpeners were gone and I had to start from scratch I would buy the Sharpmaker with diamond rods plus two diamond stones. A large double sided bench stone (C/F) for chisels, plane blades, general use, and a small double sided diafold (C/F) for field touchups.
Last edited by K1500; 09/21/21.
