Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What’s a good, simple knife sharpener?

Spent all my Cabelas gift cards today for the internet highly recommended Work Sharp Ken Onion edition knife sharpener, on sale for $130 - what a goat screw.

Pull the trigger and draw the knife at the same time - 6-10 draws each side. Change to a finer grit belt and do the same thing again. Change to a finer belt for the 3rd time and draw it about 4 times on each side.

I’m taking this damn thing back. I’m not so concerned about the price but I just want something simple to sharpen my hunting and kitchen knives. Being able to sharpen scissors would be a nice feature.

So what’s a simple, easy to use but effective knife sharpener? Thanks.

Lansky

RADA and a steel between.

Kent

Spyderco Sharpmaker has worked well for me

Unless you tend to let your blades get really dull and they are of a harder steel.

With a 1 minute touch up every week or two on the Sharpmaker, I've gone months without the need for a full blown sharpen.

Not a fan of the Work Sharp either...

You need to check for a burr before moving to the next finer belt, First time sharpening a new knife, it can take quite a while to correctly profile it with the coarsest belt. Same with any sharpener, if you cant feel the burr on the opposite side of the blade are sharpening, with your thumb, the whole length of the blade, when you move to the next finer belt, you arent sharpening the edge yet!!!

+1

I got this on the advise from somebody here. Works increditably well on kitchen knives. Just a few draws through it with a knife and it is sharp. Don't see why it wouldn't work on a hunting blade as well. Even my wife can sharpen a knife with it.

+2 simple and effective, I got one of those after Deflave recommended it. It's what I use on the kitchen knives followed with a few passes on the steel.

Sometime in the 90s I was at the swap meet and there was these washers attached to a piece of wood... knife sharpener with RADA on it, cost 5 bucks so what the hell. Took it to elk camp and we used it butchering, F'n thing was amazing and this with professional butchers in camp. So I bought more and handed them out the next camp.

Got quite a few of the modern ones and hand them out most hunting seasons to new hunters.

First time I posted about them here years ago I got a few hurmps and not much else, glad to see they are getting their due now.

And steel, it's the more important tool over any 'sharpener'.

Kent

+1 on the sharpmaker.

The key, as Lonny said is the not let the blade get dull.

I like FlexxxStrop brand strops. I carry the small in my hunting pack.

Few swipes on the strop after each use keeps in ready to go.

Chef'sChoice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener for Straight and Serrated Knives Diamond Abrasives Patented Sharpening System Made in USA, 3-Stage, Gray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018RSEMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wZKbEbG7VE41H

I’ve used one of these for years. Does the job well for my knives and uses. Others I know are very good at sharpening blades using a variety of tools. True craftsmen at the task. Never really taken the time to experiment or master sharpening like them.

My Gatco (a copy of the Lansky) is the only simple way I can make a knife sharp.

Bought the kit in the 80's, a few years ago the composite clamp broke. Called Gatco and they said yes, the material becomes brittle over time, give us your address and we will send you an aluminum clamp. Showed up in the mail 10 days later.......

That kind of service creates a ton of loyalty on my part.

I bought my SIL a regular steel and a diamond coated steel at a restaurant supply store for his birthday a few years ago. They will put a razor sharp edge on a dull knife real quick. I always take a Lansky sharpener with the ceramic rods when I go hunting or fishing, I gave him one of those too.

A rock from Arkansas rock formations......

i have 2 arkansas stones, not everybody can freehand sharpen a knife it takes practice.

A Whet rock!

I have the same stones. An old Army cook taught me how to put a razor edge on a knife with sharpening stones.

Spiderco Sharpmaker

Bought at a knife place in a mall in colorado springs 1985 while I was stationed at Ft Carson.
Some prescribe to oil on em.
I prescribe to a drop of spit.
Or if really fancy some water.

Clean it in warm water and light dish detergent once in awhile.

Rock been everywhere from Panama to Norway to Korea x3 to Germany to Iraq x 2
And everywhere in between.

Dont forget one in you all,s bugout bag along with toliet paper.
Lol!!!

Lansky . Has mine 30 years. I use the diamond stones.