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

Arkansas stones I have been using these for a long time. My Dad showed me how to use a stone when I was probably 13 and been using stones for around 45 years. Not the easiest way to sharpen a knife, but is my preference.

https://www.kmesharp.com/ I have lanski and all the other stones.. I have all my knives shaving sharp with the KME .. It's like the Lanski EXCEPT no slop with the angles kind of like the next generation.. Good luck...

This type has always worked: https://www.homedepot.com/p/TEKTON-6-in-Triangular-Saw-File-Regular-Taper-6690/206297088

I think I have 5-6 of them. one in my shop,one in each truck,one in the front of my atv,one in kitchen.

Well of course there are different aspects of 'sharpening', but just a generic... I want my knife sharp to cut stuff, what's a simple way to do it, the answer is the RADA or other cheap V style... why? because it recenters the edge. The edge needs recentered often, that's honing, the back of the bevel doesn't need cut back nearly as much, that's taking metal off. A professional knife may need sharpened once or twice a year and honed frequently while used.Honing doesn't take metal off it straightens the edge... a steel, smooth stone, leather, cardboard, ceramic, glass, boot, pants... lots of ways to do it but a steel is the answer in the kitchen and butcher table.

I've got stones, a lansky, belt sander with different grits and leather, carbide... have used them all, they represent removing metal. I'm down to using the belt sander if I need to reprofile an old knife, the RADA to cut the relief back when needed and a steel most of the time. Sharp is sharp.

I'm not a professional butcher but learned from some as a kid butchering our beef, usually help on a few elk and deer kills a year, though that's tapering off, only one elk last season. Field dressing and possibly butchering if the person shows real interest in learning, anymore if they just want someone to do it for them they can pay a butcher. The guy this year is someone I've hunted with for 10 years, was on his first elk kill and some others, he has turned into a hell of a hunter taking kids out from his church and mentoring many successes. He asked if we could butcher his bull and I said sure. The knife and sharpness issue is important obviously, if you just field dress and skin a few animals a year and haul to the butcher shop a knife only has to be sharp for a short period. Separating muscles, cutting roasts and steaks didn't take much learning as it is obvious once into it, mostly he talked about the knives, how did I keep them so sharp with the steel so fast. I gifted some knives, steel and a RADA because he showed real interest.

Anyway knives are a tool to me, I take function over presence, if someone has a knife they want to have a perfect bevel for looks that's fine, take all the time needed to achieve it, it's not sharper just prettier.

I have picked up many old butcher knives, rescued from some dark drawer, some back from the 1800s, just observing them they tell the story of how working knives are sharpened for heavy use. There is no uniform bevel, it's just ground well back so it can be steeled for months before regrinding. These knives are still formidable and very sharp. You can see the relief and some have the grinding companies name stamped on them, most have the butcher's initials or mark on them. Here's a few I have. The cleaver was steeled so much using the handle a a backstop it ate the wood to the rivet, I've had other knives that the wood was ate back also.

Happy sharpening...

Kent

Diamond rod, Crock stick, Or a ceramic rod, all work .

I was at my daughters recently and her knives were bad. Nothing in the house to sharpen with. The neighbor was putting in a new tile floor and had some cut off pieces laying

Around. I Had heard that it was much the same as a ceramic rod so gave it a try. Worked like a charm. Just keep the angle correct and in a few passes your knife is sharp.

I showed her how to use it and she sharpened one of the knives.

never understood the love for the sharpmaker. I have one laying around somewhere, that If I found it and someone wanted it I would give them the dang thing. perhaps its works good on soft steels. but hard steels like S30v etc. I just flat out couldn't sharpen with it. edge pro apex is probably the best out there. We use the worksharp also but only on axes because it takes off too much metal for pocket knifes. If I was doing it again, Those MDF wheels on a bench grinder are what I really want to try.

I've been using this pull through sharpener for about a year with zero issues. Screws to the bench for stability. At first I was disappointed but soon realized that it requires a few pulls till the edge conforms to the vee angel of the carbide inserts.After that an occasional pass across my steel keeps my knives in great shape .

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019DVLN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In reading through the posts in this thread I am reminded that over the last forty years I have had or used nearly every sharpener mentioned except the MDF disks and the Rada. I still have most of them in a box somewhere. The one I use most of the time is a a pair of round ceramic rods stuck in a piece of oak at an angle. Sort of a long skinny coffee cup I suppose. It puts a serviceable edge on a knife and the softer the steel the better. It will do 440 stainless but it takes awhile. The one I have came from AG Russell a long time ago and after trying every sharpener I came across I went back to it. Obviously my sharpening abilities are suspect but the Russell does a good job and pretty quickly if the knife is still somewhat sharp. I use a leather strop to touch up edges.

The original question asked about a simple sharpener. There are a few on here that work and I asked the last custom knife maker i bought a knife from what he used. A Spyderco SharpMaker was his answer. I might buy one of those sometime.

For simple, a stropping action on sandpaper and a mousepad is a good option. The slight flex of the mousepad is very forgiving of angle variation, and is super easy to get the hang of. It also gives a slight convex edge, which is less prone to damage. I normally go 400 to 1000 grit paper for most knives, and 2000 if I want a finer edge.

Only $4 at Lowe's.....

I have a 320 white wheel and a felt wheel with white polishing compound, on a bench grinder. Fast and sharp.

Years ago, I bought a pricey Forschner kitchen knife. I screwed around with it for years with any number of different sharpeners but just couldn't ever get a decent edge. A couple years ago I bought a Worksharp. That's what it took. Just a few pulls through and the Forschner now has a great edge. I don't use the fine belts, just the coarser red belt, then finish off with a ceramic pull through type.

The Rada is so simple even a woman can use it. Tada. Edk

Lansky Master's Edge

that's why i got one, got tired of dull kitchen knifes.

I'm useless with a stone, but have the worksharp and love it.

Aside from hunting knifes, we have some kitchen knifes that when you tried to cut a tomatoe it mostly just crushed it until you got through the skin. 60 seconds with the worksharp and it cuts them cleanly now and effortless.

We run our hunting knifes and butchering knives through after every animal killed and put in the freezer, works great.

I’ve got and use occasionally the K.O. Worksharp, Several Arkansas stones, an Accusharp, Lansky, etc....

What I use now is a Warthog sharpener (home) or a rada (always in truck). Then leather strop with polishing compound to finish.
I wish I would have had the Warthog sharpener years ago, would have saved me much time and money. I’ve also gifted them a couple times and the recipients have been impressed.
peak98

I have used a 3 way oil stone for 40 years.
My work knives are sharp, but I struggle to get them there.
Perfectly creating the same angle on both sides is not easy.
Some guys that have perfected it have absolute razors.
I have always has a tough time getting those perfect angles.