knife advice, (sort of)

[Not The Original Kermit]

On my belt I carry my two trusty multi-tools. My Leatherman Crunch and my Surge. these tools come out several times over the course of my day.

Anyway, the blades are getting pretty beat up and I'm quite a novice when it comes to blade sharpening. I've read about pocket sharpeners etc.

So my question is:

whats a good compact stone/pocket sharpener that I can carry around to maintain my blades. I'm not looking to shave my arm hair or anything, just something that will keep the edge fairly sharp.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

go to any sporting good store.

 

[tnevy4]

get a small coarse/fine (one on each side) diamond stone from a sporting goods store, and it will do everything you need and then some.

 

[maxman]

I was using a little Coticule for a while with my beginner strop.
It kept my pocket knife with a pretty good edge, but I found the edge didn't last.

The strop was better with CrOx paste on it and no coti.
I just had to do it more often.

 

[maxman]

get a small coarse/fine (one on each side) diamond stone from a sporting goods store, and it will do everything you need and then some.

I like this idea better than mine.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Sharp is sharp, too sharp is dull

You could take it outback and use a rock and get decent results... same with a sidewalk, coffee cup, the exposed glass on your car window, etc.

Cheap stones get pocket knives good enough. You obviously don't need it razorsharp so just about anything will keep them going for you.

 

[mopar440_6]

I have full size DMT stones and they work extremely well. I would recommend this:

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-FWFC-Doub..._2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361975833&sr=8-2&keywords=dmt

 

[Not The Original Kermit]

Sharp is sharp, too sharp is dull

You could take it outback and use a rock and get decent results... same with a sidewalk, coffee cup, the exposed glass on your car window, etc.

Cheap stones get pocket knives good enough. You obviously don't need it razorsharp so just about anything will keep them going for you.

Ingenious you are, the coffee cup suggestion worked great.

 

[cybrok]

Get a good stone for home, and a speedy sharp

 

[thebikingengineer]

I've taken to using the Lansky system for my beater knives. Not a bit of romance in it like with free-hand sharpening, but I get great results quickly. It's a huge step up from the pocket sharpeners, which I've never had good luck with.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Ingenious you are, the coffee cup suggestion worked great.

And to think people pay money for ceramic hones

 

[KNaB]

Get a good stone for home, and a speedy sharp

A speedy sharp will NEVER touch any of my knives. They remove too much steel and destroy a knife's edge.

I travel with a spyderco double stuff (course on one side and fine on the other) With my work tools I have a spyderco golden stone and a byrd duckfoot sharpener (now discontinued).

 

[Thaumaturge]

I carry a double sided diamond plate from I bought from ragweed forge. It's a great tool, and fits fairly good in my wallet.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Harbor Freight has cheap diamond hone sets that are excellent for kitchen and pocket knives.

 

[Comet]

Try the Spyderco Sharpmaker. They are easy to use and will get a wicked edge without too much effort.

 

[diamondtim]

Use a steel (from a kitchen knife set). A dull blade usually means that the edge has rolled over. Stroke the blade's bevel along the shaft of the steel and the knife will be sharp in no time. Use an equal number of strokes on each side of the blade.

 

[rickboone1]

Sterling sharpener and strop man strop.