Another tool to make your muzzleloader hunt easier.
 

I love minehttp://www.cabelas.com/product/Work-...ife+sharpeners

I like my Lansky stones and diamond steel to put a shaving sharp edge on all my knives. Ain't nothing better than a sharp knife. I always said you rarely cut yourself with a sharp knife, only a dull one.

Hey Grouse! What all have you tried sharpening with it? I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while.

$80 to sharpen knives, no thanks... :)

Looks interesting . I may buy it for my son as a present and try it myself once he opens it :)

Save your bucks.

I use a sheet of 400 grit Emery paper rolled into a tube about 1.5" in diameter and held in place with rubber bands on each end. Hold the knife in one hand (with your hand braced on your knee while sitting in a chair is best). Hold one end of the Emery tube in the other hand. While keeping the knife still, place the end of the Emery tube against the knife edge and move it rapidly side-to-side from the knife tip to the handle with wrist action of the hand holding the tube. Keep the angle the same throughout the operation. Do that to both sides of the knife edge and you will get a scary sharp knife.

(Sharpen all of your kitchen knives like this and you wife will put on that black negligee.)

Looks like a good system, but I have to add another vote for the Lansky sharpener.

Semisane,
Is that actually emery paper or just 400 wet dry automotive sandpaper?Would it be beneficial to wrap around a dowel for us not as gifted with our hands as you?

All I use is an Arkansas stone and a sharpening steel...

I stopped sharpening knives, and went with this. Much easier.

http://www.havalon.com/

Yep, the thing looks good. But it's kind of hard to use in the field.

Muley,
Are they really as sharp as a properly hand sharpened blade?How many have broken on you.For that price how can you go wrong if they work well.Thanks for the tip.

They're very sharp. Surgical sharp. They can't handle being twisted hard, or they'll break, but used just for cutting they can't be beat.

They do have a new model with thicker blades now. That should help the hamfisted skinners. :biggrin:

I recieved one of these for Christmas a few years ago and it changed my outlook on skinning/quartering deer. These knives are amazing!

I have a Lansky sharpener. It says it does conventional steel and even serrated, but I never tried the serrated sharpener part. Then it has a small diamond rod to really put that special edge on. Its amazing how sharp that simple $10.00 sharpener gets a knife. And the good quality knives seems to sharpen fast and hold their edge.

Heck, that's for guys that never learned how to sharpen a knife!!! :s2:

I have a $100 dollar Chef's Choice electric sharpener that can put a razor edge on pretty much any blade. But the truth is, nine times out of ten I reach for this.


It is ridiculously easy to use and puts an excellent edge on a blade. It might be a little more aggressive that some other sharpeners, meaning it takes off more metal, but its an easy trade off for how well it works. Like $9.

Good question Stude. It's Gator brand waterproof sandpaper from Ace Hardware. The abrasive is Silicon Carbide, not Emery. My bad. Back when I was a kid we called any such paper used for metal sanding Emery paper. I never got out of the habit.

I don't think a dowel would add to the effectiveness. The rolled tube is plenty stiff enough, and you don't want to apply a lot of pressure anyway. A light touch and holding the angle is all it takes.

I use the Accu Sharp as well. A gentle touch helps keep it from removing too much metal. If I want to shave with the blade I give it a few strokes with a steel or a diamond hone afterwards. I see no need for an electric sharpener, the manufacturers come up with some new gimick like that annually for those who cannot sharpen knives. I would be done sharpening by the time you got something like that set up. To each their own though.

If a knife gets extremely dull (which I do not let mine reach that point), I'll use a Lansky to re-shape the edge and finish with a finishing steel and then a strop. Most of my knives only need an occasional touch up from my fine diamond steel and then my finishing steel and then strop. When I'm butchering a deer I keep the finishing steel handy and wipe the blade clean periodically and hit it again. You can shave hair with all of my knives. Like Bronko says, you rarely get cut with a sharp knife, but it's easy to get cut with a dull one because you start applying more pressure than necessary and slip. Knives tend to dull mostly while you're using them on the cutting board. I also prefer to use quality knives of carbon steel or carbon/stainless blends. I hate stainless blades.

BPS

Just hunting knives so far. The angle is the most important and all knives are different. The Lansky can adjust for different angles and thats what i did on my different knives over the years. This setup is just plain simple, and it really is for someone who doesnt know how to sharpen a knife. Just set in the right angle and sharpen your knife. Your Knife manufacture will tell you the proper angle to sharpen your blade. It takes about 30 seconds to sharpen a knife. The angles only take seconds to change. Not sure how long the belts last or how long the product last.

I am old fashinoned and use Arkansas stones too.

And I carry this -- A steel diamond rod - I have one in my truck door and one in my pocket when I hunt. It will put an edge on anything quickly - even serated.

The Diamond Steel will screw into the handle to be hid. Easily pocketable.

And as Cayugad stated - high quality steel keeps its edge and will regain its edge quickly with the right stone.



About 15 bucks.


JW

I have been thinking about one of these for a little while. It has gotten good reviews from everyone on another forum I am on. Not only having the right blade angle is important but also being able to repeat that angle consistently. For someone that doesn't know how to do this well will absolutely just mess a knife up trying to do it the old fashion way. For those that know how to sharpen a knife then of course they don't need something like this.

I have been thinking about a work sharp as well. I have a Lanski Diamond set and to be honest they are a pain in the @ss with some blades. I have a could of knifes that slip out of the clamp every time. I have a couple of poor quality steel knifes that just can't be sharpened with the lanski. I bought a Chief's Choice to sharpen filet knifes.
The work sharp looks interesting but I would like to try one. Ron

I love mine. If you think they get sharp with just the regular belts, try this. I followed someones advice about taking a 1600 grit belt and holding some 80 grit sandpaper and sanding the belt smooth. Then get some green stropping compound and put on it the belt and use it for your final step and youll be amazed how much better of a job it does.

Worksharp
 

I bought a Worksharp a couple years ago and I must say it is one of the best things I've ever purchased. I've sharpened everything I could find from yard tools to knifes. I have probably 7 or 8 (at least) other sharpeners and this no other sharpener even comes close in my opinion. Worth every penny! I bought one for my dad as soon as I used this a few times.

How long do the belts last and how available are they? Ron

Thanks for the heads up. My knives are much sharper now then when using my Lansky sharpener. Can't wait to see how long the product will last.