Knife Sharpening
 

I'm sure you guys can agree that having a sharp knife in the field is very helpful. I'm curious; what do you guys use to keep your hunting knives razor sharp?

Do you use a sharpener that has given you great results? If so, which one do you recommend?

Thanks!

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

LANSKY......away from home....I use one of thesehttp://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat20897&navAction=jump&nav Count=1&cmCat=MainCatcat602009&parentType= category&parentId=cat602009 and LOVE it....I feel like it sharpens it more so than 'ripping it' til its sharp...can do it rough with one side and finer with the other. I love it.......next 'stay at home' sharpener I get will be some sort of diamond sharpener

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

+1 Lansky http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKUNV.php

This is the kit I have and almost impossible to screw up. It's got different angles that you can use to put on a good durable edge or a razor sharp edge on... I use it on every knife I own

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Havalon Knife. Replace blade after each animal. Nothing is sharper.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Diamond Stone!

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Diamond Steels.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I use the Gatco sharpening system. I have had it for about 6-7 years and it works great for my thicker bladed hunting knifes.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

im old fashioned....i still use arkansas stones....but i havent found anyone that can get knives as sharp as i can and edges that last as long with any other method...

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I use the Smith Diamond shapener on dull knives but I still love a nice Arkansas wet stone. There may be easier ways to do it but there is something special about a wet stone. It's an art

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Belt sander. Like a stone butdoes all the work at about a 1000 strokes per minute It's a polished razor when it's done in about 30 seconds.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I use different things for different types of grinds. For the basic flat and taper grinds that need resetting, I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker and then strop them on leather loaded with green compound. For my convex knifes and touch-ups of my flat/taper grinds I use wet/dry sandpaper increasing to finder grits up to 2000 then strop on the leather loaded with compound. The convex knives get the wet/dry and leather stroping done on top of a spongy mouse pad. I can usually have a knife popping hairs in about 10 minutes unless their edges have been ruined by someone using a carbide sharpener. Most people who use belt sanders can get knives shaving sharp, but don't understand that they are ruining the temper unless the person using it knows how to keep the blade cool or the sander is made for specifically for sharpening and turns at a much slower rate than a normal one. Diamond stones are over-used by most people and should only be used when a great deal of metal needs to be removed for "cutting back". Diamond honing makes a blade feel sharp, but it is really jagged and is "cutting" (ripping) with more of a micro serration. This will cause it to require sharpening more often, and again, will be removing vastly more metal each time than should be.

The average "Joe" can get excellent results with a plain old Spyderco Sharpmaker for 50 bucks and some leather and compound from the hardware store for a few bucks more. This won't ruin the knife and the edge will stay sharper longer.

This is a cheap CRKT Prowler I carry sometimes. That is a single hair I "shaved" with it after 5-10 minutes or so of touch up.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Another vote for Lansky here. My dad has used a the Lansky system for years and bought me one a few years ago ( probably because I was always borrowing his!). Very easy and makes a nice sharp knife.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I use a smith sharpening kit.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I like to use a hardarkansas stone and a piece of ceramic..

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I use the KME system. It's by far the highest quality best made sharpener I have ever used. They also make a great broadhead sharpening system as well. http://www.kmesharp.com/index.html

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Lansky kit and the arc tube from a high pressure sodium lamp to touch it up.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

i plan on buying a lanky next week

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Thanks, guys. Some great suggestionshere and I hope you all get to use your sharp knivescarving upyourquarrythis season!

I went with Lansky based on prior use and the number of suggestions itreceived here.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Belt sander.
Nodog

What size paper..80 Grit??

I use the little Rapala sharpener that comes with the filleting knives.. or a whet stone

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

I'm a butcher and I take my knives into the shop and sharpen them there. We have 3 at the shop. one is a disk grinder, one is a belt grinder with a sandpaper belt and the other is a 3 edge stone. I use them all. You have to be carefull with the belt grinder tho. You don't want to scorch the blade as it will never get sharp again........ ok, maybe after you grind about 1/4" of steel away.
For the avg person the Lansky is the way to go.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

was snooping through some old stuff and found this....i the arc tube as well

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

X2

Also away from home I have a double carbide stick, with a few light swipes and then hit it with the steel it will create a quick razor edge.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Lansky but this one looks interesting: http://www.kmesharp.com/Products.html the sharper you want it, the finer the stones you need.

I never sharpen knives in the field, I pack along a couple surgically sharp knives and they last me anywhere from boning out an entire deer on a day hunt to boning out entire moose on a 10 day float hunt. I return them to scary sharp when I get home.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

Check out the Apex. A little pricy but WELL worth it. Extremely easy to use, best purchase I have ever made.

www.edgeproinc.com

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

KME system - its what Lansky and Smith sharpeners are suppose to be !

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

The best way to sharpen a knife is not to let it get dull. Trite, but true! And by that I mean, sharpening it after every use. I keep my hunting knifes shaving sharp with an ordinary sharpening steel. If they do get dull, then I have to work them on an Arkansas stone before I lay them to the steel. I've tried a bunch of sharpening devices, from Lansky's to variousV-shaped deals made from all sorts of materials. Some worked. Some flat didn't. Some where nightmarish in their complexity and process required. None of them work as quickly or as surely as routine, quick swiping on a steel.

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

just get a buck knife.the best sharper is the one you can use and get a edge with.now days they are all good

RE: Knife Sharpening
 

diamond stone just because it's the only one that comes close to the stone that i lost. when you sharpen your knife with a stone count your strokes to get it even, or just feel your edge to make sure it's even.you can feel a ridge if it's uneven then just hit the ridge side 1 more time,make sure that your strokes have the same angle. after a few knives you'll get the hang of it. a diamond steel is small enough to carry in your pocket and can be used at any time. wal-mart has one for $4-$5. for skinning, sharpen from the handle to the tip, again count your strokes. for stabbing, sharpen from tip to handle. i lightly feel the edge with my left finger tips because my right hand is more calloused(spelling) than my right. i usually sharpen all the knives at hunting camp, some are harder to sharpen than others and have to be hit with a leatherman file which i've found works best for me. hope this helps