No matter what kind of knife you own needs to be kept sharp. The problem with keeping a sharp knife has always come down to what pocketknife sharpener is the best to use.
There are a few basic types of pocketknife sharpeners. Wet stones, carbide, and belt sharpeners. Each one has its benefits and a few downfalls. However, as you’ll find which one is the best to keep your pocketknife sharp.
Wet Stone
A basic wet stone is a great way to keep your knives sharp. There are many different types of stones with different grits anywhere from 400 grit to 8000 grit. A basic dual grit stone works for most cases.
The courser the stone the faster it will sharpen. You’ll need a finer stone to get that razor-sharp edge most people want. Start with the coarse side until it is sharp then use the fine side to polish the blade. A basic 1000 grit 8000 gritstone works for most knives unless they are dinged up or extremely dull.
Wet stones take some talent and practice to get a good edge on a blade. It is very easy to make a knife worse with a wet stone if you are not careful. If you just want to quickly sharpen your knife this may not be your best option. As you must hold the blade at the exact same angle the whole time you are using it.
There is an easier version of the wet stone. With these types of stones, you move the stones instead of the knife. With the knife locked into a fixture and the stones set at the right angle, it takes far less skill to get a sharp knife. There is still one downside to this style of wet stone. It takes a lot of time to take a dull knife to razor-sharp.
Carbide Sharpener
Carbide Sharpeners are by far the easiest way to sharpen a pocketknife. They are very safe with very little chance of you cutting yourself. All you do is pull the knife blade across the carbide pieces and it will sharpen your knife. The carbide pieces are fixed and if you hold the knife with the blade up and pull sharpener across it you have little chance of cutting yourself.
The problem with these sharpeners is they take a lot of metal off your knife blade. You can actually see the metal shavings when you use a carbide sharpener. Most people don’t like the idea of taking that much metal off their expensive knife blades. So they are great for you cheap heavily used pocketknives, that you abuse and don’t care about.
Belt Sharpener
A belt sharpener is by far the best, and quickest way to sharpen any knife. Belt sharpeners like the Work Sharp are scaled-down versions of what professional knife makers use. With practice, you can consistently put a razor-sharp edge on a knife in less than 2 minutes. This sharpener will not only sharpen pocket knives, it will sharpen anything that needs sharpening. From scissors all the way up to lawnmower blades.
Some people may look down at the cost of the Work Sharp knife sharpener or any belt sharpener. At $70 and up, they are not as cheap as other options. However, the time they save sharpening a knife correctly makes the initial cost worth every penny. Not to mention how easy it is to put a razor-sharp edge on any knife.
One thing to remember with the Work Sharp, or other belt sharpeners, is if you have to be careful. It’s easy to take too much metal off or change the shape of the blade in ways you don’t want. For most people, this isn’t a problem as long as they follow directions. and be careful. Unlike the carbide sharpeners, you have control over how much material you remove by just adjusting the speed at which you sharpen your knife.
Conclusion
The best pocket knife sharpener is mainly a matter of personal choice. People have been keeping knives sharp with a stone for centuries. However, the best pocketknife sharpener is a belt sharpener.
Professional knife makers use belt sharpeners because they work quickly, and give a great finish. You’ll use it for the same reasons. With as fast as you can sharpen a knife, and how easy it is to put a razor edge on any pocket knife you will realize it is the best pocket knife sharpener.
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