A knife is one of the most essential pieces of gear to take with you on any outdoor adventure. However, it’s also important that your knife stays sharpened for optimal use. A pocket knife sharpener is ideal for any wilderness excursion because they’re small, light weight and easy to carry around.
A high-quality pocket knife sharpener will ensure that your blade’s edge remains razor sharp. This article will give an overview of the factors to consider when investing in a pocket knife sharpener and provide you with pocket knife sharpener reviews.
Factors to Consider
1. Hard Abrasive Surface
To reshape edges of dull knives you’ll need a hard-abrasive surface. The hardest materials you’ll find are diamond, tungsten carbide and polished ceramic. The abrasion level is measured in grit, with lower numbers being coarser and higher numbers finer.
2. Sharpening Stages
For pocket knife sharpeners, it’s ideal to have multiple sharpening stages in one tool. The sharpener should have a hard/coarse sharpening stage and a finer sharpening stage for touch-ups and polishing the knife’s edge. If your sharpener only has a coarse sharpening stage, then you will take off more material than necessary if you’re only touching up the edge.
3. Adjustable Angles
When taking a knife sharpener on an outdoor excursion, it’s useful to have adjustable angles. Having adjustable angles allows you to learn the proper sharpening technique. There are even knife sharpeners that can accommodate various angles for different blade types.
4. Blade Edge
All knife sharpeners can sharpen blades with straight edges, yet, it’s important to note that not all of them are capable of sharpening serrated edges. If your knife is fully or partially serrated, be sure to invest in a knife sharpener that can properly sharpen this type of blade edge.
5. Safety Features
Look for safety features on knife sharpeners because working with sharp knives can be dangerous. Most sharpeners put a physical barrier between the blade and your fingers to minimize the risk of you getting hurt.
Product Reviews
To help you find the best knife sharpener,it’s time to take a look at some pocket knife sharpener reviews.
Smith’s Pp1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener
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Smith’s Pocket Pal features three sharpening stages: a fold out diamond-coated rod for serrated and straight edges and gut hooks; carbide blades to quickly restore dull or damaged straight edged blades; and ceramic stones to smooth out and polish serrated or straight edged blades. Both the carbide blades and ceramic stones are reversible and replaceable.
The Pocket Pal’s pre-set sharpening angles guarantee that your knives are sharpened efficiently. This pocket knife sharpener is durable, lightweight and ergonomically designed. It also has a lanyard hole for easy carrying.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B000O8OTNC” locale=”US” tag=”deadbullseye-20″]>>>Click here for more info about the Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener<<<[/easyazon_link]
Lansky Blademedic Knife Sharpener
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The Lansky BladeMedic has three knife sharpening stages: a fold-out diamond tapered rod to maintain and recondition your blade; tungsten carbide to quickly restore your blade’s dull or damaged edge; and ceramic sharpening rods to effectively polish finished edges.
The sharpening notches are in a V-shape with sharpening surfaces 20 degrees from the center line, as this angle ensures a sharp and strong edge. The BladeMedic is capable of sharpening straight edges, serrated edges and gut hooks. This knife sharpener is small enough to fit in your pocket and it weighs only 4 ounces.
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Alpha Tek Pocket Hunting Knife Sharpener
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Alpha Tek’s knife sharpener can sharpen almost any knife blade in seconds. This hand-held pocket knife sharpener features two sharpening stages: course carbide blades and extra find ceramic rods (1,500 grit). The two-tungsten carbide cutting heads have pre-set angles that allow you to restore dull blade edges in just 3-4 strokes. The crossed ceramic rods also have pre-set angles to polish off a razor-sharp edge.
For safe and stable sharpening, the sharpener also features a non-skid base. Be aware that the fine and course sides are not labelled on the sharpener.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B014G6WG5A” locale=”US” tag=”deadbullseye-20″]>>>Check out what other customers say about the Alpha Tek Pocket Hunting Knife Sharpener<<<[/easyazon_link]
Sharpal Knife Sharpener & Survival Tool
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This Sharpal survival tool features a three-stage knife sharpener, built-in fire starter, emergency whistle and a lanyard attachment. The diamond coated rod is tapered and folds out for easy use. The rod has grooves which allows you to sharpen serrated edges, gut hooks and fish hooks. The crossed carbide blades have pre-set angles to set sharp edges quickly.
The angle is set for 20 degrees per side. The ceramic blades are designed for fine honing. The angle is set for 25 degrees per side. Sharpal’s knife sharpener and survival tool measures 3.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 inches and weighs only 1.4 ounces.
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Victorinox Pocket Knife Sharpener
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The Victorinox pocket knife sharpener has a ceramic oval rod with a sharpening groove for gut or fish hooks. The ceramic is coarse enough for medium sharpening and polishing, but will not work effectively for very dull or damaged blades. It’s a V-style, pull-through sharpener that’s easy to use and will work well for even the smallest pocket knives. What’s convenient about this pocket knife sharpener is that it’s 100% enclosed, compact and lightweight. It also includes is a pocket clip for easy carrying.
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Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener
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Work Sharp’s guided field sharpener features a five-stage sharpening system. It has course and fine 20-degree angle diamond sharpening plates that can easily be removed to reach difficult edges or for free-hand sharpening. The larger ceramic rod has a course, fine and grooved surface. The course and fine surfaces are ideal for honing and polishing blades, while the grooved surface is ideal for sharpening fish hooks. The smaller ceramic rod effectively sharpens serrated blades.
To finish off your edges, the sharpener features a leather strop with 25-degree angle guides. Although this sharpener features guides, it’s important to maintain a consistent angle while sharpening.
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Smith’s Diamond Combo Sharpening Stones
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Smith’s sharpener features coarse and fine sharpening stones made out of micron-sized monocrystalline diamond layers. The coarse diamond stone has a 325 grit while the fine diamond stone has a 750 grit. For your comfort and safety,the sharpener has a soft grip rubber handle and a thumb guard.The sharpening stones can even be stored inside the handle for safe-keeping. Each diamond sharpening stone has a micro-tool sharpening pad and sharpening groove ideal for sharpening fish hooks and pointed tools.
The sharpening stones work exceptionally to create razor sharp blades, but it will take time and practice to use them effectively.
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Final Thoughts
Be sure to invest in a high-quality pocket knife sharpener to keep your outdoor survival knife razor sharp for optimal use. It’s also important to note that all pocket knife sharpeners are manual and take practice to learn proper sharpening techniques. But, with time and practice, you’ll find that having a pocket knife sharpener with you in the outdoors will be one of your biggest survival assets.
