I have owned a portable knife sharpener for my hiking and camping trips for many years now. Unless I am missing another model along the way somewhere, this Smith sharpener was at the time I bought mine and still seems to be the cheapest way to have a portable sharpener along on any camping trip, hunting excursion, etc. Though some of the other reviewers here seem to regard this little baby as a stay at home unit for sharpening kitchen knives and what not, I strictly use it as a portable pocket style sharpener for taking on the road or trail. Its a little lacking for a home system, and there are much better choices to be had for that purpose. That are also more money as well.
The Smith two step system has been a most valuable part of my camping gear for a couple years now. It is easy to carry along in a backpack, simplicity in itself to use, and does a very nice job of putting a decent edge on just about any knife you may have along in the wilderness. One doesn't really have to explain the good sense and value of having a knife along on a hiking trip. Its uses as a tool and for self defense is common sense on its fundamental level. However I am often surprised at how many times I run into other hikers and campers who have enough good knives along, but no sharpener for them at all. Its like they seem to forget that a knife can get just as dull at a campsite as it does in your kitchen. On many occasions, even a lot more so. We all know full well what a drag it is using a dull knife no matter what job we are trying to perform. I probably end up loaning out my Smiths as much as I actually use it myself. At around $6.00 at the time of this writing, it is certainly not something that will give your knives a shaving worthy edge, but its ease of use and portability, along with its price make it a solid performer, and, an excellent value. I have had mine for about two years now and it is showing very little loss for the wear to be sure. And I have probably used it several dozen times on everything from jackknifes to small camp axes. I highly recommend it as an essential for your next wilderness excursion. It is an excellent portable sharpener for the price...
It's a knife sharpener. It sharpens knives. It's easy to use. The rubber bottom helps keep it steady. I like it. It stores easily. It's bright yellow. What more can I say?
The sharpening rods are not replaceable. Don't expect it to do miracles if your knife is nicked or gouged or bent. Don't use it with serrated edges. Don't use it on one-sided Japanese knives. Get and use a good cutting board.
I was very impressed by this sharpener. I tested it out on my pocket knife, which was a bit shy of sharp. After a couple of strokes on the fine sharpener the edge was restored to a faily good edge. I cut paper with out tearing it.
There are ways to get a sharper edge but not for the money. Don't hesitate to purchase this. It also brought a sharp edge to all my kitchen knifes. I tried to sharpen a serated knife and it did not sharpen it as I had hoped.
PROS
This will sharpen most knifes quickley and easily. It's light wieght and small enough to be portable.
CONS
The only negative thing I can say about this sharpener is I wish it were smaller. I would prefer something a bit smaller to throw in my backpack. For home use, this is not an issue. Doesn't work on filet knifes and may not work on some serated knifes.
First of All, don't put your expectations too high for this $5 sharpener. I bought mine at walmart for $5 and it has no complaints. I have used it on numerous knives ranging from small swiss army knives which got sharper in just a few strokes to 11.5'' Bowie knives which took much more time but the result was pleasing. Absolutely 5 stars! Course and fine side, both work well! Don't put to much pressure on the blade as you slide it through however, at the best this will do nothing to your knife, worst result is that it will chip your knife. There is enough friction between the steel of the blade and the sharpener. Great Tool All in All! (Would not recommend for kitchen knives) Seems to be less affective on bigger knives but still gives pleasant result over time
This little sharpener is great - I bought it to sharpen my Smith and Wesson knife that I carry as part of my equipment / tools and it worked great! The premise of this thing is that you first draw your knife across the tungsten carbide blades (labeled as coarse); what this does is that it actually removes a small amount of surface material and reshapes it into a sharp form - this worked great because my dull blade had all kinds of knicks and this got rid of them. Secondly, you draw your blade across the ceramic rods (labled as fine); what this does is that it softens and refines the sharp surface and removes some of the burrs from the resurfacing. What your left with is a razor-sharp surface. Is it a flawless surface? No. Is it professional grade sharpening that is on par with the best stone sharpening? No. But what it is, is a simple, effective way to sharpen thicker, straight blades like those of a pocket / duty knife. I don't have time to be running out to a cutlery or breaking out the stone to put an edge on my poor "beater" knife. This sharpener I can carry in my gear and whip it out when the edge is looking poor - in a few strokes, its back in great cutting condition. I highly recommend this for straight edged pocket knives, for serrated there is another one that comes with a rod for sharpening the little contures of the serration. This is no good for thin and single-sided blades. If the blade is too thin, this looks like it may warp or damage it. If the sharpness is on the face, and other side of the blade is flat, this will not work.'
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