Knife Sharpening Assitance Please (which stones and what Grit?)

[adriaticum]

lol. I admit, i did the same.
I tried a stone and in todays day and age it was a dumb method. It's too slow and even the slightest mistake leaves scratches on your blade. it just takes too much practice to get good at.

I bought an electric pull-through sharpener and all my knives are great after like 20 seconds. They are all high quality steel so i really have no need to be doing it in camp or in the field once they are sharpened well at home.

Hashtag #metoo

[albravo2]

Sharpening is really difficult. I don't usually believe people when they say they use some simple trick to get their knives razor sharp. Razor sharp is really sharp. I'm happy when I can get my knives to pop hairs off my arm.

I have a Lansky system, a Ken Onion and a few others. I've found the Lansky works best for blades that have a V cutting edge and the Ken Onion works best for knives that have more of a U shaped cutting edge.

Sharpening is about abrading steel but if you aren't at precisely the right angle you are making it more dull, not more sharp.

[MRP]

Don't forget to let us know when you get tired of stones and buy something more practical.

I've tried them all ceramic sticks, carbide draw, lansky sharpener.... Always go back to the stones.

lol. I admit, i did the same.
I tried a stone and in todays day and age it was a dumb method. It's too slow and even the slightest mistake leaves scratches on your blade. it just takes too much practice to get good at.

I bought an electric pull-through sharpener and all my knives are great after like 20 seconds. They are all high quality steel so i really have no need to be doing it in camp or in the field once they are sharpened well at home.

The dumb method is a lost skill. Trying to explain the value of lost skills to the "# I won't it now mentality" is a lost cause. Wow a scratch on the blade, worse yet you might break a fingernail or cut yourself.

[Ron.C]

I use the Lansky for my traditional edged knives.

My hunting knife is a full tang fixed blade Falkniven F1. Has a convex edge. Takes some practice, but I use 1500 grit sandpaper on a computer mouse pad then a leather strop with a bit of compound to finish. Can easily do several deer, or an elk without even feeling the need to touch it up. Amazing blade.

[twoSevenO]

I use the Lansky for my traditional edged knives.

My hunting knife is a full tang fixed blade Falkniven F1. Has a convex edge. Takes some practice, but I use 1500 grit sandpaper on a computer mouse pad then a leather strop with a bit of compound to finish. Can easily do several deer, or an elk without even feeling the need to touch it up. Amazing blade.

been thinking of getting one of these for a while. They look like fantastic knives! Very good reviews on youtube and all around.

[twoSevenO]

I've tried them all ceramic sticks, carbide draw, lansky sharpener.... Always go back to the stones.







The dumb method is a lost skill. Trying to explain the value of lost skills to the "# I won't it now mentality" is a lost cause. Wow a scratch on the blade, worse yet you might break a fingernail or cut yourself.

Why bother saving some lost skills when the times have changed. Who needs a master wagon-wheel builder anymore? I'm sure it was a great craft to be skilled in 200 years ago. Nowdays no-one needs it.

And if you have a nice knife of course i'd rather go with a method that doesn't scratch it if its available to me ..... not to mention the time savings.

If you want to sharpen with stones, for nostalgic purposes, that's fine. But there is no evidence that your hand method with stones can produce a better edge than some of the modern methods out there.
Again, if you're good at it .... it's great. Some of us just don't have the time to invest to become good with stones, so we take the easy/fast way out