Sharping knives

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Have any of you bought and or used the electric knife sharping tool they are advertising on TV? I cannot sharpen a knife no matter what I try. I have watched all the videos on the net and it just doesn't help. the poor knife usually ends up worse than when I started. I even bought one of those diamond faced sharping stones. No help. Anybody?

[Freightman]

Dull knife is a dangerous knife, sorry knife sharping is a skill I have tried to teach my boys for years , no luck.

[Fishman]

Since buying the Worksharp system, I haven't had the desire to use any of the other sharpeners I own. You can't mess it up. Even my wife sharpens her kitchen knives now, and touch-ups take just a few seconds per knife. I was a skeptic, now I won't use anything else if I can help it.

https://www.worksharptools.com/

[jcren]

I am actually good at sharpening knives (took wood carving classes as a kid), but I bought one of the Work Sharp Ken Onion sharpeners for the kitchen knives and such and love it. You will need to "grind" on em more than you think the first time, but once the angle is set, very quick.

[Greg S]

The biggest hurdle in the learning curve is setting the initial bevel along the entire edge. Alot of folks don't use a couse enough stone in their prelimary work and stop frustrated. I've got stones, diamond paper/spray from 200 grit to 1 micron along with assorted fabric and leather strops. The idea of maintaining an edge once obtained is lost on alot of folk which requires alot of work resetting the bevel each and every time it is sharpened.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I'm sold, got to get one. I suppose I will have to learn how to use a stone before I go traipsing through the Amazon or tiptoeing thru the tulips or whatever.

[bangerjim]

WorkSharp...........the ONLY sharpening tool you will EVER need. I have one and sharpen not only knives, but planer blades, chisels, plane blades, lathe tools.......anything that needs a precision sharp edge. Far better than any free-hand grindstone sharpening you can ever do. I do not care what someone can brag about doing on a free-hand grinding wheel! Precision positioning is the key to sharp repeated grinds.

Worth every penny. I got mine and all the many accessories at Woodcraft....right down the street from my office! No mail order for me.

banger

[dragon813gt]

I can't do it by hand so I use the Gatco system. It's like a Lansky but w/ more bevel options. I won't spend the money on anything more expensive because what I have works well. A few minutes to touch up the edge is all that's needed.

[snowwolfe]

Make my sharpener the Edge Pro. I haven't been able to find a blade I cant sharpen.

[crowbuster]

Oh sweet lord. I've sharpened my whole life. Used anything from glass to a rock, so so many stones. Love the diamond stones as well. Always good at it, a gift from my grandpa, u get cut just lookin at his ax. But let me tell ya, got the ken onion worksharp to speed up settin the edge of forged knives and oh lord. Love that thing ! I would pay the extra and get the ken onion design. Good luck

[Jeff Michel]

Sharpening any cutting instrument boils down to practice. I showed two ladies earlier this week how to put an edge on a knife. It took one, 18 trips to the stone over the course of three days before she understood how a properly sharpened knife looked and behaved. The other had it down in two trips. Like anything else, some will get it quicker than others. When I left work yesterday you could of shaved with either knife. Get a good three face stone, Norton makes a nice one, 12 inches, oil bath, nonskid feet. Small stones are difficult to use, even for people with a ton of experience. Try to consider it as an investment, buying it will beat up a couple hundred bucks but they last forever. Mine is thirty years old and will far out last me. If your budget allows, the easiest way out is a Tru-Hone. I got mine off ebay and there isn't a better electric knife sharpener in the industry. This is a commercial unit and built like a tank. Even with a piece of **** knife, anyone with zero experience can produce a razor edge in two minutes. I'm referencing these two items as these are what you are most likely what you will find in a packinghouse that they use specifically for sharpening knifes. If you are going to include chisels and the like, the three face will do you a good job, the Tru-hone is for knifes only. Then just practice and practice. Sooner or later, it will fall into place. Don't get discouraged, you'll be great at it before you know it.

[popper]

I think knife steel has changed over the years, mom used a manual rig with a bunch of wheels in it. It would put a good bevel on my pocket knife which I could then stone to a razor edge. Can't do that with the SS blades anymore.

[smokeywolf]

A lot of people have difficulty sharpening a knife. While some have a problem judging angle of knife to stone, IMHO, much of the problem is a reluctance to make the investment in high quality stones of sufficient size.

With regard to bevel angle, there are two gadgets that look like they might be a good solution to achieve and maintain consistency of the angle of your bevel. One is a clip-on bar that attaches with a spring loading to the spine of your knife. The other is a design shared by several manufacturers; "Edge Pro" gets high ratings. First one is pretty cheap, second one runs about $200 and up.

[Moonie]

I've been sharpening knives since I was 9 years old. I purchased a very hard D2 semi-stainless knife and had trouble getting it as sharp as I wanted. I purchased a Worksharp, I'll never use anything else now. I have a dozen different grits of after market belts and when I'm done the edge has a mirror polish on it and you can shave with it.

Amazing sharpener and worth every penny. I got mine right before the Ken Onion version came out, I'll get that one if I ever need to replace this one.

I almost forgot, my son is a U.S. Marine and when he deployed to Buttcrackistan 2 years ago I purchased him a Cold Steel Trench Hawk tomahawk as it was one of the things he could take with him, that Worksharp put an edge on it you could shave with. Nothing puts the fear of $DEITY in them like an edged weapon capable of dismemberment...

[SSGOldfart]

You guys using the work sharp tool does it lock on?? I've only have the use of one hand which will be used to hold the knife. Can it be used with one hand?

[bangerjim]

One can sharpen knives like cavemen........with stones. Or other methods. But the modern methods using hi-tech abrasives and motorized tools rules. One can lap edges with a wet stone or move on to modern abrasive methods. It is up totally to you. I prefer the modern up-to-date motorized methods that produce excelent repeatable edges ever single time.

It is all up to you........and your pocketbook. I like repeatable sharp edges myself.

[jcren]

The Ken Onion does not lock. Don't know about the original.

[Mal Paso]

I bought the Grizzly 10 inch wet stone grinder, leather strop and the $95 knife, scissor accessory kit. http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Wet-Grinder-Kit-Anniversary-Edition/T10010ANV I bought the angle gauge from the Swedish company though. I thought it did a very good job the first time out. The gauge made it into one of the boxes that escaped the fire and I liked the 110 rpm wetstone and will probably buy it again.
It was very good quality just not fireproof. LOL

[Thumbcocker]

Old school. Coarse stone, medium stone, fine stone, leather scrap with metal polish on it. Shaving sharp.

[Sweetpea]

You guys using the work sharp tool does it lock on?? I've only have the use of one hand which will be used to hold the knife. Can it be used with one hand?

The original version has a 3 position switch, hold to run, off, and run.

You will have to clamp it down to a surface, though.

Brandon

[RoyEllis]

One can sharpen knives like cavemen........with stones. Or other methods. But the modern methods using hi-tech abrasives and motorized tools rules. One can lap edges with a wet stone or move on to modern abrasive methods. It is up totally to you. I prefer the modern up-to-date motorized methods that produce excelent repeatable edges ever single time.

It is all up to you........and your pocketbook. I like repeatable sharp edges myself.

As do surgeons, hence a retreat to "caveman technology"..
It's hard to believe but the sharpest knives that have ever been used in recent years were mounted with stone flakes made of obsidian. A company called Aztecnics was manufacturing and selling surgical scalpels mounted with different sizes and shapes of obsidian blades. Good quality obsidian fractures down to single molecules which can produce a cutting edge 500 times sharper than the sharpest steel scalpel blade ("American Medical News", Nov. 2, 1984:21). On the cellular level an obsidian knife can cut between cells rather than tear the cells as a steel knife will do. A sharper cut will allow a wound to heal more rapidly with less scarring. High magnification of a steel scalpel blade edge looks like a serrated saw blade but an obsidian edge looks smooth.
Also note that modern bladesmiths are hard-pressed to duplicate much less excede the strength and sharpness of the Japanese katana's handmade several hundred years before the invention of electricity. In WWII the USMC had to revise it's training after discovering a truly well made katana had no trouble cutting through the barrel or receiver of a Garand rifle being used to block the sword strike.

[762 shooter]

Worksharp Ken Onion is not as sexy as hours of stoning. But it works.

762

[RED BEAR]

i cant believe that sharping a knife is looking to be a lost art. all i have ever used is a three sided wet stone the knife is sharp when you can shave with it. i really enjoy sharpening my knives. it sort of helps me relax and my dogs seem to like watching.

[DerekP Houston]

i cant believe that sharping a knife is looking to be a lost art. all i have ever used is a three sided wet stone the knife is sharp when you can shave with it. i really enjoy sharpening my knives. it sort of helps me relax and my dogs seem to like watching.


I used to enjoy it and had the knack but I have lost it from disuse. I have a blade guy in town who sharpens my expensive ones for me once a year or so. Just a touch up by me is enough to keep them running after that.

Any cheap knives or pocket knives just get run thru my SOG pull through sharpener. Not razor sharp and removes more metal than I'd like but great for utilitarian knives. Was a Christmas gift if I recall.

[OS OK]

I'm in there with you Red Bear...not so much a lost art but, I think a lost skill. Easily recoverable.
My Grandfather taught me to sharpen on a stone when I was a young spud. In those days every boy worth his salt carried some type of pocket knife in his jeans and they went to school with us too.
I am old school in many ways, this is one of them. All I get is a shaving sharp knife with the appropriate effort or I get a really sharp knife I carry in my jeans for daily use.
Either way, I get the satisfaction of doing it so long as my stone is handy, always kept one in the salt water tackle box, one in the tool box in the truck, a small one in the bug out bag and so on and so forth.
Today I have a modern diamond full sized three sided setup with rubber feet and all that to replace the two sided carborundum I've used for so many years, still have the old ones too....don't ask why, I save too much stuff anyway...old school again biting me in the butt!

I certainly do not have anything against the modern sharpeners as they are quick and easy to use and they don't screw a blade angle up as I have done with my stones over the years...some may call them gimmicks, I call them gadgets...I have too many gadgets as it is.

[Thumbcocker]

I have heard somewhere that Japanese carpenters spent a lot of their time sharpening their tools for the sake of sharp tools and for the zen meditation aspect of it. Kinda like casting boolits?

[EMC45]

Sharpening knives IS meditative. I personally use diamond stick, diamond block, Ark stones, India stone, leather strops etc. I like the idea of bringin' 'em back from the dead. I have gotten some pretty gnarly beat up knives to the point of scary sharp.

[tja6435]

$23, this is what I use. I can get razor sharp edges after the angle is set. Worth the $ even if you get larger stones later on, you'll still use this one


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009YKHZ96/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1471026451&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=worksharp&dpPl=1&dpID=31QLyLa1T0L&ref=plSrch

[DerekP Houston]

$23, this is what I use. I can get razor sharp edges after the angle is set. Worth the $ even if you get larger stones later on, you'll still use this one


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009YKHZ96/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1471026451&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=worksharp&dpPl=1&dpID=31QLyLa1T0L&ref=plSrch

Not a bad price for a handy tool, thanks for the tip. Will add that to my "stocking stuffers" gift ideas for christmas

[labradigger1]

When I was younger I could sharpen blades well. Something has happened along the way and I have lost the touch. I have about every stone and diamond stone known to man to no avail. To me, leathermans and stainless buck knives are the hardest to sharpen. I have been considering the keen onion work sharp but have been having a hard time justifying the $. Looks like the consensus here is they flat out work.
Maybe time to lay out the cash.

[Wild Bill 7]

I also bought the Razor's Edge. When a man can sharpen an ax to shave with made me a believer. Angles are the key to sharp knives. No oil on the stones either. When I finally learned how to put an edge on a knife and keep it, it was such a revelation. There are a lot of good systems out there but the one I chose is the best in my opinion. [smilie=l:

[jcwit]

I can easily sharpen knives with a grey Ark. Stone then finish with a smooth black Ark. Stone.

For those that have a hard time using stones I'd suggest trying a set of crock sticks.

[smokeywolf]

The modern sharpening systems, jigs and fixtures are great for those who prefer not to do it "old school".

I have several hundred dollars worth of diamond hones, Japanese water stones, Arkansas stones, and strops of varying materials.

I usually spend about a half to one hour a month sharpening my straight razors and knives. I find it therapeutic and sometimes a good remedy for sleeplessness.

[Mk42gunner]

I can put a scary sharp edge on a knife with stones, but it pains me to say that a Lansky system is better. The main thing I don't like about the Lansky and others of its type is the fact the stones are so small.

I have looked at the electric Work Sharp system; it is basically a small belt grinder with angle guides. My only reservation with it is finding the tiny ½ or 3/4"x 12" belts (depending on which version you get) in a few years. I guess you could make your own if it came down to it.

Robert

[M-Tecs]

Not cheap but this is outstanding https://www.wickededgeusa.com/

I love mine.

[popper]

http://img0.etsystatic.com/012/0/6538476/il_570xN.419976470_kujt.jpg This is what I remember, controls the angle pretty well and then you can finish stone/strop it

[Blackwater]

Great post and a dying art. I have a couple of friends who seem to be able to produce a shaving edge pretty quickly and with little seeming effort. I, on the other hand, have struggled with it. The secret for me, if it helps anyone else here, is keeping my wrist locked so the blade doesn't vary in its bevel. I also generally, especially on skinning knives with a good belly on the edge, lock my elbow and mostly swing my whole arm as a single, unified and locked unit. This has helped me significantly produce and maintain a really good edge. When sharpening a straight edge, I mostly lock my whole upper body and just swing at the waist. Don't know how much this might help, but if it helps someone, that's always a good thing.

And knife sharpening IS a dying art these days. The women I know, even the best among them, seem to have become afraid of really sharp knives! And dull ones are SO much harder and more dangerous to use, IF one knows HOW to use them! They seem to like throwing them in a dishwasher or into a sink filled with suds, setting themselves up with a really sharp knife, to cut themselves and have the detergent suds really make it smart! I NEVER put mine in a sink or dishwasher, and just lay them beside the sink and wash them by hand. Rarely takes more than a few seconds! But apparently, this is "too much trouble" in the "modern world?" I don't think I could be "modern" even at my utmost best!

[DerekP Houston]

I NEVER put mine in a sink or dishwasher, and just lay them beside the sink and wash them by hand. Rarely takes more than a few seconds! But apparently, this is "too much trouble" in the "modern world?" I don't think I could be "modern" even at my utmost best!

This is very important, good point! And tossing them in the sink full of water is just asking for a cut when you reach in to clean the dishes.

[OS OK]

"Throwing knives in a sink full of sudsy dishes...boy, you fellas sure are 'old school'...get yerselfs one of them there automatic type thingiemadoos, I hear you can throw yer knives in there...Der!"

Me...I'd rather just walk out and toss the dishes in the backyard sand and rub-em-up real good, whack-em on yer pants leg to knock off the dust and toss-em in through the kitchen winder for the wiff to contend with! ... That ain't old-school is it?...:bigsmyl2: ...

[DerekP Houston]

"Throwing knives in a sink full of sudsy dishes...boy, you fellas sure are 'old school'...get yerselfs one of them there automatic type thingiemadoos, I hear you can throw yer knives in there...Der!"

Me...I'd rather just walk out and toss the dishes in the backyard sand and rub-em-up real good, whack-em on yer pants leg to knock off the dust and toss-em in through the kitchen winder for the wiff to contend with! ... That ain't old-school is it?...:bigsmyl2: ...

Well the dishes are thoroughly cleaned by "soap and water"

174333

Dishwasher is just for sanitizing :D. :kidding:

[OS OK]

When the daughter in law first came to visit she saw me put a plate of steak trimmings down for Bubby, she looked up at my wife with a half terrified, half questioning look on her face and made some remark about the dishwasher disinfecting the plates. The wife remarked..."Bubby gets those plates so clean that I just put them back in the cabinet!"
She immediately looked down at her plate and back up to Jeri with puzzlement now on her face.
It took a moment for her to gradually replace that look with a smile but we had her going for a while there. She is a Dentist, need I say more about cleanliness from her perspective?
She now fits just fine in the family...she keeps in mind that we are all a bunch of goofs!

[AK Caster]

For you workshop guys, do you like the standard or Ken Onion version? The Ken version is almost twice the price

[nvbirdman]

There is a big gun show coming up next weekend and there is often a guy there demonstrating and selling the Work Sharp. I think you guys just sold one for him.

[Col4570]

I just use an Oil Stone when sharpening my Knives.It is the Stone I use for Chisels etc.

[smokeywolf]

Never put a good knife in the sink. Never put a good knife in the dishwasher. The abrasive in the dishwasher detergent that cleans surfaces also abrades the edge on your knife.

We have several kitchen knives that are at the higher end of the Shun brand. Also, a Randall from the '40s and a couple of L.L. Bean knives from the '60s. Those never go in the sink or dishwasher. We also have a few knives left over from our days of frugal means. It's sometimes nice to be able to throw a knife in the dishwasher and the softer steel requires only a few swipes over a medium-course stone to slice a piece of meat.

Oh, and we all (including Timber) share the same dishes. Timber hasn't gotten sick once, from eating off our dishes.:roll::roll:

[Moonie]

For you workshop guys, do you like the standard or Ken Onion version? The Ken version is almost twice the price

I have the standard but that is because the Ken Onion version hadn't come out when I got mine. If I replace it I'll get the Ken Onion version.

[dave524]

I bought a Spyderco back in the late 70's, before they even made knives, still using it. The ceramics load up with metal but scrub them with comet powder and good as new. Works great for me.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

[TXGunNut]

I use a diamond stone to change/make the bevel on an abused or newly assembled knife. I then use ceramic crock sticks to smooth things up a bit or to touch up a used kitchen/carry/hunting knife. If my goal is "scary sharp" I polish it on the back side of a leather belt I used to wear under my Sam Browne. I've sweated thru it dozens of times and the salt-impregnated leather puts a nice polish on things. I put an oil finish on the handles of the knives I build for kitchen and game processing. No chance of them winding up in the dishwasher or sink.

[Blackwater]

Speaking of using Comet to clean the stones, does anybody know what mechanisms it is that makes it work so good? Is it the fine pumice in it, the caustic PH, or what? It sure seems to release the tiny shards from its pores well and easily! But what is it that makes it work so well? Anybody know?

[DerekP Houston]

Speaking of using Comet to clean the stones, does anybody know what mechanisms it is that makes it work so good? Is it the fine pumice in it, the caustic PH, or what? It sure seems to release the tiny shards from its pores well and easily! But what is it that makes it work so well? Anybody know?

I don't use comet on mine, but mine are all 'water' stones not oil. I have a diamond metal sharpener plate i use on them occasionally to relevel the surface and remove any imbedded metal shards. just a light figure eight motion on a flat surface gets them working brand new again.

I believe it would be the fine pumice that helps clean the pores out, but that is just a guess.

[dragon813gt]

Thanks for the Comet tip. The stones in my kit still l work. But you can see the metal in them. And it's starting to take a little longer than usual to sharpen the knives.

I spent about twenty minutes today touching up the Mini-Grip I carry every day. It's been a few months since I spent time on it. Started w/ the extra coarse stone which I rarely do. Now it's sharp enough for work duty and will require a few minutes of touch up each week.

[dave524]

I originally mentioned the Comet, I don't know if I would use it on natural stones, I only use it for cleaning the ceramic rod type sharpeners of embedded metal particles to restore their cutting ability.

[Jeff Michel]

I clean and true my stones by wetting down the sidewalk and rubbing them in a figure 8 until they are flat. Works very fast. Speaking of comet.... I worked in a Chinese commissary, they made mostly egg rolls and boned chicken and pork for entries for their chain of restaurants. The employees (all Chinese) used Chinese cleavers, they look sort of like a fret saw. They produced a basic edge on a three face stone that was amazing but they finished it off on a piece of plate glass with a Comet and water slurry. It wouldn't shave hair, it would cut the hair on your arm in half. Haven't see anything like it since.

[white eagle]

Have any of you bought and or used the electric knife sharping tool they are advertising on TV? I cannot sharpen a knife no matter what I try. I have watched all the videos on the net and it just doesn't help. the poor knife usually ends up worse than when I started. I even bought one of those diamond faced sharping stones. No help. Anybody?

I can not sharpen a knife free hand to save my life
I do have some of the sharpest knives amoungst my family though
use the Lanski knife sharpening system saved the day for me

[victorfox]

I clean and true my stones by wetting down the sidewalk and rubbing them in a figure 8 until they are flat. Works very fast. Speaking of comet.... I worked in a Chinese commissary, they made mostly egg rolls and boned chicken and pork for entries for their chain of restaurants. The employees (all Chinese) used Chinese cleavers, they look sort of like a fret saw. They produced a basic edge on a three face stone that was amazing but they finished it off on a piece of plate glass with a Comet and water slurry. It wouldn't shave hair, it would cut the hair on your arm in half. Haven't see anything like it since.

My go to tool when messing in the kitchen. I keep mine razor sharp with stones only. I'm still to get a diamond stick someday... The other knives get stoned only :lol:

[victorfox]

brand is fontignac, was a gift from my BIL. Good knife this one.
174455

[Tim357]

I bought a Spyderco back in the late 70's, before they even made knives, still using it. The ceramics load up with metal but scrub them with comet powder and good as new. Works great for me.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77
I didn't get mine until about 1996 or so, but it does a good job sharpening a blade. One caveat tho, if the angle of the blade is too far off the bevel of the stones, it works better to set the bevel with a much coarser stone than the grey ceramic Spyderco. The Spyderco will get the bevel ground down, but it takes a long time to get er done.

[OeldeWolf]

I use oil or water stones on all my blades. I have a Cutco, a pair of Sabatiers, a Gerber Professional (from late 1970's), and a whole collection of blue steel blades in the kitchen.

A tenant once put one of my blades in a sink full of sudsy water (I had told her not to, and why). She almost took off a thin slice of a fingertip rummaging around trying to find it.

Once they are sharp, it only takes a few strokes to return them to sharpness after a week or two of cooking. Keeping up on them is important.

My son told me, a little while ago that, when he was staying here, he used to borrow a kitchen knife when he ran out of razors.

[snowwolfe]

As a 63 year old guy who can't master stones I been pretty happy with the Edge Pro. But after reading the comments about the Worksharp decided to buy the Ken Onion version. Like the idea of leaving it set up on the workbench for quick sharpening jobs anytime I like. It should be here Wednesday.

[Lloyd Smale]

I too am a idiot with a stone. Been using lansky's for many years now and they work great. Id love one of the worksharp units but this lansky just wont wear out.

[DerekP Houston]

My son told me, a little while ago that, when he was staying here, he used to borrow a kitchen knife when he ran out of razors.


Lol funny story....I liked to keep mine razor sharp as well and used to shave patches on my arms testing them while using the stone. I ran out of spots one days so used my chest.....still have a bald spot there to this day :D. Nothing cuts like a nice sharp knife when moving quickly through batches of food.

The mechanical versions do have their place, I haven't bought one personally but a few restaurants would have them in the back. Any cheap dexter russel knife with a few passes each morning and it was serviceable all day. Again, I wouldn't use my nicer knives on it, but quick and efficient for those disposable plastic handled chef knives. First few months the other guys looked at me weird for doing it so often, but then all the knives in the kitchen had a decent edge on em they understood. Bad knives were just left over near the machine for me to run em through in the morning and the kitchen ran much smoother. Prior to that we would all fight over the few sharp new ones :D.

[mold maker]

Most all my working life I had Co provided stones and it was part of my job to keep Co tools sharp. As a carver and pattern maker, sharp tools were a must.
When retirement reared its head, one of my last duties was to sharpen the bosses pocket knife one last time. He promptly cut his thumb trying it out.
Now with little time for such activities I tried to teach younger family members the skills necessary. They bring blades to me for approval that you couldn't scrape dirt off a plow with. They simply refuse to use patients and attention to detail. At least I'm still needed.

[Blackwater]

[smilie=l: I think we who like sharp knives, and insist on them, are a dying breed, and we kind'a have to laugh at it to keep from crying. I remember my Mom kept her knives sort'a sharp, but was always thinking about what she was cooking, I think, and cut herself every now and then. This kept her a bit leery of "too sharp" a knife. My eldest aunt ALWAYS used a big butcher's steel before using ANY of her old, gray butcher or kitchen knives. She was very interesting to watch. Always focused on that edge, and in constant motion. No wasted movement. Mom's focus was her problem, I think?

Nowadays, most women I see are mainly focused on getting it all over with and cleaned up, and therefore, they just don't focus on whatever they're really doing and often, as a result cut themselves. I guess that's why one of the things they teach in any culinary schools is using a knife? It's always great watching those Japanese cooks who do the cooking right in front of you, and do all the tricks with their knives and other utensils. What a difference! Maybe if showing off with these things got popular here, we'd have more appreciation for a good, sharp knife? Can't help but wonder about that!

I just wish I could keep my pocketknife sharp! That'd be a neat trick! Don't see how anybody gets by without carrying a pocketknive, even today!

[victorfox]

I carry two, buck 442, which has sort of lanyard cordage that duplexes as my key ring and victorinox spartan. In my car I carry a machete JIC. All the sharpest I can keep.

Today the most common question I hear: Do you have a cutter? When I pull the buck they say: Wow why do you carry a knife? I usually smile and say to keep morons asking me why... :lol:

[762 shooter]

I have a lot of sharpeners.

Lansky....$40
3 Arkansas stones....$40 each....$120
Crock sticks.....$14
Chef's choice........$120
Total.......$294

Ken Onion.......$138/Amazon

762