I win contests about as often as Alabama loses national championship games. When I was about five I won a Polaroid camera at a restaurant opening, but since I didn't know how to write at that point I'm pretty sure I didn't enter the contest (thanks Mom). Since then, in spite of entering virtually everything that doesn't ask for my credit card number, I haven't won diddly.
Imagine my surprise when back in December I saw my name on the Outdoor Blogger Network as a lucky recipient of a sharpening tool. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
And it wasn't just that I'd actually won a contest that had me all excited. For years I had a set of three Arkansas stones, old school stuff, messy with the required honing oil, but they did the job. They took a while to get it done, too. These stones mysteriously disappeared a few years ago. Equally mysterious is that no one in the house claims any knowledge of them ever being here. Needless to say my knives were getting a bit dull, so this arrived at a very opportune time.
When it's not hunting season I spend some time knocking around in the garage on woodworking projects. Through this I became familiar with a method of sharpening hand plane and chisel blades known as the Scary Sharp (Google it) method. It incorporates progressively finer grits of sandpaper into a routine that can take 15-20 minutes but produces unbelievably sharp edges. But this is a whole lot more effort than I care to put into my pocketknives.
This tool won't put a razor sharp edge on a blade, at least not quickly. My razor sharpness test is the hair on the back of my hand and while it clipped a few of them, maybe enough to put it on the level with a two week old razor, Gillette needn't worry. But it's billed as a field sharpener, and in that role it excels. It puts a pretty darn sharp edge on just about any blade in a very short amount of time.
I gave it a turn on my wood ax, too, and while it took more than the recommended 5-10 strokes, in less than 5 minutes it did put on a good, sharp edge capable of slicing a sheet of paper.
It sharpens fish hooks, broadheads and scissors, although I didn't try it on any of these. It handles serrated edges and I did run the serrations on my Schrade down the honing edge. Truthfully I don't use these very often so I have no real gauge to measure any improvement against.
The price on the Worksharp website is $34.95. I'd say this puts it just above a no-brainer and squarely in the good buy category. And a big thank you to the OBN and Worksharp for ending my 40+ year losing streak.
Your money's worth: This is a versatile, effective tool for sharpening the variety of edges and points found in an outdoorsman's closet. It works fast, does a good job, and doesn't take up much space.
It sharpens fish hooks, broadheads and scissors, although I didn't try it on any of these. It handles serrated edges and I did run the serrations on my Schrade down the honing edge. Truthfully I don't use these very often so I have no real gauge to measure any improvement against.
The price on the Worksharp website is $34.95. I'd say this puts it just above a no-brainer and squarely in the good buy category. And a big thank you to the OBN and Worksharp for ending my 40+ year losing streak.
Your money's worth: This is a versatile, effective tool for sharpening the variety of edges and points found in an outdoorsman's closet. It works fast, does a good job, and doesn't take up much space.
Where it comes up short: Given that it's meant to be a field sharpener, I honestly don't know how they could fit more into or onto this model. Maybe shave a few ounces of weight off?
Get one if: You don't enjoy spending long periods of time sharpening your tools but still want a pretty sharp blade.
Look around before shelling out the bucks: If you demand a razor sharp edge on your tools, this may come up a bit short. But only a bit.
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