A number of years ago, my wife and I took a weeklong vacation and stayed in a one-room cottage in Northern Michigan. It was a very nice little place, with a kitchen and dining area. But like all rental cottages, the cookware was … well-worn. The kitchen knives were quite old and probably hadn’t been sharpened in years — as evidenced by the lack of a sharpener in the kitchen. While making dinner, I found out about the sorry state of affairs. I needed an immediate fix for the problem, and if I’d had the Smith & Wesson Compact Knife Sharpener then, I would’ve had one.
A Compact and Convenient Knife Sharpener
The Smith & Wesson knife sharpener is a compact, lightweight, glass-reinforced nylon sharpening multi-tool that has a number of features, allowing you to easily sharpen the blades of most knives. It is a great tool for routine sharpening chores around the house, kitchen or workshop.
Specifications
Length: 4 inches
Width: 1.25 inches
Weight: 1.2 ounces
But where the S&W knife sharpener really shines is its ability to tag along anywhere almost without notice. It comes equipped with a small chain to attach to a keyring, pack or other piece of gear. It is also easily carried in a pocket almost unnoticed.
On the bottom of the tool (according to the orientation of the writing on the side) are two blade-sharpening notches. There is a ceramic notch for fine honing and a carbide notch for coarse honing. Next to those two notches is a sliding switch that, when pushed, extends a T8 Torx driver from the end of the tool. On the top of the tool is another sliding switch that extends a tapered diamond honing rod for sharpening serrated blades or gut hooks.
Putting It to the Test
I’ve had the chance to sharpen several of my daily knives that had gotten dull. I used it first on my Case XX RussLock with a Tru-Sharp stainless steel blade. Normally I keep this blade and my other daily-use knives sharpened on a traditional whetstone. The Case Tru-Sharp stainless steel sharpens easily and keeps a keen edge.
The RussLock was pretty dull from when I had opened up a flurry of boxes that were delivered prior to Christmas, so it was a good knife with which to start. I pulled the blade through the coarse carbide notch. As the edge began to sharpen, I switched to the fine ceramic notch to fine-tune the edge. In less than a couple of minutes, the RussLock’s edge was visibly sharp again. I had the same results when sharpening my Case XX Medium Stockman as well as a Swiss Army Knife and a tactical blade or two — all with good results. Should you need just a bit of a touch up, using the fine ceramic notch alone should be sufficient.
While I didn’t have a serrated blade on hand that needed sharpening, I am sure the diamond rod will perform as well as the other sharpening components.
The Smith & Wesson sharpener is sure to accompany me on any future trips and would be a nice piece for a bugout bag, where space is at a premium. The sharpener is priced at $14.81 online. You can’t afford to not have one.
Sources:
Smith & Wesson: Smith-Wesson.com
