While was on vacation I picked up 4 new sharpeners...two of them were very cheap. The Smiths 2Step and the Smiths Retractable Diamond Steel sharpeners (
You can sorta check them out on the Smith's website) . I wanted to know if these were worth having and at about 5-6 bucks each I figured I'd share what I learned. Not wanting to wreck any of my 'usual' knifes I turned to the Swiss Army Knife that was given to me by my dad when I was a cub scout. I haven't used it since I was a teenager and the blades were DULL!
I first tried the 2Step which is a 2in1 that has a v-notch of Carbide cutters and a v-notch of white ceramic stones. The angle on the knife didn't match that of the cutter PLUS there was a nick in the blade so instead of the 3-4 passes recommended by Smith's, I had to use about 20...this took off quite a bit of metal. All that work on the carbide left an edge but it was very uneven. It took way more than the 4 or 5 passes on the ceramic which was recommended. I went with another 20 to even things out. I found that even though this is a fool proof sharpener, you still have to hold the knife right. For example you need to lift the handle as it's going through the cutters as the blade comes to it's tip or it won't cut on both sides properly. Minor I'm sure but for somebody inexperienced, they'd likely never get the tip of the knife sharp.
Overall it was done in less than a minute and while the blade is certainly more sharp than it was...it's not even sharp enough to cut paper unless you really slice at it.
If it could get it paper cutting sharp, I'd be somewhat satisfied to use this in an emergency. For somebody who has zero experience it's better than nothing but not much better.
On to the diamond steel!I picked this one up because it seemed so versatile. It's smaller than the 2in1, it's lighter, it has a rounded surface, flat surface, a notch/groove for pins, darts, fish hooks, etc. and a tapered round surface for serrations.
Obviously this one is going to require more skill and I'm not convinced I have enough to get it right but I guess that makes the test all the more accurate.
I wanted to use the flat side and the first thing I noticed is that it's not very stable in the holder. It wobbles as the rest of the rod inside the handle is tapered.
The small blade on the SAK was next and it's even more dull though it's free from chips or notches.
After trying a few techniques which made the blade MORE dull I thought about my Sharpmaker and held the knife at a constant angle while swirling the steel over the edge of the blade. Once I got that figured out it took me less time to make this edge as sharp as with the 2in1...which is to say better but not too sharp.
With more practice I was able to get it sharp enough to cut heavy paper without slicing though not cleanly. I don't know if this is because of the course grit on the steel or my lack of skill. In the hands of somebody with skill I could see this tool being very versatile though it may never be more than an emergency tool due to a lack of a fine grit.
Just out of curiosity I ran the now somewhat sharp small blade through the ceramic side of the 2in1. The first thing I noticed was the blade didn't even get in all the way to reach the stones! The second thing I noticed is that after 4 passes the blade would no longer cut paper unless I really sliced at it!
Conclusion: Keep the steel in an emergency kit (and practice), then toss the 2in1 in the garbage before my wife decides to sharpen something expensive with it LOL.
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