Need to buy a knife sharpener I have been looking at the sharp maker and the Lansky set. Both are around the same cost. Now looking at ease of use and portabilty. Those of you that have sharpeners would you please give me some guideance, $50.00 is a large out lay of cash for me, and I want to spend it wisely.

Just yesterday I bought Smith's 3-in-1 sharpener. Very, very good. I was having trouble getting my variety of knives shaving sharp. This system has a diamond stone, a carbide shaper, and ceramic rods that all fit in a tidy little case. I was AMAZED how well it works. I bought it from our local Sportsman's Warehouse for $19.95 and figured I'd try it and return it. I mean, how good could it be?

It's so good, I'm buying another one or two. Check the reviews at sites like Cabelas.

opinions, oh i'm full of those.

i bought the sharpmaker. i salute those of you who can patiently use a stone and maintain the proper angle to achieve the desired results, but i confess i simply do not plan on devoting the time or money to learning your craft. after reading the reviews and the opinions of others, the sharpmaker seemed like the best and most versatile choice. i can tell you that the instructions are straightforward, the dvd is ok (it could be a lot shorter) and sharpening my knives (serrated & straight) and other sharps with the sharpmaker is easy. its fast. it works.

Sharpmaker!!

First thing to get when starting sharpening is the right knife. One that is cheap and made of good high-carbon steel. High-carbon steel because it it's both easy to sharpen and even a cheap blade will form and hold a very sharp edge. The way it quickly darkens and stains also makes observing the bevel and edge much easier so you can see what the stone is doing.

Trick - Use a black magic-marker to the bevel and work the edge with the stone. This allows you to clearly see how the stone is contacting the blade and where the metal is being removed. It may help to use a magnifying glass.

A cheap knife also frees you to be as clumsy as you wish. And you can abuse and restore the knife without mercy and grind it to a nub while learning. Old Hickory made a line of medium-sized kitchen and butcher knives in a nice carbon steel but there are many other makers. Try a garage sale for the best prices. If you get them cheap you could get two or three.

Avoid all stainless steel blades. Only the higher quality ones will come to a fine edge and hold it. And you don't want to learn on and risk screwing up a high-dollar knife. You don't learn to drive in a Bentley. Also stainless doesn't show the bevel or edge well. Learning on cheap stainless is often an exercise in frustration.

Second, it pays to NOT get the best possible sharpening system. Go to the hardware store and buy an 8" two-sided carborundum stone and a can of 3-in-1 oil. You wan to have to work a bit. And a carborundum stone can take the abuse.

Look around and find yourself a wooden pallet. Rip or kick a couple of the boards that are three to four inches wide and about half-inch thick. Make a bench hook to trap the stone and keep it from sliding around. Find something the right height and stable enough to work on. With the hook installed on the bench and the stone locked into the hook if you place your hand flat on the stone you should be able to comfortably stand next to the bench. Adjust the bench as needed.

I had a bench that was too high and made a small raised platform, about 2' by 3' and 2" high, to stand on when sharpening. It was easier than lowering the bench. Adapt.

Look up knife sharpening on the web. Look for a traditional stone technique. Take your old, cheap and dull knife and new stone and practice putting an edge on it. I have little preference for the finer points of sharpening strokes. I can sharpen about as well with a cutting or dragging stroke. Even a circular stroke in some cases. Some experts claim only their way works. Maybe for them. I see no great advantage to any of them. Try them all and develop your own preferences of what works for you. This isn't a religious ceremony so I see no advantage to orthodoxy. Neither the knife nor the universe cares. Avoid mechanical aids until you master the basics.

When you get your knife shaving sharp look at the edge closely. Is the bevel rounded? If so your rolling your grip. Is the sharpening or bevel uneven? You not sweeping the full edge on the stone evenly. Is the stone wearing unevenly? You need to cover more of the stone.

Now walk outside to the driveway and run the edge of your cheap knife across the concrete. Put some nicks into it.

Go back to your stone and use the rough side to get the blade back into shape. Then sharpen normally. Critique your own work mercilessly. Dull it and start over.

Work it until removing a deep nick is a matter of a couple of minutes. Work it until your muscles know what to do. Until basic and functional sharpening is automatic and even a badly damaged blade seems like a minor problem. Work toward mastery. This should only take an afternoon or two.

Once you can reliably get a good edge your free to get different or better stones, fancy jigs that assure you have a consistent bevel and you can develop sharpening as meditation and a path to a higher plane if you like. But you will have learned and built the ability to sharpen well and effectively with basic equipment.

Personally I have gotten into Japanese water-stones. They cut fast and smoothly. And you can get them in very fine grits that leave a mirror finish. I'm glad I didn't learn on them because they are prone to breaking, soft, easy to cup in use and cut so fast that I would have never developed any muscle memory.

More recently I have started working with wet-dry carbide papers on a flat plate. But I learned the basics on a simple, inexpensive and stubborn oil-stone and I still keep and use one for field use. Once you get the basics down pat the rest is gravy.

got a sharpmaker for christmas.

for the above reasons - i love it.

sharp knives are greeeat!

If you want to go to the trouble Art does then he has some good info. Or you can get a system like the Sharpmaker or the 3-in-1 and get a really sharp knife really quickly. I don't have the time or interest in sharpening old school style, I just want a sharp knife with as little time and effort as possible. I don't know enough to know what's wrong with the systems, all I know is that can put a razor sharp edge on a knife, carbon or stainless.

I am terrible in sharpening knives, but when I got myself a Sharpmaker, I realized even I can do it!

I can only comment on the Lansky, as I have never used a Sharpmaker. The Lansky is not real fast, but it puts a beautiful bevel on a blade, and can make a nice sharp edge. I think that probably its best use is to re-bevel a badly damaged edge, or change the bevel on a blade. If you do not get the little clamp back in the same position every time you use it, you will be changing the bevel a little bit, which takes more time, and can remove a lot more metal than you want/need...