should I take my dull knife to a pro sharpener shop for sharpening? I am not an expert in knife sharpening.

My old SOG seal pup is worn, dull from cutting beef, pork over the years. I don't know which grade of water stones to buy either.

Just recently discussed in this thread. More info then you could probably ever use...

There is a definite skill involved in knife sharpening, but it is easily learned. Consult some references, buy a sharpener or two, and get to it. It's not that hard....

Hi picard120,

could I suggest that you have a go at sharpening it yourself.
It is a really valuable skill to have.

Take some time and try and do the best job you can. If you see an improvement, keep going.

If at all turns bad, then go to a pro. If you do go down that line, see if you can watch them working.

Next time, try again ...

Agreed. So long as you use hand power (ie no grinder, sander, wheel, etc.) then you're unlikely to screw a knife up so badly it can't be fixed. With an electric powered machine...well, then all bets are off!

My advice would be to invest in a Spyderco Sharpmaker instead of paying someone else to do it.

I am NOT someone who likes to spend a lot of time sharpening knives, but I DO like sharp knives. I've found the Sharpmaker to do a fantastic job, its easy to maintain 15 & 20 degree angles, and its downright easy to use.

Now, when it comes to sharpening my axes ... I may give up at some point and pay someone to do it, as I'm not having much success. I think it has to do with blade geometry more than anything else.

+1 on do it yourself.

Not hard, not expensive.

works best if you get good tools, not try to do by eye.

ideally, 2 stones- one rough/coarse one smooth/fine

on coarse stone, find your angle. In best world, use a clamp, or some type of guide to KEEP THAT ANGLE.

Take 10 strokes on that side, straight, circle, whatever. Check for a burr. keep repeats ON THAT SIDE until you have a burr on full length. ( that means you have reached the edge on that entire side. )

turn over. repeat on other side.
You now have primary edge;profiling done.
If this knife has never been profiled to this angle, this can take awhile......

NOW, move to fine stone. raise your angle SLIGHTLY- maybe 10 degrees. MAKE SURE you do NOT put blade down edge first...
this time, single strokes, smooth, from base of knife to edge. DO NOT PUSH HARD. turn over, repeat.

This sets the secondary edge; the cutting edge.


If you want a simple article,
http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/Juranitch1977Feb.htm

Absolutely, try it yourself. It's a very satisfying skill to learn.

The Spyderco Sharpmaker seems like a good choice, especially if your knife has the partially serrated edge. The rods are triangular, so they will reach into the serrations and sharpen them properly.

I'll be different. It's up to you. I've tried numerous sharperners and gimmicks over the years. Turns out, I just suck at it. I can get my SAK's back to normal, but most others are difficult. Maybe if I clamped my knife at a consistent angle to the stone ...

Revisionist approach: clamp the blade in a vise and go to work on it with a file to reestablish the profile, then apply the stones. It is easier for me to maintain angle by fixing the knife and moving the abrasive, and I can watch the edge until the flat spots disappear. Do not walk away from the vise with the knife in the vise, in self-inflicted disembowelment position.

I am another fan of the Sharpmaker. It is downright relaxing to sit down with a bunch of cutlery and sharpen things up

One more thought: if the blade does not have serrations, there are many easy-to-use options available. Lansky has a similar unit with round rods, medium and fine grit, for considerably less money.

From a cost perspective, any of these are a good long-term investment. I still have medium-grit ceramic rods that I bought more than 20 years ago. They still work perfectly.

ok. I will buy the stone to sharpen the knife myself.

Got this,very easy to do.What I really like is the SHARP edge it puts on stainless steel blades.

It puts an amazing edge on the cheapy 2-3 dollar pocket knives so you can have a sharp blade in each vehicle,purse,bags,etc and it wont cost a fortune.Also does machetes,shovels, and keeps your good knives in fine shape too......I love the thing.

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Smith's DCS4 4" FINE & COARSE Diamond Combo Sharpening Stones
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Smith's DCS4 4" FINE & COARSE Diamond Combo Sharpening Stones
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Can't imagine how anything could work better than the sharpmaker.
Even a 10 thumbed clod like me has always got a shaving sharp edge with it.
Sadly that situation ended yesterday when I was sharpening garden shears so had to hold the device on the edge of the table. Tip: sharpen above a carpeted floor. The stones break if you drop them.
One problem with the sharpmaker is; it's too big to keep in my possibles bag. Was wondering how well those pocket sharpeners with a V to put the blade in work? Doug reviews some of them in the gear section on the site home page.
Can anyone recommend any? Like I say i've nil skill so relying on my hand eye co-ordination to get the angle right is a lost cause.
qjs

Joey,all I do is hold knife on a surface and tilt the blade to the right angle,then run my diamond sharpener horizontally as it passes over blade across it,angle is perfect.

And why stones? IMO the diamond sharpeners are the cats meow,what cuts better than diamonds,why mess with stones,and yes,I have a couple stones,IMO the diamonds put em to shame.They sure cut down metal fast for a hand tool.

Now bearing in mind Im hardly an expert or knife guru.But my knives sure cut packages,wood or meat,all I need em to do.I shave with razors so havent tried that,BIC gets my 2 cents on that use.

BTW,took out my pruners yesterday,edge looked like it had been used as a bolt cutter,a few minutes with the diamonds and man,all the bent edges are gone and that puppy is SHARP,cant shave with it,then again,who wants to,LOL! Its NICE!

I think in this case diamond edges have passed stone technology by.

Thanks spud I'll give that a try. Diamonds has to be worth it for very blunt garden tools at least. It was a never ending process trying to sharpen dull shears. That ended in disaster!
qjs