SHARPEN UP!

THE WORK BEHIND KEEPING ALL YOUR BLADES AT THEIR PEAK PERFORMANCE

- JASON HOUSER

It’s an absolute fact that a lot of thought goes into the process of purchasing a knife, but does a lot of thought go into keeping it razor-sharp?

Before purchasing, you normally consider the knife’s uses; whether you want fixed or folding, what handle type you prefer, the company’s reputation and more. Then, after you spend your hard-earned money on a quality knife, you obviously want to get the most use out of it as you can and having a dull knife won’t let you do that. That is where a quality knife sharpener comes into the picture.

The variety of sharpeners today are diverse, as are the questions you need to ask yourself before you make a purchase. Will the knife be needing sharpening in the field, or at home? Should it be pocket-size, or larger to handle bigger tasks? What are my overall sharpening needs? These questions and more will be answered as we hone our knowledge about the gritty world of knife sharpeners.

IT’S ALL ABOUT ANGLES

Before you start sharpening your knife, it is important to know what angle to sharpen it. Preferably, a knife should be sharpened at the same angle it originally displayed. If you don’t know what angle to sharpen it at, read the directions that came with your knife or contact the manufacturer for their recommendations.

However, if you are in the woods or off-grid and reaching the manufacturer is not a viable option, it’s wise to sharpen the knife at a 20-degree angle. A shallower angle such as 10 degrees the sharper the knife will be, but more prone to chips, while a steeper angle like 30 degrees will give it strength, but not be as sharp. Twenty degrees is a happy medium.