This problem has vexed us all since the first humans started using a sharp rock flake as a knife in the past. That first knife user may have opted to find a new shard of rock, but as we developed bronze, iron, and steel implements, people discovered that rubbing it against abrasive material like stone at certain angles leads to sharper results. During the industrial age, the Sharp Blog notes that artisans in France developed a method where people could lie down on their stomachs to grind knives more efficiently. But you won’t have to do any of that because there are more comfortable and convenient ways to keep your knife sharp no matter where you are. And while you don’t have to go to extremes like I do in ensuring every knife in your house, down to the steak knives, are razor sharp, you should know that having a knife ready to go is safer and easier to use.

Having a good and reliable knife sharpener is essential to your everyday carry. Just as having a quality knife is important, having a knife sharpener that works is essential, too. The best knife sharpeners maintain and hone the edge on an already sharp blade, making your overall experience using the knife as fresh as when you took it out of the box for the first time. You can fix a damaged blade chipped or dented over time with the right tools. Finally, and more advanced in scope, you can modify existing blades to have an edge characteristic you prefer.

This post was last updated on 12/18/2023.

Our Top Picks

The Best Overall Pocket Knife Sharpener: Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite [Buy]

The Best Pocket Knife Sharpener on a Budget: Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone System [Buy]

The Most Premium Pocket Knife Sharpener: Wicked Edge Pro-Pack II [Buy]

The Best Powered Pocket Knife Sharpener: Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener [Buy]

The Most Portable Pocket Knife Sharpener: Diamond Machining Technology Diafold [Buy]

The Best Overall Pocket Knife Sharpener :hsc_emoji_trophy:	The Best Pocket Knife Sharpener on a Budget	The Most Premium Pocket Knife Sharpener	The Best Powered Pocket Knife Sharpener	The Most Portable Pocket Knife Sharpener
Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite	Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone System	Wicked Edge Pro-Pack II	Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener	Diamond Machining Technology Diafold
Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price
Pros	Pros	Pros	Pros	Pros
Complete guided system takes the guesswork out of Accommodates 15-30 degree angles Seven grits with a ceramic rod Beginner-friendly Elite system comes with a carrying case	Budget-friendly clamp-style system Five grit stones Portable size Can be used handheld	Included Advanced Alignment Guide Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Diamond stones make sharpening the toughest steels pretty easy Upgrade kits can be purchased if you’re really crazy about knife sharpening Can you up to a mirror edge Made in the USA	Fully adjustable sharpening guides makes it easy to use on any knife and also other edged tools Accommodates 15-30 degree angles Variable speed and flexible belt system gives more control and versatility for sharpening Still portable despite being a powered system	Can fit in a wallet or pocket Four diamond combinations Dots keep the diamond surface clean Can sharpen dry or with water Made in the USA
Cons	Cons	Cons	Cons	Cons
Clamp system isn’t the most portable, but the case helps with transport	Though usable in hand, you’ll need some sort of table to clamp on to use effectively	Very pricey, but complete professional system for nearly every knife category	Powered system needs an outlet Has guides but needs a bit more technique and practice to not quickly ruin your knife Can remove a lot of material if you’re not careful	Basic sharpening system best used for quick touch-ups May look like a fidgetable butterfly knife trainer, but isn’t actually one
Bottom Line	Bottom Line	Bottom Line	Bottom Line	Bottom Line
It’s easy and convenient, and it beats using a dull knife or having to wait for a professional to come along and do it for you, and that’s why it’s the best overall.	While it’s not as easy to use as the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite in getting you the right angle, it’s OK for most uses until you can save up for something more professional.	The Wicked Edge Precision Knife Sharpener Pro-Pack II is the ultimate choice for sharpening premium knives with custom blade angles. It’s beginner-friendly, ensuring precise results straight out of the box.	The powered nature of the Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener from Work Sharp makes quick work out of sharpening even the most premium blades and pretty much every other tool in your workbench.	You can keep these in your toolbox or everyday carry kit to ensure your blade is ready to go when needed. And because it uses diamond material, it will last longer and not require constant maintenance to stay level like a traditional whetstone.
Show Specs	Show Specs	Show Specs	Show Specs	Show Specs

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Best Pocket Knife Sharpeners for 2023

The Best Overall Pocket Knife Sharpener: Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite takes the guesswork out of sharpening your knife. Where other sharpening systems require building up experience and confidence to get good results, I like that the Precision Adjust Elite automatically handles finding the correct angle for you. All you have to do is clamp your knife into the holder, select the sharpening rod you need, lock it into place, and sweep it on your blade’s edge. Then repeat that on the other side, and you’re good to go. It’s easy and convenient, and it beats using a dull knife or having to wait for a professional to come along and do it for you, and that’s why it’s the best overall.

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The Best Pocket Knife Sharpener on a Budget: Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone System

One of the secrets to getting the sharpest knife is to pass your blade through progressively more fine grit material. This lets you create the edge and hone it into a razor-sharp blade. But collecting full-size whetstones in every grit is expensive, so if you’re on a budget, you can size things down to the Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone System. It does away with the large whetstones in favor of a clamp design, but you get five different sharpening stones as part of the package. While it’s not as easy to use as the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite in getting you the right angle, it’s OK for most users until you can save up for something more professional.

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The Most Premium Pocket Knife Sharpener: Wicked Edge Pro-Pack II

The Wicked Edge Precision Knife Sharpener Pro-Pak II is the most premium pocket knife sharpener with its marble base and super-accurate digital angle readout. With the readout, you can be sure you’re precisely at 18 degrees or anywhere else you want to be. After all, if you’re buying premium knives with custom blade geometries set at angles that a pull-through knife sharpener will ruin, only the best will do. This simple technological addition makes the Pro-Pack II that much easier to use. While you can get similar results with whetstones, even a beginner can sharpen a premium knife with this sharpener as soon as it’s out of the box.

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The Best Powered Pocket Knife Sharpener: Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener

The powered nature of the Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener from Work Sharp makes quick work out of sharpening even the most premium blades and pretty much every other tool in your workbench. With traditional sharpening methods, the more premium and challenging your steel is, the longer it will take to sharpen with a stone. Some really hard steels at Rockwell units over 60 HRC can take quite a while, especially as you get to the finest grits. This powered device uses alternating belts powered by motors to do the job quicker. Just be sure you’re using the right guide for the angle, and watch the blade as you do it because if you remove too much material from your blade, you can never put it back on.

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The Most Portable Pocket Knife Sharpener: Diamond Machining Technology Diafold

The use of industrial diamond in this pocketable whetstone eliminates the need for an elaborate setup involving buckets of water and holders for traditional stone or ceramic sharpening tools. You can keep these in your toolbox or EDC kit to ensure your blade is ready to go when needed. And because it uses diamond material, it will last longer and not require constant maintenance to stay level like a traditional whetstone. The butterfly knife-style opening mechanism of the tool is charming, but it doesn’t have the pivots needed to be an effective fidget tool on the side.

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Our other recommendations

Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker: Spyderco’s Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is compact enough to fit in a toolbox, and it sets up the angle to place the abrasive rods without too much fuss. All you need to do is pass the blade through the rods, and because of its open nature, you can sharpen large knives and tools with just a few sweeps through the system. The Sharpmaker has been an old favorite for knife collectors for years, and for good reason; few systems are as quick and easy to use while still being effective.

King Whetstone: Traditional ceramic whetstones can be pricey for beginners, so I recommend combination stones from King Japan. This model features 250 and 1000-grit surfaces on opposite sides of the stone. The coarse 250 grit is for fixing chips and seriously damaged blades before finishing with the more fine 1000 grit section. As you progress in skill, you can add other whetstones to the collection to build a solid and versatile collection of sharpening stones.

Lansky Blademedic: It’s all in the name: this is the tool you keep on hand in your emergency pack or camping gear when you need a sharp knife fast. The carbide and ceramic V-shaped pull-through slots are pre-set at 45 degrees, corresponding to the standard edge of Western-style knives and tools. The diamond rod can be used as a honing steel, and the exposed ceramic section can be swiped across serrations to get them working. Just know that this is the wrong tool for long-term maintenance for most high-end knives, so use it sparingly for emergencies.

Smith’s TRI6 Arkansas Stone: Smith’s TRI6 Arkansas stone provides three different grits of that well-regarded sharpening material. These use oil instead of water for lubrication as you use it to maintain the edge of your knife. As you hone the blade further, it’s easy to swap to different grits by turning the triangular holder to what you need.

Different types of Knife Sharpeners

Electric Knife Sharpeners

These are the easiest to use of all the knife sharpeners. But they’re also perhaps a bit too easy because their fast speeds can destroy a knife if the sharpener is not set up correctly. There are also better options for knives with serrations. Knives with deep recurve, changing edge angles, and dramatic geometries will also not fare well with an electric knife sharpening system. For everything else, they often come with blade guides for multiple sharpening options.

Handheld / Pull-Through Sharpeners

Pull-through knife sharpeners are pocketable and good to have in an emergency, but their pre-set angles usually differ from what premium knife makers set their blades to. Some knives, like Japanese chef’s knives that only have an edge on one side of the blade, will be seriously damaged using a pull-through mechanism, as Chef’s Armoury points out when they wrote about pull-through knife sharpeners not being the best choice in the kitchen. But a pull-through sharpener will do the trick when having a sharp knife of any style is better than nothing. Just know that you might be messing up your knife more in the long run, necessitating a professional fix.

Knife Sharpening Systems / Guided Systems

These systems lock your blade on a clamp horizontally, vertically, or at an angle of your choice. You then pass a rod across the stationary blade at a set angle. This gives you precise control compared to a traditional whetstone. As users of BladeForums mention, sometimes it’s hard to get a consistent angle when you’re in control of it as you pass the blade across a traditional stone. The downside is that these systems are bulky and require some setup and assembly, making them more suitable for home use. They’re also not the best choice if you have extremely small or very large knives, as they are set up for the standard pocket knife or chef’s knife length.

Sharpening Stones / Whetstones

A flat sharpening stone, known as a whetstone, is the most traditional method to sharpen blades. And while it takes a lot of practice to get the job done, you get the best results out of these systems in many ways. When you have total control over the knife as you pass across the stone, you get visual, tactile, and auditory feedback you don’t get with other systems. When an amateur seriously messes up their expensive super-premium blade through an automated or preset system, it will take a set of traditional whetstones and a sharp eye to get it back into shape. None of the other systems that do things for you will solve chipped or broken knives, but with traditional whetstones, you can recreate edges or even take budget knives that were never sharp, to begin with, from the factory and turn them into usable cutlery with just the application of elbow grease.

Sharpening Steel

One misnomer about honing steel is that it sharpens a blade. It doesn’t. Instead, it makes minor nicks on a blade and bends them back into shape on an already sharp knife. This minimizes the need to go to a sharpening system until needed.

Maintenance Tips for Pocket Knife Sharpeners

Maintaining a good edge on your blade is crucial because it makes it easier and safer for you to use. A dull knife will slip instead of slice and, in the worst case, slip right onto your fingers. While this is primarily a problem if you’re using your knife in food prep, you’ll start wondering why your premium MagnaCut knife isn’t cutting through material quickly if you never sharpen it. Maintaining the edge of your blade as close to its original sharpness as possible will also eliminate the need for serious repair, which takes lots of time, special equipment, and expertise.

Choosing the Right Sharpening Slots and Surface

The rule of thumb is to stick to the slot or angle corresponding to your knife’s factory edge and angle. This may take some research or specialized equipment to determine accurately, but many production knives usually stick to standardized angles and ranges, such as between 20-30 degrees.

Coarse Stone vs. Fine Stone

You should also go from coarse to fine-grained material. Otherwise, you’ll spend much time on a fine stone when the knife needs serious repair. If a knife is well-maintained and sharp, you can start with the finest stones for touching up. Some knife sharpening systems will tell you in words that the material is coarse or fine. Lower numbers are coarser, and higher numbers are smoother and finer if the system only provides you numbers that correspond to grit. You can also touch them to help determine which is which.

Best Pocket Knife Sharpener FAQs

What is the best thing to use to sharpen a pocket knife?

An abrasive stone is the best way to sharpen a pocket knife. Whether you pick a traditional whetstone, a pull-through sharpener, or a precision system, they all use abrasive stones to get the job done. A precision or electric system will be the easiest of all options for a beginner.

What do professionals use to sharpen knives?

Professionals use traditional whetstones or electric belt systems of various abrasive coarseness or fineness based on their needs. Traditional whetstones offer immense control and customizability but take substantial effort and time. Electric systems suit fast-paced production environments and knifemakers working on the clock.

Do knife sharpeners ruin knives?

Knife sharpeners don’t ruin knives. People who don’t know which knife sharpener to use in the correct situation ruin knives. And the worst thing would be to end up with an expensive, premium knife that’s never been resharpened or maintained after opening hundreds of packages, performing worse than a serrated butter knife.

Is a sharpening stone better than a knife sharpener?

Knife sharpeners all use a sharpening stone of some kind, even ones that use industrial diamond material. But a traditional sharpening stone, Arkansas stone, or puck offers the best results for anyone who has learned to leverage them to their full advantage. Until you’ve had some practice, stick to an automated or precision system that holds your hand and stops you from ruining your blade.

How we picked

Decades of experience and deep connections in the everyday carry industry give us a unique viewpoint on the market to inform our product recommendations. We have the depth of information for thousands of products that have come before and an extensive eye on the market to see what’s new and trending for each piece of gear. The result is a buying guide that we feel is informative and useful for EDCers of every trade, industry, and budget.

What is Everyday Carry?

Everyday Carry is both the concept of what people carry in their pockets and the process of picking out gear that thoughtfully considers what one wants or needs in their daily life. It encompasses everything from style to preparedness to utility, meaning an entire industry full of valuable tools and essentials to choose from.

Why you should trust us

Our team has decades of combined experience in all aspects of everyday men’s essentials, from wallets to pens to bags and everything in between, and we know where to find great gear ideas that you may not come across at your local stores or when shopping online. Our expertise in the industry and familiarity with design, materials, and usability help you make more informed choices when it comes to picking up your next piece of gear.

The post Best Pocket Knife Sharpeners in 2024, Ranked! appeared first on Everyday Carry.

How does it work?

Work Sharp’s Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener works by clamping the knife securely into place with the included blade clamp, setting the angle of Work Sharp’s Tri-Brasive sharpening Rods (either using fine grit or coarse grit), and using them in a sweeping motion to sharpen the knife, moving the abrasive up from the cutting edge while moving slowly side to side. Using a downward sweep when honing will help finish the edge nicely.

What it’s meant for

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener can sharpen a wide variety of knives, from compact EDC pocket knives from Spyderco and Benchmade to 10” chef’s knives, making it highly adaptable to various knife types and sizes. With the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite, you can sharpen the everyday carry knife of your choice with ease and consistency, and once you pick one up, you’ll go through your entire collection in no time.

Work Sharp Precision Adjust Base Model

The base model version for the Work Sharp Precision Adjust was designed to be an affordable and efficient way to sharpen a variety of knife styles, including straight-edged knives, serrated knives, and even scissors. As a knife sharpener, its primary function is to sharpen knives using an abrasive belt. It features different grits of belts to allow for coarse to fine sharpening. The sharpener provides for precise angle adjustments using a guide system to ensure a consistent and accurate sharpening angle, maintaining the knife’s original edge geometry and sharp edge.

Pros: If your knife collection isn’t too varied, one of the advantages of the base model version of the Work Sharp Precision Adjust is its relatively affordable price. With an MSRP of just $69.95, you get a complete set of everything you need to sharpen your hunting, kitchen, or paring knives without breaking the bank. The base model version of the Work Sharp Precision Adjust is proudly made in the USA and comes with a 3-year warranty.

Cons: For more varied blade types, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust base model may not be sufficient. Compared to the Elite version of the same model, the base model lacks certain abrasives such as coarse diamond grit, which would be useful for serrated edges, and a leather strop for honing.

Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite

Like the base model of the Work Sharp Precision Adjust, the Elite version easily and efficiently sharpens a wide assortment of knife styles, with the added benefit of more grit options for optimal sharpening.

Pros: While more expensive with an MSRP of $139.95, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite kit is a complete knife sharpening solution. It comes with seven abrasive grits and includes a premium carry case if you need to sharpen and maintain your knives on the go.

Cons: The Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite is a complete sharpening system, which puts it at a higher price point than the base model version.

Elite vs. Regular

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite Knife Sharpener is a more comprehensive knife sharpening system than the base model. The main difference between the two are the included sharpening stones. The base model includes 320 and 600 grit diamond and fine ceramic Tri-Brasive sharpening stones, while the Elite model comes with more options for sharpening.This includes 220, 320, and 400 grit diamond stones as well as 600 and 800 grit diamond stones and a ceramic stone plate, together with the base model’s sharpening base and chassis.

The Elite version also has a leather strop and a ceramic rod for serrations. Lastly, the Elite version has a premium carrying case, which the base model lacks. Those with the base model can always upgrade to the Elite system with an upgrade kit that Work Sharp also sells.

Verdict

Choosing which version to get would depend entirely on your knife collection. If you own a wide variety of knife and blade styles, the the Elite system would be the wiser choice since it comes with a complete set of sharpening stones.

Alternatively, you can save some money by getting the base version if your knife collection consists of plain-edged blades such as kitchen and pocket knives. Both versions are incredibly useful to anyone who wants to keep their knives razor-sharp and well-maintained.

Check Out the Precision Adjust Base Model

Check Out the Precision Adjust Elite

Check Out the Upgrade Kit

FAQs

Can you sharpen serrated knives with a Work Sharp Precision Adjust sharpener?

Yes, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Sharpener can sharpen serrated blades. However, you will need the Elite version of the Work Sharp Precision Adjust sharpener since serrated knives require both coarse and fine diamond abrasives to sharpen them.

It’s also worth noting that not all serrated knives can be sharpened with the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Sharpener. The sharpener is designed for blades with serrations with uniform width and spacing. If your serrated knife has irregular serrations or teeth of different sizes, it may not be suitable for sharpening with this type of sharpener.

Are Work Sharp products made in the USA?

Yes, all Work Sharp tools are designed and assembled in the USA. They design, engineer, and calibrate their sharpening machines all under one roof–also shared by their in-house customer service, sales, and admin teams.

How do you use the guided sharpening system?

The guided sharpening system allows you to adjust the angle of the abrasive sharpening stones from 15 to 30 degrees in 1-degree increments. This angle versatility lets you get to the same blade edge angle as the designers of your knife intended.

How difficult is it to use Work Sharp products?

Work Sharp products are designed to be easy to use, even for those new to knife sharpening. They come with clear instructions and often include guides and angle presets that help ensure that you are sharpening at the correct angle, providing consistent results.

What is the difference between a precision sharpener and an electric knife sharpener?

While both types of sharpeners are designed to sharpen knives, they differ in how they operate and the results they produce. A precision sharpener is a handheld tool that typically uses a set of diamond abrasive stones or ceramic rods to sharpen a knife. The sharpener holds the blade in place while the user runs the abrasive along the blade at a consistent angle.

An electric knife sharpener is a machine that uses motorized grinding wheels or abrasive belts to sharpen knives. The user places the knife into the machine, automatically sharpening the blade. Precision sharpeners can provide more control and precision when sharpening a knife. In contrast, electric sharpeners are generally faster and easier to use but may not offer the same level of precision as a precision sharpener.

What is the difference between the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener and the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2?

The Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2 is a more advanced and versatile sharpener than the original model it replaces. The Mk.2 features a two-speed electric motor, while the Mk.1 had a fixed motor. The angle guide has been redesigned as well. The Mk.1 model had interchangeable guides, while the Mk.2 combines these into a single switchable guide with an up-down toggle. They’ve also added an Edge Guide to the tool, which supports the blade along the full travel from tip to heel for a more stable, even edge.

How we picked

Decades of experience and deep connections in the everyday carry industry give us a unique viewpoint on the market to inform our product recommendations. We have the depth of information for thousands of products that have come before and an extensive eye on the market to see what’s new and trending for each piece of gear. The result is a buying guide that we feel is informative and useful for EDCers of every trade, industry, and budget.

What is Everyday Carry?

Everyday Carry is both the concept of what people carry in their pockets and the process of picking out gear that thoughtfully considers what one wants or needs in their daily lives. It encompasses everything from style to preparedness to utility, meaning an entire industry full of valuable tools and essentials to choose from.

Why you should trust us

Our team has decades of combined experience in all aspects of everyday men’s essentials, from wallets to pens to bags and everything in between, and we know where to find great gear ideas that you may not come across at your local stores or when shopping online. Our expertise with the industry and familiarity in design, materials, and usability help you make more informed choices when it comes to picking up your next piece of gear.

The post Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite Knife Sharpener appeared first on Everyday Carry.

The beauty of Work Sharp’s Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener is whether you’re touching up your compact pocket knife, a big fixed blade camp knife, or an expensive kitchen knife, it has everything you need to sharpen your blades quickly, easily, and safely. The Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener holds the knife of your choice in a secure clamp, and a precision adjustment allows you to move one of Work Sharp’s Tri-Brasive rods back and forth on a jig across the edge of your blade. You can choose the exact angle you want for your blade’s edge, then move the sharpening rods in a repeatable and consistent motion to evenly sharpen your knife back to working order.

Switching between coarse and fine diamond and fine ceramic on this tool is easily done by manipulating a rod, and all you need to do to get the other side of your blade sharp is flip it around while still attached to the clamp. The Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener even works on knives that have a slight recurve, something that’s hard to deal with if you’re not too experienced with a more traditional method like using a whetstone.

With the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener you can maintain your knives and sharpen them to a keen edge quickly and easily, helping you get back to performing your daily tasks with ease and lessening the risk of a serious accident because you let your knife get too dull over time. Even if you have a sharpener of your own, the ease of use and repeatability inherent to the smart design of Work Sharp’s Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener makes it a compelling choice if you’re looking to shake things up and try something new. Read more about the Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener at the link below and pick one up for for yourself now.

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The post Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener appeared first on Everyday Carry.