The Easy Way to Sharpen a Knife Without Spending a Lot of Money

Gaye Levy, Contributor

Everyone needs a knife sharpener because no matter how careful you are, when you use your knife in the field, it is going to get dull. I don’t care how expensive, or how high tech your knife is, using a knife will eventually dull the blade.

What does this mean for the prepper? You have some choices. You can carry a ceramic stone and sharpen your blade . . . or you can carry a basic little sharpener that will make the job simple, quick and easy. I guess you know what I choose. I choose the easy way to sharpen a knife without spending a lot of money!

I purchased Smith’s Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener a few months ago and have used it quite a bit. Not that my blades were super dull, mind you, but I wanted to learn how to use it properly and run it through its paces before I had to use it out in the field, while hiking, or in an emergency situation.

The Technical Stuff This lightweight little knife sharpener weighs only an ounce and features a fold out, tapered round diamond-coated rod for sharpening serrated and standard edges quickly and easily. It measures 3-1/2 inches long and is 1 inch wide – plus, and it only weighs just one ounce.

The Survival Husband Impressions

I recruited my resident knife expert, Survival Husband, to give me his impressions. (Remember him? He is the one that swiped my Kershaw OSO Sweet from me . . . ). Here is what he said:

This sharpener is great. It is compact and the construction is very durable. The real plus, however, is that it is small enough and light weight enough to simply drop it in your pack or packet and not worry about it taking up space or being bulky. 

The “pocket pal knife sharpener” is easy to use. In addition to the fixed sharpening blade, it has a small steel which enables you to sharpen a serrated blade no muss no fuss. 

In my view this is great for sharpening blades in the field or emergency situation. I would recommend that you purchase a few to stash in you pack, your pocket and around the house so that you always have a sharp blade – whenever and wherever.

How to Use the Pocket Pal 

Sharpening Slots

1. Insert knife blade into the V-shaped slots at a 90-degree angle to the sharpening blades or stones.
2. Pull the knife blade straight back towards you while applying light pressure.
3. Repeat this action until blade is sharp.

Tapered Diamond Rod: Flat Edges

1. Always hold the unit with the rod facing down. Place heel of the blade on the diamond rod closest to the unit.
2. Hold blade at a 23-degree angle to the rod.
3. While applying light pressure, push the knife away from you towards the end of the rod. Draw knife down so that the tip of the blade comes off the end of the rod. Repeat this action until blade is sharp.
4. For the other side of the blade, you will need to switch hands holding the sharpener and the knife and repeat steps 1 through 3.

Tapered Diamond Rod: Serrated Edges

1. Only sharpen the side of your knife edge with the serrations.
2. Hold rod at 23-degree angle to the blade and move it back and forth through each serration until sharp.

The Final Word

Although I own a fancy, smancy Chef’s Choice knife sharpener knife sharpener, it is clumsy, heavy and dare I say expensive?

Sure, there are better sharpeners out there but for $9 or less? Well, this is great choice to keep in your survival kit. Plus it proves that survival gear does not need to cost a lot to be useful and effective.

Read other articles by Gaye Levy here. 

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye Levy, the SurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us.

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