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Pocket knives can be extremely useful.
If you’re out in the wilderness and you’re in need of a sharp tool, pocket knives can be the thing to turn to, and due to their size - you can easily carry them with you and you’re unlikely to forget them.
However, pocket knives are only as useful as they are sharp. If you have a blunt pocket knife, you might as well be cutting your objects with a toothbrush.
Luckily, there are pocket knife sharpeners out there to help you keep your knife useful - but with so many on the market, what are you supposed to look for?
Well, our comprehensive guide explains everything you need to know.
We’ll take a look at our picks for the best pocket knife sharpeners with their pros and cons, an excellent buyer’s guide and some frequently asked questions you may have.
So, if you’re looking to know more - then read on about the three best pocket knife sharpeners on the market!
We’ll start by giving you our picks for the best pocket knife sharpeners. All of our picks have been tried and tested and are highly recommended by previous buyers.
This is perhaps one of the most impressive pocket knife sharpeners that you can find on the market today.
It’s an incredibly versatile sharpener and allows you to use six different everyday tools in one handy place, which makes it perfect for the great outdoors.
It’s very durable and built with carbide, so you know you can experience the best possible finished product when all is said and done.
We’ve found this to be something that any camper will need to have.
Need to get a fire started? No problem - this sharpener has got you covered there too.
Need to sharpen your fishing hooks? This tool got you covered as well!
Truly one of the greatest out there that not only is highly durable, versatile and portable - but it’s also healthy on the bank balance.
This is why it makes the top spot of this list!
If you are looking for a pocket knife sharpener that does exactly what it says it will do (metaphorically of course) - then look no further than this very handy pocket knife sharpener.
It’s small, but not too small and very durable, being made with carbide - which also makes it very versatile for you to sharpen multiple items for fishing and hunting gear.
Due to its size, you can easily carry it with you and the sharpener is easy to use, with most pocket knives being simple to sharpen in minutes.
The price is very similar to our previous pick - and both are very good choices. If anything, this choice edges the number one spot based on ease of use.
When it comes to sharpeners, sometimes you will want something incredibly simplistic. This is what this particular model provides you - simplicity.
However, what many of the previous buyers have suggested is that this is one of the best choices for those who have experience with pocket knife sharpeners - so be sure you’re considering this one if you’re not a newbie!
With its smart ceramic construction and V-style pull through, you can sharpen a pocket knife in moments, but you’ve got to have the know-how!
You will want to know what exactly you should be looking for when you are in the market for a new pocket knife sharpener, so we’ve split up some of the biggest considerations for you to note.
You will want to pay attention to whether or not the pocket knife sharpener comes with a blade guide or not.
Essentially, a blade guide will give you a much better idea as to where you are meant to be sharpening the blade.
If you incorrectly use a pocket knife sharpener, you could end up with an extremely dull finish and you may end up being in a significantly worse position than when you started.
This is a particularly crucial point for beginners or people who are unaware of the best and proper way you should be sharpening your blade.
Be aware that not every pocket knife sharpener will come with this blade guide, and you might be well versed in how to sharpen your blade anyway, so this might not be a large consideration for you to make.
Just take the time to ask yourself how much help you might need and whether or not you will benefit from this.
If you are a newbie to this world, we would highly recommend that you scour the notes from the manufacturer to check if a guide comes with the product.
Size and versatility are going to play a huge role in your purchasing decision.
The fact of the matter is, a pocket knife only really has the benefit over other sharp blades due to how versatile and transportable they are.
In other words, the sharpener must also be as useful as the blade.
If you find a pocket knife sharpener that is great but cannot easily be carried with you - then the overall point of purchasing the sharpener is lost.
Indeed, you will want to find a pocket blade sharpener that is big enough to sharpen your blade but not so big that you cannot carry it as you would with your pocket knife.
Safety is first and foremost the biggest consideration you will make.
Take a look to see if the pocket knife sharpener can protect you from accidentally slipping and hurting yourself with your pocket knife.
On top of this, you should look to see if the sharpener folds or not. Many pocket knife sharpeners will act as a hinge - similar to the pocket knife itself.
This allows you protection from being poked or accidentally falling onto the sharpener.
This is a very high priority because if you are out in difficult terrains and you fall over, you could potentially fall directly onto a fixed sharpener if it does not fold, and this could cause you serious harm.
Having said this though, you can find fixed-position pocket knife sharpeners that come with safety lids - so this might change your mind.
Let’s face it, we all want our items to double up or act as many other things - that’s why Swiss Army Knives are so good!
Much like some pocket knives, pocket knife sharpeners don’t necessarily have to just be sharpeners.
Some can act as multiple other tools, such as a bottle opener, measuring tool, corkscrew etc.
Now, while this won’t be your primary thought process - it’s always a good idea to keep in mind what your pocket knife sharpener can do.
If you have a highly versatile sharpener, you will be able to save some money on other tools and of course, save some extra room in your pocket or bags when you are traveling.
All of this is definitely a win-win situation.
There are some pocket knife sharpeners out on the market that are very easy to use, and in fact some are so small that they can be attached as a keyring.
This does not make them the best, but it does make them one of the easiest to use.
You will want to look for the middle ground.
While small pocket knife sharpeners that are shaped like a small ball can be useful, it will take you an incredibly long time to effectively sharpen your pocket knife.
In other words, you need to look for a pocket knife sharpener that you can easily get a perfect angle of your blade onto, but also one that can easily be put away and brought back again.
This is definitely one of the largest considerations that first-time buyers need to be aware of, because you do not want to be put in the position of having both a blunt pocket knife and a useless pocket knife sharpener.
We briefly talked about size earlier, but we did not discuss one of the other facets to the size of the pocket knife sharpener, and that is the weight of the tool itself.
Because a pocket knife sharpener is designed to be taken out with you, you want it to be light.
Nobody wants to add an unnecessary amount of weight onto their bags or into their pockets when they’re going hiking or camping, so always make sure that you are taking a look at the manufacturer’s notes for how heavy their product is.
Don’t think that because a sharpener is heavier that it is somehow better - this is simply a common misconception. In fact, many pocket knife sharpeners are worse if they are heavier.
Indeed, you will definitely be examining the overall quality of the pocket knife sharpener and there are a few ways you can identify this.
Start by looking at the manufacturer. Are they a reputable manufacturer? Have they been highly reviewed?
Luckily, our picks above have solved this problem, but if you are going elsewhere, this is something you must be aware of.
Be sure to check if the materials used are durable and can stand the test of time.
Assess if the sharpener is susceptible to rust or corrosion and how often it must be cleaned - in fact, what are you meant to use to clean it?
The highest quality pocket knife sharpeners that we are aware of at the moment tend to be made from diamond, ceramic or carbide.
This doesn’t mean that other materials can’t be useful though - this is just speaking in terms of durability and quality.
There’s no point looking for a pocket knife sharpener and deciding on one if it is way out of your price range.
Not only this, you will want to be wary of some that are bizarrely overpriced.
Unfortunately, there are many models and sellers out there that will waste your money and your time with less-than-stellar quality and leave you completely unsatisfied with your purchase.
As a result, you do not want to go crazy with your money on your first purchase.
The best thing to do is to check for the average price of a good quality pocket knife sharpener and then assess how much you can afford to spend.
Try not to go too far beyond the average price if you are on a budget, especially if this is your first time purchase or one of your earliest purchases.
Of course, you’re probably likely to have more questions left to ask. We’ve answered some of the most common questions below!
There’s no direct answer for this because there are a number of facets that will get you to find the perfect pocket knife sharpener.
The thing is, a large portion of your choice will come down to personal preference and what you are going to use it for and where.
As a general rule you will be looking at the points that we discussed in the buyer’s guide, which include durability, versatility, size and weight, ease of use and affordability.
In reality, you will want to be looking for that sweet spot right in the middle of all these like a Venn diagram - but of course, your needs might be different.
Yes and no. Your usual knife sharpeners are primarily designed to sharpen kitchen knives or hunting knives.
If you take a look at the sheer size of them, they tend to be relatively long and rounded.
The problem with this is that first, you cannot easily carry these types of sharpeners around with you if you were going into the great outdoors, for example.
Second, these sharpeners are difficult to use for pocket knives.
Pocket knives are much smaller than typical knives or kitchen tools, which means you will seriously struggle to sharpen your pocket knife correctly using this type of sharpener.
Not really. As we mentioned earlier, it’s possible that they can be a hazard if you choose one that cannot be easily folded or put away because you could fall on them.
However, aside from this - the tool itself is not dangerous.
With that being said, though, it’s important that children are not tempted to use them to sharpen pocket knives as the knife is of course, going to be the real danger.
There are so many benefits to purchasing a pocket knife sharpener.
To begin with, a pocket knife sharpener that you personally use will always be cheaper than having to use a sharpening service.
These sorts of services will be pricey each time you use them, and you will find it much more economical to just buy your own sharpener.
Second, if you buy the right sharpener that can easily be carried with you, you can always guarantee that your pocket knife will or can be sharp.
Sharp knives are always going to be handy, especially when you’re out in the wilderness.
Finally, pocket knife sharpeners actually make your pocket knife safer.
When you have a sharp knife, you’re far less likely to slip or use too much effort cutting things like food or wood.
You can, therefore not only reduce the risk of harming yourself by accidentally cutting your skin, but you will improve the result of whatever it is you are cutting - and do not run the risk of irreversible damage to the pocket knife itself.
Yes, it’s entirely legal to carry pocket knife sharpeners for any age as long as there are no attachments that could be dangerous (if you are a minor).
Every country’s laws may differ, though, so if you are outside the US, be sure to check your country’s rulings on this specifically.
Buying the right pocket knife sharpener can make all the difference between a useful and ideal pocket knife or having a dull and useless pocket knife.
However, you will need to be sure you’re buying the right pocket knife sharpener for your purposes, which is what we hope this guide has helped you be able to do.
Good luck with your search!
You might also be interested in: The 7 Best Japanese Knife Sets For Precise Cuts
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