Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal Knife Sharpener Preset Carbide & Ceramic Stone Sharpeners Fold-Out Diamond Coated Rod Outdoor Hunting Knife & Hook Sharpener, Handheld, Compact, Lightweight, Multiuse

This Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener is probably not the absolute best or most precision method to sharpen a high quality knife blade, but it is certainly among the handiest, especially when one has a specialized task to perform.Knife purists will tell you that you need an "oil stone" or a "water stone" to put the best edge on high-quality kitchen knives, and I can personally agree with my J.A. Henckels or Victorinox kitchen knives. For those I use a Woodstock SteeleX D1130 1000 Grit and 6000 Grit Japanese Waterstone that I luckily found brand new at a garage sale. But we're talking about speed and convenience here, and that's where the Smith's PP1 sharpener works well.Likes:* Very small footprint; easy to carry in a pocket, briefcase or camera bag* Carbide blades and ceramic finishing stones are reversible and replaceable* Tapered diamond rod; very convenient for sharpening serrated blade edges* Package has easy to follow sharpening directions on the back* Nicely constructed; ergonomic, lightweight and durableDislikes:- Preset sharpening angles on V-shaped sharpening slots may or may not be good for certain blades.Quick Note on Sharpening Angles:There are plenty of discussions on the `Net regarding which sharpening angle is best for a given knife. Some say that you should choose an angle of 10° to 30° on each side. Shallower angles make a sharper edge that doesn't last as long, while steeper angles are more durable; I compromise between 17° and 22.5° with my better knives, but the choice is yours. Don't know what angle the Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal Sharpener uses, as I haven't see it posted in their description. In any case, if you have an exceptionally good knife, check with the manufacturer's suggestions and specs.In Use:In my particular case, I needed to sharpen the serrated blade of my Victorinox Swiss Army One Hand Trekker, an excellent knife that I purchased here in 2008 and finally reviewed in early 2010. This particular knife made me put my other Swiss Army knives away as far as day-to-day functionality goes, yet the serrated blade was losing its effectiveness, probably from too much use over time. It was also gummed up a bit from cutting through packaging tape (and Amazon boxes, etc.) over time.First cleaned the serrated blade with WD-40, wiped it with a paper towel, then washed, rinsed and dried it. Following the directions on the package, I extended the tapered diamond rod and drew it through each serration, rotating it as the instructions noted. Within minutes the serrated blade was restored. Did the same with the serrated blade on my Gerber Suspension Butterfly Opening Multi-Plier, and the sharpness on that blade was easily refurbished as well.As noted earlier, it's always better to use a water stone on high-quality kitchen knives, but when you need speed and expedience, and the Smith's PP1 sharpener does its job. For a quick touch up with good cutlery, just remember to use the V-shaped slot with the ceramic finishing stones, and do it gently.I have also used the Smith's Edgeware V-Slot 10-Second Knife and Scissors Sharpener for years as a household handy item for sharpening scissors. Have also used it reshaping a few worn out kitchen knives, and it did the job quite well.Summary:For quick and dirty sharpening, the Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener does the job and does it well. For this user, it has worked very well, especially when sharpening a serrated blade by hand, and with that it's a 5-star product. For sharpening straight blades, you may wish learn to use a stone, but as admitted above, I do use this PP1 Pocket Pal when taking the time to use a wet stone is not convenient. If your need is for convenience and speed, then this one is highly recommended.9/22/2012

I was a little hesitant on how good this would work. But I have to say this tiny little sharpener is magic. My Henckels are like new again! Durability and quality are good. I love that I can store it right in my drawer with other utensils and it's not in the way. Great Purchase, thank you!

The Smith's Pocket Pal is something I had been wanting to try for a while. Wal-Mart and Academy(local sports chain) are always sold out of this item. I purchased the Pocket Pal at the same time I bought another knife. After trying this sharpener on six knives I realize that for me the best results were found when using it on higher quality knives. I have a few cheap knives that were fairly dull. After using this on them their sharpness was only marginally improved. However, when I used this in my Ka-Bar and my SOG Flash II daily carry knife, I found that their edges were brought back to life. Both knives were cutting again like champs. The SOG knife has a partially serrated blade so the conical diamond file provided on the Smith's Pocket Pal was very useful for that.As for ease of use, I found that this was much easier to handle with smaller knives. With longer and thicker blades the Pocket Pal was hard to hold onto given the small amount of space you have to grab onto it with. There is just enough space for your thumb and index finger. That being said, use this with dry hands on a hard flat surface. Shorter and thinner blades were much easier to sharpen.The Pocket Pal seems to be built rather well. It seems durable enough to last a few years with heavy use. Given that it was less than $10 I say that this is a bargain. I say every knife owner should give this a try. It doesn't replace my Spyderco sharpener however this goes places my Spyderco cannot. It's perfect for camping and hunting. Because of it's size I was able to throw it into my EDC bag without it adding any noticeable weight or taking up much space at all.

Great little tool for when you just need a quick topping off of a sharpen.It's easy to hold onto , making it safe to use , weighs hardly anything and has the same angle as most of my knives .What puts it over the top for me is the serration sharpener . It does a super job while remaining tiny in hand .

I do not understand why people have trouble with this Smith’s knife sharpener. This evening with very little effort, I used this knife sharpener to put a nice edge on 3 different types of knives. First a key ring folder, a large Swiss Army one handed opener blade, and finally a Buck fixed blade. It took no more than 4 draws using the fine (ceramic) draw wheels to put a razor edge on all of these blades! Perhaps those complaining have little experience sharpening blades. I am not an amateur at this, but not a pro either. For a readily packable field unit, this little unit is well worth the price. I like that the wheels are replaceable if needed, and that the Diamond sharpener locks into the unit and locks open…no problem with it breaking off or in half. Someone must be abusing it to have a problem with it. I do admit that I do not like scalloped edge blades, just give me a straight edged blade! So much easier reconditioned than any other type. In summary, I like it and it is going in my emergency box in my SUV!