Everyday Carry

The Best Knife Sharpeners for 2022

Authored by:
Mon Garcia
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
The Best Knife Sharpeners for 2022

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  The 21 Best Pocket Knives for Everyday Carry in 2023
  Work Sharp Sharpeners
  20 Best Fixed Blades for EDC in 2023

https://everydaycarry.com/best-hunting-knifeNo matter how good a steel you have on your knives, using them regularly will wear the edge down. Learning how to maintain an edge and having the proper sharpening tools will ensure that your blades are safe, sharp, and ready when you need them. Whether you’re touching up your fixed blade out in the field, maintaining your EDC blades on the bench at home, or even touching up your chef’s knives in the kitchen, there’s a sharpening solution for you on our list.

Content
Lansky C-Sharp

Lansky C-Sharp

Purchase
Key Features
Compact and pocket-friendly
Accommodates four different edge angles
Benchstone for chisel edges and serrations
Specifications
Best used for
Multi-angle sharpening tool for pocket or bag carry
Reviews


Price
$
Compact and simple to use, the Lansky C-Sharp is a great pocket companion that ensures you can touch up your EDC knife wherever you go. The cutouts feature 600 grit ceramic sharpening materials mounted on a durable metal casing, and they accommodate the most common knife edge angles: 17, 20, 25, and 30 degrees. It also has a larger 800 grit benchstone at the top of the tool for chisel-style edges and knife serrations. The metal body features a cutout for attaching a lanyard or a keyring, making this a versatile sharpener you can easily carry in your pocket or bug-out bag.
Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener - Ken Onion Edition

Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener - Ken Onion Edition

Purchase
Key Features
Angle guides can be adjusted from 15 to 30 degrees
Can sharpen different blade types
Motor-driven sharpening means less fatigue
Specifications
Best used for
Easy, robust knife maintenance at home
Reviews


Price
$$$$
Work Sharp collaborated with noted knife designer Ken Onion to create a sophisticated and flexible sharpening system made for hunting knives, pocket knives, serrated knives, and even kitchen knives. The Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener includes flexible abrasive belts in five different levels of coarseness. These are driven by a variable speed motor that let you control how aggressive you want to hone your edge. Lastly, the adjustable angle guide allows you to sharpen your edge anywhere between 15 to 30 degrees, allowing you to sharpen everything from hard-use knives to delicate slicers.
Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener

Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener

Purchase
Key Features
Five different grit stages for fine tuning your edge
20-degree angle guides for consistent bevel angle
Leather strop for touching up edges
Specifications
Best used for
Multi-grit sharpener for sharpening blades and fish hooks outdoors
Reviews


Price
$$
A total of five different sharpening surfaces on the Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener provides options for how you want to sharpen your edges out on the field. Two removable and replaceable diamond plates—one coarse and one fine—are placed between 20-degree guides that help ensure a consistent sharpening angle. On the side, a ceramic rod rotates to provide you with three different grit patterns, including one for sharpening fish hooks. Finally, a leather strop attached to one side lets you easily touch up your blades at a moment’s notice.
KING PB-04 Japanese Combination Whetstone

KING PB-04 Japanese Combination Whetstone

Purchase
Key Features
Traditional whetstone
Dual-sided
Comes with plastic holder/ stand
Specifications
Best used for
Honing your traditional knife sharpening skills, kitchen knives
Reviews


Price
$
If you’re looking to maintain your knives the traditional way, this whetstone is great for honing both your skills and your blade. The King PB-04 Japanese Combination Whetstone uses two different grits to help you hone your edge to perfection. The 800 grit side gives you as sharp an edge as you can manage, while the 6000 grit side polishes the edge for smooth and long-lasting razor-sharpness. Take note that this is an old school stone that requires you to submerge the stone in water for a period of time before use. It comes with a plastic holder that doubles as a stand while you work on your blades.
Work Sharp EDC Pivot Plus Sharpener

Work Sharp EDC Pivot Plus Sharpener

Purchase
Key Features
Carbide and ceramic surfaces provide two-stage sharpening
Patented Pivot Response helps to get a consistent edge
Tapered diamond rod for serrations
Specifications
Best used for
Two-stage sharpening on the go
Reviews


Price
$
Work Sharp’s EDC Pivot Plus let’s you take two-stage sharpening on the go with its two different sharpening surfaces. For initial sharpening, a convex carbide surface lets you get rid of burrs and major blemishes fast, and Work Sharp’s Pivot Response allows the surface to follow the curve of the knife, ensuring a consistent angle and edge across the entire blade. You can then fine-tune your edge to razor sharpness on the the ceramic surface provided. A tapered diamond rod lets you sharpen serrations and folds neatly into the bottom of the body, keeping this mini multi-stage sharpener compact for EDC.
Spyderco Gauntlet Premium

Spyderco Gauntlet Premium

Purchase
Key Features
Integrated palmrest for comfort
Handguard for accident protection
Includes alternative rods for re-shaping and re-profiling blades
Specifications
Best used for
Consistent manual edge sharpening on a bench or table
Reviews


Price
$$$$
The Spyderco Gauntlet Premium is a simpler and more affordable alternative to their original product, the Sharpmaker. The distinctive shape is due to an integrated palmrest and handguard and that makes it easier to brace the Gauntlet on your bench, while providing protection from wayward or overly enthusiastic downstrokes during use. It holds the standard fine ceramic alumina rods in a V-shape at 20-degree angles, and this Premium version includes Cubic Boron Nitride rods for aggressive re-shaping and re-profiling of knife edges.
Work Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener

Work Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener

Purchase
Key Features
Simple and easy to use
Two different angle guides
Lightweight and easy to carry
Specifications
Best used for
Basic knife maintenance out in the field
Reviews


Price
$
Smaller than their popular Field Sharpener, Work Sharp’s Pocket Knife Sharpener gives you the essentials for maintaining your knives while out on the field. Two different angle guides—one at 20 degrees for the medium diamond abrasive surface and the other at 25 degrees for the fine ceramic hone—provide you with enough sharpening options while out and about. The 320 grit diamond plate sharpens and even repairs lightly damaged blades while the ceramic rod helps you finish the edge to razor sharpness. It is designed to require no assembly or setup, making it easy for you to keep your pocket knives sharp and ready.

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Fallkniven CC4 Ceramic Whetstone Sharpener

Fallkniven CC4 Ceramic Whetstone Sharpener

Purchase
Key Features
Synthetic ceramic and synthetic sapphire surfaces
No lubrication needed during use
Includes leather pouch for storage and stropping
Specifications
Best used for
Easy manual sharpening at home
Reviews


Price
$
For more experienced or traditional sharpeners, a simple abrasive stone block is all that’s needed for knife maintenance. The Fallkniven CC4 Ceramic Whetstone Sharpener features dark gray side made of synthetic sapphire (1 micron grain size) for de-burring and shaping, and a white side made of super fine ceramic stone (0.1 micron grain size) for polishing your edge. Unlike traditional sharpening stones, this synthetic whetstone requires no water or lubrication during use. It also includes a leather pouch that functions as a strop when combined with proper honing compounds.

What are you using to maintain your EDC knives? Let us know in the comments below!

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (8 total)

Paul Tobeck ·
Please don't use those carbide v-slot types on a knife you care about. Just...don't.
2 Reply
Mike G. ·
Agreed, as these can damage any blade pretty quickly as they can take off a lot of material at once. I usually use them on cheap steel that gets damaged pretty quickly to get a workable edge. I did have to use it on my Benchmade that came with an uneven factory edge. The carbide got the bevel consistent on both sides of the blade. They leave a rough edge so finer abrasives would be needed to clean the edge up like my Spyderco Sharpmaker.
0 Reply
Paul Tobeck ·
Rough is an understatement. I've seen magnified images of blades run through those carbide sharpeners and the edge looks like the western side of the Rocky Mountains. For restoring really rough blades, it's hard to beat the Worksharp, but the belts are pricey and don't last like they should.
I've always been a Lansky guy, and it's still the best in performance, consistency and price on the market IMO.
0 Reply
Goldthunder ·
That Lansky shown and those type of sharpeners will ruin any blade you truly care about. Don’t sharpen your 150-200$ knife with a 4$ hardware sharpener. I used them when I was younger and I’ve used them in a hurry in the field to sharpen a blade while preparing an animal that was just harvested and I don’t even recommend that. Just spend the money and buy something decent. You have saved and cherished your knife collection. Treat them well
1 Reply
Ryan E McKeon ·
This is my go 2!

Warthog V-Sharp Classic II Gunmetal, One Size

My fav
0 Reply
Frank LoCicero ·
IMHO, Whetstone are too heavy and fragile for EDC;
they need Some of of protective casing.

One could keep a set in the car / van / truck howevet
0 Reply
Frank LoCicero ·
Check these Sweet little sharpeners out:

Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal
Available on the Smiths site.
Under $10 on Amazon

Besides the usual. Slide thru Ceramic Slot it has Two slots and a tapered diamond rod for sharpening serrations and gut hooks
Two sets of slots:
1 carbide blades
2 ceramic stones

Reversible and replaceable carbide bades and ceramic stones;

Its light and small enough to carry or put in an EDC Bag.

0 Reply
Shawn Bailey ·
Really can’t beat the simple whetstone. Takes a bit of practice, but the best way to get a perfect edge.
0 Reply