We look at three mini sharpeners this week - Gerber's 9841 Pocket Clip
Diamond Knife Sharpener, Buck's 1325 Diamond Sharpener and Kershaw's
Ultra-Tek Blade Sharpener Model 2535.
The Kershaw 2536 is a mini oval "steel" that stores inside its 3/4 in.
diameter aluminum handle. Coated with 600 grit diamond, it is a
handy way to touch up an edge for those who prefer a steel, but it is
too small for any serious knife sharpening. I am going to
recommend it to the vegetable harvesters, who need a pocket sized
device to remove the burr after using our portable sharpeners in the
field.
The Buck 1325 is a tapered diamond hone with a fishhook groove.
It self stores in a plastic handle. The taper makes it useful for
any size serration. Grit is fine, maybe 600 grit. It is a
decent substitute for the by-gone Zip-Zap, but not much other use.
The Gerber 9841 is even smaller, hiding its diamond rod inside a
ballpoint pen sized tube. The 1/4 in. dia rod could be handy for
some serrated knives. Diamond is rougher than the Kershaw, and I did
not even want to put my knife on it.
AND THE WINNER IS...
For plain blade maintenance, the Kershaw
For bread knives, 4 - 5 serrations/inch, the Gerber
For all other serrations - the Buck
For general sharpening, none of the above.
Also, I want to know who ever uses the fishhook sharpening
groove? When can't you just buy a new hook? I could see
sharpening a tuna hook, but not the bass and trout stuff we use
here.
Copyright 2008
Updated January 22, 2008
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