You’ll find it easier to use and to maintain a consistent angle if you rest the tip of the stone on a flat surface and rest your hand on the same surface. You can establish an angle by starting with the back of the blade resting against the plastic where the stone begins and holding that angle through each stroke. As others have said, stropping the edge after using the sharpener will polish the burr off, making a sharper edge that will last longer. I glued a thin strip of leather to my Vic sharpener. Even without polishing compound, it works great.
Thanks for the tip - that makes sense. I couldn't find some suitable leather to use - so I have just order a cheap strop and a couple of stropping compounds. I'll have a practice on some kitchen knives and record another video in a couple of weeks.
I carried one of these sharpeners for years. It is a good investment, easy to carry and extremely effective at putting a edge on your knife and quickly. Always use the stone section first, then follow up with the ceramic stick end at the tip of the sharpener.
Get an old bit of leather belt and once you have finished sharping the knife. Run it along the leather to take off any burr and it will be smooth at cutting. From an X butcher.
I have a few of those sharpeners, very handy for sharpening away from home. One tip is when using the stone if can bd easier to put the end of the stone on a work surface and angle the sharpener at 20 degrees then run the blade against it straight down. It’s a bit easier to keep the angle constant that way.
If you want your knives razor sharp - use this type of sharpener and then a leather strop with some stopping compound. I have another video about this.
I believe you’ll find your edge would be much better using a leather strop. I use two different strops one with green compound and one with like a diamond paste. The other thing I use is a ceramic rod. I highly recommend getting all three it will take you to a level you’ve never seen. The leather can be old belts the wax is very cheap. In America Smokey mountain has a giant ceramic rod for $5.00. You can also use coffee cup upside down.
I took this and an opinel when i backpacked thru europe a few years ago, served me extrenely well. I skip the pull thru as it has a tendency to rip out the edge. As a protip, if you mark the edge bevel with a sharpie, you can quickly assess if youre matching the angle with the stone
Thanks for taking three time to comment I have leant so much over the last few months. I really like the sharpener and do use the marker tip. I also have learnt to strop as well and tend to do that more than sharpening if the edge is dull and undamaged. It gives a sharper edge and removes less metal. I have tried an Opinel (see my videos) but don't like it that much. I prefer a good Victorinox such as the Bantam.
I use this sharpener very often. (Well, probably an older version of it, because my stone is not blue but gray.) I use it on my pocket knives when I don't have much time, and I maintain my mother's kitchen knives with this. That stone is really great. Aggressive enough so that it doesn't take forever to remove some material, but fine enough to provide a very sharp and clean edge. On point, in my opinion. But: I hate the pull-through part. Unless the bevel's angle *perfectly* matches the pull-through angle (which is almost impossible), I believe that it just creates a micro bevel on the edge. (As far as I can see, that's what happened on your Spyderco, and probably on the others as well.) This is OK for a quick touch-up between proper sharpenings, but I don't think it's optimal. I tried a few times, hated it and I never use it. The stone alone is great for a sharp edge, and if you happen to have a strop, you can get it crazy sharp.
@@MB_EDC A strop can take your edge to the next level, for sure. Until then, I suggest to practice sharpening with the rod of the dual sharpener. I didn't have great results with it in the beginning, but the more muscle memory and more experience with the different steels I built, the better results I got. Just make sure to hold the same angle, then it should be OK :) What also helped me learning was coloring the edge with a marker. this way I could see if my angle was too high, too low or just right.
Good video. I believe the reason for it being 'louder' on the Boker is because of the blade material. The Boker had a higher Carbon content so yes it is having to work harder then the relatively softer Stainless Steel of the Grasshopper or Pioneer.
That looks fine for taking into the field. For home use I have a series of wet stones in various grades. You can buy the Chinese ones for just a few bucks each and they do a good job. I prefer to transition to a fine diamond hone after the 3000 grit stone. Fine stones take too long to shape a profile, and course stones make an edge that doesn't don't hone very well (it's ragged). I don't like the scraper type sharpeners because they can remove too much metal, become less accurate with time or abuse, and they lock you into a profile that is probably better suited to kitchen or utility knifes. It is the low skill approach though, and maybe where most people start. I also prefer a 15° profile. It makes a much sharper edge for most knife steels, and doesn't compromise too much on durability. This comes down to the steel and personal preference though - do you want it to be really sharp, or do you want to last? Good knife steel will normally last OK with a 15° profile, but if you use your camping blade for spitting wood (hitting the spine of the blade to run it down the branch) or other rough tasks (liking cutting up a few dozen cardboard boxes) maybe 20° would the sharpest you want to go. You can buy or make guides to hold the stones at the correct angle, and in fact the Chinese stones are designed to be used in such a machine. My diamond hone cost more than all the Chinese stones. There are more expensive options of course, but this stuff is just fine and doesn't take up much room or weight in the pack if I decided to take some of them with me. If I wanted something that fit in a pocket or small pouch I would take a small oil stone and the diamond hone. The game changer for me was really the fine diamond hone. It can finish an edge that you can shave hair with. Leather strops are probably good too (with diamond paste) but I'd only go there if I wanted to sharpen a cut throat razor or scalpel blades. The diamond hones don't wear out, but they do take a short while to lose their rough edge and wear in. Knife sharpening is one of those things, if you ask ten people you'll get ten different methods. The wet stone method with various grades is what professional knife sharpeners use on the best blades though. I'm not at their level, but I can profile and sharpen a knife pretty quickly no matter what condition it is in. ETA: for the sharpening stones that are designed to fit into the tool search for ADAEE sharpening stones and shop around. They don't cost very much as they are synthetic. Remember they are water stones, not dry or oil.
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed comment. I am learning so much from the comments people leave. I think that I will progress to full sized sharpening stones and the diamond ones have been y recommended a couple of times now. I have bought another small sharpener the Fallniven DC3 and the Lansky Puck for axes and lawn mower blades. I have started stripping too, which is great for light use knives that have just lost their edge a little. I am still a beginner at this and learning all the time. I really just wanted to encourage people to have a go.
If you plan on sticking with a pull through sharpener I WOULD RECOMMEND getting a leather strop and some polishing conpound for using after your sharpener. If you sharpen then strop the blade, it will be much much sharper.. also not sure if you know because you said your new to sharpening but Re-profiling will make your knife sharper. Say it was sharpened at 25° per side originally, if it was re profiled at 20°, 18°, or any angle that is more acute than the original angle the knife will be sharper.
@MB_EDC that's awesome man for real and it does make a big difference. I was thinking I'm not great at sharpening but I am I just needed to strop after to make my edge even better
Dropped my on the kitchen floor and the stone snapped into 2. Was still in the case at the time🙄 I use it on my Victorinox Swiss Army knife and it works well, so will get another when I find a deal😉
I think that is the problem with all of the ceramic sharpeners. I have tried the Fallkniven DC3 which seems more robust and equally pocketable. I'll put up a review of it in the next week of so.
The music was NOT really annoying but I did not have earphones on. The content, which was really the most important stuff, was good. And I bought one recently (less than a month ago) the stone was still gray.
Thanks for the comment about the music. I'll try a few videos with/without. I am still learning here.... It may be my lights that make it look blue - in normal light it looks grey with a slight blue tinge.
Think about it: if you're using a V-shaped sharpener, which obviously has a fixed angle, and if that is not the angle your knife's blade was originally sharpened at, you're doing exactly what you're trying not to do - reprofiling the blade. Also, the V-shaped part of the sharpener is only meant for removing the burr (if any) before sharpening on the stone part, because it takes way too much material off the blade, that's why it was so loud.
@@MB_EDC I don’t question that it is good as a field tool; when it comes to being on the go, handy trumps easy every time. But for general home sharpening, I’ll take my Lansky set every time.
@@mencken8 as I get more practised I can see the limitations of this sharpener and the importance of stropping. As I as more knives to my collection I can see the need for a bench top sharpener. I do have a Lansky Puck for sharpening my hand axe and will have a video on that shortly.
I do like the Boker Barlow. It is a nice knife - oldschool style. I have shot a video giving it a review - I just need to edit it and it will be coming up in the next 3-4 videos I upload.
Yes I use it on my Midnite Manager. Since making this video I have started stropping my knives which is very effective at keeping them sharp after light use.
29 дней назад
this sharpener is great for field work, however the best results i found is to lay it flat on table and use it as grinding stone angling blade of knife. For V sharpener, safest is to put it on edge of table and pull blade towards table. These V sharpeners can easily lock on some groove in blade and when sharpening like in video can be extremely dagerous. Having fingers on opposite side of V groove is no-go in my opinion.
I think the worksharp precision adjust sharpening system is far and away the best value for the fixed angle set up you get at around 60$ USD. Other similar systems are either, too expensive, or not as precise ( KME and Lansky sharpeners, respectively). If you really want a fine, sharp edge, then a worksharp is the cheapest, and fastest way to get it. P.S. it is also capable of achieving a mirror polish on the edge of any knife, if you know how
Hi Angel. Thanks for the tip. Of course you are right! I will work up to that sort of system when I have enough knives to sharpen. And...so far I am getting some decent results just with the victorinox.
A well done, informative video. I now know better how to use my Victorinox sharpener. Thanks! My only suggestion is to try a few strokes on a leather strop charged with stropping compound, to finish the job. Excellent presentation!
Thanks. I got into stopping after making this video. Mainly due to add so many people suggesting it. Now I find I don't need to sharpen so much at all and stropping maintains a sharper edge without removing as much metal.
Nice video, and a good view in handling the Victorinox Dual Knife Sharpener, but the "Background " music is quiet too loud, so it´s hard to understand you. Specially for not nativ english speaking folks like me.
Sorry about that. This was one of my early videos. My other sharpening videos have no background music.Knife Sharpening ru-vid.com/group/PLWFhuA986mxNYk5x8NvIbeMoFbFA_vDlB
I would only use the pull-through part if there was a visible knick etc on the edge. If the edge is straight but just needs sharpening, I'd use the ceramic and then take it to a strop.
@MB_EDC yes, the DC4 is much easier to use. You can also use the side of the leather pouch as a strop when the stone is inside. The DC3 isn't bad, but is harder to use. Best wishes.
the blue stone must be new. It was always grey before. It works but you will never get razor sharp on this type sharpener but it will keep knives functionally sharp and it's quick and easy to use
It most definitely does allow you to get a razor sharp edge. The key is to use a very light touch on your finishing stroke. The pull through part on this is rubbish though. OK for a quick touch up to finish a job, but long term will butcher the edge.
I am managing to get a decent edge on my Victorinox knives - which I guess it is designed for. Really hard to get a good edge for the one knife I have with a 440C blade.
@@MB_EDC If it's decent 440C, then it will take a lot longer to remove the material you'd need to. The steel that they use for SAK's is very soft compared to most everything else out there.
You still need experience and knowledge, to use this or any sharpening system. Sharpening is 60% Experience, 30% Knowledge and 10% Sharpening Tools. Why only 10%, because if you have a good amount of experience and the knowledge, you can sharpen almost any knife on a piece of sandpaper, and you can maintain it's edge, on a piece of broken ceramic, like your broken mug, or any other item. as also, you can strop on leather, or the common brown cardboard, that most boxes are made out of nowadays... Those are just some examples of course.. Unfortunately, RU-vid is a good and in the same time the worse place, to get info on how to sharpen/maintain, repair your old, or prepare your new knife before first use. That's because the Knife community in RU-vid, with all those people, that come out of nowhere, claiming themselves as experts, that in most cases have little to zero knowledge on knives, is the reason of a ton of misinformation spreading around RU-vid like a disease. (Everybody, copies and reproduces, the misinformation that he got from another video that he watched, and that's how all this misinformation, is spread like a disease) The most common esxcuse, those guys have to hide their ignorance on the subject, is the phrase " We all sharpen differently" etc etc Yes, we all are different, of course that has some truth in it, however, there are rules, like on every job, that you must follow, and some others , that you can't ignore. For example, you can't sharpen a knife with a 13 degree on one side, and a 40 degree on it's other side, and call that "personal way... , and I don't speak about chisel edges or Japanese grinds for hunting knives etc. I speak about someone, who sharpens like that every knife... Again, just an example. Only a handful of RU-vidrs, really know their stuff. 95% of them are little, to zero knowledge. people, that just reproduce, and coping, other channels and all the marketing the try to push, from their videos...
Agree 100-percent on quality/information on some/many/most (?) YT videos-not solely on knife sharpening. I’ve learned to “check” info I’m not too keen on-but honestly if I’m not familiar with a topic, it can be difficult to weed out videos with incorrect info so I also rely on comments like yours. 🙏🏻
@@lucchese20 I've also found valuable info, reading comments.I agree. everything you said, is true. Another wise tip is, to not rely to our opinions, because we might be wrong, but rely on facts instead! Facts are facts, there is zero chance to be wrong!
I watched a lot of videos before I even bought the sharpener. Got confused. Tried it out and then started to understand what was needed. SOme of the comments have been great and I have already changed my methodology - using a couple of kitchen knives to practise on. I am the idiot that I hoped the Victorinox sharpener would work for and it does really well for the cost and size ( especially with more practice!!)
@@MB_EDC More practice, and finding a more proper way to use it, will bring way better results. A tip is, to not apply much force, Don't push the knife with hard or medium power, use light, loose but stable grip, just enough to keep the proper angle all the way! Also, on the last passes, we do them even lighter. Remember, that it's all about proper angle, and consistency. The amount of passes, everytime you advance on higher grit, have to be tripled. For example if you were sharpening on stones, it should be something like this:10 passes per side on low grit(240 grit), then 30 on medium grit (1000grit), then 90 passes per side on fine grit (3000grit) and finally it would take a 300 to strop to a mirror finish, however, you can do just 10 per side, to remove any burr if any is left on the edge. Keep these tips, it's the most important ones.
I try to double-check as much of the info as I can. I am still very new to this and my videos are as much about me learning about this stuff myself as much as anything. Hopefully being of interest to a few people along the way...
I think it's 40 degrees. So 20 degrees each side. I need to do an update video as more recently I try not to use the ceramic pull through as it is very aggressive and removes a lot of metal
I guess I'm getting one. And hope the folks who make snap off utility knives don't put out a contract on Victorinox for making folks, snap less and sharpen more.
There are cheaper sharpeners, But this was the one that I started with to sharpen my Victorinox knives. I don't use the pull through sharpener any more and tend to strop to get an edge back before I resharpen. This is my favourite and easiest to use sharpener. Check out some of my other sharpening videos. I am not an expert, but I can get and keep a decent edge on my knives (including utility knife blades)
6:23 ... That bit isn't sharpening it is straightening. It's a cool finish not the actual work done. Don't give that little bit 'all' the credit. 8:10 It is loud because it is trying to straighten up all the burr ..not to remove anything. It will take forever to sharpen it that way. I could be very wrong here but I think the v shape ceramics are like the bar that chefs straighten their knives on. They are like icing on the cake not what does the work?
I'll try to find something. I think its meant to be used for fishing hooks - which to be honest I dont have. I guess it could equally work for something pointed like an awl or bodkin. I have mainly used it to make edges blunt to then resharpen as a demo!!!
Don’t use those pull through sharpeners on anything expensive, or knives you care about. Unless the sharpener angle exactly matches that of the factory micro bevel (chances of which are slim to none), you’ll either put a “nano bevel” on the micro bevel, or completely change the factory geometry of the cutting edge.
Thanks for the tip. I am learning so much from the comments and a I’ve stopped using the pull through part of this sharpener. I have started stropping too - which is a game changer.
As numerous folks have said, the music is annoying. We came to hear you not fight music. Many people have hearing difficulties and they have to try to tune out the music while tuning n to what you are, saying in a word frustrating.
Apologies for that. This was an early video and I was learning how to make videos. If you check out my other videos you can see I stopped the background music not long after this video. Thanks for stopping by.
It has a very fine grit and can be used wet or dry. The Victorinox video shows it being used dry. Since making this video I have tried using it wet and it worked well.
Mine was very good for a couple of weeks. Then the tiny ceramic "V" rods shifted and became uneven. Do that part is basically useless. Since Victorinox has an awful customer service and warranty, I just chalk this up to a waste of money.
I find that the rod works well. I am not sure that the ceramic pull-through fires much. Possibly just removing any burr or minor excess metal after the initial sharpening. I am trying to get a close up of the ceramic “V” in operation but it’s not easy. A few people have suggested using a leather strop instead.
I don’t know your Vic Service in the US, but here in Germany/Austria/Switzerland they have the greatest customer service I’ve ever seen. You can send a whole damaged knife to them and they will repair and clean it at all the way. Lifetime warranty
just sharpened my knife with a 1000/6000 wetstone. costs just as much and you can use it with your kitchen knives too. also v shaped sharpeners will ruin your knife in the long run. wetstone sharpening is easy to learn.
Just got one in the post, not that impressed really, would have been better with a coarse and a fine, it will do but expected better results for £13.85
It took me a while to get used to it. It is the equivalent to a fine grit - it should be enough for most knives. In fact I strop more than sharpen most times as it gives a better edge and removes less metal.
Oops! That is the problem with these sharpeners. Maybe the Sharpal 181N or Falkniven DC3 would suit you better. I have not tried them myself (yet) - but they both look OK
I agree totally. I am a beginner at sharpening and this was my first try at sharpening. As I practice _ I have using an angle closer to 15 degrees. I have a couple more videos on sharpening if you are interested and I plan to do more as I get more adept
@@MB_EDC I am a beginner top concerning sharpening knives. I got like a triangle when I received my sharpening topls,, so to train your brain and your mustles. Up too 18-20 degrees for outdoor knives and 13-15 for Pocket and Kirchen knifes. As for kitchen knives IT can be less, depending on the edge. Thats how I try to do it. Not perfekt but a good start when learning.
I'm kind of disappointed from this sharpener, yes it does it's job for the most part, but the rod itself on mine fell off after two months of moderate use. So I had to glue it back together.. So yea.. Swiss quality for ya..
@@MB_EDC Yep, mine is also made in Germany, I was referring to the company itself being from Switzerland. Now don't get me wrong the sharpener is a good bit of kit, a sort of compact on the go type of deal to keep your blades relatively sharp in the field, My disappointment comes from it felling apart on me, other than that it's a good cheap little sharpener and I would recommend it.
@@MB_EDC stropping compound is definitely recommended. Also try to keep the same angle. You can get away with plastic polish or jewelry polish as a compound on the strop in a pinch
All of the knives are made in Switzerland - this sharpener is made in Germany. It is printed on the plastic collar just below the ceramic blades. You can see it in the video between 9:40 and 9:55.
Oh! I did wonder about how brittle the main part is. Good to know it can be glued. There are some dual grade pocket sharpening systems that are on as metal tang (Sharpal I think). I will look at this eventually. Currently have a backlog of videos to film and edit.
NO! Nothing is idiot proof . No matter how simple a thing is humans are simpler . We have been using our eyes as a primary sense for a million years and it is still tricked by some lines ! People stumble and fall to their death or disability every day . its nothing short of a miracle that we have survived let alone thrive for so long !
Is it more expensive where you live or do you have a cheaper alternative? I’m really interested as I am new to sharpening. It’s £14 in Uk. Which I thought was reasonable as it’s packaged well to fit in a work bag or rucksack. The Fallniven DC3. Is £15 also reasonable value for the format.
Sure it's a lot pricier but the Horl 2 is even easier, and very elegant looking (for at home, not on the go like this) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fYNtAex8b2U.html
I cannot disagree. The Horl looks much better than the Tumblr. Maybe when I am a successful RU-vidr I will get sent a Horl sharpener for free to review 😉
My son's could tell you that I am not particularly good at this sort of stuff ( I aim to learn though) - so if I can sharpen knives with it I am sure most people can!
Oh dear... I did put the "?" at the end of the title... At least its only a few dollars... The Sharpal 127N or the Fallkniven DC3 both look more robust as double-sided pocket sharpeners - but I have not tried either myself.
Haha. This was my first try of this and one of my early videos. Most times now it’s about 1-2 minutes on this and/or a couple of minutes stropping. I try to strop more frequently and use this less.
I find that with practice it works well with the Victorinox knife steel. It takes a long time with the harder steels. Using a leather strop afterwards makes s big difference too
Sorry about that. This was one of my early videos. Almost all of my videos since then are music-free. Why not try this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mAa8dm5L_yc.htmlsi=5VF6FVaY_7lRYFKy
@@MB_EDC Their sales dramatically went up. Currently Victorianox produces 45,000 folding knives per day! Not counting all the other cutlery they produce They produce more folders than most manufacturers globally combined and with unmatched consistent quality.
