The End ALL Be ALL of Knife Sharpeners

EdgePro Apex: manual blade sharpener

This is going to be a rough post for me because I cling to "the old ways" on a lot of things.  There are few things more critical in performance than our knives and guns. These are two of man's basic tools for survival / homesteading / preparedness...etc. How successful will you be when the critical moment comes if your gun fails or your knife is too dull?

This post is about the art of knife sharpening. This age old skill is as important as hunting, skinning and processing that game you bagged. In fact, without that sharp blade, you're going to have a real hard time completing the task.

I learned a great deal watching a master of the craft named TheApostleP on YouTube. I'll link to a video of his here if you are interested in watching a 37 minute video on how to properly use the EdgePro sharpener. This video showed me the beauty and art of taking your time and concentrating on an accurate swing of the blade across a properly adjusted (manual sharpener) Edge Pro.

So let me make clear that I truly appreciate the art of blade sharpening. I had to say that because I'm laden with guilt over my new infatuation with an automatic sharpener. That's right. AUTOMATIC. Where's the skill in that? That's like taking your truck to Walmart for an oil change instead of doing it yourself, right?

Truth is, I've taken my truck to Walmart for an oil change. I finally determined one day that with Walmart doing my oil change for $19.95 (including filter), I was free to do something else with my time that I would rather do more. Now, we can debate that issue...but I won't bother. Just because I pay someone else to do my oil change doesn't mean I've forgotten how. It just means I'd rather do something else with my fleeting time.

And that is how I segue into my burning desire for a new toy I found at a local ranch store. It is an automatic blade sharpener that can sharpen virtually anything: axe, scissor, knife, straight blade, serrated blade or otherwise.  This thing does it all...and darn quick. It doesn't mean I've lost the respect for manually sharpening a blade.  It just means I've found a way to do it quicker so I can move on to other things.

I remember the first time I saw this tool (que the dream sequence music)... I stumbled across it at our local CAL Ranch Store in town. A big sign read "Try Me!"  So I did and now I'm hooked. I pulled out my trusty orange (what else?) pocket knife and within 45 seconds I had a blade so sharp I was shaving hair off my arms. And if that wasn't enough, I grabbed a brochure in the display next to it and shredded it in a giddy delight.

Work Sharp: automatic blade sharpening

But it isn't on sale yet. You've seen me post stuff on here when it goes on sale and I let everyone else know just in case other people are watching for it. Like the LifeStraws and WaterBOBs. Everyone can use those items and this sharpener is one of those items. Anyone can use it, whether you have blade sharpening skill or not.

I'll let you know as soon as it goes on sale. Until then, you can see it at Amazon here:

Work-Sharp-WSKTS-Knife-Sharpener

If you can afford it now, at $69.95, by all means...have at it. It's a little too outside my budget at the moment but as soon as I catch that price dip, I'm in like Flynn. Wifey is accumulating a pile of her crafting scissors that she wants sharpened already. The websites I use to track prices show that the lowest the price has dipped in the past year is down to $56.83.  So, I'll be watching and let you guys/gals know when it dips.

~OJD