Smith’s Sharpeners

Smith’s probably have the broadest line of knife and scissor sharpeners available, ranging from simple, fixed angle pull through types for those that want quick and easy sharpening, to sophisticated precision kits designed for the knife sharpening enthusiast. Their offerings include both manual and electrical sharpeners that incorporate many different abrasive materials including diamond, carbide, ceramic, bonded synthetic abrasives and of course, natural Arkansas stones.

Here I’ve cherry picked through the range and discovered a trio of sharpeners that are suitable for home as well as field use.

Feature sharing

All share similarities in design and materials used in construction. These being: The handles are termed ‘soft touch’ and are a combination of ABS and a semi-hard rubber, they use premium abrasives to provide a sharp long-lasting cutting edge which include coarse carbides and extra-fine 1500 grit ceramics. The premium abrasives are complimented by precision ground carbides for quick edge setting, while specially shaped ceramic stones will sharpen standard or serrated edge blades. The extra-fine ceramic stones are for final edge honing, are positioned at pre-set angles to give consistent results time after time and on most models are replaceable.

The Pro

First up is the Edge Pro Pull-Thru Knife sharpener which delivers a level of performance unmatched by standard edge care products. This sharpener (like the others) offers two stages of sharpening for all types of knives.

The precision ground carbides remove metal in a smoother, more consistent fashion when setting the edge on very dull straight edge blades and the specially shaped ceramic stones can be used to lightly hone both straight and/ or serrated edge blades. The generously sized ergonomically designed soft grip handle gives a sure hold, control and of course ensures safety.

Scissors welcome as well

Next up is the JIFFY-Pro Handheld Sharpener which once again has knife sharpening slots that incorporate crossed carbide blades to set the edge on a dull or damaged blade and crossed ceramic rods used for honing the final edge to razor sharpness. Interestingly, this model also has a scissors sharpening slot in the handle which has been enlarged to accommodate large game shears.

It uses a patented, ‘floating’ carbide rod that adjusts to fit the precise bevel of the blades and due to the oversize enclosed grip design of the soft touch handle can be attached to a backpack or belt.

Small & simple

Last but not least is the basic looking Smith’s 2-Step Knife Sharpener. Although it’s a very simplistic design it still manages to feature two tungsten carbide blades at pre-set angles. Only three or four strokes through the carbide sharpening slots will restore the edge on a very dull knife. Due to its size and shape rather than having a soft-touch handle it has impregnated chequered ‘side-wings’ to aid grip and both ends have non-slip rubber feet for added safety.

The two crossed ceramic rods provide a smooth finished edge to already sharp knives. It’s lightweight, portable, comes with a lanyard hole and not only is it excellent for use on all types of knives, but also fillet knives.

Conclusion

To sum up, all here featured are extremely useful, safe to use and hold, practical, efficient, effective, user friendly and very well priced. In fact, this trio of sharpeners from Smith’s more than capably illustrate the high quality and style of similar products the company has to offer.