Lansky Portable Knife Sharpening Tools

Blade maintenance is something that is best done at home, in the workshop, but occasionally, some work out in the field is necessary to keep your edge performing at its best. Lansky manufactures several knife-care systems, but they also offer some great portable sharpening tools that you can carry with you.

Lansky Blademedic
The Blademedic knife sharpener is a very compact tool, weighing just 92g, and it offers four different options for maintaining blades. A tungsten carbide draw-through sharpener allows you to restore a blade with just three or four strokes, and the body of the sharpener enables you to keep a safe hold of it while doing so. Also utilising a draw-through action, two ceramic rods allow you to polish and finish the edge with a few more strokes.
A ceramic stone on the top edge of the sharpener’s body is designed to get inside even the smallest blade serrations, and a fold-out, tapered diamond rod can also be used to put an edge on any blade type.
Some pull-through sharpeners can be a bit brutal, and if not used correctly, they can strip away too much metal from a quality blade. This tungsten carbide sharpener showed no signs of excessive metal removal, but it should still be used with care and may not be suitable for very expensive knives. The ceramic rods are a far better tool for your higher-quality blades.

Double-Sided Diamond Paddle
Available with different combinations of grit coarseness, the moulded rubber handles of this tool fold around the sharpening surfaces to protect them when not in use. Once opened, the handles give a good, firm hold and allow you to apply the blade to the surface of the diamond sharpeners at the correct angle. The coarse grit side is ideal for general sharpening, and the fine grit side lets you get a nice, clean finish on the blade. At just 5” long when folded and weighing only 97g, this is an easy-to-carry tool, and the sharpening surfaces are very effective.

Leather Strop Hone
Designed to fit Lansky’s excellent Controlled-Angle System, this small, leather-faced hone is intended for use on already very sharp blades, to finish the edge and remove any tiny burrs. The result is an extremely sharp and fine blade that will cut very cleanly. If you do not have one of Lansky’s sharpening systems, you can still use this strop to finish your blade.
The hone comes with full instructions, and you can also introduce a stropping paste to further enhance the results. Weighing 25g and measuring under 5” long, this is also a very portable and compact tool, making it easy to carry in your pack.

Conclusion
These are all well-made, effective sharpeners, and their small, lightweight design makes them an excellent choice for maintaining a blade in the field. If you are dressing game or camping, they enable you to keep your knife sharp without adding too much weight or bulk.