The Best Pocket Knife Sharpeners to Give Your Blades a Cutting Edge

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” No, Abraham Lincoln didn’t say that (its true origins lie with an anonymous woodsman) but the meaning is what matters: a sharp, precise edge, whether on an axe or your EDC pocket knife, is worth its weight in gold.

Why a Sharp Knife Is Important

A sharp blade is a source of satisfaction thanks to its practical applications — smoother, more efficacious, safer cutting. It also shows that you take pride in maintaining your possessions. In a world of instant gratification and built-in obsolescence, it feels damn good to preserve the things you love, rather than replace them the minute an edge dulls.

Whether you’re the brand-new owner of a quality pocket knife or want to shore up the one you’ve carried for years, it’s never a bad idea to invest the time and energy into keeping it sharp. It might just give you the edge you need.

Best Overall Pocket Knife Sharpener

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If you want a knife sharpener that balances quality, durability and reliability, this manual option is a safe bet. The Guided Field Sharpener is one of the best manual pocket knife sharpeners on the market thanks to its multiple sharpening and honing surfaces, including diamond-coated plates and ceramic honing rods.

You can pick from either a 20- or 25-degree angle and bring dull, damaged blades back to life with relative ease. For a manual, this sharpener is on the heavy side, but it does make a great addition to your desk drawer or workbench.

Best Upgrade Pocket Knife Sharpener

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Ken Onion is one of the most respected names in knives, and his edition of Work Sharp’s electric knife and tool sharpener is another demonstration of his deep knowledge and experience.

The Work Sharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener Tool has adjustable edge angle settings from 15 to 30 degrees and custom abrasives that combine with a variable speed belt drive to bring the best out of your edges.

Note: this tool is intended for intermediate to advanced users — beginners should stick with manual options as they’re learning to sharpen.

Best Multi-Use Sharpener

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The Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal may look unassuming but there’s plenty of usefulness packed into this multifunctional pocket knife sharpener.

Its roster of tools includes a tapered, round, diamond-coated honing rod (useful for serrated and standard edges), a coarse carbide slot to set your edge, a fine ceramic stone slot to sharpen up your blade and preset sharpening angles for easy use.

Its ceramic and carbide stones are reversible and replaceable, extending the life of this little tool.

Best Portable Pocket Knife Sharpener

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At 0.01 pounds, the C-Sharp is the most diminutive tool on this list. But don’t let its small size fool you: it can help you maintain an edge with the best of them.

That’s thanks to its 800 grit ceramic bench stone for fine polishing and serrations, its 600-grit medium ceramic pull-through slots and its ability to sharpen four angles: 17, 20, 25, and 30 degrees.

Its metal case means you can bring it to camp and not worry about it getting damaged or dinged, and its bright orange color helps you keep track of it on the go. For less than 30 bucks, it’s also a bargain.

Best Traditional Whetstone

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Sharp Pebble makes some of the most popular portable whetstones on the web. This one comes with two grits — 600 and 1000 — made from its proprietary blend of aluminum oxide, along with sharpening compounds on opposite sides of the stone. This give users the ability to sharpen and refine their pocket knives with ease and simplicity.

It’s also good for beginners, as it comes with a blade guide to help you get the best edge possible. Meanwhile, the bamboo case gives it a refined aesthetic that will inspire you to leave it on display — and maybe even use it more frequently than you would a less attractive option that stays stuffed in a drawer.

Are manual or electric sharpeners better?

There are two schools of thought when approaching the task of sharpening a blade.

You can do it the manual way, which provides knife-to-the-grindstone satisfaction but requires more time and effort. Or you can take the electric path, which offers uniform sharpening in less time, but is more expensive and, if you don’t pay careful attention, can over-sharpen and damage your blade.

How many times should you pass a knife through a sharpener?

For a manual sharpener, a good rule of thumb is to pull the knife through the sharpener three to six times using even pressure across the entire blade. You may need to pass it through a few times more if it is especially dull or damaged.

If you’re using an electric sharpener, pull the knife slowly and steadily through the slot three to six times on each side of the blade. For both methods, finish the job with one or two pulls through the fine grit side of the sharpener.

Stay Sharp