Reddit reviews Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener

In case anyone has wondered, this works, but not nearly as well as a much cheaper one from ebay/amazon.

This is what's considered the coarse sharpener on one of those cheap ones, then it has a finer ceramic one that is much better at getting that perfect edge (albeit temporarily).

So just buy something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-CCKS-2-Step-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00032S02K/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1405649926&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00032S02K/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ZkhVub1BGBX83

I use this to keep it fairly sharp, it is more of a beater knife so I'm not super worried. The sharpener keeps my Leatherman rebar razor sharp, I think the steel is just lacking since the knife is so cheap.

Just bought my first big-boy kitchen knife a couple months ago.

Where should I start on keeping it sharp? I feel like These can't be good, but I have no idea.

Whetstone? those baton sharpener things?

Yes, I certainly do.

On the low end you have some handheld sharpeners. The Smith's model is iconic and cheap. It gives you an acceptable edge, but it's not going to be good, and once it's loaded with metal it's hard to clean. These are mostly for tackle boxes and backpacks, quick solutions. It really wouldn't do a Benchmade justice.

In the middle, you can buy a guided rod system. The Spyderco Sharpmaker is the best I've seen. Lansky makes a few like this one. These systems do a really good job on pocket knives. The Sharpmaker is a great investment if you plan on dealing with knives for any extended period of time. They can keep a knife very sharp for years. Lansky's systems are relatively inexpensive, but aren't as precise as and lack some of the features of a Sharpmaker. I think the Sharpmaker is an ideal solution.

On the high end, you're looking at sharpening stones. There are two classes, oil and water stones. Oil stones are slower, but water stones are used slightly in the course of sharpening (one might last a decade for me) and are more prone to damage. These let you do repair, produce a more customized edge, and work on a knife's geometry behind the edge, something all knives require eventually. The majority of the time you wouldn't need this level of equipment, but when they come in handy they really come in handy. I use water stones on all of my knives. For most pocket knife users it's much easier and less costly to let a professional do this sort of work and maintain the knife with a rod system. No links here; there are dozens if not hundreds of stones on the market and there's no perfect one. Starting costs are around $150.

At the super duper expensive level, you have advanced assisted sharpening systems like the Edge Pro. These things are slick, easy to use, and ridiculously effective. They should be for the cost. Stones are still more versatile and a lot of the people who use these branch out in many ways.

The only knife I use is a $12 filet knife from wal-mart and I use one of those cheater knife sharpening things. My knife is always sharp, slices tomatoes easily, cuts through meat like butter.

As a bonus I can also use it to gut and skin a deer and, of course, filet a fish.

Well, I use this. About a 4" blade along with a sharpener for 90% of my cooking & eating needs.

I think it came with a fishing fillet kit that was like $5 at a sports store and it came with a little pocket sharpener like this.

Probably not what you were looking for, but it works. Been using this thing for about 4 or 5 years now.

Currently I only have a Shun honing steel for my kitchen knives. I was considering buying a sharpening kit like these:

• Smich's CCKS
  
• Accusharp 001
  
• Smith's PP1

I wish I had seen this thread before I ordered this sharpener. It seems to work, but it's nothing special. Won't get this knife terribly sharp, but does a decent job and it's lightweight.

I have a couple versions of the Kershaw Emersons and would definitely recommend them given the price range. I love the Emerson wave and wish more knives had it. They open quick and easy with one hand, even with gloves on. Fit and finish is on part with the price and the blade stock is quite think; It will hold up well for hiking and camping as long as you don't abuse it. Only downside is the blade is rather large - great for outdoors, but a bit bulky in the pocket for some people.

I haven't used the Reverb, but it looks like it may not be the best choice for use outdoors. It looks pretty, but the extra machining and effort required makes me wonder if they cut corners elsewhere to hit the price point. Again, I haven't used one, but looks like it could be tricky to open one handed, especially if you have wet hands. I've had multiple knives with integrated carabineers/clips and have never found a use for them - they usually just result in hot spots that dig into my palm.

Not a fan of Gerber, but that's just personal preference after having a couple of them fail to hold up. Their flippers never seem to be smooth enough to reliably open every time either, though that may just be poor luck on my part. The Quadrant looks nice if you wanted something that would disappear in your pocket for light EDC, but it's not something I would want to use outdoors.

All three should be low maintenance, but at this price point the steels will dull relatively easily. I'd grab a cheap draw-through sharpener to take along.

I'm rough on my knives so I lean towards simple and durable, but there's nothing wrong with choosing based on aesthetics if one really catches your eye. Ultimate, if you like it then that's all that matters.

correct i mean i don't have a space to not worry about metal shavings or like you said the ability to affix something to a table. i just have a small apartment with barely a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. where can i look for those? amazon? or is there a site you'd recommend?

EDIT: would this work?

I recently bought my first nice EDC- it's a made in usa Kershaw knockout- with the alabama demascus. Can I keep things simple and just sharpen it with the smith's?

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link for reference: https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-CCKS-2-Step-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00032S02K/ref=zg_bs_289867_10?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3E46G57PC0J41SKK7MFA

I use this. It's $4 and I use it each time I use my kitchen knives. It's not gonna get it razor sharp, but it keeps it sharp enough to cut meats effortlessly.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: $4


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|



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My under $2, under $3 and my under $4. :)

This is fun!

Can also recommend this as a cheapo portable version, or, if you want to go a step up, this handles both standard and santoku bevels.

LPT: use your damn brain and don't use rough ceramic.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00032S02K/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1382622290&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Just buy one of these. You can't tell me $4 is going to break the bank.