Smiths Pocket Pal sharpener not working?

E

edcrefiner

Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
270
Hi,

I recently bought a Smiths Pocket Pal sharpener. It is one of the those sharpeners for portable field use and for beginners like me. I thought it would be pretty good at sharpening my knives but so far it has mostly disappointed me. I tried to sharpen a SOG flash, a cheap Smith and Wesson, and a Spyderco grasshopper. Interestingly, the grasshopper actually became duller (compared to out of the box sharp) and the SOG flash and the Smith and Wesson remained relatively the same. None of the knives could cut paper with ease as they did when I bought them. In fact, now they only rip the paper for about 80% of the cuts I test on paper.

I am pretty sure I am following the directions correctly. I am not using excessive force or too little force. The strokes are consistent and firm but I am just not getting any results. I know that this is considered more of a cheap sharpener but because of many many great reviews I am sure that this sharpener can perform better than this. Many claim that the sharpener can get knives to be "razor sharp"

So in short, can anybody advise me on how to actually get my knives sharp with this thing? I don't expect "hair whittling sharp" just sharp enough to at least cut paper with ease because I don't have money to spend on a quality sharpening stone.
 
For a beginner I would reccoment you try a sharpening system with a clamp and guide rod. Something like a Lansky system. The instrustions are easy to follow and it's very easy to get consistant results and a very sharp edge. Even shaving sharp.

http://www.knifeworks.com/lanskystandardsharpeningsystem.aspx

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is nice too but I find my Lansky is the easiest to use.

The pull through carbide sharpeners do nothing but tear metal out of your edge and should never be used. No matter how hard you try it still won't make you knife anything resembling sharp. You might as well toss it.

Hope that helps.
 
SOG flash & Spyderco grasshopper, but not good sharpener or money for one... Kinda putting the cart before the horse there. You need a decent sharpener. That sharpener is gonna do nothing, but take a great knife, and make it work like a bad one. Try one of these.

http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKC03.php

http://smithsedge.com/products/product.asp?id=34&cid=4

I have the Smith one. It works great, but thinking of switching to the Lansky for the simple reason of having more angles.

Hate to be blunt, but get away from the pocket pal. Spring for it and get one of these. Using a pocket pal on SOGs and Syderco is like buying a Corvette and running it on moon shine.
 
canook said:
For a beginner I would reccoment you try a sharpening system with a clamp and guide rod. Something like a Lansky system. The instrustions are easy to follow and it's very easy to get consistant results and a very sharp edge. Even shaving sharp.

http://www.knifeworks.com/lanskystandardsharpeningsystem.aspx

The Spyderco Sharpmaker is nice too but I find my Lansky is the easiest to use.

The pull through carbide sharpeners do nothing but tear metal out of your edge and should never be used. No matter how hard you try it still won't make you knife anything resembling sharp. You might as well toss it.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

I wonder if Smith's Diamond Precision Knife Sharpening System & Lansky sharpening system are compatable. They both have the same guide rods, and one has options that the other doesn't. It would be great to combine them.
 
edcrefiner said:
Hi,

I recently bought a Smiths Pocket Pal sharpener. It is one of the those sharpeners for portable field use and for beginners like me. I thought it would be pretty good at sharpening my knives but so far it has mostly disappointed me. I tried to sharpen a SOG flash, a cheap Smith and Wesson, and a Spyderco grasshopper. Interestingly, the grasshopper actually became duller (compared to out of the box sharp) and the SOG flash and the Smith and Wesson remained relatively the same. None of the knives could cut paper with ease as they did when I bought them. In fact, now they only rip the paper for about 80% of the cuts I test on paper.

I am pretty sure I am following the directions correctly. I am not using excessive force or too little force. The strokes are consistent and firm but I am just not getting any results. I know that this is considered more of a cheap sharpener but because of many many great reviews I am sure that this sharpener can perform better than this. Many claim that the sharpener can get knives to be "razor sharp"

So in short, can anybody advise me on how to actually get my knives sharp with this thing? I don't expect "hair whittling sharp" just sharp enough to at least cut paper with ease because I don't have money to spend on a quality sharpening stone.
Click to expand...

You should have asked here before throwing your money away. Those things trash a knife edge.
 
Hi,

It sounds like you're in need of a quality sharpening system. Which ever path you decide to take, stay with it and practice.

The edge angle guide systems (Lansky, Sharpmaker, EdgePro, etc.) take some of the uncertainty out and can help you quickly achieve shaving sharp compared to the old school bench stones.

There are powered systems (Paper wheels, belt sander, WorkSharp, etc.) that will shorten the time manual systems require and get you the same kind of results in minutes. They are really for high volume users and require some additional practice.

And there are several types of bench stones available. Oil stones, water stones, ceramic stones, and diamond stones. They all do the same things with different media and in slightly different ways. But in the end, we're all doing the same thing.

And lastly, the addition of stropping will give you the refined edge we call "scary, hair popping, or hair whittling."

I've tried most of these systems and to be honest, they will all do the job, some faster than others, some cheaper than others. The most cost effective will be some sort of guided angle system under $50 bucks. Add a strop and some green compound and you can take it as far as you want to go.

And even if you later decide to get something a little more sophisticated, a portable manual system will still come in handy.

Have fun!
 
Thanks for the excellent imput guys. However I was still wondering if this sharpener is really incapable of making a knife sharp (sharp as in at least capable of cutting paper reasonable)? I mean I read a lot of reviews online stating that it is capable of doing so and I was wondering how. At the moment I don't have very much money and am looking to make do with what I have at hand.

Oh yeah I do have this Norton economy tool and knife sharpening stone that I got for about 6 bucks at home depot a while ago. But I assume this thing is only gonna make things worse considering the price.
 
i bought one of those a long time ago and never really liked it, look in knifenuts thread, it shows what that thing does do a blades edge.

you should probably get a lansky or a sharpmaker, and maybe a stone to re-profile your edge (if your good at it)

just my 2cents
 
edcrefiner said:
knife sharpening stone that I got for about 6 bucks at home depot a while ago. But I assume this thing is only gonna make things worse considering the price.
Click to expand...

A sub $10 dollar coarse/medium oil stone from the hardware store will work just fine. To that I would add a quality fine stone ($20) and a leather strop and compound.

That'll do everything you need. A set of quality bench stones is not expensive. :thumbup:
 
That hardware store stone will actually do a better job sharpening your knife. Just look for the instruction on Youtube and practice freehand sharpening until you have money for a better system. An excellent DMT Aligner system starts at around $40.
 
I went through just about every sharpening system (minus the Sharpmaker) there is and never got any kind of satisfactory results. Then I went down to the hardware store and bought a cheap $5 2 sided coarse/fine stone, and started at it by hand, I got things shaving sharp in half the time, and it wasn't that hard to learn. I went and bought a Smith's Arkansas stone a day or so later. I eventually accidentaly broke that, (dropped a pair of Visegrips on it) and recently moved on to a tri-hone, also Smith's. I also have a diamond card sharpener in my wallet, though it only gets used when I need it sharp NOW :D. I find that freehand is way better than any of the gadgets out there, though I've never tried the Shapmaker. It's very easy, all you have to do is keep it at a fairly consistent angle, which is easier than it sounds, and drag it across the stone a few times until you get it as sharp as you want it. For bigger blades I usually use a chef's steel, same concept only you drag the sharpener across the knife instead of the knife across the sharpener.
Frequently the simplest way is the most fool proof way, the more andavced it is, the more ways there are to screw it up.
 
Personally i would junk the pocket pal, i had a similar device a few years ago and they do more harm than good IMO.

If moneys tight, get a combination stone from the hardware store as others have mentioned or a Fallkniven DC3 or DC4, that'll run you about $10, then learn to freehand sharpen, there's no voodoo or black magic to it, it's dead easy, just practice.

Good luck.
 
hey guys. I tried the sharpening stone on my spyderco grasshopper and it the spyderco did get sharper. yay! However it is far duller than when it came brand new but at least it is sharper than before. I estimate it has somewhat decent paper cutting ability.

However my SOG flash I is still struggling in the sharpening process. The stone hardly makes it any sharper. At this point its paper cutting ability is below average.

I also tried "stroping" the blade. I don't have a leather strop so I used a rough carpet ( the one I have on the floor of my college dorm ).
 
edcrefiner said:
I also tried "stroping" the blade. I don't have a leather strop so I used a rough carpet ( the one I have on the floor of my college dorm ).
Click to expand...

Do you have any cardboard around? The backing of a notepad is the easiest. Cardboard paper has silicates embedded and they act like polishing compounds. Carpet will have grit, dirt, and sand particles of all sorts of sizes. Not a good stropping material. Even newspaper will do a better job.

Plain leather works too, back of an old belt, scrap of leather glued to a piece of flat wood, etc.

Polishing compound accelerates the process but are not absolutely necessary.


Also, if that one stone is all you have, using less pressure towards the end of the process will simulate a finer grit. Lighten things up and see if that makes a difference.
 
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I got the Pocket Pal and I'm satisfied with it for a little $10 field sharpener. It does seem to be much more effective on different kinds of steel--no surprise there. It puts a nice sharp edge on my 154CM knives. Many other steels, it doesn't work very well with it.
 
Just use a mousepad and various grades of wet/dry sandpaper starting with 220 then 400 and finish just stropping on a leather belt. Just lay the sandpaper on the mouse pad and strop the knife on it just like if you were doing the stropping on a leather belt. You wil get ultrasharp convex edges once you get the hang of it.

So easy, even a caveman could do it. You don't need all of the fancy gizmos. Save your money.
 
I just managed to get my favorite SAK shaving sharp from dull, freehand within 15 minutes.
My suggestion, look at all of the above suggestions, take that cheap Smith and Wesson, and go nuts, which ever one gives you the best results is the right method, and you should stick with that.
 
The Sog will probably take a bit longer to actually sharpen. Being careful to keep your angle as consistent as possible, spend a while longer on the stone, and see if it helps.

Also, do some searching and reading to see more of the responses given to others who have had the same issues.
 
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