We've got the last knife and tool sharpener you'll ever need: the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker®.
Don't worry, this isn't another one of those cheesy "WARNING!" articles about the necessity of a sharp knife, and therefore a good sharpener. By now you, and every red-blooded knife owner in the universe, should know that to be true.
But since you put so much time into choosing the right knife, you've got to at least consider a few things when choosing a sharpener, right? That's true as well, and not every sharpener is as top-of-the-line as the makers would have you think.
Spyderco and their team of knife experts know that the key to sharpening any cutting tool is removing the steel at the edge, while still maintaining a consistent angle between the blade and the stone. This is tricky to do, especially if you don't do it often enough.
The Tri-Angle Sharpmaker makes this process almost turnkey, and enables anyone to sharpen a knife with just a few minutes of practice.
Not everybody knows this, but the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker was actually the first product that Spyderco ever made, before the brand ever made a knife, they made the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. They even have a trademarked line, "First we made things sharp, then we made sharp things.™"
The plastic base on the the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker is nice and durable, and the precisely keyed holes accurately set the stones' sharpening angles at 30° (15° each side) or 40° (20° each side) for sharpening knives. It's pretty simple: You just keep the plane of your knife's blade vertical and draw the edge along each stone to sharpen.
For serrated blades, knife owners can use the rounded edges of the stones and a slightly looser grip. This allows the stone to flow into the recesses of each serration.
The Sharpmaker system includes two sets of high alumina ceramic stones: medium-grit (brown) for aggressive sharpening, and a set of fine (white) stones for professional-grade finishing. Two brass safety rods protect your hands, plus each and every one of the components snaps into the self-contained base and lid, meaning you can store it away without a bag or box. You won't have any nervousness about losing a piece.
Every Sharpmaker comes complete with instructions, so you'll know the process of sharpening knives, scissors, awls, and many other tools in no time.
Knife owners who are worth their weight would never want a knife they couldn't reliably sharpen, and more often than not they resort to the experts. Now those experts can be replaced with an in-home tool, small and inconspicuous but super effective at the same time. Plus, it will pay for itself sooner than later, especially if you've become used to the fees a pro would charge to sharpen a few kitchen or outdoor knives.
Take a look once more at this simple design, and ask yourself: Isn't it time I got a trustworthy knife sharpener?
NEXT: 6 BEST SPYDERCO KNIVES FOR THE ANGLING MANIAC
