Knife sharpeners
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Briny Bar
Forum Description: The place for general chat on saltwater fishing!
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=140103
Printed Date: 13 Jul 2026 at 6:05pm
Topic: Knife sharpeners
Posted By: smudge
Subject: Knife sharpeners
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2026 at 6:06pm
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I want to get a reasonable knife sharpener. I have upwards of 30 knives. I have knives for fish filleting, butchering, birds, skinning and field dressing plus ordinary stuff. I was impressed with a Warthog set that I got my sone for his birthday a few years back. My other son is a butcher and does everything using an oilstone which I also do, but I'm not at his level of knife sharpening but he only sharpens butchery knives at 15 degrees or thereabouts. I want something a little less time consuming. Has anyone with experience in knife sharpening tried the Warthogs? How do they compare? I can't afford to get knives professionally shapened all the time nor can I afford a top end system such as Scary Sharp. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Replies:
Posted By: Alan L
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2026 at 6:39pm
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Interested. I am pretty hopeless. My Nambas mate in Vtu is anal about his knives (I suspect more than you Smudge) and got given a chinese sharpener that I suspect even I could use. I recall it had an emery wheel and a fine stone? Not exactly sure now, but could check. You could set angles on it I think. He was impresed with it and I did manage to get some decent sharp knives. Alan ------------- Legasea Legend member |
Posted By: DIY
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2026 at 7:47pm
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I’ve been using a Lansky sharpener for the last few years but it’s a bit fiddly and not that enjoyable to use so don’t tend to keep the knives sharp. However, I recently bought a Warthog V-sharp A4 and can’t believe how easy it is to use. Once you get your knives to the right angle it’s just a quick few strokes and it’s done. I’m actually very impressed. ------------- Oh what a smasher - two eggs and a rasher! |
Posted By: Fish Addict
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2026 at 9:42pm
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I expect like many my knife
sharpening skills using a stone always were and still are very average. After purchasing a quality set of kitchen
knives around 2002 the knife shop’s advice was don’t let an electric knife
sharpener anywhere near them. I accepted their recommendation and purchased a Warthog V Sharp.
It’s still going strong although I have replaced a few sharpening rods
over the years. It’s idiot proof and I’m
happy with the results.
I have got into the habit of giving each knife, kitchen or otherwise a few strokes on the steel prior to every use and that seems to work well.
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Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2026 at 4:35am
Now you better than to come here for advice "smudge" as "steps" can give you all the expertise you need and remember you need a leather strop.
Im totally useless at it,NO2 has a lansky sharpner and do you think he will show me how to use nope. "Dad its for my sushi knives not for to \play and f#$k ------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2026 at 5:57am
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Thanks guys the setups like your mate uses Alan would be ahead of the Warthogs and would be better for large scale sharpening I guess. The Lansky systems are ok but not really up to heavy use. Paul, I used one of Steps' knives to show him how to fillet a gurnard, his knife wasn't too bad but certainly not what I would be happy with. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Ho Dee
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2026 at 5:20pm
| I have got a warthog and it works great takes a while to get an edge on a blunt knife but from then on its quick an simple. Recently purchased one off temu its a block with set angles and a roller with different grades of grit and it works great just the roller could be a larger dimension for wider blades and was only 8 bucks and free delivery. |
Posted By: Alan L
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2026 at 9:08pm
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https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwiVkaqT_qiTAxXF7BYFHRRrHYYYACICCAEQHhoCdGw&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmunNBhDbARIsAOndKpnTGND_7OcdZVL8bPLd0e427GAbZm85UmmvQkDimtqVbZ3Zlr2AwpIaAqv2EALw_wcB&cid=CAASugHkaGdRXnQIDHwaPTi1ZDNW13wctDcfds96VyZQmQp9O-GBdh1oSO4h5a0W-AiiPbVN3_sC1EF6IMcq90K3u-JhKlPgHgHj_k9q_BcAUWE2CFbkerJi_Mvg7ruj3btFHMqnu2n907_CNsusGKY47ogoL-GCAuGztGRbGyfRstw7H8JS3TJGzckuq9a_pP1EYGccofaTodInntjgvKTsrncYL2fQ7FYzGYYGIeK_Nr2rhiCdIqCVgJxLXZA&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_32&sig=AOD64_1yQRweAaaQej_1_onATLFuPDGSIg&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwitsKST_qiTAxV8cvUHHbwCDboQ5bgDKAB6BAgKECE&adurl=%20" rel="nofollow - https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwiVkaqT_qiTAxXF7BYFHRRrHYYYACICCAEQHhoCdGw&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmunNBhDbARIsAOndKpnTGND_7OcdZVL8bPLd0e427GAbZm85UmmvQkDimtqVbZ3Zlr2AwpIaAqv2EALw_wcB&cid=CAASugHkaGdRXnQIDHwaPTi1ZDNW13wctDcfds96VyZQmQp9O-GBdh1oSO4h5a0W-AiiPbVN3_sC1EF6IMcq90K3u-JhKlPgHgHj_k9q_BcAUWE2CFbkerJi_Mvg7ruj3btFHMqnu2n907_CNsusGKY47ogoL-GCAuGztGRbGyfRstw7H8JS3TJGzckuq9a_pP1EYGccofaTodInntjgvKTsrncYL2fQ7FYzGYYGIeK_Nr2rhiCdIqCVgJxLXZA&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_32&sig=AOD64_1yQRweAaaQej_1_oNATLFuPDGSIg&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwitsKST_qiTAxV8cvUHHbwCDboQ5bgDKAB6BAgKECE&adurl=
This is what my mate in Vtu has. If the link works. Ali Express offering same for about $150 The rod setup on top sits in the horizontal holders and sets angles etc. The stone wheel runs in a water bath from memory. Alan ------------- Legasea Legend member |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2026 at 9:55pm
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Hey Smudge, I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker sharpener which is a very similar concept to the Warthog - you hold the knife in your hand and push it down and pull back, with two vertical rods set at the edge angle etc. It looks to be a bit more 'free hand' than the Warthog - doesn't have the criss-cross effect. I think it does a pretty decent job for my filleting requirements, and packs down easily to take on holiday. There are some excellent comparisons vids on YouTube, and the Warthog scores well. One did a very detailed analysis of not only how sharp the knives get with each system, but how long they stay sharp for after sharpening with each one. Surprisingly, it does make a difference. I would have thought once a knife is sharp to the same level it'll deteriorate at the same speed, but actually that wasn't the case due to some reason about the shape of the edge the sharpening system creates. I've seen plenty of instructional vids on how to use a stone, but setting the angle the same every stroke sounds a lot easier than it is, in my opinion. Certainly if you're not doing it daily.
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Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2026 at 6:09am
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Cool, great info thanks guys. Up until know I've always used an oil stone but it takes me a long time to get a good edge. Watch a butcher - well they take a tenth of the time and still get a better result.As you say TTK, we don't sharpen knives everyday. While I am (very) mildy obsessed with knives a true afficianado would overcome my sharpening shortcomings. I 'll check out Spyderco and the link Alan posted. I'll watch somecomparisons too. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Keith C
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2026 at 1:10pm
| Duplicated, so deleted. |
Posted By: Keith C
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2026 at 1:10pm
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Very happy with the Warthog Vsharp A4. Easy to use; doesnt take up much space, and can easily use on a Japanese one-sided blade (Deba). Works well when used in conjunction with a good steel from Victory. Like you, Smudge, I have a significant collection of different knives. I have a Lansky, which I find too fiddly and a pain with long blades, and an electric 2-wheel single angle sharpener, which grinds more than sharpens. |
Posted By: Phantom Menace
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2026 at 5:00pm
| I struggled with getting a consistent edge on knives and after reading stuff on fishing.net a while ago I bought a Warthog and am happy with it. It seems to sit well above the mechanical, or electric sharpeners but without the skill requirement for more manual sharpening (or fiddliness of a Lansky). |
Posted By: Joker
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2026 at 12:27pm
| Smudge, google "Rolling knife sharpeners" for the most simple and easy to use knife sharpeners ever. From Temu they are really cheap. |
Posted By: Clutch
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2026 at 9:51am
| I think I need one of these Warthogs! |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 27 May 2026 at 7:55pm
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I have a Lansky and while I can sharpen vegie and pocket knives any thing longer than 4-5" is a pita . I had to modify the clamp to allow for the taper from the back of the blade to the edge or the blade would rock . Shame because its possible to get a good sharpen but as I say pita ...so much so I usually revert to my diamond stone ...and get not such a good job . Best thing you can do to maintain a good edge on your knives is to hide them from the Mrs 😆 ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 27 May 2026 at 9:43pm
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Thanks McTool. I'm still using a stone
------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 29 May 2026 at 8:39pm
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smudge wrote:Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 30 May 2026 at 11:48pm
Yeah I have decided to stay with a stone. I do like the Warthog as a quick and easy though. Not keen on the rolling sharpeners. I'm sure they do a reasonable job but I can see my tendons in my dreams everytime I think about them ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 31 May 2026 at 9:14am
I bought a fine diamond stone in 1984 and its still being used . I keep it in the kitchen to give the vegie knives a lick .........tomatoes on toast is better when the tomatoes are actually sliced rather than mashed🙂 ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: kimber7wsm
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2026 at 7:59am
| Smudge, the Sharpal 325/1200grit diamond stone can be had for about $100. And they last forever. They are wicked good. Will sharpen a knife within 5minutes from worse than blunt. Most times a couple of minutes is all that is needed. I bet if you get one, you will be very happy, in fact if you are not I would buy it off you for full retail. If you want a stupid sharp knife, then use a finer grit or strop to finish. However they sharpen to very sharp without the extra step. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 02 Jun 2026 at 6:27am
Thanks for that Kimber, I just read some other reviews & they sound good. Do you know if there's a local agent? I can only find them on Amazon ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: kimber7wsm
Date Posted: 02 Jun 2026 at 7:30am
| I don't know of a local agent. I got mine from Amazon. |
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 02 Jun 2026 at 8:10pm
| I'm about to order a couple from Amazon. Check your PM Smudge |
Posted By: Alan L
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2026 at 11:42am
So I didn't know what they were - til my mate with a real fancy one as described before (wetstone thing) lent me this one. Pretty hard to get it wrong. two angles to sharpen with (15/20) and two grades of diamond on the roller. There is nothing to stuff up. The angle faces are magnetic and hold the blade while you roll the diamond stone along it. Alan  ------------- Legasea Legend member |
Posted By: MJ
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2026 at 1:50pm
| Recently acquired a Warthog system after years of persevering with diamond stones and traditional stones.Very happy with the Warthog. Sharp blades consistently achieved with minimal fuss. I'm impressed. |
Posted By: Telecaster
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2026 at 3:44pm
Hi, I got one of these last week, pretty impressed so far. Just wondering what angle you recommend for a victory fillet knife? I used 20 degrees on my bait knives and they came up very sharp (shaving sharp) pretty quickly. I tried 17 degrees on the fillet knife and having trouble getting it shaving sharp. Might just need more time, maybe the steel is harder than the bait knives?
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Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2026 at 5:16pm
| The Sharpal has arrived. I'm yet to give it s go as been busy on other things. |
Posted By: Kevin.S
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2026 at 12:01pm
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Just a heads up, there is a local company that regularly advertises these on Facebook, it's always popping up on my feed. Their prices are a complete rip-off compared to what these can be bought for from any of the Chinese online suppliers (Temu, AliExpress, etc). I'm all for supporting Kiwi companies, but not when they are just importing stuff and charging rip-off prices for it.
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Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2026 at 3:43pm
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IK'm sure those rolling sharpeners are good but I just know I'd chop my fingers of with one.I have settled on a diamond stone (thanks Krow), I better pay him for it at some stage. I also don't buy much online but paying top dollar for someone just profiteering on a Temu item just isn't right
------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Fish Addict
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2026 at 9:33pm
| Like you smudge my first thoughts were that I don't want my fingers anywhere near a roller sharpener without a chain mesh glove. However, after looking at a few vids, I now understand the end plates rotate on the drum which makes it a lot less scary than what I first envisaged. |
Posted By: Alan L
Date Posted: 16 Jun 2026 at 3:20pm
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Yeah - the thing rolls along the knife edge. Your fingers are nowhere near it. Alan ------------- Legasea Legend member |
Posted By: kimber7wsm
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2026 at 5:42am
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Telecaster, If the shallower angle is not working, try 20° or a bit more. While if you get a sharp edge with a shallow edge, often stupid sharp, the edge does not last as long. I find going a bit more, they last a lot longer and they are still really sharp. Cuts down on how many times I have to spend shaprening. The knife steel may not suit 17°. I'm not very technical with that stuff, but am happy with how sharp my knives are (most people comment) and they seem to last a reasonable time. Try the below at 17° if it doesn't work, then make the angle steeper. Like I said, I'm not very technical, so not the best to comment on exact angles. To sharpen a blunt knife (not just a touch up), I sharpen one side until a burr is felt along the entire length, then switch to the other side doing the same until the burr is felt on that side (only needs to be just there). Then I alternate sides, doing 3 passes each side for 3 or 4 sequences. Usually on the coarse stone, then switch to the fine stone starting with 3 passes each side for 3 or 4 sequences, then go to alternating single passes each side until burr is gone. Then maybe a quick use of a strop if you have one or a steel, but only a few swipes and very lightly, steel needs to be very fine. That seems to be the quickest way for me and produces results I am happy with. |
Posted By: Telecaster
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2026 at 10:49am
| OK cool, thanks. I gave it a bit more on the 17 angle and it came up pretty good, will see how long it lasts. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2026 at 11:09am
Have used mine, very quick to put an edge on. I haven't mastered using the angle guide yet but early results are great. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2026 at 7:09pm
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What I have already learnt is that my perception of sharpening angles is way out.Some of my blades are prone to chipping.I have been laying my knives too flat. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: kimber7wsm
Date Posted: 18 Jun 2026 at 7:18am
| Same here, Smudge. Also, you don't have to have a really shallow angle, to have a really sharp knife. |
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2026 at 8:41pm
| Finally got a chance to unbox my one and sharpen a few (4 so far) knives. These were already what I considered sharp. My existing Diamond stone is 600 grit so I only used the 1200 grit and must say I'm impressed with the results. Arm is short a few hairs now. I found I was already sharpening to around the 17 degrees so only "tested" I was about right a few times then just winged it. The amount of steel dust on my fingers and the stone is impressive even with light pressure and 1200 grit so tonight I went to Bunnings and picked up some of the barkeepers friend as per instructions to clean the stone. Not done yet. Now looking forward to some filleting after next mission to see if I notice the difference. |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2026 at 11:03pm
Same. Works well on everything for me except very thick, hard stainless blades. Perfect for filleting knives.
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Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2026 at 9:02am
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Mmm these warthogs sound like the ducks nuts , might look into that ....which brings me to the Lansky ....what do you use to clean the stones on that ? ....just the ordinary ones not diamond . Mine are clogged up , I have been using the supplied honing oil. I sharpened the veggie knife so it still works BUT within 20 mins I caught her stabbing the triangular hole in the tomato sauce can top 🤐🤐😠. I have started to move from 17⁰ to 25⁰ as I go thru my knives ....thinkin maybe they will stay sharp a bit longer . I do steel them before use and mostly they pass the "soft tomato "test . ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2026 at 2:54pm
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The warthogs are good, I've used one but wanted something a little more heavy duty to use on other stuff. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2026 at 6:05pm
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As I've said a few times before: - If you have skills: whetstone - If you want to ruin your blade: cheap electric knife sharpener - If you have money: Scary Sharp or Work Sharp - If you are a masochist: Lansky - None of the above: Warthog |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2026 at 6:16pm
I think that is the best knife sharpening post I've seen! Warthog certainly tick a few boxes. Pretty happy with the Sharpall but aintaining that angle is my weak point. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2026 at 9:18pm
Thanks, I've been through all of those apart from the expensive ones. |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2026 at 3:34pm
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Here’s another copy one that looks like the ones you’re looking at. https://ruralbutcher.co.nz/product/easysharpe-blade-sharpener-kit/" rel="nofollow - https://ruralbutcher.co.nz/product/easysharpe-blade-sharpener-kit/ |
Posted By: Pcj
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2026 at 5:27pm
------------- "Times up" |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 11 Jul 2026 at 6:26pm
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This looks interesting as well https://ruralbutcher.co.nz/product/easysharpe-whetstone-set/" rel="nofollow - https://ruralbutcher.co.nz/product/easysharpe-whetstone-set/ |