Spyderco Forums

Hi All,

I'm interested in a general purpose sharpening stone that I can throw in a backpack and will give me a good edge on my large folder when I'm out camping/hiking. Nothing too big or expensive. Suggestions?

Thanks!
Native :)

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-F70F-Diamond- ... B00004WFT6

I personally use one of these when I need something small and lightweight to throw in a pack. There are a couple different grits as well. Blue is the course and Red fine. They work great, I have had the same 2 (blue and red) for 3 years now and had great results. The diamond aspect allows them to work quickly and efficiently .

Although this link is for amazon I know you can pick them up at Sears or Ace Hardware for about $10.00.

I have 2 viable suggestions. Both are made by Spyderco. First of all if you really are searching for a small flat stone I think it would be very hard to beat the Spyderco "Double Stuff". It is the model 303 with the medium grit on one side and the fine grit on the other. It is a great little stone for serious touch ups.

Now my favorite recommendation would be a set of Spyderco 701 Profiles. Those stones can do serrations and plain edges as well as a host of other jobs. Depending on what you need the most you can't hardly go wrong with either unit.

I think Tricod is on the right track. DMT makes good stuff. A lighter, cheaper, alternative is something like:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... erralID=NA

This one is from Bass Pro, but you can find similar items many places.

It's small and light, which is important for camping/hiking. You won't break it if you drop it on a rock, which is a concern with sharpening stones. The diamond surface will grind down nearly anything. You can sharpen serrated blades, plain edges, hatchets, or smooth burrs off of pretty much anything.

It won't put a hair-popping polished scapel's edge on your blades, but for camping an edge with more 'tooth' is, IMHO, a better all-around choice. Diamonds will put on a very serviceable edge, very quickly, and let you
touch it up easily.

The DMT product is higher quality. Diamonds are not all created equal, nor is the method of sticking them to the rod. But if you use multiple light passes when sharpening instead of heavy passes, the diamonds on the cheapie pen sharpener will last just fine.

Best regards,
Ron

I have used the Spyderco Double Stuff for years now and find it to be a very good hone. Highly recomended!

JD

Doublestuff from Spyderco. I carried one for years, now I have the small Pro File set, but the Doublestuff did a great job, and still does.

:)


Blades

I think the Triangle Sharpmaker is pretty small. Why not take one of those? It's not that heavy. It fit quite well in my BDU pant side pockets, lol! :D

Three best choices actually. The Doublestuff or a cheapo $3 Arkansas stone for those already sharp blades just needing a bit of TLC. The DMT Diafold in ExtraFine and Cermic for longer jaunts. And the EZ Lapp Sportsmans diamond steel for those questionable trips where you'll need to be capable of sharpening from a blunt edge up to hairsplitting sharp on extended trips. Though I use all 3 routinely, I usually reach for the DMT Diafolds when in doubt.

NJ

DMT diafold fine/ultra fine rides in my pocket everywhere I go.