How to keep your knife sharp anywhere

Product Review: Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener
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Blunt blades have few uses in this world apart from, perhaps, as ceremonial swords, paper or butter knives. Mostly, you need a sharp knife to cut or carve anything.

Campers and hikers need knives as much as anyone, and a blunt one is about as useful as an umbrella on a windy day. 

You can’t just pop into your local shop when you are out in the hills and a need a sharp knife. You need a sharp knife then and there. 

But, how do you keep your knife sharp without carrying around a heavy or cumbersome sharpening stone? I do have a small, traditional sharpening stone, but it is oily and too heavy to carry around in a backpack when hiking. Where is a traditional knife sharpener when you need one?

​What is the solution for keeping your blades sharp in the great outdoors?

​Firstly, you need a pocket knife sharpener, a device lightweight and small enough to fit easily into a pocket on your person or in your backpack.

Your pocket knife sharpener also needs to be robust enough to sharpen various blades you may have with you, like a ‘Bowie knife’, or a Swiss Army Knife.

​Does such a pocket knife sharpener exist?

​Of course, and it’s made by ‘Any Sharp’! They sent me one to try out. 

First impressions? 

It’s compact, for sure. It’s narrower than the width of a credit card, meaning it will fit into your pocket easily and comfortably. 

The Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener s light too. You’ll hardly notice it when you either attach it to your keyring or into your backpack.

​Does it sharpen well?

​In a word, yes.
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I sharpened a battered, old Leatherman tool back to being ‘like new’ sharpness within a few strokes. I sharpened three kitchen knives, which were too blunt to be helpful in the kitchen before I went at them with the Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener.

All my knives were so blunt the Any Sharp sharpener left a small pile of filings on the chopping board I used to sharpen them on. It felt like the sharpener was telling me that I had neglected my knives and that I should be ashamed of myself for letting them get so blunt. 

This little sharpener can sharpen a knife like a racing mechanic can tune an F1 car. It’s nothing short of excellent.

​How does the Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener do it?

​On the sharpener’s black aluminium body are two tungsten carbide blades. They’re screwed into the body to form a ‘v-shape’ over which you draw the blade of your knife. The instructions say to hold the sharpener in your left hand and draw the blade over the tungsten carbide tools towards you. 

Within two or three strokes you will feel how much sharper your knife has become. It’s remarkable.

​Who should buy an Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener?

​If you are a camper, caravanner, cycle tourer, canoeist or mountaineer who spends significant time in the outdoors, and needs to keep your knives sharp, get one. 

It’s a simple but effective pocket knife sharpener which will soon become a ‘must-have’ device that you take on all your adventures.

You buy the Any Sharp Pocket Knife Sharpener from Amazon for £13.99