SHARPAL 178N 3-In-1 Blade Sharpener 4-Inch 600 Grit Diamond Sharpening Rod Sharpen All Knife and Tool with Straight

The Sharpal 178N is a great tool for sharpening serrated knives and other tools. It comes in a sturdy travel bag, although the aluminum body handle provides excellent storage for both the cylinder sharpening surface and the tapered surface. Very clever design. To use for sharpening, simply unscrew the sharpener from the handle to access the cylinder sharpener. To hone a serrated knife or fish hook, Unscrew the cylinder sharpener to reveal the tapered diamond sharpener. The tapered sharpener then screws into the other side of the cylinder sharpener, which can screwed into the handle. The tapered sharpener can also sharpen gut hooks on skinning knives. I found the tapered sharpener to be excellent at sharpening serrated knives, better even than the DMT brand tapered sharpener. The 3.5 inch length is perfect, and the maximum diameter, about 3/8 inch, is larger than the DMT tapered sharpener. My serrated bread knife has serrations that get completely honed by this Sharpal tool. The 600 grit is a medium-fine grit that works well for getting a nice edge in a short time. Sharpening serrated knives is rather boring. You have to hone each serration individually. I find the following procedure works well. Place the knife on a sturdy flat surface such as a kitchen counter. Put the knife edge horizontal to the surface, then rotate the knife so that the angle of the serration edge is parallel to the counter - typically about 15°. Now hold the Sharpal tapered hone pointed parallel to the counter and place the tip of the sharpener at the first serration (I start at the serration closest to the handle). The sharpener is perpendicular to the knife. Push the Sharpal tool across the first serration, starting with the pointed tip and ending towards the handle, keeping the Sharpal tool parallel to the table as it moves across the knife. Only move the sharpener until the diameter of the taper matches the diameter of the individual serration. Repeat several times, up to 10 times for a dull serrated knife. Then move to the next serration and repeat. Once all serrations are sharp, feel the back side of the knife for burrs created during the process. Each serration is likely to have a slight burr due to the sharpening activity. Remove the burr by putting the cylinder hone into the Sharpal handle, then gently pulling the knife's flat side over the cylinder, held flat against the cylinder. I recommend doing all the sharpening and burr removal on a flat sturdy surface. This way, angles are kept true. Some serrated knives have "micro serrations" such as some "As Seen On TV" brands. These knives are more like tiny saw blades, rather than typical serrated blades, and the serrations are not individually sharpened. However, if this type of knife seems dull, you might find that the tips on the serrations are simply folded over. If this is the case, try straightening the tips back. A flat sharpening stone such as the Sharpal 156N or 162N can be used for this purpose. The tapered sharpener has a small groove in it that is perfect for sharpening fish hooks. Run the hook along the groove until it is sharp. The cylinder sharpener is good for field sharpening a knife. Of course, water stones and flat diamond stones should be used to hone a knife edge before going into the field, but the 178N tool is perfect for touching up a slightly dull edge when your regular sharpening stones are not available. Field dressing a deer or other animal requires a sharp knife, and this sharpener is perfect for keeping a knife sharp during the skinning process. If your knife has a gut hook, then no other tool is better than the 178N's tapered tool for sharpening that tight curve in the hook. Read more

The diamond rod is superb. This monster will put a fast fix on a damaged blade. The 600 grit round sharpener is also very fast. This leaves a good edge for easy cutting. I like the size and the handy sack it comes with. Just drop in your back pack and you will never know it is there. It's easy to pocket Cary for the minimalist. This is a robust piece of gear that'll last a long time. This will also sharpen broad heads, fish hooks, and axes. The only problem is you have to watch the diamond rod because it is so aggressive. In my opinion and experience this is well worth the money. I will be giving sharps all for gifts. Read more

Didnt think i could fix these two knives from work, got missing teeth, ground down teeth, and cracks between the teeth. Took my time and this is the outcome before and after. Id say the results speak for themselves, will buy again if i misplace the tool hands down. Read more

Highly recommended! The SHARPAL 178N 3in1 Blade Sharpener is an excellent sharpening tool for a very wide variety of cutting edges! I have sharpened blades of several different sizes and profiles with this tool! Straight edges, serrated edges, pocket knives, sheath knives, machetes, pack axes, etc. The grit quality of the sharpening rods is of a high quality being quite durable and effective. The SHARPAL 178N Sharpener has all 3 of the most important elements of effectiveness: ingenious design, quality construction & materials, and durability! I will definitely buy another one when the need arises! Read more

Used it to sharpen a serrated bread knife and it worked like a charm. Just enough grit to give good feedback and sharpens quickly. Instructions could be much better, but TAKE THE TIME to figure out how both bits are stored in the handle. Take the nut off. Screw the cone onto the nut. Slip the honing rod over the cone and screw into the nut. Slide the rod into the handle and tighten the nut. Voila, everyting is stored securely, no rattle and that means no damage. Very clever and I love it when designers put a little effort and thought into making a good product a great product. Read more

Good quality sharpener that works well for multiple uses (straight edges, serrated edges or even a hook!) and is compact enough to put in any backpack, tacklebox, toolbox or even your pocket. Seems to be very sturdy and good quality. Read more

Absolutely the best sharpener for me. It works fast and I can fit it in my pocket and take anywhere. I use the round main file on all my curved blades and the pointy one works great for my serrated ones. I like how I can maneuver the files as I want. I can have both out or one the other and they come all apart and can screw in any which way you prefer. I also made a small strop from a thin piece of wood with leather on both sides, green compound on one. I also bought with this the 121n that is a double sided flat file that I use on all my fixed and pocket knives. Can't recommend this highly enough. If and when I wear this one out will definitely repurchase. Read more

Great idea and handy tool. Only issue was screwing in both the round flat knife AND the pointed serrated sharpeners on the aluminum insert (which initially wouldn't fasten to the handle tightly at all) and then tightening both on the handle for quick changing sharpeners didn't work. However, by unscrewing the serrated tip from the colored aluminum handle insert and flipping the insert around before reattaching to the handle, both the serrated tip AND the flat blade sharpeners will now screw into the handle insert and the handle securely, making a sharpener change just a matter of unscrewing from the handle and flipping it around to the sharpener you want to use. Probably just an oversight by the manufacturer in putting them back in the proper order for BOTH to be securely fastened to the handle. Read more