Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
 Alright in a pinch, but not great. September 9, 2010
T. S. Cooper (Knoxville, TN USA)
I purchased this bundled with the larger Smith's sharpening system (which works fantastically). I thought that it would be good to have on the key chain or in an emergency kit. Looks like it may fill that roll alright, but I wouldn't trust it to give an edge to my more expensive knives unless the situation has really gone downhill.
All in all, it will fill the role, but not something to use when performing exacting maintenance on your collection.
 Outstanding Mid-Range Sharpener September 6, 2010
Fan of Frost (Wyoming)
Outstanding compact, easy to use tool for beginners as well as for daily knife users. Quickly puts a good working edge on mid-range knives for daily use. My trusty Gerber LST has never been happier. Also gets the hardest steels and titanium blades about 90% of the way there, and even quickly puts a decent edge on $3 import knives (which will need to repeated too often on el-cheapo stainless knives) just be gentle.
Very Useful September 4, 2010
Dormody (New Hampshire)
This is perfect for people who don't have the time to sit down and work with a stone to sharpen knives.
I use this on my Leathermans, Swiss Army Knives, and CRKT folders, and it makes them razor sharp in around 5 mins. For the really dull blades, a few swipes with the carbides gets them back into shape, then a few swipes with the ceramics gets the blade razor sharp.
For the price, this is unbeatable. It is also really small, so it is very convenient to bring everywhere
JUST WORKS! August 26, 2010
Diane Pankratz
I'm no expert, but this little gadget just plain works! I can't testify to durability as I have had it only a week, but I sharpened 7 straight edges and 6 serrated steak knives and I'm pleased with the simplicity and speed of use! I also attached a little key chain to it.
Pretty slick sharpening tool! August 24, 2010
S. McClain (Florida Panhandle)
I bought this to get me over the Free Shipping amount, and figured if it was a Smith's product, it must be okay.
I'm very happy with the tool! It rapidly dresses blades from my 'fingernail cleaner' up to the 8" kitchen knife. It is not the tool you use to salvage a round-edged blade, but that is what stones are for.
The other feature, the 'spur', as I call it, does the trick on serrated blades.
My beloved old pocketknife, a Gerber EZ-Out, had gotten to a bad state. I use it for everything, including some tasks that I'd be ashamed to mention. The serrated edge and the standard edges had dulled, and the standard edge a bit rolled.
Note: Although I suppose you can use the PocketPal freehand, I don't. I hold the tool down on a table (or bench) edge to control it. The carbide cutters take a fair amount of pressure to work well.
The Pocket Pal made short work of the bad edge, with the carbide sharpener actually pulling some slivers of steel (ATS34, if you care) off the edge. The ceramic tool then put a pretty nice dress on the blade. The spur took care of the serrated edge in no time!
I then took on the kitchen knives. They were in good shape, but I figured I could get a dressed edge. Well, the Gerber kitchen knives (6 and 8-inch) and the various blades in the Wustof set took only a few strokes, and they are REALLY SHARP! (as my wife tells me).
Two cautions: Use a newspaper under the PocketPal when you use it on a table, to avoid damaging the table or the blade. Second, when you use the spur, be very careful of your angle, as the spur is fairly aggressive, and you can really mess up the serrated edge.
A great little tool; well worth the money!
I'm not too sure about the 'Pocket' part though. It's a good sized (almost 3") tool.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
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