How do YOU sharpen your knives

[Chipper78]

I want to know how everyone sharpens their knives. I want to know what works for you and why. Tell me about the stones, techniques, jigs, and finishing touches you use on your knives. I've carried a knife since I was a kid and have always been "into" knives, but never quite mastered sharpening like I would like to. I've had knives that I had no problem sharpening, and others that I couldn't get sharp to save my life. So let me have it, all your tips, tricks and techniques to sharpen them and keep them useful.

[Rekkr870]

Spyderco Sharpmaker. In my experience, this is the best sharpener for the money. It's VERY easy to use and set up. The sharpmaker has worked on everything from my kitchen knives to my edc knives.

[Arkansas Bob]

Arkansas whetstone and a leather strop

[Barfly76]

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is awesome and saves time.

http://www.worksharptools.com/knife-...n-edition.html

If time isn't an issue, the Wicked Edge is pretty nice.

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/

[JackFanToM]

DMT dia sharp stones in extra course, course, fine, and extra fine, spyderco stones in fine and ultra fine followed by a 4 way strop. I am able to easily obtain mirror polish super sharp edges and maintain them merely by stropping. I have a worksharp, DMT Aligner kit, and a spyderco sharpmaker, but all of them pale to using a stone system, and it pays to learn to hand sharpen. I avoid standard whetstones as they require regular maintenance to keep them flat and accurate, whereas my spyderco sapphire ceramics and the dia-sharps are pretty much life time stones

[n517rv]

+1 on the DMT diamond stones... I prefer the 10" DuoSharps Bench Stones in extra course, course, fine, and extra fine. Not cheap, but well worth the investment.

[bulbvivid]

Currently using a Sharpmaker—I have the diamond and ultra fine rods for it—with acceptable results, but I've been intrigued by the Work Sharp for a while.

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is awesome and saves time.

http://www.worksharptools.com/knife-...n-edition.html

If money isn't an issue, the Wicked Edge is pretty nice.

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/

Fixed that for you.

[bruin]

Japanese waterstones here (Shaptons). I'm no wizard at freehand sharpening but I can make do. I'm thinking of getting a Work Sharp KO edition cause I'm getting lazier and don't always feel like breaking out the stones for a session. I also have a ceramic butcher's steel for kitchen knife touch up.

[CCK]

I take them to the Phoenix knife shop and pay $3 a blade.

[JackFanToM]

My bet is the Phoenix knife shop (like the worksharp system) utilizes a belt system. Keep in mind with any system that aggressive you have a finite amount of sharpening before your blade is ruined.