Evaluation: Warthog V-Sharp Traditional II Knife Sharpener

Because the saying goes, essentially the most harmful knife is a boring one. Why? As a result of when the sting doesn’t do the reducing, most individuals attempt to muscle their method via a medium — which may result in slippage and unintentionally driving the blade into your hand or different physique elements. With a razor-sharp blade, you’ll be capable of slice or stab via cover, meat, rope, or packages with ease. That’s why we wished to take a great take a look at the V-Sharp Traditional II from Warthog Sharpeners. Whereas it appears like some elaborate gear stand for a child’s chemistry class, that is really a handbook controlled-angle sharpening system. It’s straightforward to make use of and helps return a imply innovative to nearly any knife you throw at it — and rapidly — however is the V-Sharp Traditional II the best kind of sharpener for a preparedness software chest?

A Temporary Historical past on Knife Sharpening

Earlier than we are able to dive into whether or not the V-Sharp Traditional II is good, we’ve got to speak about what makes it distinctive. And we are able to’t discuss what makes it distinctive with out first giving a quick historical past lesson.
People have been sharpening edged instruments since a minimum of 75,000 years in the past, in keeping with a research led by the College of Colorado Boulder. After all, again then our prehistoric forebearers have been utilizing rocks, bones, and wooden to create fantastic edges on stone instruments.

Quick-forward hundreds of years and we get the grindstone, an enormous stone disk that spun rapidly (often by crank, pedal, or water energy) to sharpen blades. However these have been operated by educated tradesmen who usually sat (or in some instances laid) near the enormous disks as they sharpened instruments. (Therefore the phrase “nostril to the grindstone.”)

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Above: This Viking Whetstone pendant from Wazoo Survival Gear harkens again to the stones our ancestors used to sharpen their blades.

However, whetstones — which got here and nonetheless come in several sizes and styles and are comprised of numerous supplies — have been a lot smaller and lighter. So, anybody might use them for a fast sharpening or general upkeep. At the moment, they typically seem like slabs of gritty stone within the form of a skinny brick.

Then, there’s the sharpening rod, which will be product of metal or ceramic. Historically, these don’t sharpen as a lot as they straighten out burrs or folded edges. At the moment, a lot of them are product of a diamond-coated abrasive, to allow them to additionally take away metal to each sharpen and straighten.

A newer breakthrough in designs is the pull-through sharpener. Definitely, there are different fashionable varieties, however this one particularly has grow to be fashionable due to its comfort issue.

In pull-throughs just like the V-Sharp Traditional II, two intersecting sharpening rods (or crock sticks) are positioned on a steel, plastic, or picket base in order that they type a V. The blade is then pulled via the V opening, sharpening the innovative on either side on the correct angle whereas permitting the consumer to maintain the bottom stationary on a desk or bench.

Glossary of Frequent Phrases

Right here’s a useful information to hone your understanding of sharpening phrases and grind out any complicated misnomers on the market.

Bevel: This refers back to the angle/floor of a blade that meets one other angle/floor to type the innovative.

Grit: Similar to with sandpaper, this refers to a sharpener’s abrasive particles. The decrease the grit, the coarser it’s. A 120 grit is superb for reforming a innovative, whereas 1,000 grit is extra ultimate for sprucing an already sharp blade.

Hone (Versus Sharpen): Whereas at the moment folks use these phrases interchangeably, they really don’t imply the identical factor. Sharpen means to take away materials from the blade to create a brand new innovative. Honing, on the hand, means to realign the sting after it’s been bent or folded after exhausting or repeated use.

Strop: A tool, often a fabric or leather-based strap, used to shine an already sharpened edge.

Above: Like a barber’s straight razor, knife edges will be touched as much as reduce extra easily by stropping on a chunk of leather-based — like this gun belt.

Whetstone: The time period “whet” means to sharpen and never “moist” as in liquid. So as to add to the confusion, although, there are some whetstones that do require water or oil. So, whereas not all whetstones are water stones, all water stones are certainly whetstones.

How the V-Sharp Traditional II Sharpener Works

As talked about, pull-throughs are fairly straightforward to make use of, and the V-Sharp Traditional II isn’t any exception.

Merely place the bottom of your blade on the V-shaped opening and push down as you pull the knife again towards you till the blade’s tip reaches the V. Then, fairly than utterly eradicating the knife, merely push the blade again up alongside the identical path till the bottom of the sting is again on the V.

The Warthog sharpener makes use of calibrated spring stress in order that the 325-grit diamond-coated rods maintain steady stress on the knife, making certain symmetrical sharpening.
And as long as you retain your blade flat in opposition to the adjustable information, the rods take the guesswork out of sharpening on the right angle for a given edged software.

Above: The V-Sharp Traditional II comes with a blade information that you may regulate to accommodate for a spread of edged instruments.

For instance, for those who set them to 30 levels, you’ll produce a large sturdy bevel that’s most ultimate for chopping — assume cleavers or machetes. Should you set the V-Sharp Traditional II to 25 levels, you’ll create a balanced edge that gives reducing energy with out folding simply — e.g., searching blades or everyday-carry pocketknives. And for those who change to twenty levels, you’ll produce a slim bevel that’s extra vulnerable to folding however can slice with precision — think about a field cutter or sure chef’s knives.

When you’ve achieved a innovative with the diamond-coated abrasives, it’s time to metal the blade — aka honing (or realigning) the sting with a metal to take away burrs and get a easy end.

To try this with the V-Sharp Traditional II, simply unclip and flip the rods to have the ending steels dealing with upward within the V opening. Then, use the identical sawing movement forwards and backwards as you probably did when sharpening it.

Warthog Sharpeners V-Sharp Traditional II

Weight: 1.56 kilos

Dimensions: 9 by 8.25 by 2 inches

MSRP: $90

URL: warthogusa.com

The Execs

Why do you have to think about the V-Sharp Traditional II? As a result of it delivers the three Cs: comfort, consistency, and compactness (kind of … however we’ll get to this subject later).

Comfort: There’s little doubt that at the moment’s electrical knife grinders provide the quickest method to sharpen an edged software. However not everybody can afford a top quality water-cooled sharpening system or has the workspace or storage to accommodate it. On the flipside, a good bench whetstone will be had for lower than $20, however could be a ache to make use of as a result of some require oil or water and loads of elbow grease.
The Warthog design is a contented medium.

For lower than a C-note, it means that you can take away metal on either side of the blade through the downward and upward strokes, doubling the quantity of sharpening whereas shortening the variety of strokes wanted to get a razor’s edge. In some instances, you’ll want solely 10 to fifteen strokes versus twice or thrice that quantity with different pull-throughs.

Above: The blade information makes it stupid-simple to maintain your software on the right angle by merely urgent your blade flat in opposition to the information.

And since the sharpening rods are adjustable, you’re basically getting three sharpeners in a single.

Plus, the sharpening rods can slide out to swap in several grit ranges or supplies, resembling ceramic.

Consistency: Because of the blade information and the labeled angle slots on the backside of the internal body, you get repeatability. There’s no second guessing whether or not you’re holding the blade at simply the best angle. It is a large aid for people like us who didn’t fare so effectively in geometry class.

Simply set the rods to the right angle in your software, regulate the blade information to the corresponding place, then merely push and pull alongside the identical path.

Compactness: Sharpeners have shrunk fairly a bit because the period when knife grinders used disks the scale of an enormous rig tire. In comparison with these large grindstones, the V-Sharp Traditional II is downright petite. This Warthog system has a slim profile when in comparison with different pull-through sharpeners, which are sometimes an oblong or cylindrical block in regards to the measurement of a brief size of two×2 lumber.
It stands roughly 9 by 8.25 by 2 inches (at its widest factors) and weighs about 1.5 kilos. This implies it may be stowed on a shelf in between different gear or gear fairly simply.

Above: The blade information exhibits you in a short time for those who’re holding your knife on the incorrect angle. 

The Cons

Regardless of being slim and comparatively light-weight, it’s not moveable sufficient to jam into your bug-out bag (BOB). Clearly, there are different sharpener choices for preppers, hunters, and minimalists who need the smallest and lightest instruments within the area. The truth is, many fashionable firms already make pocket sharpeners that come within the type of a key chain. So, the V-Sharp Traditional II isn’t ultimate in your BOB or you probably have house constraints.

One other professional that’s satirically sufficient additionally a con is its relative lightness. Most pull-throughs are both blocky or hefty for good cause: to maintain the sharpener stationary so it doesn’t transfer while you slide the knife via. The steadiness prevents accidents and sloppy sharpening.

Sadly, the V-Sharp Traditional II is each tall and lightweight, so it’s straightforward to knock over if don’t get a great maintain of the thumb grip, which is only a 1.5-inch-wide tab on the highest of the body. That’s room sufficient for less than two or three fingers to maintain the entire thing upright. Different pull-throughs often have a deal with you firmly grasp with all 5 fingers. This Warthog doesn’t want a full-on deal with, however extra floor contact can be good.

Furthermore, whereas it has a grippy rubber backside, for those who take away the rubber, you’ll discover that the bottom is hole. We’d’ve stuffed that vacant house with extra metal (like the remainder of the body) and maybe added a little bit of depth (possibly fold-out extensions?) to the bottom to extend weight and lateral stability.

Conclusion

The V-Sharp Traditional II is an modern tackle an already modern kind of sharpener. This pull-through makes brief work of just about any boring knife or software due to a blade information and adjustable managed angles, offering a constant movement that even knife newbies can choose up rapidly.

Nonetheless, we do see a number of methods its design could possibly be tweaked to extend stability with out rising its bulk an excessive amount of.

Nonetheless, in case your intent is to maintain a sharpener in your storage or kitchen, this Warthog sharpener might work wonders in your edged instruments. The V-Sharp Traditional II combines comfort with good engineering and high quality development to ship an edge within the sharpening world.

Written by Patrick Vuong