SHARPAL 181N Dual-Grit Diamond Sharpening Stone with Genuine Leather Strop, Tool Sharpener for Sharpening Knife, Garden Shears, Axe and All Blade Edge

I am always sharpening knives both for culinary work and my hobby of making things from leather. As most of us already know a really sharp knife is safer than a dull one, as much less pressure is required to make a cut. I already own a really effective knife sharpening system, but it requires a few minutes to set it all up so it only gets used when I have a few dulled tools.I bought this as something to quickly restore a tool's edge between bouts of major resharpening. I have just tested it on a kitchen knife that was last sharpened about 3 weeks ago. It was pretty dull as others in my household do horrid things to sharp knives, such a putting them in a pile of cutlery on the draining board.With just a few strokes of the coarse side, a hone on the other, and a swift strop with the leather sheath, this put a superb edge on the knife. The tool proved very easy to use and it feels nicely balanced in the hand. The paracord binding on the handle allows a very secure grip and the leather sheath is a clever touch with its ability to be used as a strop. I like it very much and it will be a go-to tool for regular use. It would be especially useful to take on lengthy trips in the outdoors as it isn't either heavy, or bulky, and will always ensure a decent edge on knives used in the field.Highly recommended...

My wife recently loves her gardening work and decided to rearrange our garden plants and flower bed. She was complaining that both of our Fiskars cutters not sharp anymore when she tries to trim our Rosemary plant, therefore I had spent some time to search for a small sharpener to surprise her. I found this American brand Sharpal Diamond Sharpening Stone, it looks like it is well design and the orange string as handle impress me. so, I had placed my order with my Prime Account. Surprisingly, the Sharpal tools turn up in the next day and I am impressed with its packaging, it also had a small window to feel the leather finishing which I think it is very good experience.Without my wife notice, I had tried to sharpen our cutter and put it back in our tool’s cabinet. Yesterday, she shouted at me and say amazing the Fiskers cutter cut very well. She absolutely impresses with this product after I demo to her and she say it is easy to use. I think I should recommend this to everyone. Definitely a good piece of sharpening tool you would not miss and should keep one in your tool box.

I bought this to smooth the damaged edge on a glass ornament and it worked well. I sharpened a knife - another good result. I then tried to sharpen the edge of a garden tool (edging spade) which scraped the diamonds off the surface. I would only recommend it for light work.Sharpal customer services have been really good and offered to replace my sharpener, but I have in fact continued to use it for refreshing the edge of my woodworking tools each time I use them. I have been working with oak and having a good edge on tools makes the job much easier. It only takes a minute with the sharpener on the back and front of a chisel to create a really sharp edge and I do not always resort to the strop. The strop does however create a shiny surface for the perfectionist, particularly when used with honing past. I think that my problem early on was to treat the diamond sharpener like a file and apply too much pressure on the return stroke such that the sharp edge of the tool dug into the substrate to scrape off the diamonds. It is best to apply pressure only on the forward stroke coming off of the edge or moderate the pressure overall. A diamond sharpener is not a file and should be treated with respect as it is amazing technology. I would recommend this sharpener to anyone who does woodwork.

Great pocket sharpener for when out in the field.

I used this to sharpen some fruit tree loppers but have also found it useful for many household items, such as my cooking knives.It's got two sides, 1 very robust and coarse and 1 very delicate to hone .Better than I expected, at this price point. (I soaked the holster , as I always do with any leather holster - and the tool fits brilliantly).

I have had a tendency to purchase new secateurs as have never been able to keep them sharp. Have found that this tool is ideal and very simple to use having previously (unsuccessfully tried) various sharping stones. Watched a couple of YouTube videos for instruction. Can't overstate how easy I found this to use. Touch either side of the stone to determine which side is which (coarse or fine) and then starting with the coarse side, rub away at a shallow angle and then repeat with the fine side. I have used the leather strap as a final polish but this isn't really necessary (although it does make a very good case for the tool).Can't say anything about the longevity of the product having had it only a few months, but that said I have used it on about 10 of our gardening tools for a relatively intensive sharpen (as all were very blunt) and then use it briefly whenever putting tools away and currently no signs of ware. Basically it has paid for itself in not having to purchase new tools.The removable paracord is an unnecessary feature, i.e. I can't see why you would need it, however it is easy to hold. I do wonder how you would put it back if untied but don't think this is a problem I am ever going to have. All in all a good product that I am happy to recommend.

Ok so it sharpens blades, only time will tell if it remains effective, but the handle is a joke! and to a large extent ruins a good product. The idea that the string handle can be used as a survival aid is largely silly and it makes the use of the tool very uncomfortable especially as I tend to do all my blades, knives and garden shears in one go while I still have the enthusiasm! The string does not protect your hand holding the tool from the shape exposed edge at of the back of the blade which extends into the 'handle'. So you have an expensive tool which seems to be quality, but it is fitted with a nasty cheap excuse for a handle!It would be really great if it had a proper handle, then you could use the tool as intended without the pain!