Testfires - Hunting products tested by experts. |
|
Testfires - Hunting products tested by experts. |
|
Lansky Knife Sharpeners There’s a few new products coming from this long established American company. We take a look at what’s on offer... Introduction Having a sharp knife is an essential tool for a hunter, and any hunter that’s hung around the outdoor stores for a while will have heard of a Lansky Sharpener. Although Lansky put out a whole range of sharpening devices and accessories, when you hear the word Lansky you associate it with their premium product – the Lansky Controlled-Angle Sharpening System. No wonder it’s just called the Lansky! It consists of a cleaver knife clamp and a set of sharpening stones of varying coarseness that are held on an exact angle by a moveable arm. You can choose the angle required on your knife edge from a very fine 17 degrees (fish knives, broad heads or razor type delicate work), 20 degrees (kitchen cutlery and very high quality knives), Why use a Lansky? With the better quality hunting knives having very hard steel, they may keep their edge for a long while but when they do get blunt they can be very hard to sharpen by hand alone. When you find that your butcher’s steel won’t do a thing to help bring the edge back, you will need a good quality stone to hone the blade edge back into shape. Other Sharpeners Lansky has many other choices that are well suited to field use. Two new ones are now available. The first is the Quick Fix Pocket Sharpener. This is a light weight, simple hand-held device where the knife is drawn back through tungsten rods. There are two crossed pairs of rods to draw your knife through, one sharpens the basic edge and the second finer rods polish the edge up nicely. This simple, light weight and small sharpener has no parts that might corrode making it ideal for a marine environment as well as in the field. The second is the Retractable Diamond Sharpening Rod in a 5-inch solid brass case which also serves as the handle when the rod is exposed. The rod uses fine ground diamond “dust” to put the edge back onto the toughest steel. The brass case/handle is knurled for good grip and the rod has a groove for fish hooks as well. Lansky have also released Nathan’s Natural Honing Oil for lubricating bench stones. A few drops will help you get a good edge whether you are using a Lansky stone, a controlled edge Lansky or another stone of your own. This oil is highly refined and will stop your stone from becoming clogged giving you excellent results. Conclusion I have used the Lansky Controlled-Angle Sharpener for many years and it’s an excellent product that I highly recommend. I have found nothing better for getting the edge back on a well worn knife blade, no matter how hard the steel is. I have sharpened knives for Mates that were surprised just how easy they are to use and how sharp the finished result was. If you are used to a butchers-type rod for “steeling” your knife, the retractable diamond rod is an awesome bit of kit, although best suited to smaller knives as the rod only extends 3.5 inches. I keep one in the kitchen drawer at home and find it to be a most handy and useful item. I also have a Quick Fix type of sharpener on the boat and it is always getting used. The light weight makes it ideal as an extra to your hunting kit. If you turn the edge of your knife blade on deer skin or bone a quick few strokes will have it razor sharp again. Next time you are cutting off the cape of that big Red stag, with its inch thick neck hide, you might just be thankful you brought along your Lansky sharpening tool. Lansky is distributed by NZ Ammunition Company Ltd. See www.lansky.com for more information. Lansky Controlled-Angle Sharpening System RRP Starting from $99.00 |
||
