Perhaps the best product in its category! Sharpening requires a lot of experience and considerable knowledge; the tool that will do the job can even be a simple sandpaper or a broken ceramic, so it comes last. Nevertheless, when you are out camping, on a long trip, or on a multi-day hunting trip and you want to always keep your knife or anything sharp you use (e.g., scissors) sharp, then this product can meet all your needs, IF of course, you have the knowledge and experience that it requires. The small ceramic it has is perfect for the so-called serrations and more! Also important, the large ceramic has a pin on one side, which if you carefully remove, the ceramic comes out so you can clean it more easily (or if you want, even keep just that to avoid carrying the whole system). It is small, of course, and quite light overall; a bit of the diamond plates makes it heavier, but still, it is portable enough to fit in a pocket if needed (although it is a bit thick for a pocket).
Usage instructions and tips:
Wet the diamond plates a little to keep them and NEVER press the knife hard against them! Generally, the most common mistake I see is that they press much harder than they should on the knife, thinking that it will sharpen faster? better? I don’t know why they do this, but it is a HUGE mistake. Also, as you get to the last passes, reduce the pressure even more, especially as you finish the passes on the ceramic; the last ones should have even less pressure. The key is to do exactly the same on both sides and to maintain the correct angle, always the same, in each pass. As we increase in grit, we triple the passes for each different grit. For example, 10 passes on the side with the coarse diamond, 30 on the fine, 90 on the ceramic, and 300 on the leather (on the leather, about ten proper passes are enough to remove any burr from the edge). Personally, I sharpen in such a way that even though I create a burr, I eliminate it before reaching the leather, or it remains so little that with a few passes on the leather, I get rid of it and the edge remains perfectly clean. The secret on the leather, although the same principles apply, is to be careful not to apply too much pressure; the blade can come off the leather, and consider a 1 to 2-degree lower angle than you sharpened because the leather folds over the edge, and the angle can be deceptive. So, keep the knife slightly lower towards the leather. Lock your wrists to maintain the correct and stable angle, but keep all your muscles relaxed, both in your shoulders and fingers. Don’t tense anything. Especially from the elbows to the shoulders, keep those muscles even more relaxed than in your hands. Always sharpen first as many cheap knives as you can find in the kitchen drawer or from acquaintances and friends, and gradually move on to the very expensive knives because it requires a lot of practice (hundreds, if not more, knives) to be able to sharpen an expensive knife without damaging it! The sure thing is that everyone can do it!