Having a dull knife can cause both cutting problems and safety issues. Those issues can be over if you start using a Lansky Knife Sharpening System. These systems give a consistently sharp edge every time you use them. Is it the best knife sharpening system out there? That would be a loaded question. With an easy-to-use multiple-angle guide and a series of varied grit honing stones, almost any knife can be sharpened. This system ranks among the best knife sharpening methods that we have used.
Lansky Standard vs Lansky Deluxe Sharpening System
For this review, we received two different test kits. One of the kits includes 5 different man-made hones and the other set included 3 diamond hones. Each of the kits arrived packed in a handy custom-molded carry case. It keeps everything nicely organized and in place. Also included is a 1-ounce bottle of honing oil and easy-to-follow directions. Once disassembled, all of the parts in the kit fit neatly into the hard case. Both assembly and disassembly seemed easy when setting up for sharpening.
Each of the hones comes with a color-coded and marked handle. The handles have finger grooves molded into each side, making them easy to grasp. There are small details that make this kit durable. For example, Lansky provides a metal sleeve insert for the threaded thumb screw and guide rod so that doesn’t wear out the plastic. The included honing oil works great with the Lansky Sharpening Systems or any other sharpener. Lansky offers several different knife sharpening configurations and systems. We chose two of the more popular for review.
Lansky Knife Sharpening System (Deluxe)
- Hones Included (man-made stone): Extra Coarse, Coarse, Medium, Fine & Ultra-Fine
- Model Number: LKCLX
- Price: $44.99
Lansky Knife Sharpening System (Standard Diamond)
- Hones Include (diamond): Course, Medium & Fine
- Model Number: LK3DM
- Price: $79.99
Lansky Knife Sharpening System Testing and Use
To test the Lansky Knife Sharpening System, we, of course, sharpened a few different knives. We took a 12″ long Farberware kitchen knife, an 8″ Colman hunting knife, and a 6-1/2″ Kershaw pocket knife and put each to the test. To start off, we took the blade clamp (which also doubles as the angle guide) and attached it to the midpoint on the backside of the knife blade. We then took the appropriate hone grit that we needed and attached the guide rod to it. We chose the hone grit based on the condition of the blade to be sharpened.
All of the knives we had to sharpen had a clean edge and retained a small amount of sharpness; therefore we chose the fine diamond and the fine stone for our starting points. The next thing we did is insert the guide rod into each of the possible angles in the guide. Using our eye, we checked which one best matched the existing angle of the knife blade.
Setting Your Blade Angle
The angle the blade edge is sharpened to is critical to the final use of the blade.
As a guideline, Lansky has the following recommendations – and their guide follows these same angles:
- 17° Angle – A severe angle recommended for razor blades, X-Acto blades, scalpels, or similar tools. This angle provides an extremely sharp, but delicate edge.
- 20° Angle – A commonly-used angle for higher quality blades and provides an excellent edge for kitchen cutlery and fillet knives.
- 25° Angle – The recommended angle for most knives that need a durable, sharp edge. This angle is ideal for hunting and outdoor knives.
- 30° Angle – An outstanding angle for knives that see the heavy use of cutting cardboard, wire, or carpets. Recommended mostly for heavy-duty use knives.
Sharpening Our Knife Blades
After we determined the angle, we added some honing oil to the stone and started to sharpen our Kershaw Zing folding knife. Once we sharpened one side of the blade, we flipped the knife over and did the same thing on the opposite side. Both systems let us comfortably sharpen each of the different size knives we tried. Both of the clamps fit on the blade without difficulty. The guide rods also proved long enough to let us reach the full edge from tang to tip.
As with any tool that requires some physical activity on the part of the user, there is some technique and skill needed to sharpen knives. Of course, with the Lansky Knife Sharpening System, most of the guesswork is taken out of the process. With a little practice, you can have all your knives restored to tip-top shape.
Conclusion & Value
While the Knife Sharpening System might not be a new tool out on the market, we figured it was well worth the time to test and review it. This system is among the best knife sharpening system we have used. It doesn’t take away tons of material like some belt-driven systems. It also helps with finding and maintaining the proper sharpening angle—another common issue among less-experienced users.
Made with quality materials, really anyone can use either of these Lansky knife Sharpening Systems to hone any knife to a razor-sharp edge. Priced between $43 and $80, you should be able to locate a set that works for your particular needs and budget.
How do the Deluxe and the Diamond set compare to each other? Would you pick one over the other?