The Easy Way to Sharpen a Knife Without Spending a Lot of MoneyGaye Levy, Contributor What does this mean for the prepper? You have some choices. You can carry a ceramic stone and sharpen your blade . . . or you can carry a basic little sharpener that will make the job simple, quick and easy. I guess you know what I choose. I choose the easy way to sharpen a knife without spending a lot of money! I purchased Smiths Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener a few months ago and have used it quite a bit. Not that my blades were super dull, mind you, but I wanted to learn how to use it properly and run it through its paces before I had to use it out in the field, while hiking, or in an emergency situation. The Technical Stuff This lightweight little knife sharpener weighs only an ounce and features a fold out, tapered round diamond-coated rod for sharpening serrated and standard edges quickly and easily. It measures 3-1/2 inches long and is 1 inch wide plus, and it only weighs just one ounce. The Survival Husband Impressions I recruited my resident knife expert, Survival Husband, to give me his impressions. (Remember him? He is the one that swiped my Kershaw OSO Sweet from me . . . ). Here is what he said: This sharpener is great. It is compact and the construction is very durable. The real plus, however, is that it is small enough and light weight enough to simply drop it in your pack or packet and not worry about it taking up space or being bulky. The pocket pal knife sharpener is easy to use. In addition to the fixed sharpening blade, it has a small steel which enables you to sharpen a serrated blade no muss no fuss. In my view this is great for sharpening blades in the field or emergency situation. I would recommend that you purchase a few to stash in you pack, your pocket and around the house so that you always have a sharp blade whenever and wherever. Sharpening Slots Tapered Diamond Rod: Flat Edges Tapered Diamond Rod: Serrated Edges The Final Word Although I own a fancy, smancy Chefs Choice knife sharpenerknife sharpener, it is clumsy, heavy and dare I say expensive? Sure, there are better sharpeners out there but for $9 or less? Well, this is great choice to keep in your survival kit. Plus it proves that survival gear does not need to cost a lot to be useful and effective. Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation! Gaye Levy, theSurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 