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Handy-Sharp / E-Z Sharp
Keychain Knife Sharpener
Great for keychain survival kits.
Review by Thomas J. Elpel

      My knife is an extension of my hand and I use it constantly in the kitchen, in house construction, and on wilderness treks. I need to keep a sharp blade, but have neither the time nor the inclination to stop and use a whetstone until my knife becomes impossibly dull. Fortunately, the E-Z Sharp keychain knife sharpener is the ideal knife sharpening system for people like me who need a blade, but don't have time to mess with whetstones. E-Z sharp is small, lightweight and easily fits on a keychain to insure that you always have it when you need it. With E-Z Sharp on your keychain, you can sharpen your knife in seconds, right when you need it most. E-Z Sharp is versatile and effectively sharpens a large variety of cutting edges, including: knives, scissors, broadheads, fish hooks, garden tools, and axes.

Instructions
      1. Hold knife sharpener firmly at a 20 to 30 degree angle. Stroke any cornered edge of your E-Z Sharp with your blade (Not the flat top surface.) A few strokes are usually adequate.
      2. For a dulled or burred knife, increase stroke pressure.
      3. As the cutting edge becomes sharper, the stroke pressure should be lightened to create a finer honed edge.
      4. Sharpening techniques may be varied to meet individual styles and needs.

      Always be careful to avoid contact with the sharp edges of cutting tools.

Survival Keychain
      Because of its compact size, E-Z Sharp is ideal for the survival keychain. Furthermore, as my friend Niall Fink taught me, the carbide edge is equal or better at striking sparks with the Swedish Fire Steel than the metal striker that comes with the Fire Steel. Keep the mischmetal rod, but substitute E-Z Sharp for the metal plate for increased functionality with less bulk. The Handy-Sharp pictured here (upper left) is slightly larger, but otherwise functions the same as the E-Z Sharp. It also has a two-carbide, angled notch on the side to sharpen blades by dragging them through the notch.

      Limited availability: The E-Z Sharp and Handy Sharp are currently out of production, but our supplier is kindly redirecting stock from other vendors to us. We ship either the E-Z Sharp or the Handy Sharp, depending on what we have in stock at the moment.

Also see these related pages:
Survival Knives
Swedish Fire Steel
The Always-With-You Compact Survival Kit