Some people own cars but don’t like working on them, and some people own knives but don’t like, or know how to sharpen them. This Lansky Sharpening System Review will cover their kit which makes bringing back an extremely dull knife back to life and create a sharp edge quite easily.
Lansky Sharpening System Review Overview
Lansky’s Deluxe Controlled-Angle Sharpening System allows even the most amateur users to sharpen knives quickly and efficiently. Sharpening a knife with a traditional stone can be difficult because holding the blade at the wrong, or an erratic angle does not allow for the blade’s bevel to be consistent. With this system, the angle guesswork is removed and the choice of hone grit is simple. Lansky advertises their system to make “Knife Sharpening as easy as 1,2,3!” and it really is.
Lansky Sharpening System Review Features
The system comes in a sturdy plastic box, about the size of a paperback book, which has a place for every included piece. Each hone connects to a guide rod.
This rod rides in a chosen hole, corresponding to the selected bevel angle (17, 20, 25, or 30 degrees).
The angle holes are on both sides of the blade clamp, which holds the knife’s blade during the sharpening. The hones have ergonomic grooves to protect your fingers.
I also purchased their Super C-Clamp which aides in holding the blade clamp steady, as opposed to holding the whole setup in your hands. The movable post supports the blade clamp while sharpening.
Spare screws as well as a small bottle of Nathan’s Natural Honing Oil is included.
Nathan’s Honing Oil for cleaning the accumulated metal shavings from the hones.
Honing Oil in action – before, during, and after use.
Lansky offers multiple different sharpening system kits. Each contains different combinations of their most popular hones. Some of the other offerings include special hones for serrated blades, Natural Arkansas Stones, and diamond hones. The collection reviewed here is their Deluxe system.
Lansky Sharpening System Review Performance
The use of the system was rather simple and straightforward, as advertised. Clamping and un-clamping the blade could be a bit clumsy, especially trying to hold the knife, clamp, and a screwdriver. This became easier after doing it a couple of times, a bit of a learning curve you might say. The blade was very secure once properly tightened.
The hones removed a bit of metal, doing their job. The guide rods kept the stones at a consistent angle and moving along the blade became an easy motion once you got the hang of it.
I really like the ability to accurately maintain different bevel angles throughout multiple passes on each hone for whichever type of blade you’re sharpening.
Having everything housed in one handy box assures that you have all the pieces you need to get the job done and cuts down on losing any of the small parts (but if you do, they have included a spare of each of the two most commonly lost pieces).
While the guide rods are easily bent, and the whole system is based on a straight rod, they are just as easily bent back into shape. Additionally, extra rods are available should you need extras for other hones or to replace damaged or lost rods from your initial kit.
While the finger grooves are a very good idea, their execution could be done better. For those of us with big hands and/or girthy fingers, the grooves could be difficult to hold at times.
When using the 17-degree slot, the guide rod hit the thumb screw on the blade clamp. A completely tool-less method for securing blades in the clamp that do not interfere with any angle would be a very welcomed change.
I used this setup along with an additional leather stropping hone to sharpen some really dull and beat up kitchen knives at the fire station. It took a while to completely re-do their angle, but once the bevel was initially cut, the last 3 hones went faster. While a lot more work would be needed to remove the gouges in one of the blades, overall, they were very sharp.
Lansky Sharpening System Review Value
At the time of writing, Amazon sells the components for the following prices, adding up to just shy of $70:
- Deluxe Sharpening System – $38.82
- Super C-Clamp – $14.99
- Leather Stropping Hone – $10.38
- Spare Guide Rods (4pcs) – $5.75
With the initial sharpening system under $40, it is hard to beat the value. There are sharpeners available for far less than $40 but they have limitations that steered me away from them (non-adjustable angles, not suitable for multiple blade materials, needing more skill and time to use, just to name a few). Just the deluxe kit has the ability to accurately sharpen most knives in your kitchen, workshop, and pocket. This kit is suitable, if even just a starting point, for everyone from a sharpening amateur like myself to a knife expert. Other setups that have as much flexibility as this easily cost hundreds of dollars, with many being electric and needing 120-volt power.
Lansky Sharpening System Review Final Thought
This lightweight, compact, and versatile kit is great to keep anywhere from the glove box, toolbox, to even your backpack or bug out bag and sure to get plenty of use in almost any household or job site.
Looks like a cool way to keep knives sharp and for a cheap price. Nice
Thank you for your article. Awesome.
You’re welcome and thanks for the kind words!
The reason the thumbscrew got in the way was because the blade was not clamped ideally. The jaws should be spread a little farther apart at the back (where the thumbscrew is) than at the front where the other screw is. Then the thumbscrew is farther through the clamp body and does not interfere with the guide rod. That also causes the jaws to hold the blade more securely because most blades are thickest at their spine.