I recently had a chance to test two interesting knife sharpeners from an interesting source. The Warthog V-Sharp and Multi-Edge series sharpeners are from South Africa, a country that many of us think about only as a source of bone and ivory for knife handles.  Their SA website is http://www.knifesharpners.co.za/ and the USA distributor is http://www.warthogsharp.com/  Contact either website for a dealer near you.

NOTE May 2004: Since I tested the Warthog diamond sharpeners, they have changed from industrial diamonds to natural diamonds.  The shape of natural diamonds makes them cut faster than the blocky industrial diamonds.  This is especially important in the V-Sharp where a thin rod must do all the sharpening.  The V-Sharp blade guides have been changed from metal to a very strong glass filled polycarbonate.  The metal guides tended to leave the tiny scratch marks on blades. The guides are wider and also are able to be widened even further to accept broader blades than before. The basic unit retails for $82.95 in the USA.

The two Warthog sharpeners are totally different in design and use. Let's start with the V-Sharp.

The V-Sharp is a knive sharpener only . It has two slanted diamond sharpening hones, which gives it its name. If you think I am describing crock sticks, take another look at the picture. The hones start out overlapped and they are spring loaded so that they slide apart when a knife is slid between them. Unlike crock sticks, the pressure is controlled by the springs, and the frame of the sharpener acts as a guide that helps keep the blade vertical. The ease with which a knife slides through is a reminder just how little pressure is needed when using diamond hones.

The V-Sharp is not a new idea, but there has not been a sharpener of this design on the market since the 1930s.

The Blankner Sharpener circa 1930

The closest thing is the F. Dick Rapid Steel Action. As its name implies, it uses steel sharpeners, and they swing apart rather than slide.

  The F. Dick Rapid Steel

The 325 grit hones that came with my V-Sharp created a reasonable sharp edge - one that cuts paper - in a reasonable amount of time. There is a compromise that one has to make when using only one abrasive grit and Warthog has done a good job picking the grit. A faster cutting grit would not produce as sharp an edge, and a finer abrasive would take forever to sharpen a really dull knife. Warthog now has 600 and 1000 grit hones available.

The V-Sharp hones are adjustable for three discrete angles - 17, 20 and 25 - degrees, which covers most needs. The hones are changed by removing a screw at one end, moving the hone and replacing the screw. It just takes a couple of minutes to change both hones.

My review model came with an extra set of hones modified to act as a steel. I don't know if this is a feature on the production model, but it should be. The steel automatically raises the angle about 10 degrees, and produces a shaving edge. 
There are several similar steeling devices on the market - The Razor Edge Mouse Trap, the F. Dick Rapid Steel Polish and the TruHone Crossteel to name a few - but none is combined with an effective sharpener. Good job, Warthog.

If you want to use other hones and/or the steel, you will quickly see that it is most efficient to sharpen knives in batches, doing one operation on all the knives before changing the sharpener.

The Warthog V-Sharp is an excellent, no skills required sharpener suitable for most sportsmen (and sportswomen) and homeowners. Set it at 20 degrees and forget it. The edge from the medium hones will meet most needs. The USA importer is offering optional marble and granite bases that improve the stability and make the unit attractive to be left out on your kitchen counters.  The V-Sharp sells for about $75 USD.

Multi-Edge is a line of rod guided systems that use 6" bench stones. It comes in five versions, the Hunter in a heavy cloth case, the Prestige in a wooden box, the Elite in a rosewood box, and the Diamond and Double diamond, also in a rosewood box. See their website for details.  Multi-Edges retail for $50 to $100.

The first three models come with a standard double-sided aluminum oxide stone, and the Diamond model comes with a 600 grit diamond hone. Other grits are available in both AlOx and diamond, and there is also a natural waterstone whose grit is between medium and fine.  A unique feature of the diamond hones is that the coarser grits come as longer hones that ingeniously still fit the base.  Having a longer hone makes the rough grinding go faster.

Warthog also makes a diamond hone for serrated blades that is included in the Diamond model. The serrated hone has four different radiuses to meet different needs. Nice touch.

Another nice touch is a leather strop that fits over the stone, allowing stropping at a controlled angle. The strop is included in all models. Nothing, not even the steeling action of the above V-Sharp model, beats a strop for producing a razor edge.

In operation these sharpeners look like the Skarb, but with an important difference - the motion of sharpening is perpendicular to the edge, resulting in a strong edge with strong teeth. The Warthog design also makes use of all the stone, and controls the bevel angle even on long and curved blades.

The unique blade holder, which reminds me of the Starship Enterprise, can accommodate knives, scissors, chisels and plane blades. It is continuously adjustable, with angles marked at 0, 17, 20, 25, 30 & 35 degrees and from 60 to 90 degrees in 5-degree increments.

The later group of angles is for scissors, although there is some guesswork when sharpening so-called knife-edge scissors with angles in the 45-degree range. My advice is to match the original angle, using the black marker trick to see just where you are sharpening.

The blade holder can even be set over 90 degrees to give what is called a negative angle to scissors. (Scissor angles are measured at 90 degrees from how knife angles are measured.) A negative angle is never desirable, but it is sometimes necessary if someone has already committed this offense to a pair of pinking shears, and you do not have the time or equipment to bring them back to a positive angle.

The woodwork on these models (even the Hunter has a wood base) is furniture quality, but, like furniture, the usually hidden surfaces are roughly finished.

Overall, this is one of the most versatile sharpening systems I have seen, superior to the Skarb and a worthy rival to the EdgePro. My recommendation is the Diamond model with all the hones, but if your budget is limited, start with the Hunter model and add the diamond hones when you can, starting with the fast cutting coarse diamond hone. IMHO, the diamond hones are more important than the fancy wooden boxes.  The Hunter series is priced from $65 to $100 depending on the case and hones.

April 5, 2004
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