No matter the quality of a knife, at some point the blade will need to be sharpened. Maintaining knives can be difficult without the proper tools for the job.
Lansky’s Deluxe Sharpening System is a 5 stone system designed to sharpen a wide variety of knives with different steel compositions, blade lengths, and curvature types. The system is an all in one kit made for taking care of large and small knives at home or on the go.
The multiple rods in the system make it useful for regular maintenance, rough sharpening and clean finishing. For its versatility we give this system 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Pros
- Convenient travel size
- Multiple angles suited for different tasks
- 5 different grit stones for repair and finishing
Cons
- Guide rods can bend easily
- The stand is sold separately
- Honing and sharpening severely damaged blades can be difficult
What Does the Kit Include?
The kit itself comes in a convenient carrying case that latches in the front. Inside the kit are 5 stones, 5 separate guide rods for each of the stones, a two sided clamp with angle holes, a flat head screw for the clamp and additional thumb screws for the rods. It also includes a small bottle of honing oil.
The stones come in 5 different grits for different sharpening tasks: 70 grit (extra coarse), 120 grit (coarse), 280 grit (medium), 600 grit (fine), and 1000 grit (ultra fine). The more coarse stones are good for doing rough sharpening work on dull or damaged knives, whereas the fine and ultrafine stones are for honing already sharp knives to maintain their edge.
The stones are embedded into color coded plastic handles for convenience and ease of handling. The guide rods are each fitted to a particular stone and then tightened down, meaning there is no need to remove and replace the rod when changing stones.
The clamp secures the knife blade in place and the guide rods help maintain the proper angle when working the blade. The clamp system and multiple bevel angles allow for working a variety of blades fairly easily.
Is the Kit Beginner Friendly?
The short answer is, sort of. The system takes a bit of getting used to, but once the clamp system is properly secured and the stones are lined up, it becomes fairly easy to securely sharpen most knives. The clamp, screws and guide rods are all necessary to hold the knife in place and maintain the proper bevel angle while sharpening a blade. Getting used to the setup can take a bit of practice.
Overall, most users enjoy the flexibility of the system once they get over the initial learning curve. The kit even includes a few extra components for commonly lost pieces and extra rods and stones can be freely purchased to replace lost or bent rods or add additional stones for different tasks.
This kit is not necessarily ideal for first time knife sharpeners, but offers a variety of options with a little experience.
How to Use
The important thing for using this system is the setup. Making sure that all of the rods are aligned properly and the clamp is locked down tight will ensure proper use.
Begin by lining up the rods and stones on a flat surface. Place the bent end of each rod through the corresponding hole on each stone and make sure that they line up evenly. Once each one of the rods and stones are lined up properly on a flat surface, begin tightening down the thumb screws.
Make sure to measure that the line between the rod and the stone is as straight as possible otherwise the angle will be off when sharpening the blade.
Next, to affix the blade to the clamp, begin by loosening the forward screw and turning the rearward screw clockwise until it stops. Then continue to adjust the rearward (angle) screw until the blade fits properly. This will vary based on the thickness of the blade being held. Make sure the blade sits squarely within the clamp and tighten down the angle screw.
Check for movement within the clamp before use. It is also important to test where the stone will hit the blade on each knife before continued use. If the stone is not striking the blade properly, loosen the rear screw and resituate the blade before continuing.
Lansky Deluxe Sharpening System vs Gatco Edgemate 3 Stone System
Ease – For ease of use a slight edge goes to the Gatco Edgemate system. The kit includes detailed setup instructions in the box itself, complete with instructions and pictures. Both systems use a clamp and rod process, however, the detailed instructions make the Gatco the easier of the two.
Versatility – For this category the edge goes to Lansky. While the Gatco has more sharpening angles, the additional stones and more secure clamp with easy angle adjustment as well as the thumbscrews for the guide rods gives Lansky the edge on overall versatility.
Sharpness – Overall, this category came down to bladework. The flexibility of the Lansky system gives it the edge in this category. The additional grit stones as well as the security of the guide rods and angle system provide a better method of sharpening dull blades or honing already sharp blades.
Final Verdict – The win in this comparison goes narrowly to Lansky. Both kits use similar mechanisms, however, the Lansky system offers more overall control and versatility than the Gatco system.
Lansky Deluxe Sharpening System Review – Final Thoughts
The Lansky system is a good all in one sharpening kit for most any knife out there from kitchen knives to combat and pocket knives. The 5 stone system allows for a great degree of control over blade work.
It is useful for sharpening dull or damaged blades and a great choice for honing already sharp blades. The clamp and guide rods take a bit of effort to learn and set up, but once mastered provide a very secure means of sharpening most blades.
For the price and initial learning curve, the Lansky system is a great choice for the avid knife enthusiast.
- Secure Knife Clamp: A multi-angle clamp is included to hold the blade securely, making this Lansky knife sharpener kit simple to use. Keeping a consistent angle with this knife sharpener tool is much easier than with a knife sharpening stone.
- Complete Pocket Knife Sharpening Kit: The Deluxe 5-Stone Lansky Sharpening System features 5 ceramic knife sharpener stones, each for a unique purpose: a black extra-coarse hone (70 grit), a red coarse hone (120 grit) for edge reconditioning, a green medium hone (280 grit) for sharpening and less frequent touch-ups, a blue fine hone (600 grit) for frequent touch-ups to keep your blade paper-slicing sharp, and an ultra-fine hone (1000 grit) for polishing a razor sharp edge.
- Precision Knife Sharpener: The components in this Lansky knife sharpening system allow you to fix an angle of your choice for your edge, ensuring a consistent, clean bevel. For best results, attach the clamp to one of Lansky's table mounts like the Super C Clamp or the Universal Mount.
