SHARPAL 105N Multipurpose Pocket Garden Tool Blade Sharpener for Knife Pruners Loppers Hedge Shears Scissors Axe Hatchet Machete Lawn Mower

I'm a beginner glass blower. I work with glass tubes and the first thing I found I needed, after a torch, was a tungsten carbide 'scoring knife', to make a scratch that would, when stressed by bending, grow to a crack around the entire circumference of a tube. That it all happens in a split second as a "snap' belies the genius of using a single small scratch (a miniature crack) as a focal point for the stress of bending the tube and knowing, with certainty. that the brittle glass tube will release the internal stress of bending, all at once, by extending that crack (scratch) circumferentially along the shortest path possible, thereby adhering to the rule that material processes involving a change in energy state will occur along the path of least resistance. A tungsten carbide knife was recommended, but the ones sold by the glass suppliers I used were rather pricey. I (wrongly) assumed that the words "tungsten carbide" referred to an alloy of steel and tungsten, augmented by carbon. I bought triangular files and the strongest hacksaw blades. I quickly dulled many triangular files and strong hacksaw blades. I extrapolated (again wrongly) that: if a small scratch works to initiate a crack, a bigger scratch, even all the way around, will do the best job of 'showing the glass the path it aught to take’. I got a glass tubing cutter; a hinged jaw sort of device, with a broad V on one jaw (in which to hold the glass straight and steady), and a scoring/cutting wheel at the end of the other jaw. It is very difficult to get the path the scoring wheel takes to return to the exact line on which it started. The ever-present minute irregularities in glass and the loose tolerances in the device prevent perfect alignment, which leads to a spiral trace. Not too soon, I realized that I was creating a whole line of microscopic scratches along which path the force releasing crack could, and would, veer off from my idea of a clean cut, or the perfect path it would have followed straight around the tube from a small scratch, had I not interfered. The relatively broad line of hacksaw blade or file only provided more, and more 'attractive' microscopic cracks to steer the cleaving crack away from a 'clean cut' line.I'd heard of different ways induce thermal stress (as opposed to bending stress) to create a line of omni directional cracks that would then be joined all at once by a large thermal shock or by continuing to tap the starter scratch edges or thermal shock small sections. I liked idea of using of low voltage DC current to create red hot resistance wire (NiCrFe alloy wire) to extend a scratch or blast the glass in half with a surge of white-hot heat without a starting scratch. I started with burning strings and old glass jars. Then I tried extending a starter scratch with a 140W soldering gun. The best result came from using a scratch all the way around the tube, chilling it in iced water, then heating the scratch (both round & round, and in sections) with my new narrow flame propane torch ((Flame King YSNAX1-001 Multi-Purpose Pencil Propane Torch Head) then plunging it in ice water. Experience said that the best results came from the cleanest straightest scratches. I'd avoided buying a WC — elemental symbols for tungsten (wolfram) & carbon— scoring knife because they were expensive. Then I saw one glass supplier show a Speedy Sharp sharpening tool as a replacement for a scoring knife that had gone out of production. I had previously thought these steel-on-steel sharpeners merely sharpened by straightening a knife's dinged up edge, not grinding a new one. However, the carbide sharpeners I was now seeing in use appeared to shave metal off a worn edge better than grinding. Then I learned about tungsten carbide being a compound unto itself, and the hardest thing around. I was all set to get the Speedy Sharp when I discovered, on other Amazon pages, the same knife, with no brand name for 30% less. Finally, I spotted the Sharpal. I saw it had 5 times the amount of carbide (WC), a larger contact surface, a textured rounded end for smoothing, a larger, more ergonomic handle and was still a buck cheaper than the Speedy Sharp. I bought one and in one day have sharpened all the knives and other edges I have been avoiding because the work is so time consuming.I like using a whetstone. I learned about knives in Boy Scouts from a Scout Master whose family, for generations, has been bladesmiths. His standing offer was that for anyone, achieving Eagle Scout grade he would create (forge, grind and temper) a Bowie knife from any file (any size) you could bring him. In my area (where Lake Michigan Meets Indiana) Bethlehem Steel and Pullman Boxcar Factory were the largest, among many, industries fabricating steel and worn out large metal files (~2’ long) were in abundance. His sharpening instructions were simple. You just have to see an edge angle (16°-20°), hold that angel and start with circular grinding (12 circles each side), moving from hilt to tip, now repeat on the other side of the blade. Continue working alternate sides until all portions of the blade are sharp (blade will 'catch', not slide, when moved sideways across your thumbnail). Then stroke the blade on the stone as if slicing a thin layer of material from the stone (scrupulously keeping the same edge angle). Switch sides with each stroke. Finish with one steeply angled stroke on each side—to remove any thin-film burr created — the harder the steel, the more likely a burr will develop. Paramount is keeping the angle exactly the same (much easier said than done). With well dulled blades, it can take me up to 30 minutes and require several whetstones of different grit grade. Procrastinating the job makes it even more tedious, in the end.The Sharpal is wizard fast. It quickly shaves even my hardest knives to a nice edge in 10 strokes or less. Admittedly, a little work with a fine whetstone would result in perfection. Even without that, my knives, scissors, utility knives, box cutters, wood planes, side cutting pliers, shovel, Pulaski, brush hook, axe and cuticle nippers are now all sharper than since they were new. Anybody would love this as a gift. I’m certain I’ll be converting some friends and family from naysayers to enthusiasts of this tool.P.S. The cap is not a problem. The ad should have explained it better. They used the right words, but showed too little detail to convey the opening procedure technique The cap can be loosened grasping it firmly at its top, then rocking it foreward and back, in line with the long sides (first push forward, then pull back). Just wiggling it won’t do it, firm full-range motions are needed. At first, it may take a several of these cycles to get appreciable lift. Each movement can be seen to raise it a bit. Eventually it will clear the restricting snaps and lift off with a twisting motion. After 10 -20 removals it won’t seat as tightly. but it still may need a push or 2 to pull it off without gorilla strength. I have arthritic hands and have lost a lot of my grip. I have no cap trouble since wearing it down with 1 min of on-off-on-off cycling.UPDATE: 1.14.24 The carbide bit fell out a few weeks after purchase. The comfortable handle gave such a good grip that normal use applied enough torque to loosen handle and the bit fell out. I was surprised to see how little of the bit extended into the handle (~0.5"). I kept it and used hot glue gun to stick it back in place. but it's still a little loose. Sharpenall has carbide cutting surface attached to steel shank that extends all the way to the bottom of the handle.

I bought this to try as a ferocium rod (fire steel) striker. I've tried many strikers over the years, from the cheap ones some rods come with and their upgrades, to various tools like hacksaw blades and "whatever works", and of course the spines of many knives crafted from many metals (carbon, stainless, powered-metallurgy super steels, etc.). I also bought this carbon sharpener alongside a few other "carbide" sharpeners that were less expensive, to see if I could get the performance while saving a few bucks.Long story short, for use as a fero rod striker while starting fires, nothing, and I mean nothing, even came close to the level of performance I get while using this.To start with the business end of it - the carbide - it's of exceptional quality and the edges are perfectly squared off - perfect for stricking a rod. I used to think that a 1/2" fero rod would pretty much last forever. But, that was when I used all of the other things to strike rods. This thing slices off a visible and palpable layer of fero. And it doesn't go to waste! It throws down legit gobs molten, sparkish fero even from a cheap rods, that continue to combust for up to a few seconds (a good rod doesn't have to be expensive. I have great experiences with some of the cheap ones on Amazon). Don't get me wrong - a 1/2" x 6 rode will still last longer than most would ever survive in the wilderness (or maybe a hundred fires overall, dending on how well you start fires). The carbide is visibly of much higher quality than the cheaper carbide strikers you see on amazon (with the rubber handle). And no knife steel I've encountered (which is many) comes close, even considering those with great handles that allow you to really put your shoulder into it - this does more, with less effort.After I purposely was heavy-handed with it for a number of fires and my 3-year old picked it up and scraped it on things (mimicking what he saw me doing). I could see some burn resin on it, as usual, though I was able to clean it back to a mirror shine with mostly just my finger, then a couple wipes with a shirt and it looked brand new, the edge was still just as squared as the other edge that I hadn't used. I then used it to sharpen my knife, which it did an impressive job at - and the carbide still held its edge.Apart from the carbide - which again is just amazing and completely worth the few extra bucks. The ergonomics are fantastic and you can get a whole-hand grip (great any time, but especially in the bitter and windy cold, when you're fingers and hands are begining to lose strength). Yes, the cap is pretty tight and takes a surprising amount of effort to remove, though it's not like trying to lift Thor's hammer and some people really just complain too much. Do you want the very best performance with what the tool is actually designed to do, or will you let a cap make you compromise with something that's a liability? The carbide is so strong and not brittle that you could probably just leave the cap, though I prefer to not take chances and know my gear will be serviceable when I need it, whether that be starting a fire in the back yard, or elsewhere.Anways, get this if you want to use it as a striker. It's amazing. Really it is. You won't find anything better suited to the task.