PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
52 Year old male
183 cm (6' 0'') in height
74 kg (163 lbs) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Homepage:  Risk's Ultralight Hiking Page
Trailname: "Risk"
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 17 lb (8 kg) and skin out weight of 25 lb (11 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 1000 miles (1610 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and I make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Spyderco
Year Manufactured: 2005
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.spyderco.com
MSRP: US $74.95
Listed Weight: Not found on web pages
Measured Weight: system and case - 14.3 oz (405 g)
     single brown (coarse) grit triangular stone - 1.6 oz (45 g)
     single white (fine) grit triangular stone - 1.8 oz (51 g)

FIELD CONDITIONS

Since April, I completed two week-long hikes on the AT, totaling about 175 mi (280 km).  In addition, I walked an overnight hike in the Adirondacks and I have taken many day hikes. During these experiences, I walked in the mountains, and in the forest.  I paddled on lakes and streams. I experienced heat, rain, sun, and very buggy conditions. Temperatures  ranged from 50 F (10 C) to 99 F (37 C).   I carried at least one knife with me all this time. It was important for that knife to be sharp and in good condition for cooking, fire starting, and general camp chores.   

REVIEW

For a complete description of the sharpening system and the instructional video, please see my Initial Report.  To review how I used a single stone for sharpening on the trail and my early experiences with sharpening many sorts of knives, see my Field Report.

Let me first reiterate that the sharpening system works extremely well for knives of all sorts.  During the Long Term reporting period, I have not carried the sharpener with me. However, I have carried a knife with me every step.

The sharpener has taken up a permanent place of residence next to the cutting block on my kitchen counter top. It would be impossible for me to count the number of times I have sharpened knives while cooking.  

One of the joys of cooking is cutting meat or vegetables with a very sharp knife. Once sharpened, putting a real edge on a knife used for several meals is a very quick 30 second task if the sharpener is already set up.  So I keep the sharpener set up with the white ceramic stones in place.  After a time, the stones begin to show signs of steel deposition in the form of gray streaks and a diminished sharpening action.  Fortunately the stones are easily cleaned. Once every week or so, I use a mild abrasive cleaner on the white stones.  This takes a couple minutes and I have found that it immediately brings the stones back to their full sharpening potential again.  

I have seen no evidence of wear on the ceramic stones, and only a very small amount of wear on the brown grit stones.  

The brass rods designed to deflect a knife blade from my hand if the knife slips from the left stone has actually been quite useful.  On two occasions, I was giving my butcher knife a quick edge and the end of the knife did slip off the near edge of the left stone toward my unprotected hand.  However, the brass rod caught the knife blade and it was harmlessly pushed off to the side.  Each time this happened, I had the immediate image of an oriental master fending the sharp blade away from me. it made me feel protected and cared for by the inventor of this simple guard.

In my field report I wrote: "There is much more to be explored.  Scissors, nail clippers, fishing hooks, punches, potato peelers, and the repair of screw drivers.  I will work on these devices during the long term reporting period."

I have now sharpened all of the above according to the directions on the video which comes with the sharpening system.  It is easy. It works. It is fast.

The Sharpmaker has earned a permanent place in my camping (and kitchen) equipment.  While I will not normally carry the device while hiking, it will be used to sharpen my knives before every trip.

TEST PLANS AND FINDINGS

Here are a few things I said I would be interested in when I wrote my Initial Report:

I will be interested in finding out how well the sharpener works on smooth blades, serrated blades, scissors, and tools. This workhorse quickly sharpens all sorts of blades. I have never been able to sharpen knives as fast or any better.  It works for scissors especially well.  When I occasionally try to cut across a pin in my sewing scissors, the sharpener quickly fixes the defect in the scissors blades.

I look forward to learning how to use the sharpener stone manually for field sharpening.  My findings are very encouraging. The sharpener component is worth while in my ultralight pack, for long trips.