Tips for Knife Sharpening in the Field

How do you stay sharp when you're out on the hunt or on the job site? Special guests and celebrity hunters Born and Raised Outdoors visited the Work Sharp headquarters recently to talk staying sharp in the field.

Create an angle before you leave that you can easily replicate in the field.

At home or in the shop, you have the time and space to create the edge you want at your leisure. When you chip or dull your knife dressing game, time is not a luxury. As such, knowing what sort of angle you're able to maintain and replicate in the field is important so you don't waste precious minutes reprofiling your knife with a manual sharpener. This is as simple as assessing the angle you believe you need that will create the right balance between precision and durability and confirming you have a field sharpener (and practice) to keep that angle.

Sharp is safe.

Everyone knows this, and it bears repeating; a sharp knife is much safer than a dull knife. The less pressure and exertion you need to apply when cutting, the more control you have over your knife. Brute force with a dull knife is a sure way to invite injury as you lose feel of transitions in cutting material resistance.

Convenient and Practical.

In the field, excess weight and ample storage often aren't options if you want to make it through the day. A field sharpener should accommodate your preferred packing and storage style with a focus on weight, flexibility, and size. A field sharpener should be an invisible part of the pack until it's time to use it.