One of the hardest things to properly integrate into any Everyday Carry system is a knife sharpener. However, my friends over at Work Sharp recently collaborated on the fantastic Benchmade Work Sharp Edge Maintenance Tool. And I have to say, it is now easier than ever to carry a capable knife sharpener with you, every single day.
Size & Carryability
Size and ease of carry was one of my biggest curiosities for this piece of gear. Especially since my pockets are already crammed full with other EDC Gear (light, knife, pen, phone, wallet, etc). Work Sharp did a very nice job of keeping this sharpener slim, short enough and ergonomic in your pocket. (See it above, next to my Benchmade 940-2)
The deep carry clip is a well thought out addition for this sharpener. As you would assume, it allows the sharpener to tuck deep into your pocket and get out of the way until you need it. Often times, I carry this sharpener in my front pocket, nested up against my Streamlight Microstream USB and I hardly notice it’s there.
Overall Quality
The overall quality of the Work Sharp Edge Maintenance Tool has been great and held up to my everyday carry for just under 2 months now (I would offer a longer timespan if I could, but that’s as long as I’ve owned it). Here’s a quick breakdown of my experience with the quality side of things:
- The plastic materials seem to be lighter than the ones used in Work Sharp’s Field Sharpener. I honestly prefer the heavier feel of the Field Sharpener’s materials…But I’ve had no issues with the Edge Maintenance Tool and I can see why they lightened this model up for pocket carry.
- The pivot area of this folding sharpening system has had no issues and it is very well built.
- The ceramic sharpening rod is what you would expect from other Work Sharp systems…with one great exception. You can turn this rod with the spine of your knife in the event that you start to wear it down or get it too dirty. I really like this feature.
- The strop is fantastic for finishing or fine tuning an edge, especially when loaded up with some good compound.
Best Uses for this Sharpener?
This sharpener is exactly what its name suggests…An Edge MAINTENANCE Tool. It will not bring an edge back from the dead, remove chips, or anything like that (this is simply the nature of lighter ceramic rods). The Work Sharp Edge Maintenance Tool is meant for daily touchups…So, don’t let your edge get seriously dull before using it.
If you want to bring dead edges back to life in the field, I would suggest the Field Sharpener. If you want to bring dead/severely damaged edges back to life at home, go for the Ken Onion Edition Work Sharp.
I personally like using the Edge Maintenance Tool to bring my blades edge’s back to shaving sharpness after a day of general EDC tasks such as food prep, cutting up cardboard, opening packages, doing some outdoors tasks, etc. It has done a fantastic job for sharpening in these cases.
Benchmade Work Sharp Edge Maintenance Tool Review
This is one of the best additions I’ve made to my EDC in awhile. It truly is easy to carry and it does a great job. I’ll leave you with a quick pros and cons list about it below:
Pros:
- It is really easy to carry.
- It will maintain an edge very well if you use it after your daily knife chores.
- It’s well built and lightweight.
- It’s made by a great company who knows how to make great knife sharpeners.
- It looks great paired with the Benchmade 940-2 😉
Cons:
- Really, my only con about this system is the price. I’m seeing that it ranges between $43-48. I would like to see it closer to the price of the Field Sharpener.
That does it for my Benchmade Work Sharp Edge Maintenance Tool Review. If you have any questions or thoughts, drop them below in the comments!
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