My dad, of all people, got me a pretty
fancy Chef’s Choice sharpening machine for my birthday about six or seven years ago. I say “of all people” because he’s wickeder old-school than Nystrom. I guess some folks get a little tappy as they age.
Anyway, I took the thing out of the box, read the instructions, plugged it in and ran a five-inch utility kitchen knife through it quickly and with light pressure. Like Brian said, I was kinda taken aback by how much metal had been removed so quickly. Those little oscillating diamond-encrusted pads sure do work well when new! A little too well IMO.
Maybe they’ve improved them since, I don’t know. I re-gifted mine, brandy-new in the box, to some anonymous picker at the take-it-or-leave-it space at my dump. Probably ended up on Ebay. Don’t tell my dad.
One good reason to fine hone is…
...that you end up with a much more durable edge. While the microscopic serrations of a medium-honed blade cut well when they're new, they're fragile and quickly bend over and/or break off. The finer you hone a blade, the sharper it will stay after the initial use knocks off the finest points on the edge. That's one of the reasons I sharpen my cutting tools to a mirror polish; I don't have to resharpen as often and it takes very little effort.
A somewhat related side note is the same effect is seen when sanding wood. Coarse sanding produces deep furrows and a relatively soft surface. The finer you sand, the harder and more durable the surface becomes. Try it on a piece of hardwood sometime. Sand it with 80 grit, then tap it with your fingernail and you'll get a dull thump and you will easily be able to make a nail imprint in the surface. Continue sanding with finer grits until you get to 400. When you tap on it, it will sound very hard and you won't be able to push your nail into the surface without some effort, if at all.
Nitty gritty and the angle of the dangle
Now you’re getting into edge geometry and alloy hardness. When camping, I take a basic Norton combi stone and a six-inch mill bastard which cover any touch-ups needed. I’m not doing any shaving or field surgery. I haven’t had my PFD knife out of its scabbard in years but, to slash a line in a hurry, I’d choose the side with serrations first.
That said, I’ve handled Japanese blades that haven’t been honed in over a hundred years that I think might still split a hair or hack a slave in two, so sure, a polished, perfect edge has advantages.
Don’t they have fine & polish modes
for blades that just need touched up? My understanding is that the rough or course setting is only used to smooth out nicks in the blade.
I’m sure there’s a learning curve with
them. Like I said, I tried it once and wasn’t impressed. As I recall, it seemed silly to me at the time to plug in and store a machine that didn’t allow any subtle control that I enjoy honing freehand and really didn’t save any time, either. There must be something to them, though, as they’ve gotten good reviews in cooking mags that I’ve seen.
That’s because most “cooks”…
…or “people who cook” don’t have a clue about sharpening knives or in many cases, even what a sharp knife looks like. Similarly, most people who own wood chisels, planes and such wouldn’t know a sharp one if it bit them in the butt. Unless one has actually used a truly sharp knife or tool, it’s hard to appreciate the difference and it seems many people still don’t get it even after they’ve experienced the real deal.
That said, I’m MUCH more finicky about my woodworking tools than I am about my kitchen knives. I would never use a sharpening steel on a plane blade or a drawknife, but it’s good enough for use in the kitchen.
As for paddle “cutlery”, I don’t carry a knife on my PFD, as I find a rescue hook does everything that I’m likely to need and it’s FAR safer to carry than a sheath knife. If I was paddling whitewater or rivers where snags were a potential problem, I might carry a knife, but for sea kayaking, you’re far more likely to be injured by a knife than to actually need it for rescue purposes.
BTW, I do carry a Swiss Army knife in my day hatch for spreading peanut butter and other chores for which a rescue hooks is not well suited. 
Re the Rescue Hook
is yours the Benchmade version? I carry the older style in my pfd also but find it so small, i fear of dropping it in the water. Do you have any type of lanyard attached to yours? I am not sure if it would hold seeing as mine at the end has a slight opening in the hole. I see some now have an indent for the thumb with jimping- this looks like a better design for better grasp.
For a sharp knife
I’ve used a variety of sharpeners. I use the Lansky, and it’s great, but it’s not likely you’ll have it with you when away from home. I have a “Redi-Edge” which is, bar none, the best and easiest to use portable sharpener I’ve found. http://www.rediedge.com/
For the best and cheapest edge, try the “Super Scary Sharp” method. http://home.comcast.net/~kvaughn65/scary.html It works best on tools such as plane irons, but with an edge guide can be used for knives also.
The thing I’ve found is that all methods work, you just have to put the time in to master them.
Lansky here, too.
Never did well with free-hand sharpening. Won't use anything with a motor. The Lansky will put a long-lasting edge on. I have the bench pedestal accessory and that helps a lot when doing several knives at once.
Rescue hooks...I like this one and have it fastened to my pfd. It sees a lot of use...
http://www.crkt.com/McGowan-Extrik-8-R-Seat-Belt-Cutter-Black-KydexSheath
Currently evaluating this knife for river use...
http://www.crkt.com/Renner-Neckolas-Neck-Knife-Blunt-Tip-Blade-Orange-Handle-and-Sheath
I like it so far, but I'm doubting that I will like it more than the hook-style. Sharpening the hook will be much easier and using it seems safer. I'm not sure what I'll use to sharpen the serrated edge of the Renner knife.
I know there are tools for sharpening serrated edges, but haven't tried any yet since none of my serrated blades have gone dull. Probably, this is because they don't get daily use like my plain blades and Extrik-8-R do. I have to disagree with what someone said about the points of the serrations not being sharp though. I've managed to disprove that claim, with much blood and embarrassment.
Every time my husband handles his
Atlantic Salt knife with serrations, he cuts himself -even just practicing opening it 2 days ago!
I like the CRKT knife you have attached to the pfd with the finger holes (i think this design on any knife is a bonus as less droppable) - cannot find out the steel makeup though.
Steel spec
Can’t help you there. For some reason, CRKT doesn’t seem to list that for the EXTRIK-8-R, although their catalog has the steel spec for all their other blades. An oversight, maybe? I don’t think it’s a huge issue on this type of knife though, unless you’re in saltwater. I bet a phone call or email to CRKT would get the answer to that.
3CR13 as listed on another
website for the Extrik - Might want to be put on the Spyderco wait list for a Spyderco Spot - they may reintroduce this cool little knife again - not positive though.
OT: Good Pencil Sharpener suggestions
It’s getting hard to find a good pencil sharpener anymore. Not like the old days.
Curious what people out there use.
Pocket knife, nm
Any pre-1970 Apsco manual crank.
Always a bunch on Ebay. I have a ca. '40 Apsco “giant” that works like a charm. The problem is finding pencils worthy.
Power okay for that…
6" belt sander.
Belt sanders
Make good erasers, too. That is, for those that need 'em.
Yes it’s a Benchmade Model 6 H20
I’ve had it for at least 6 years and it’s held up fine. I see that they now have a model 7 and 8 that look like they’d work for kayaking, though I’m not sure the Nylon sheath would be ideal.
I do have mine on a lanyard of thin cord. It’s mounted over one of the pockets on my PFD and the lanyard is stowed in the pocket. After years of rescue practice, the hook has only come loose a couple of times and the lanyard has never caused any problems.