Father's Day Sharpening Gift Guide
Father's Day Sharpening Gift Guide
You’re here for one of two reasons. Option 1: you have no idea what to get your dad as a gift this Father’s Day. Option 2: your dad has sent you this article as a none too subtle hint. Either way, we’re here to help.
We’ve organized the guide around what your dad likes to do. Home chefs, Woodworkers and Outdoorsmen each get specific recommendations. Feel free to jump ahead if one of those feels most like your dad. We’ll round out the article with a recommendation that any father would enjoy.
Home Chef
Diamond Sharpening Steel
Naniwa Super Stone Set
Tormek T-1 Knitchen Knife Sharpener
The kitchen is your dad’s domain. He spends hours smoking briskets, carefully adding wood chips at seemingly key moments. Why did he discard that particular wood chip? Was it too big, too small? You don’t know. He knows how to spatchcock a chicken. Turducken was on his bucket list until he made it for Thanksgiving last year. Your father experiments with flavors and cooks with fire. Here are some suggestions for him.
Nothing makes a man feel like king of the kitchen more than swiping an 8-inch chef’s knife up and down a kitchen steel. The classic sharpening steel is there to realign the edge on a kitchen knife that has essentially folded over. A great way to prolong the sharpness of a chef’s primary tool. What if the knife is dull and needs actual sharpening? Gone are the days when sharpening steels were just steel. Ceramic and even diamond-coated sharpening steel will also hone a dulled edge back to sushi slicing sharpness.
If your dad is forced to macedoine when really, he wants to brunoise, get him some water stones (it’s okay, I had to Google what those two words meant). This Naniwa 3-Stone Set covers what most chefs need. The coarse 220 grit will quickly bring back an edge on the dullest of knives. The 1000 grit side is fine enough to leave a nice edge for most kitchen work. For a very slicey, mirror polished edge, the 5000 grit stone will mean there’s nothing your father can’t julienne. Because you’re a considerate child, and soon to be his favorite offspring, adding a sink bridge will make using these stones convenient and mess-free.
Go into your dad’s kitchen and open the Everything Drawer. You know which one. It’s filled with an abundance of tools so specific that there’s no recipe that can’t be made quicker and with less effort thanks to his treasure trove of kitchen conveniences. Your dad loves his kitchen gadgets. Having a tool perfectly designed to do one job and to do it well is what he’s about. He’ll appreciate the time and effort put into the design of this electric sharpener.
The Tormek T-1. A beautiful piece of Swedish design. Your dad can keep it out on the countertop, ready for use at a moment’s notice. A conical wheel stacked with diamond abrasives will sharpen and maintain any kitchen knife. The easy to adjust angle guide means dad will be able to put a durable 22-degree angle on his cleaver as easily as putting a slicey 12 degrees on his carbon steel Gyuto. The honing wheel polishes any edge to a fine finish. It runs at just 45 decibels. A little louder than a light rainfall, but still quieter than your average conversation.
Woodworker
Chisel and Plane Iron Honing Guide
DMT Dia-Sharp Diamond Stones
12" Leather Bench Strop
Shapton GlassStone 16,000 Grit
There’s nothing your dad can’t dovetail. You grew up eating dinner at the table he built. His workshop is the envy of all the neighbors. The staff at the local hardware store call him up for advice. Sap runs through his veins. Here are our recommendations for such a man.
Your dad has a wide array of chisels. In shapes, sizes and intended functions that are a mystery to you. What isn’t a mystery is the importance of sharp tools. The easiest way to keep a variety of chisels sharp is to use a honing guide. This little jig takes the guesswork out of keeping a consistent bevel on chisels. Less time fussing with sharpening means dad can get back to cleaning out his mortises sooner. A fantastic budget option.
Woodworking with dull tools is a drag. It’s not fun and can be a little dangerous. Bringing a fully dull tool back to sharp can be an ordeal. These next couple of suggestions will help. At one end of the spectrum, we have the 8” Dia-Sharp Diamond Stones from DMT. Get the coarse or extra coarse and they’ll remove blunt steel quickly. Makes the finer part of the sharpening process fly by. If your dad has a lot of tools, then the DMT Dia-Sharp Kit covers pretty much all of his sharpening needs.
Maintenance is easier than repair. Having a strop with honing compound ready to hand makes it simple to keep an edge sharp. A few passes after a couple minutes of work will keep that super fine edge ready for use. And on the topic of super fine edges.
This is for the dad that does the finest of woodwork. Delicate details demand super-sharp tools. Woodworkers aspire to have the kind of edges that make slicing through end grain a breeze. Tools that create transparent shavings and leave a mirror finish. One way to get an edge like that is the Shapton GlassStone 16,000 grit stone. Most good woodworkers will finish their sharpening around 8000 grit. Sure, that’ll put a worthy edge on your tool. But your dad isn’t like most woodworkers. He’s exacting in his craft. This stone will raise his edges to the quality he aspires to create. Unnecessary? Perhaps. Worth it? Totally!
Outdoorsman
DMT Double-Sided DiaFold
Work Sharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener
The only reason your dad hasn’t won a series on Alone, is that when the talent scouts came looking for him, he was already way off grid. He taught you to skin a buck. He removed the hook from the first fish you caught. You know what to look for in a good campsite thanks to him. He’s an outdoorsman through and through.
When he’s heading out on his next trip, he’d appreciate having the DMT Diafold Sharpeners in his pack. The double sided fine / extra fine is great for maintaining an edge in the field. Repairing the edge on his hunting knife that got a ding from hitting bone or honing a broadhead that buck managed to dodge. The Diafold sharpeners will be there ready for him.
If he’s not out on one of his adventures, your dad is likely getting ready for the next one. This sharpener would be welcome in any workshop or garage, but especially so for someone who prides themselves on their self-sufficiency. Being able to repair and maintain his own gear is an important part of who your dad is. The Work Sharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener is perhaps the most versatile and compact sharpener we’ve come across. It’ll quickly put an edge back on anything that needs one. There’s a range of accessories that expand the usefulness of this already ingenious tool. Add a small inverter and your dad can even throw it in the truck and use it on site.
A Sharpener Any Dad Would Appreciate
Wicked Edge Pro Pack 1
Chef’s knife, hunting knives, folders, and, with the right attachment, even chisels and scissors. The Wicked Edge Pro will put an incredibly precise edge on them all. If your dad values precision, enjoys a collection of sharp things, or just asks the best from his tools, this is for him. This guided sharpener makes incredible edges accessible to anyone. It’s simple to use and produces repeatably great results.
Just in time for Father’s Day, the Wicked Edge Pro Pack 1 and the Pro Pack 2 are on sale.