U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Iโm going to do Product Reviews on four different products that you can use to touch up a dull broadhead. Broadheads (BH) kill by causing hemorrhaging. A dull blade will push aside blood vessels instead of slicing them. You donโt want that.
I hate to be repetitious and bore you but Iโm going to include the below that is in parenthesis with all four articles in case someone only reads one of my Product Reviews and misses the safety note which is the clause about using an old arrow shaft to make it safer for you when sharpening your BH’s.
Smith’s Edge Stick Knife Sharpener
Archery season is upon us. As youโre dragging out your hunting gear you discover that a few of your BH’s are dull. With a high percentage of Americans laid off right now you might not be able to buy new BH’s. Donโt worry, you can sharpen dull ones. To make it safer use a hacksaw to cut a 10 to 16-inch piece off of a broken arrow. This will make sharpening safer and help you hold stable. Screw the piece of arrow onto the BH. Stick the point into the appropriate slot on the handle of the Smithโs BH Sharpener to hold the BH steady so you donโt get cut when you tighten or loosen the BH.
You have two options for sharpening your BH’s when using Smithโs EDGE STICK.
- The preset carbide blades.
- The fine diamond stone on the EDGESTICK.
Iโd say you only want to use the carbide blades if your BH is really dinged up. Carbide blades are super aggressive and you can eat up a metal blade fast with them. So use the carbide option sparingly. When the carbide blades wear out you can reverse or replace them (MSRP $5.00).
Now for the EDGE STICK fine diamond stone. If the BH is one that you can lay it flat on a stone and obtain the correct angle, then lay the BH on the stone flat and rub the BH back and forth across the stone. Iโd recommend counting and doing it four times. Then rotate and repeat. When you have worked through all three blades repeat until sharp.
It is important to count how many times you rub the BH on the stone. When sharpening your knife, you donโt do it two times on one side and then five on the other do you? No, or youโd end up with a lop-sided angle. Also, I may be paranoid but I think that may make your arrow fly untrue.
If it is a BH that you cannot lay flat and sharpen, then lay the tip against a tabletop and while matching the angle of the edge on the BH, rub the tip of the stone on it. To hit the other side youโll have to pull the BH away from the table and run the stone backward on the other side of the blade.
And yes, the Smith’s EDGE STICK stick can also be used for sharpening your knives. It comes with a fabric sheath that has a belt loop. If youโre a bivy hunter this will be a great tool to carry to sharpen your knife and BHโs while backpacked in since it is super lightweight and compact.
The MSRP on the Smithโs Edge Stick Sharpener is $21.99. Below is a short listing of the features.
Features:
- Carbide blades for quick edge setting on very dull or damaged blades
- Precision ground carbides provide a sharper cutting edge
- Fine diamond stone for final edge honing
- The interrupted surface on diamond stone speed sharpening process
- Diamond stone can be used with or without a sharpening lubricant
- Diamond stone will not wear down like a natural stone
- Cast Aluminum Housing for durability
- Fabric Storage Pouch for storage and easy transport
- Stone Grit: Fine Diamond = 750
- Stone Size: .375″ x 2.875″
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. โTo properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titledย Knife Sharpening #adย for $.99 if you’re having trouble.โ
