Smith's TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-HONE Sharpening Stones System

• Knobs offer easy stone rotation
• One piece molded base has a v-trough to catch oil drippings
• Comes with three 1-5/8 x 6 Arkansas stones in different grits
• Rotating triangle block for easy stone rotation and identification.
• Premium honing solution cleans and protects the sharpening surfaces.
• 3-stones make a complete sharpening system.
• Non-skid base with "V" trough for oil drips.
• Sharpening angle guide to teach basic correct angle for first-time user.

Smith's TRI-6 three-stone sharpening system features a medium Arkansas stone, fine Arkansas stone, and coarse synthetic stone mounted on a molded plastic triangle with handles on the end for easy stone rotation and easy-to-read stone identification. The sturdy molded plastic base has nonskid rubber feet for safety, "V" trough to catch the oil drippings, and is easy to clean. A bottle of Smith's premium honing solution and a sharpening angle guide are also included.

Sharpening Instructions

1. Put a small amount of honing solution on your stone. Don't use a lot of lubricant as a small amount goes a long way. Using a natural stone without a lubricant or water will damage and clog your stone. It protects the stone and the cutting edge of the knife or tool by washing away the particle of stone and metal created during the sharpening process. If necessary, water can be used as a substitute.
   
   
2. To insure the proper sharpening angle on your knife, place the yellow Smith's angle guide at the end of your stone. This shows you the proper angle we recommend to use in order to obtain the sharpest edge. Next, place your blade flat on the angle guide at the end of the stone. Now you are ready to begin the sharpening process.
   
   
3. Push the blade away from you just like you are trying to carve a thin slice off the top of the stone. Don't be afraid to use pressure against the stone while sharpening since it will not damage the stone or your knife. Repeat this pushing stroke three or four times. Remember, try to keep the same approximate sharpening angle all the time, since this is the key to obtaining the sharpest edge.
   
   
4. To sharpen the other side of your knife, simply place your blade at the opposite end of your Smith sharpening stone and repeat the above steps, but instead of pushing the knife away from you, pull it towards you. Continue to sharpen until you feel that your blade is truly sharp.

Care

Cleaning your stones will keep the pores free of stone and metal particles. After each use, the Arkansas stones should be cleaned by scrubbing vigorously with water, liquid soap, and a stiff nylon brush.

What's in the Box

1 Course Synthetic (400 grit)

1 Medium Synthetic (600 grit)

1 Natural Fine Arkansas Stone (Approx. 1000-1200 Grit)

                                    

By Dr. Viray

I always wondered which knife sharpener is the best one to get. So I went ahead and setup a test. I just bought a new set of the following sharpeners from Amazon. This is my test:

NEW SHARPENERS:
Smith's TRI-Hone Sharpening stones($23)
Smith's Adjustable Pull Thru Knife sharpener($26)
Wusthof 9 inch Diamond Steels (1 Course and 1 Fine Rods. $60 x 2 = $120)
Accusharp($10)
Wusthof Whetstone fine and super fine(4451 and 4452)($90 x 2 =$180)

KNIVES:
I have 4 Chicago Cutlery Chef's knives that were collecting dust for years and stopped using them because they were all very dull and nicked. I didn't even bother sharpening them and I just kept buying a new one when the previous one gets too dull to cut.

For the test, I tried my best to get the sharpest edge possible within a 10 minute window. Anything more than 10 minutes for me is just too much time.

TEST RESULTS:

1. Fastest in getting a sharp edge - Accusharp and Smith's Adjustable Pull thru
2. Sharpest edge - Wusthof Diamond Steel
3. Simplest to use - Accusharp and Smith's Adjustable Pull thru
4. Smoothest in slicing Bond Paper - Wusthof Diamond Steel
5. Most expensive - Wusthof Whetstones
6. Least expensive - Accusharp

ANALYSIS:
It seemed like the Smith's and the Wusthof Whetstones needed a bit more time than I allocated. So, I proceeded to continue sharpening until I got it as sharp as I could.

The Wusthof Whetstone would have won in the sharpest edge and smoothest slicing thru bond paper after about an hour of careful sharpening. The learning curve is considerably longer than the other 3 options.

The Smith's TRI-Hone would have been one step below or tied with the Wusthof Diamond Steel in Sharpest edge and slicing, except it took about 15 minutes. It helps that the stones have an angle guide that has 23 degrees.

The Accusharp only took 10 seconds to sharpen the knife to a point where it can slice paper and a tomato. I would say it gets you to a usable sharpness. This has no learning curve. Ridiculously easy.

The Wusthof Diamond Steels takes about 3 minutes to sharpen with the Course rod then the Fine. But I can clearly tell when I slice through paper that is a smoother edge than the Accusharp.

The Smith's Adjustable Pull Thru Knife Sharpener has a selector that you can actually dial in the exact blade angle you want. It is very easy to use and has more features than the Accusharp. I found that you can use this to set the blade angle then use the Wusthof Diamond steel FINE Rod to clean up the edge and give it a smooth sharp edge.

Conclusion:
My Smith's TRI-Hone is the simplest stone to learn among Stone sharpeners and gives you a good manually created edge. If you are new to sharpening but want to take it a step further than a quick sharpen from Accusharp or the Smith's Pull thru sharpener, you won't go wrong using this. Instructions are clear and gives you performance like the WUSTHOF Diamond Steels for a fraction of the price. It just takes a little more time than the Diamond Steels.

Bottom line is you can be like me and buy all of these sharpeners and depending on how much time you can spare, you can use whichever will do the job in the time allocated. So if you have an hour to spare and you find it soothing, get the Wusthof Whetstones. If you are in a rush, a few swipes of the Accusharp and you are up and running. The best middle ground for me are the Wusthof Diamond Steel rods. Easy to use, quick and extremely sharp, but expensive.

Mix and match the different sharpening tools and you will find a setup that is perfect for you.

I hope this test helped you.

By D. Blankenship

If you put twenty people in a room; people who are interested in knives and who have spent a life time sharpening the things, you will get about 19 different preferences and techniques thrown around...the 20th will have gone out for coffee or fallen asleep. I have actually seen people get rather excited and indeed hostile over this subject...go figure!

I like sharpening knives; have been doing in for several decades now. For myself I find it relaxing and soothing. I am extremely methodical about the whole process and never hurry.

Now there are all kinds of very expensive and complicated sharpening systems out there and quite a number of them work quite well. For me though, the plane stone works the best and no matter what system I buy or use I always return this the stone.

The system being reviewed here is extremely workable and does the job I paid it for. It is relatively inexpensive and a pleasure to work with. The stones on this unit are a bit smaller than some I have used in the past, but like another reviewer here, I adjusted quite well.

Like others, I found the base was a bit of a concern at first as it does slide from time to time...depending upon what surface you place it on. I solved this by using a rather large piece of think leather spread out on the table...the same piece I use to lay over my leg when flint knapping to keep myself from cutting my leg off.

Anyway, I have yet to find a knife I could not sharpen with this time. I do use plenty of oil (which by the way should be used on any such stone. I use special honing oil most of the time but to be honest, simple old vegetable oil works quite well too.

If you need them, the set comes with a nice set of instructions with useful tips.

I use these stones on my working knives, kitchen knives and of course of the older collectables when I do restoration work.

All in all, for the price, this is a very good system. It will last a life time and will probably be the one and only system you will ever need if you are truthful with yourself.

I am getting another of this set for a friend...one I actually like in this case.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

By CaptAdams35

I needed something that I could shape damaged blades with and the 250grit side does this very quickly with minimal effort (you will want to block it down to flat before first use, I just took it out and rubbed it on the driveway for 30 seconds then rinsed it off and let it dry). The medium side is the equivalent of the happy medium between 600 and 800 grit sandpaper, so I've started calling mine the 700grit medium side (yours may vary slightly) and is perfect for putting a nice edge on your blade while smoothing out the cuts from the 250grit coarse shaping side with very limited effort. Once you get it sharp, the Arkansas Stone fine side (approximately 1100grit) with a light coat of sharpening oil, is perfect for polishing your blade's new edge to a high shine with only moderate effort. You will experience some variances in effort based on the composition of your blade's metals. For the typical 440s blades, it's as easy as 1,2 and 3. My Ulster Boy Scout pocketknife took less than 5 minutes total with a severely beaten up blade. The harder CR's will take longer, but the more time you invest in putting an edge on your blade, the longer it will hold that edge. My Schrade SCHF12 took close to an hour (YES, an hour) and it's held an edge through cutting rope, mesh, burlap bags and roots with only a quick once over on the fine side. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SHARPENING SYSTEM. You won't find a better kit for the price

By Jo-Jo

This is one of the best Sharpening Stones I have ever used. It is very nice and I have had mine for a long time now. It is very sturdy and it sharpens all my knives well, It has 3 stones and comes with the oil so that is a plus. Never skip the oil when sharpening your knife. Ir is very easy to use and it comes with directions if you do not know how to use one of these. Simply place a drop of oil on the stone to cover it,(it only takes a little) then place your knife down and press down on it and push the blade away from you like you are slicing or peeling something. Then repeat about 4 times. Then to sharpen the other side of the blade you repeat the above steps but this time your blade should be at the opposite end of the sharpening stone and this time pull the blade towards you instead of away. Make sure you keep your stone clean for long lasting stone. This stone comes with:

1 Course Synthetic (400 grit)

1 Medium Synthetic (600 grit)

1 Natural Fine Arkansas Stone (Approx. 1000-1200 Grit)

This is a great Sharpening Stone. It has sharpened all of our knives and has worked wonderfully. We use it all the time. it is awesome! I have had mine for almost a year and as you can see from my pictures it is still great! I would not trade it for nothing.

     

By Patrick P.

The 3 tiered system got my knives very sharp.

  

By A. B. Lawve

This is a beautifully designed piece of equipment. The stones are clearly marked at the end, where those red tabs on the side indicate as to which are the coarse, medium or fine grain stones. Switching to each stone is as easy as lifting one of the sections that holds the stone, then turning it to the stone you want to use and re-seating it back into the base. The base is sturdy and stays in place during use without sliding or moving. Highly recommend.

   

By Zachary I. Price

Sharpens your knife razor sharp and leaves a nice polished finish too. It's handy to have 3 different grade stones, depending on how dull your blade is. It was shipped fairly fast with standard shipping. Only problem is it does not have rubber stoppers on the bottom, so it might slide across your surface you have it on. Overall a great buy and a must have for keeping your knives sharp.

By Force10JC

At the price range you can get this sharpener, it is a very good buy. Good water stones will cost you $40 a piece but are much larger so easier to move your blade across. This is under $30 for 3 stones and a stand but the stones are about 7/8" smaller in width and 2" smaller in length than a traditional Japanese water stone. If you are used to using larger stones, you may have a hard time adjusting to the size of these stones. If you are a beginner or someone used to more casual sharpening with a rod or a smaller pocket stone, this is a nice step up and perhaps a good introduction to stones especially if you own a few smaller blades or pocket knives.

If you haven't used a sharpening stone before, it does take some practice before getting used to. The blade guide that comes with it can be helpful for some blades but not all. If you aren't sure of the edge angle on your blade, it's best to check with the manufacturer of your knife for recommendations on proper sharpening and edge angle. Most of my knives are a Scandi grind which has a very high bevel angle and sharpening them on these stones is super easy without the edge guide.

Most importantly I think is using the right stone for the current condition of your knife. Most times you are NOT going to be using the coarse grit stone unless your knife is super dull (usually from not being maintained properly). I often start with the medium grit stone which removes minimal metal from the blade. The fine stone is for taking it that last little bit or maybe just for touching up a bit before doing some more serious work with your knife. You could then finish off with a leather strop block if you wanted but most of the time that is overkill in my opinion. Who really needs to split hairs anyway?

Overall, I think this is an excellent sharpening system for someone that is a more casual knife user (camper, hunter, hiker, bushcrafter) that likes maintaining there own blades at home. A more serious user, or perhaps collector, of knives will want a more serious sharpening system like Japanese water stones or a precision diamond/ceramic set-up.

By Christina

Got bought this for a friend who owns a mobile dog grooming salon because she when the blades would dull she would go buy more. I didn't know this until she borrowed my blades to use on my parents dog and asked if I had a way to sharpen hers. I stopped grooming years ago and already gave mine away, but I told her I would look up a blade sharpener for her and she handed me a bag of a couple thousand dollars in blades that she had gone through in the last month It would have cost her at least another 600 just to sharpen her blades professionally not even including the two shears she had. Anyone who grooms dogs knows you can not bath dogs matted dogs because it tightens them and can make it impossible to get under with the clippers or even rip the dogs skin because of how tight it becomes and shaving dirty dogs dulls the blades a lot faster. Her business runs mostly on matted dogs so she goes through a lot of blades and that is a lot of money out of her pocket on blades or a sharpener that she really couldn't afford without raising her prices. So my mom asked me to see if I could find a sharpening kit like I had for her and she would give it to her as a tip. I found this instead and it is so much better then the stone and file I used. It is quicker, provides a nice finish, still gets them sharp and she can mount it in her mobile trailer to use as she needs so no more stopping to go to the store and now she has a bunch of blades she can use as extras too. The best part is it had a video on youtube that I could show her on how to do it so she wasn't just looking at paper instructions she had a simple visual she could follow that would take her tgrough the process of taking it apart sharpening, putting it back together and safely testing.

By Tim B. Lee

This is the best sharpener money can buy. If you have never sharpened a knife by hand, it includes a guide for assistance.