re: Can the OB recommend a good knife sharpener?

I got the WorkSharp Ken Onion edition for Christmas. That thing is awesome. I've sharpened kitchen knives, filet knives, pairing knives, skinning knives, dozens of pairs of scissors, and a big Ole rusty machete. It's stupid easy to use and has a ton of applications. The stuff I've sharpened has been everything from Japanese stainless, to German to carbon steel and it eats it all. It's impressive.

It can also be used on axes, lawn mower blades, shovels, pretty much anything you want to put an edge on. I highly recommend it.

Having had no real sharpening experience I was skeptical, but this tool makes it easy for anyone to use and it does a fantastic job. I took a knife my older brother found rusted to hell in the woods some 30 years ago and put a mirror finish on the edge in all of 5 minutes.