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I have long been an advocate for the Spyderco Sharpmaker. If you are looking for a simple high quality knife sharpener, I am still convinced that it is a great option. I have had mine for 5+ years, and continue to use it on a weekly basis.
Buy the Lansky Crock Sticks at BladeHQ
However, at $50+ at retail, the Sharpmaker isn’t an inexpensive option. I am sure some people just getting into knives and sharpening would prefer a cheaper starting point. I’ve played around with the ultra low budget pull sharpeners, and I would not recommend these unless you were looking for a backup sharpener and wanted to sharpen inexpensive knives.
So the quest for an inexpensive knife sharpener continued, and the Lansky Crock Sticks intrigued me. It’s a similar setup to the Sharpmaker, but for under $15 it is a fraction of the cost. Does it work? How does it compare to the Sharpmaker? These were some of the questions I had going into the review.
What You Get
The Crock Sticks come in a simple clear plastic clamshell package. Inside you have the wood box, which performs double duty as your carrying case and base, 2 medium grit ceramic rods (brown), and 2 fine grit ceramic rods (white).
The box is 2 pieces of wood held together with a screw. Turning the small end cap reveals the ceramic rods. It’s a simple system, but it works.
What I like about this system is that it is simple and compact. It’s smaller than the Sharpmaker and more simple.
Use
The Crock Sticks have 2 sets of holes for 2 edge angles: 20 degrees and 25 degrees. I have most of my knives set at a 40 degree inclusive edge thanks to the Sharpmaker, so that is what I stuck with with my Crock Sticks.
Set up is dead simple. Remove the sharpening rods from the box and set them into the base. You are now ready to sharpen. Just like with the Sharpmaker, the trick is to put the system on a flat and level surface, and then hold the knife perpendicularly to the base. Gently run the edge down one of the rods, and then run the edge down the other side. Make sure you are sharpening from heel to tip, and be careful not to pull the tip “over” the rod as you finish your stroke. Do 10-15 passes per side on the brown medium rods and then repeat the process with the white fine rods.
I have tested my crock sticks over the past few months on a number of folding and fixed blade knives. I have found this works great for basic steels and knives that don’t need to be reprofiled. The ceramic rods work well, but you need something more aggressive for re-profiling or repairing a chipped edge. Lansky does offer a version of the Crock Sticks with diamond rods, much like how Spyderco offers diamond rods for the Sharpmaker. The diamond set costs an extra $10 and I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.
The nice thing about a rod system like this is that you can also sharpen serrations. You can free-hand sharpen individual serrations with the rod, or you can sharpen both sides of the serrations by sharpening the knife just like you would a plain edge (on both sides with the stones in the base).
Since the sharpening rods are made of porous ceramic, you will need to periodically clean the rods to remove built up metal shavings from the ceramic. I use Bar Keepers Friend for this, but any kind of powder cleaner like Ajax will work.
Lansky Crock Sticks vs. Spyderco Sharpmaker
I am guessing that some readers will want some guidance on whether to buy the Crock Sticks or Sharpmaker. Since the Sharpmaker is 3-4x more expensive than the Crock Sticks I think it’s a valid question.
I actually like these Crock Sticks quite a bit, and think that most people will get a lot of value out of these. The biggest trade off I can see is that the sharpening rods on the Crock Sticks are shorter than the Sharpmaker. This will make it harder to sharpen bigger blades.
There may be some advantage to the triangular stones on the Sharpmaker, but practically speaking I’m not sure I notice a difference. With that said, my Sharpmaker is 6 years old, and I’ve owned my Crock Sticks for maybe 6-8 weeks now.
The Sharpmaker remains the gold standard, but I like these Crock Sticks. Especially at the price point. The Crock Sticks work. If you are just getting started in the hobby or simply want to save money I think you can easily get away with a set of Crock Sticks. If you are into sharpening then my guess is you will eventually want to upgrade to a SharpMaker.
Lansky Crock Sticks Review – Final Thoughts
For under $15 I should have bought a set years ago. These work great for small knives with “regular” steel. This wont be the best fit for a dull S110V blade, or a thrashed machete, but it’s perfect for maintaining small EDC knives with steel like AUS-8, 1095, 154CM, S35VN, CTS-XHP, etc. It is a small and portable system that tucks away into a tool box or kitchen drawer and is dead simple to use.
The Crock Sticks strikes me as a great gift option for someone as well. Knife guys take this for granted, but being able to sharpen your knives is empowering. It breathes new life into tools and enhances your work, whether that is in the kitchen or on the job. For well under $20 you can give this to someone and they can sharpen a knife in 5 minutes with minimal skill or instruction. That’s pretty cool and I can’t say that about any other sharpener I have reviewed. This would be a nice gift for a friend or family member that wants to be able to sharpen knives casually.
I highly recommend the Lansky Crock Sticks. This is a low cost alternative to the Spyderco Sharpmaker that gives you 90% of the utility at a fraction of the price.
- Intuitive to Use: Many find the conventional knife sharpening stone difficult to use, but with this blade sharpener, you can easily maintain a consistent angle simply by moving your knife straight down along each knife sharpening rod.
- Portable: Many knife sharpeners can be difficult to transport, but this Lansky knife sharpener kit fits neatly within its compact wooden case. A professional knife sharpener is great, but it isn't always convenient. This knife sharpener tool allows you to restore a razor-sharp cutting edge on the go! When you're done, store it in your toolkit, kitchen, car, or backpack.
- Dual Grit: This pocket knife sharpening kit provides two gray course grit ceramic sharpening rods for establishing a bevel on a dull blade and two white fine grit ceramic honing rods to hone your edge. This allows for a 2-stage sharpening process in one system.
- Multiple Options: This pocket knife sharpening tool boasts two set angles: 20 degrees and 25 degrees. Use the more acute angle for kitchen knives and fillet knives and the more obtuse angle for pocket knives and utility knives.
- All-in-One Package: This ceramic knife sharpener kit features everything you need to turn your dull knife into a razor-sharp one.
I recommend purchasing the Lansky Crock Sticks at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Cool review. My impression of these is that they are a great basic knife sharpening option. But if you want to get a better edge (using the flats of the Spyderco rods) or sharpen non-knife implements, the Sharpmaker is the way to go. I think you’re absolutely right, though, in recommending this setup for someone who has a casual or passing interest in keeping their own knives sharpened. Beginners and non-knife people will benefit most. I’m thinking about getting one for my dad; I gave him a Ti Cara Cara a while back, and while I don’t mind maintaining it for him by any measure, I think he’d appreciate being able to touch it up himself.
Patrick,
I agree that the Sharpmaker is more versatile with regards to sharpening scissors and things, although I personally have never tried that.
I also agree that the Sharpmaker is the better option if you are going to be doing more serious sharpening. it’s a bigger setup, and you may be able to get a better edge using the flats as you described.
But yeah, for under $15 this is a great little kit, either as a backup / semi portable sharper, or as a gift to someone who is maybe not so into knives.
Dan
I have this product. There are two issues they should address: first, the rods are round and so will roll off a counter, and they are very brittle and will likely break if they fall. I’ve shattered both ceramic rods by laying them down on a slightly uneven surface.
The second is that it would be better if the case was big enough to accommodate all four rods within it, so you could transport both sets of rods. Otherwise a good product.
Hi Larry,
Good point about the ceramic rods rolling. I broke one of my Sharpmaker rods when it fell off the kitchen counter. Although ceramic is “harder than a diamond”, it’s a lot more brittle. I wonder if anything could be done to modify the set but still keep it at the sub $15 price point.
Do you mean, make the case big enough to store the diamond, medium, fine, and ultra fine rods? So it effectively holds 8 rods? That is not a bad idea. If they offered that as an option I would have bought it. Was not interested in buying the separate diamond rod set.
Good points all around!
Dan
A similar product is available from AG Russell with 2 diamond and 2 ceramic rods. It’s $ 39.95. It is set up as a 30 degree angle. It works well. The case is a plastic one and when the lid folds back for removing the rods it serves to protect your hand while sharpening. I use it for smaller knives but prefer my Spyderco Sharpmaker for kitchen knives and my more valuable knives in my collection.
Hi Sam,
Interesting! I was not familiar with this sharpener prior to your comment. Looks like a capable unit, however, at $40 I’d just spend a little more on the Spyderco. The advantage here is that it comes with diamond rods, although Lansky does offer a similar model for under $20.
Dan
I had been looking at this Lansky 4 rod crock stick system for awhile, but your review put me over the edge, and I finally bought it. It works well for me so far — I EDC almost exclusively easier to sharpen steels like 1095, and my former sharpening method was flat Arkansas stones, and I find this thus far to be much more efficient and easier. Thank you for the review.
Hi Benjamin,
Thanks for taking the time out to let me know you found the review helpful. I am happy to hear that. More importantly, I’m glad to hear that you like the sharpening system after buying it. I think it’s tough to beat for the money. Especially if sharpening sheets that are relatively easy to sharpen.
I hope you get a lot out of your Crock Sticks. You are very welcome.
Dan
Thanks very much for the straightforward honest review. I believe you just convinced me that this is a gift I’m gonna order through Amazon prime. I greatly appreciate it, so I’ll definitely use your link to help support your page. I’m also going to save your review & basic instructions to give to my boyfriend when opens this present too. Hope the holidays are kind to you and much luck in the New Year!
Hi Heather, Great! Glad the review was helpful. I think the Crock Stix are a great budget entry point to sharpening knives. For under $15 shipped they are going to be tough to beat.
Dan
It’s been 2.5 years since this was first posted. Can you comments on the effectiveness of sharpening knifes between the two systems. Is there a notable difference or are they essentially the same in terms of sharpening knives (ignoring the scissors sharpening , etc, that SPYDERCO promotes. )
Robert,
Sure, happy to comment on that. The Sharpmaker is the better system, in part because it’s larger. It gives you more room to maneuver, is a little less fiddly, feels of a higher quality, and can sharpen larger knives more easily. I also think the triangle stones are a little more versatile (you have both flats and rounded edges). There is a reason why the system is so popular and well liked. It’s a great product.
That said, if you are on a budget and want to dip your toe into sharpening knives at home, the Crock Sticks work, and for under $20 they work surprisingly well. They are also great as a portable sharpener or backup. Is it as nice of a system as a Sharpmaker? No. Can you get similar results as the Sharpmaker with some patience? Absolutely.
I think if you try out the Crock Sticks and like this style of sharpening, the Sharpmaker is worth upgrading to. Another benefit to the Sharpmaker is you can buy Ultra Fine and Coarse (diamond) stones, so you can get even more versatility out of that system if you want it.
So there are reasons to justify the Sharpmaker. It just depends on your budget and if you like this “V” style of sharpening knives. Personally, after a while I moved on to freehand sharpening. The Sharpmaker taught me the fundamentals of sharpening (keep a consistent angle and use gentle pressure), and I was able to translate that to freehand sharpening. If you never want to move to freehand sharpening, but want a more robust V style sharpener, then the Sharpmaker is great. Other people may move on to systems like the Wicked Edge. So I suppose a potential downside to the Sharpmaker is you may eventually “grow out of it”, but I still use those stones all the time. Definitely got my ~$50 worth.
Dan