I have been in search for a decent pocket stone for years. At home, I keep everything honed with Japanese water stones. Does the job fine. Puts on a long use edge that will shave no problem at all. Before this deployment, I was looking for the right tool to keep my common use blades sharp. I didn't really want to carry my water stones because I was afraid they would get broken in transit. I was looking for something portable and with a fine enough grit. After visiting the local "Bass Pro", I did some research into the varieties that were available and found the highest rated was a folding diamond honer by Buck. It worked ok-ish..... I would say it did less of a job than some cheap oil stones that I had my family send to me. So the search continues...... There are a lot of pocket oil stones out there. Most don't seem like a fine enough grit to really even bother with unless you were cutting rocks. Also, I can usually find some sort of oil, but having to depend on oil is a downside. I am less than thrilled with the "diamond honing" types that out there. I don't find them much better than the oil stones that cost less. Most advertise that they do not require oil or water, but a cleaning from time to time. That is one upside. They have more portability than a set of oil stones (meaning like a 3 stone set can come in quite a small package). I have contemplated a small water stone. Water is generally easy to find. Not sure which grit I would go with. Finer grits are available so touching up before wood carving is problematic would be easier. The downside is cost and how fragile the stones are. These have perked my interest: JRE-DC4 Anyone used one? What are you guys using for touch ups when doing heavier work afield?
The Falk DC3/4 works great. I still use it. I also use a compliment of Smith's whetstones and honing solution, and if I needed to I can easily substitute for water. I also carry a Smith's (small) sharpening stone as a backup to the DC3, and I think it's well worth the light investment. Alternatively, I have experimented with Gerber's retractable pen sharpener (diamond), and it isn't going to win any awards, but it does the job quickly -enough for field expediency for sure.
For carrying in a pocket for field use, I'm quite happy with a small carborundum stone in a leather sheath (to protect the pocket). They used to be common as anything, but the last few years have almost disappeared from the market. It's nothing like a Japanese water stone, of course, but with a light touch can put a shaving-sharp edge on either carbon or good stainless with little effort. Lately, I've added a fine ceramic triangular hone; it's great for finishing or touching up an edge with a few strokes. - Tristan
