Smith Tri-Hone Sharpening System – Great for Beginners!

A few months ago, I was ready to upgrade from the granite plate + wet/dry sandpaper tool sharpening methods I had been using. To my surprise, sharpening stones are expensive!

Smith’s Tri-Hone sharpening system features a rotating triangular block with a different grit stone on each face. The coarse stone can be used to redefine blade edges or clean up nicked or damaged blades, and medium and fine stones for honing cutting surfaces.

With a $25 street price, the Smith Tri-Hone is a very tempting solution. For my own needs, I decided that diamond stones and waterstones would be worth the investment long-term. The decision to leave the Tri-Hone on the shelf was a tough one.  Its Arkansas stones should require less maintenance than waterstones, and it’s an almost all-in-one solution for the price of two adult movie tickets.

One thing to be aware of is that the Tri-Hone’s stones are 6″ long and 1-5/8″ wide – perfect for knives and chisels, but not for most plane blades.

Smith Tri-Hone Sharpening System via Amazon