A sharp knife is key to being able to survive a SHTF moment. You will use it multiple times everyday you are in that situation, but keeping it sharp is a challenge and vital to ensuring it is as useful as possible to you.

Here are a few sharpening techniques you can use before a SHTF moment and after.

Sharpening with sand paper

I love this method as it is one of the simplest methods of sharpening and you can easily slip three or four sheets of sand paper into a kit with ease.

Mechanical sanders

seem to work quite well and if you attend any trade show or other outdoor event you will more than likely find several people offering sharpening using this method as it is fast and fairly portable. The only thing that has kept me from using this method was the expense and then I found a great deal on Amazon… I included the link below in case you want to pick up one of these awesome little sharpeners! It comes with a few guides as well so you can rest assured you will always have the correct alignment when sharpening .

Smooth river rocks

If you find yourself with a dull knife while fishing simply reach down into the creek and pull out a quasi flat/smooth rock and proceed to sharpen. While this will not yield hair popping sharp knives by itself, if you combine this method with some kind of stropping you will be surprised by how sharp of a knife you are left with.

Integral sheath sharpeners and those cheap little survival knife sharpeners found in Rambo style survival knives

While I'm usually not a huge fan of this type of sharpener the Mora Bushcraft black sharpener has saved me from a dull knife a few times! I simply rework my edge then take off my leather belt and strop and ttwenty minutes later I have a knife that I can shave with.

So you have a block of knifes that you got as a wedding gift? Go to the kitchen and look in the top row for an odd shaped handle….. A sharpening rod you never knew your wife was hiding all these years. Chefs the world over have used this method of sharpening to keep the instruments of their trade razor sharp for years and it is now making its way into the outdoor market!

Pull through style sharpeners

I tried a few before I realized these are not really for sharpening but reshaping an edge/burr removal and then the actual sharpening begins. I have tried the edge of glory and it did work well for kitchen knives as a sharpener and also a credit card (I had to see if they were lying in the commercial). The pull through sharpener you see above is the Lansky tactical rod

Grinder

Nearly all knife manufactures utilize a grinder of some kind to sharpen their knives before they are sent off to customers, This this isn't the cheapest or easiest method, this is without a doubt one way to get the sharpest knife you will ever hold!

Fine Grit Metal File

Same concept as a tactical rod or other steel based sharpener except you have to find the right file or all is for nothing. Once you find the right file hold on to it as they are hard to find these days. This is also one of the preferred means for sharpening an axe thus its inclusion in this list as a dual use sharpener.

A sharp knife is critical to your tool kit in a SHTF moment or emergency. You will literally use it more than any other survival tool you have in your arsenal, so keeping it sharp is critical.

To see other sharpening techniques, please visit The 7 P's Blog.