Last Week’s Knife Thoughts 2026-2-9

Contents hide

I Sharpening System in Your Pocket; DMT Credit Card Diamond Stones

II Great Eastern Cutlery 2025 #25 Watch Pocket Barlow Full Run Review Video

Sharpening System in Your Pocket; DMT Credit Card Diamond Stones

This past week one of my Jiu Jitsu training partners asked me to sharpen their knife, but in the bustle of getting ready for the day I forgot to put my knife maintenance kit in my bag. Thankfully, I keep a Coarse-Medium-Fine trio of DMT Credit Card Diamond Sharpeners in a tool pouch in my car. With just those three unobtrusive tools I was able to get his knife respectably sharp in just a few minutes.

I have been using DMT’s Credit Card stones for years, and think they’re some of the most convenient and useful sharpening tools available. They are literally the same dimensions as a credit card, maybe a bit thicker than plastic cards but similar to metal cards, and can actually fit in a wallet. They can be held securely with one hand as you hold the knife with the other – no table needed. Like any bonded sharpening tool they will wear out, the grit is just applied to a metal card rather than throughout like on a traditional stone, but I’ve found them to last remarkably well. Whether on the road, in the outdoors, or just at work you can keep them close by anytime.

Of course, any unguided sharpening stone requires that you learn how to sharpen freehand. While it takes more care and work than a guided angle sharpener or pull through sharpener, I think freehand sharpening makes up for it mainly in the satisfaction it brings. Freehand sharpening can be meditative, bringing you into the process in a fulfilling way. It’s similar to what I described about Fountain Pens and Traditional Knives in this article:

Intentionality Over Practicality: Traditional Knives and Fountain Pens

Anyway, these DMT Credit Card stones have served me well and I recommend them if you want a convenient portable freehand sharpening system. If you’d like to get some for yourself, you can find them at the link below (I am not sponsored by DMT and have purchased all the stones I use. The link is an Amazon Affiliate link).

https://amzn.to/3Zo8Iw9