Customer Reviews

Smith's TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-HONE Sharpening Stones System.

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this sharpening system for my Henckels, they are the light of my kitchen and I use them daily for cooking. I hadn't sharpened them since I bought them and the honing just wasn't doing it anymore. I shopped around and found this item at my local hardware store for TWICE the price, so I bought mine here on Amazon.

I agree with one of the other reviewers on the size - they are a little small for full size knives, requiring the user to work just a little bit harder. This is the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

This sharpening system got my knives razor sharp - literally. I was able to shave hair from my forearm with my Santoku after sharpening with this product. The kit is well made, with the plastic parts being very thick and durable - I expect it to last a while.

Because the base is smooth and flat, I recommend putting it down on something non stick (I used a damp towel) when sharpening larger knives, it helped a lot.

If you have kitchen knives, and don't have some sort of tri-stone sharpener, you'll be surprised to use it and find out how sharp a knife should be or could be. The pro's and con's are this:
Pro- comes with the stones already set in the unit, comes with the oil (don't ever skip the oil), good seatting for the stones. Good Price to move beyond an entry level single stone, but not as costly as the 10 inch, $100 models.

Con-I wish it was about 2 inches longer. A person has to be careful with a Santoku knife or butcher's knife to not run the blade off the end and nick it before you draw the entire length of the blade.

In reality, you should have an inch of stone to every inch of blade. This is a good starting point for someone wanting to sharpen their knives on an amateur level. (this is not idustrial in any way).

This sharpener is well made. Although somewhat small for large knives it performs adequately. Included extras (honing guide and oil) were appreciated and useful. I would recommend this item to consumers with basic knife sharpening needs. Might not be suitable for commercial use or large cutlery.

Having sharp kitchen knives at my disposal has been an ongoing struggle. I have multiple hand-held sharpeners and a Chef's Choice, model 115, electric sharpener. All these devices got my knives sharp enough but not as sharp as I knew they could be. I already had a Smith's soft Arkansas stone so I thought I'd add this Tri-Hone sharpener and see what I could do by hand. My first impression was that it's a bit small. It works fine with shorter knives, but when I tried to sharpen my 10" chef's knife or my 2 carving knives, the stones are just too short and narrow, making it much harder to keep those longer blades at the correct angle. I think this sharpening system was originally developed for pocket and smaller hunting/fishing knives and for that purpose is works well.

Sharpens your knife razor sharp and leaves a nice polished finish too. It's handy to have 3 different grade stones, depending on how dull your blade is. It was shipped fairly fast with standard shipping. Only problem is it does not have rubber stoppers on the bottom, so it might slide across your surface you have it on. Overall a great buy and a must have for keeping your knives sharp.

I bought this knife sharpener for my boyfriend in December of 2008 as he is a chef and has great knives at home. He was beyond impressed with this system! It came with a little bottle of oil for sharpening. It is very simple and easy to use, even I have helped him sharpen knives (and believe me when I say, that is not my forte!). After 10 minutes of sharpening a knife it can easily cut through paper or a large leek without a problem. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish it had something on the bottom to hold it on a hard surface better, we usually have to put a towel under it and even then it's a bit awkward to sharpen. Still, this is highly recommended!

This is the best sharpener money can buy. If you have never sharpened a knife by hand, it includes a guide for assistance.

The quality of this product has gone down dramatically over the years. I bought this item 24 years ago the first time and it was great. When I got it this time it was only one step above being pure crap!!! The stones were so cheap that they were bumpy on top, and the side edges actually crumbled away somewhat when used. the stones seem fake and manmade like corse porous cement. I guess it's a little better than scraping your knife across a brick. P.S. I also purchsed the 4 sided Dan's whet stone, it was excellent, like night and day. Highly recomend that one!!!

Not sure what more I can say about this - it makes sharpening knives easy and quick, and it does a truly excellent job of it with little fuss or muss.

I like the edge I get off this much better than the edge that I'd get when I took my knives into the butcher to have him sharpen them. He clearly used an industrial knife sharpening machine that removed a lot more metal and sharpened at an angle I didn't like.

I'm much more comfortable about the longevity of my pricey chef's knives now that I can sharpen them myself.

The stones and the device are very solidly constructed, and it stays in place when I'm sharpening. This ought to last far longer than I, and so could very well be something that I'll have to include in my will.

Highly recommended.

I bought this for my wife who is in her second year of culinary school. It was originally recomended by a fellow student of hers and once my wife learned how to use it, she quickly wanted one for herself.
I would recommend this product for anyone who enjoys cooking and wants to keep their knifes in top shape.