How did the product come about?

Warthog Blade Sharpeners has been successfully manufacturing and exporting high quality knife sharpeners for over ten years.  Sharpening a blade correctly, to a razor sharp edge, is a skill that has eluded most people for years and is left to a few experts in the field.

Like our other models, most sharpeners on the market that sharpen a blade in the correct manner, require a certain amount of technical skill.  However, there are a few sharpeners on the market that manage to maintain a constant angle when sharpening; which is the key to a perfect edge.  Most of these sharpeners hold the blade by means of a clamping device in order to keep the contact angle between the hone and the blade at a constant angle.  This is a major disadvantage, because clamping a blade and setting up a sharpener takes a considerable amount of time.  Time is a very scarce and expensive commodity these days. 

We noticed a huge need in the market for a sharpener that is easy to use and sharpens correctly, with quick results. In 2000 we designed and manufactured the first V-Sharp™ (the now “V-Sharp Classic™”).  It was everything that you wanted in a knife sharpener; quick, accurate, versatile and performed very well.  It was, however, very ridged, cast from Zink, fairly expensive and quite a labour intensive device.  It was very popular wherever it was introduced.  We soon realized that we could never produce enough supply to meet the demand; especially after we started exporting to the U.S.A.  The V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ was created to fulfil that need.  The V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ was designed to accommodate all of the conditions required to create a perfect edge. The aim was sharpening according to knife sharpening specifications without wasting time or damaging your knife.  Most “instant” sharpeners do not adhere to the right sharpening procedures and rather shave metal off of the blade alongside the length of the edge than hone diagonally across the edge at a constant angle.  This sharpener was designed for Chefs, hunters and fishermen, as well as for home use. It has become very popular over a wide spectrum of the market.

What are the competitive products on the market?

The market for Knife Sharpeners is very competitive across the globe.  Sharpeners vary from expensive, complicated clamp devices, to cheap, pull-through devices.  However, to get the perfect edge, you need some kind of technical touch and normally this takes up valuable time.  You could use these alternative quick pull-through devices and settle for a workable secondary edge.  Pull-through sharpeners usually have two tungsten blades set at thirty degrees, shaving metal coils off alongside the edge of your blade.  These normally work well the first few times you sharpen.  Thereafter, the blades soon become very worn and thick, while the cutting edge starts ripping out - forming a serrated, damaged edge with very weak cutting ability. The V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ is the only freehand sharpener that requires no skill, maintains a constant angle and gives you a perfect edge in no time.

A variety of sharpeners currently exist on the market, ranging from small pocket models to clamp device sharpeners. Most competitors produce “instant” or “freehand” sharpeners that do not keep a constant angle. In principal, they all follow more or less the same sharpening techniques.  To maintain a constant angle, which is the key principal to a sharp edge, they all use some kind of clamping device.

Competitive clamping products have the following characteristics:

1)     constant angle – yes

2)    Take a long time to sharpen – yes

Competitive freehand products which you can compare to Warthog have the following characteristics:

1)     constant angle – no

2)    take a long time to sharpen – yes

What are the main features of the product and its performance?

The V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ is a well designed product that is not only pleasant to the eye but an extremely efficient knife sharpener that is very quick, accurate and easy to use. The V-Sharp™ can be used for all smooth blade knives, from the biggest to the smallest.  One of the most exiting features of the V-Sharp™ is that you can maintain a constant angle while sharpening freehand, by simply sliding the blade down alongside the guide provided in a cutting motion.  Another feature is that the blade guide can easily be adjusted by using the thumb screw conveniently located at the top.  This enables you to correctly sharpen differently shaped blades.  To prevent any injuries, the blade guide curves over the top of the device to form a protection for your hand as a safety feature.  Easily adjustable spring tensioners are provided to adjust the friction of the diamond honing pads against the blade.  The “V “, formed by the two diamond honers, is also adjustable - to accommodate wedge shaped, hollow ground, as well as parallel shaped blades.  To change angles, you simply unclip the diamond stone, and by moving it to the next notch, you have the option of sharpening at 17, 20, 25 and 30 degrees; depending on the hardness of your blade, as well as the application thereof. Diamond plated honing pads are easily changed by sliding them onto/off of the stone carrier.  Designed with groves on the front and back, you can slide on two diamond honing pads of different coarseness (grit size) on each stone carrier. To change grit (coarseness), all you have to do is turn your stone carrier around, facing the other honing pad to the front. Coarse (325grit), Medium (600grit) and Fine (1000grit) diamond honing pads are available. Also included as standard issue are high carbon steel wire forms used to steel (shape or comb the edge) on already sharpened blades to a razor shaving edge.  Considering all of these built in features, the V-Sharp™ out-sharpens other sharpeners available on the market, when judged by most sharpening criteria.

What are the benefits of the product?

The V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ has a few advantages over competive products on the market.  It is the only freehand knife sharpener that maintains a constant angle when sharpening.  One of the biggest advantages, however, is the diamond honing pads. We use diamonds in our sharpeners. Because of the hardness and sharp edges of the diamonds compared to other abrasives used by our competitions the results are not comparable.  Diamonds normally sharpen up to seven times faster than any other abrasive of the same grit size.  Besides a constant angle, the V-Sharp™ doesn’t need to be set up.  It is always ready and very user friendly.   The V-Sharp™ is a formidable sharpener that complies with proper sharpening criteria and sharpens a variety of knives at different angles with quick results.

Choice of materials and processes

Plastics are the materials chosen and used throughout this product and the main reason being the production process needed.  To achieve the quantities required and quality expected of this product, injection moulding was the process needed and this works hand in hand with plastics.  Plastic materials used include, ABS body for quality look and stability, Acetal for self-lubricating and strong sliding mechanisms, Nylon for toughness in the threads and Polypropylene for the casing - for its flexibility and cost.  Steel plate is used as the base for natural diamonds to be bonded onto it by nickel plating proses.

Statutory requirements

Besides the need for a general warning that working with sharp knives could be dangerous, we do not see that this product needs to abide by any further statutory requirements, standards or laws.

Media Description

 Warthog Blade Sharpeners’ dynamic V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ is a revolutionary knife sharpener.  As a manner of speaking, it gives you the best of both worlds;  combining the advantages of a clamp device sharpener to maintain a constant sharpening angle, as well as the instant and easy to operate features of crockstic and pull through sharpeners.  Our V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ is the only freehand sharpener that maintains a constant angle.  This internationally patented feature is exactly what puts the V-Sharp™ streets ahead of other knife sharpeners.  Also contributing to the advantages of the V-Sharp” is the fact that no setting up or clamping of the blade is necessary. Sharpening angles are easily adjusted from 17 to 20, 25 and 30 degrees.  Diamond honing pads simply slide on while each rod can carry two diamond pads.  This makes it easy to change the coarseness of your honer by turning it around, facing the other side.  Honing friction is also adjustable by using the spring tensioners provided. The blade guide is also adjustable to facilitate differently shaped blades.  Furthermore, the V-Sharp™ is so easy to use.  A simple slicing motion, keeping the blade against the  guide, quickly results in a razor edge without damaging your blade.  All these features combined makes the V-Sharp Xtreme Edge™ a must for every Kitchen, Butchery, Hunter and Chef.