Work Sharp is an industry leader when it comes to sharpening tools. Back in the fourth quarter of 2020, they released the original Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener. Work Sharp isn’t the first company to produce a clamping and sliding rod-style sharpener. I think they were able to use that delay to their advantage. They took an existing design and thought, “How can we make this better?” The overall design and functionality of the Precision Adjust have a lot of improvements over similar sharpeners available in the market. But we’re here to talk about the new and improved Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite and Upgrade Kit.
This review is going to be a twofer. Since I already own the original Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener (non-Elite version), the generous folks at Work Sharp sent over the Upgrade Kit for me to review. Thus, bringing my original Precision Adjust to ELITE status (plus an extra Tri-Brasive). This will primarily be a Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite review, but I will also touch on the Upgrade Kit.
Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite Contents
Here’s what you can expect to receive with the Precision Adjust Elite (Full Kit):
- Carry Case
- Sharpening Chassis
- V Block Clamp
- Sharpening Base
- Leather Strop and Ceramic Serrations Sharpener
- Fine Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod
- Coarse Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod
- Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod Holder
Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Upgrade Kit Contents
As you can imagine, the Upgrade Kit comes with everything except the sharpening chassis, base, and V Block clamp. You should probably already have those pieces if you intend on purchasing the Upgrade Kit. For the sake of continuity, here’s a list of the contents:
- Carry Case
- Leather Strop and Ceramic Serrations Sharpener
- Fine Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod
- Coarse Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod
- Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rod Holder
Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite Setup
One thing that sets the Precision Adjust Elite apart from other knife sharpeners is the ease of setup and tear down. In a matter of minutes, you can have the Precision Adjust Elite together, dialed-in, and ready to create incredibly sharp knives. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Snap the Sharpener Chassis into the Sharpener base. The bottom-front of the Sharpener Chassis goes in first. Then you press down and it should snap into place. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Step 2: Insert the V Block clamp into the Sharpener Chassis. The V Block clamp should slide right in and it’s held in place by strong neodymium magnets. There is also a button on the back of the Sharpener Chassis. You depress the spring-loaded button to rotate the V Block clamp 180 degrees. This will give you access to each side of the blade.
Step 3: Choose a Tri-Brasive rod and insert it into the Sharpener Chassis. Much like the V Block clamp, the Tri-Brasive rod is held in place by a neodymium magnet.
Step 4: Set the blade angle. The angle of the sharpening rod is adjustable from 15 to 30 degrees. Five-degree increments are indicated on the left and one-degree increments on the right. If you don’t know your blade angle, just do a quick Google search and you can normally find it pretty quickly. Now you’re set up and ready to go. Follow the steps in reverse for tear-down.
I only go over the setup to demonstrate how easy it really is when compared to other similar sharpeners. The adjustment knob takes the guesswork out of setting sharpening angles. There’s no table clamp to fiddle with and thanks to the magnetic sharpening rod attachment, the Tri-Brasive stones are a breeze to switch. Speaking of Tri-Brasives, let’s go over what abrasive grits come with the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite.
Tri-Brasive Sharpening Rods, Ingenuity at Its Finest
The Tri-Brasive system is genius in its own right. Each Tri-Brasive sharpening rod consists of three different abrasive grits. Hence the “Tri” in Tri-Brasive. Each sharpening stone makes the face of a triangular prism that rotates inside the Tri-Brasive carriage and around the sharpening slide rod. As a result, you can progress through abrasive grits with just a quick rotation. This means less time changing to finer stones, less time sharpening, and more time using our incredibly sharp knives.
I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of owners of the original Precision Adjust love the system, but wish it came with more abrasive options. While the 320, 600, and ceramic grits were adequate in making your knives hair-shaving sharp, I was never happy with the look of my bevels.
Show me the Abrasives!
Like a genie in a bottle, Work Sharp grants us three wishes in the form of a fine-grit Tri-Brasive, coarse-grit Tri-Brasive, and a strop/serrations sharpener combo. Here are the abrasive grits that come with the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite:
- Coarse Tri-Brasive
- 220 Grit (Repair)
- 320 Grit (Shape)
- 400 Grit (Sharpen)
- Fine Tri-Brasive
- 600 Grit (Sharpen)
- 800 Grit (Sharpen)
- Ceramic (Hone)
- Leather (Strop)
- Ceramic Serrations Sharpener (Sharpen/Hone)
With the addition of four new abrasive grits over the original Precision Adjust, the Elite version is truly a do-it-all knife sharpener. Sometimes accidents happen and that means knives get chips from time to time. The 220 grit makes quick work of chip repair. We also get a gentler progression through finer grits.
As I mentioned before, I was never happy with the appearance of my bevels on the original Precision Adjust. The jump from 320-grit, to 600-grit, to ceramic meant spending a lot of time on the sharpener. With the Elite or Upgrade Kit, we can go from 400-800 grit, ceramic, then finally the leather strop. This results in a near mirror edge at a fraction of the time. The ceramic serrations sharpener is a nice addition as well — One feature the combination blades on my Leatherman’s will appreciate.
How Does the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite Work?
For those of you who have been in the knife game for some time, you’ll be familiar with the clamp and sliding rod design of the Precision Adjust Elite. In the simplest of terms, the Precision Adjust Elite is like using a guided whetstone. But it’s much simpler to use than a traditional whetstone and you can be more consistent in creating razor-sharp knives as a novice sharpener.
Securing the Blade
We went over the Precision Adjust Elite set up so I won’t rehash that. Next, you’ll want to center the blade on the V Block clamp, making sure to insert the blade spine all the way. Turn the knob to secure the blade in the clamp jaws. If you haven’t already done so, set the correct blade angle and now it’s time to get sharpening.
Sharpening the Blade
Depending on the state of your blade edge, it will determine what stone you start with. Starting at the heel of the blade, lightly guide the abrasive in a back-and-forth motion across the blade edge. Stop when you reach the tip of the blade. Make sure you keep track of the number of passes. You will continue with the same side and abrasive until a burr forms on the opposite side. Then, pressing the button on the back of the Sharpening Chassis, you flip the blade over 180 degrees and repeat the number of passes. Do the same process for each successive abrasive grit.
Stropping and Sharpening Serrations
For stropping and sharpening serrations, you perform the same steps as sharpening the blade but only in a downward motion. This makes sense as you wouldn’t want to cut into the leather strop. I find it really impressive that Work Sharp thought to include a strop. As a big believer in stropping your knives regularly, I’m a fan of this feature.
What’s not to like about the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Elite?
There isn’t much not to like, but my main issues with the Precision Adjust Elite revolve around the V Block clamp. I actually don’t mind that most of the product is made from plastic. It keeps everything light, maneuverable, and what makes this system affordable. With that said, even though the clamp is made of metal, I wish the whole V Block assembly was metal. To further that, I would like the rotation mechanism in the sharpening chassis to be metal as well.
Flexing in the V Block Clamp Assembly
Making these two components metal would make sharpening even more precise. As it stands, there is a little flex in the V Block when sharpening. Even when using light strokes across the edge, I can see the flex and this will affect the sharpening angle. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m still able to create knives so sharp it’ll cut you just for looking at it the wrong way. It’s just that we are talking about precision down to single-degree adjustments.
V Block Clamp is Too Small for Some Knives
My other issue with the V Block clamp is the size. The clamp does a great job with 95% of the knives I own. From EDC knives to kitchen knives, I have no issues with clamp strength or movement in the blade. However, I do have a couple outdoor knives that have thicker blade stocks, namely my Ka-Bar Becker BK2. This particular knife is 1/4” thick. The jaws can technically clamp around the BK2, but there isn’t much clamp strength holding it in place. If Work Sharp made a larger V Block clamp to accommodate thicker blades, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Final Thoughts
One thing I forgot to mention was the carry case. I’m a sucker for anything that keeps me organized and the case does not disappoint. Inside, there is a molded piece to perfectly house the sharpening base, chassis, and V Block clamp. Additionally, there is a plastic plate that neatly holds all the Tri-Brasive rods. Before Work Sharp sent me the Upgrade Kit, I was planning on creating a travel case for my Precision Adjust. I even went as far as purchasing a Pelican 1400 case to modify. No matter, one can never have too many Pelican cases.
About a year ago, Work Sharp released the original Precision Adjust at an incredible MSRP of $59.95. You get so much value with a tool that has such great design and ingenuity. A year later, we now have a new version called the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener ELITE with an MSRP of $119.95. The Upgrade Kit has an MSRP of $79.95. These products were born purely because Work Sharp listens to their customers. Many have been requesting more options for abrasive grits over the last year, myself included. I can stand behind a company with values like that.
If you own any type of knife, it’s imperative to have a good sharpening system. “Dull” should never be an adjective to describe any of your knives. Knives are cutting tools and sharp cutting tools are safe cutting tools. I highly recommend the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Elite and I guarantee it will meet all your sharpening needs. If you already have the original Precision Adjust, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Upgrade Kit will get you to ELITE status. For now, I leave you with this question — Why can’t you win arguments against sharp knives? Leave your answer in the comment section below!
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Note: The Precision Adjust Elite and Upgrade Kit were officially released at 10AM PST on October 1, 2021. I’ve also included some links to the original Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener. It’s still a great affordable sharpener with an MSRP of $59.95. You could always get started on the original and get the Upgrade Kit at a later date. Going this route also gives you the benefit of having an extra Tri-Brasive rod. Just something to consider.
