Thread: Eggington shepherds sharpening steel

Originally Posted by caberslash

Don't mean to de-rail the thread, but can someone explain to me why a steel is preferable to a small sharpening stone and strop (leather belt) for in-field blade touch ups?

Its not.

A steel will only work for softer simple steels. A strop loaded with compound or a small stone will work for any steel at any hardness.

I much prefer a strop for touch ups on a soft steel knife. The more complex, higher wear resistance steels don't need a touch up in the field usually (at least for my needs, 2 animals max)