Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

Spyderco made the Sharpmaker before it made knives, which says a lot about how the company thinks about edges. The idea is simple: a plastic base holds triangular ceramic stones upright at fixed angles, so you draw the blade straight down and the base takes care of the angle.

You get two pairs of high-alumina ceramic stones, medium brown ones for real sharpening and fine white ones for finishing. The flat sides handle plain edges, the corners reach into serrations, and a groove along each stone sharpens fishhooks, darts and awls. The base sets 30 or 40 degrees for knives (15 or 20 per side) plus a 12.5-degree setting for scissors, and flipped over it holds two stones flat as a bench stone. Brass rods guard your hands, everything packs into the base and lid, and it’s made in the USA.

It makes every other knife in the house better, which makes it a smart pairing with any new kitchen or pocket knife.

The catch: ceramic stones break like glass if dropped, and fixed angles are made for keeping a good edge sharp rather than rebuilding a badly damaged one. The stones are used dry, which at least means no oil on the counter.