Tanto blades are equal parts functional and cool and are one of the more eye-grabbing blade types in the EDC world. Sporting two cutting edges at different angles, tanto blades’ geometry have an unusually strong point. From automatic folders to fixed blades, the sword-like tanto blade’s ubiquitous standing the the knife world hasn’t changed the fact that many people struggle with sharpening them.

Sharpening a tanto knife is a lot like sharpening any other blade. The idea behind blade sharpening is to remove steel from both sides of the blade to create a finer edge. The method behind sharpening a tanto knife is to sharpen both edges separately, taking great care with the secondary point between the cutting edges. Oversharpening this point can lead to it being rounded off, and believe us, that’s not something anybody wants.

Welcome to the big leagues of sharpening. The Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition Knife and Tool Sharpener is the quickest way to create hair-splitting edges on your tanto blade. While many electric sharpeners introduce heat issues, Work Sharp’s exclusive flexible backed abrasive belts ensure a cool, even sharpening experience.

The Work Sharp comes with different grits of belts ranging from extra coarse to fine. To sharpen your tanto blade:

1. Start with the coarse grit belt. Using the angle guide, move the blade from the heel to the secondary tip five times, taking care not to roll over the point. Do the same on the other side. Now do the same with the second cutting edge from the secondary tip to the point of the blade. Place the cutting edge flat down on the guide like you are trying to cut into it.
2. Change the belt to the medium grit and repeat the steps above.
3. Use the fine grit and repeat the process. Go from side to side for a total of five passes on each side of each cutting edge. If you want less of a toothy edge, finalize the edges on the Extra-fine belt.

The same edge can be created using the Original Knife & Tool Sharpener with the Medium and Fine grit belts.