I'm not a knife enthusiast, but I cook a lot and always carry a small folding knife or multi-tool. My last sharpener was a Worksharp, which I wasn't a fan of because it felt cheap and plastic. Plus, the clamp was almost a joke—it would shift slightly when I applied pressure, and I just couldn't figure out why it was designed that way.
I first heard about the HALFMOON HM1 from a friend, and it really caught my eye for a few reasons. First off, the angle adjustment is super simple, with six settings that suit both my outdoor and kitchen knives perfectly. This means I don't have to shell out extra cash for an angle gauge. Second, the flip clamp design is both simple and effective, keeping the sharpening angle consistent on both sides. I’ve never seen a design this user-friendly, and it allows me to check and test my sharpening results easily while I work.
It took me a little time to get used to this new sharpener, but once I got the hang of it, I could sharpen a knife to a fine edge in about 15 minutes and completely restore a dull knife in 30 minutes. It's heavy enough to stay in place on the table, and you can tell a lot of thought went into the design. After some use, it becomes really intuitive.
The only downside is that the package only comes with 240/600/1000 grit diamond stones, so I hope HALFMOON will release some higher-grit options in the future.
