For the Love of the Craft: Work Sharp OD55 Freehand Sharpener Review

Given how much time I spend outdoors and how often I reach for a knife, learning to sharpen a blade has been one of the best life skills I have ever learned. That said, there are many ways to get the job done, with the most recent advancements coming from Work Sharp. But for a company known for advanced, forward-thinking designs, its latest sharpening solution is remarkably simple.

Designed with freehand knife-sharpening savant Alex Garland of Outdoor55, the OD55 Dual Grit Diamond Sharpening Stone and Base ($140) is a stone-centric knife sharpening base that uses a series of angle guides and sharpening stones to get your knives back in top form.

The system comes with a dual-sided coarse (320) / fine (1200) stone block using Work Sharp’s diamond plates; however, don’t feel that you need to stick with it. The OD55 base is designed to work with a wide array of sharpening stones from across different brands. The only requirement is that whatever stone you use needs to be 3 in. x 8 in. to fit.

In short: There may be other sharpening solutions out there for everyone, but the OD55 pushes you to learn and practice the life skill of freehand sharpening. Its price tag makes it an investment, primarily for those who want to hone their sharpening skills. From the quality and design of the OD55 to its overall ease of use, this system is dialed in for the long haul.

Work Sharp OD55 Freehand Sharpener Review

Design & Features

The core of the OD55 Freehand Sharpener is the base. While I won’t call it weighted, it has some heft to it, enough to keep it in place when you’re sharpening a knife. This is aided by rubber pads on the legs, but if you wanted to secure it to a workbench, each leg has a hole in it so it can be screwed down.

The top of the base has a rubber pad that keeps the stone in place, along with an adjustable clamp that accommodates stones from 7.5–8.5 inches long and 3 inches wide. (Most of the stones you’ll find in the marketplace today are 8 in. x 3 in. x 1 in.) I still have my first stone, which was given to me when I was 12. Over the years, it’s definitely shrunk, so the adjustable clamp on the OD55 base is a beneficial feature.

The stone itself is dual-sided, with a fine diamond plate bonded to the center block on one side and a coarse diamond plate bonded to the other. The coarse side is 320 grit, which is better for restoring an edge than honing one. The fine side, at 1200 grit, is what most people will rely on to restore the edge on their knife.

First Impressions

Having been spoiled by the Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Elite Knife Sharpener, using the OD55 seems almost silly — but I appreciate it. While I enjoy just how precise and easy the Precision Adjust system is, I really love the simple, no-setup design of the OD55. In essence, it makes a complicated form of sharpening more accessible.

Still, I wouldn’t love it as much as I do if it didn’t have the angle guides. Finding the right angle to grind your edge at and maintaining it is a form of programming that a lot of people don’t have time for.

It’s an art form, so if you’re someone who wants to use a system like the OD55 but hasn’t sharpened a knife with a stone before, you’re going to really benefit from the inclusion of the adjustable, magnetic angle guides.

On that note, make sure to find out what the angle of your knife’s grind is, or you might find yourself putting a new edge on a knife that just needs a little TLC.

Overall, this is a well-thought-out system that supports the art of knife sharpening with some modern amenities that make it less of a chore.

Using the OD55

What better than a rainy Sunday morning to set aside some time, with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, to rehone a handful of your favorite knives? The kids were watching SpongeBob, the dog was busy chewing on his bone, and I had a hankering to get down to brass tacks — right on my butcher block prep station in the kitchen.

There’s virtually no setup involved to use the OD55: Lock in the stone, set your angle guide, drop in, and sweep. The stone that Work Sharp includes in the box is quality and more than likely makes up two-thirds of the $140 cost for the unit.

Initially, I only thought I would use the fine side of the stone, but then I remembered I had a couple of really old and beat-up belt knives that could use a little work. After 10 passes on each side of the blade, and each side of the stone, those two knives are paper slicers in the highest regard.

The other knives just needed a light retouching and were easy to get back to factory sharp. In fact, I spent more time looking up their grind angle than I did hitting them on the stone. That said, you might find yourself taking a little more time with smaller knives, making sure you’re not messing up your handle scales by hitting the stone.

To Oil or Not to Oil, That Is the Question

If you’re using a diamond stone, you do not need to use oil. In fact, you don’t need to lubricate the stone at all, but if you do, use a little splash of water.

Non-diamond sharpening stones are porous and benefit from the use of oil, as it can create slurry, which helps sharpen the knife’s edge. This is also why it’s recommended that you soak stones that aren’t considered diamond stones. Diamond stones are not porous, so the oil will just sit on the surface and make a long-lasting mess.

When the going gets tough and I need bigger results, I will mist a stone with water, but I didn’t do that with the OD55. The stones that come with the base are excellent on their own. That said, I keep my knives in good working order. It’s usually when I am sharpening other people’s knives that I need to resort to Defcon-level measures.

In Conclusion

I’ve been working with Work Sharp products both personally and professionally for nearly a decade. The brand’s contributions to knife sharpening (and knives) will have their own section in the history books. With the OD55, Work Sharp proves that sometimes the simplest option is the best one.

But this isn’t just another sharpening stone base; its ability to lock the stone in place and the addition of angle guides provide enough enhancements for this to be either a gateway knife sharpener or a main sharpening system — if you’re willing to invest in the high-end performance.

I think the OD55 is best suited for someone looking to carve out time in their lives to enjoy the sharpening. There are more convenient ways to sharpen a knife these days, most of which can be found on Work Sharp’s site. As a knifemaker, the OD55 would be my choice for honing that first edge.

As an outdoorsian, I’m going to stick to the Guided Field Sharpener to get the majority of my sharpening work done. After all, I do most of my sharpening and honing out on an adventure. However, due to its ease of use overall, the OD55 may replace the Professional Precision Adjust Elite Knife Sharpener as my go-to when I am back home.

I am not sure if it’s going to stay in the kitchen or be sent out to the workshop, but I know I’ll be using it again and again.