Are hand-held sharpeners useful?
Although opinions vary, the consensus is that hand-held sharpeners cannot replace a good machine sharpening. You cannot change the hollow radius easily and you should not use them on tapered blades. Having said that, they can be very useful to maintain a sharp edge or get rid of small nicks, particularly if you don’t get the chance to get a proper sharpening as often as you would want because of lack of reliable competent sharpeners in your area.
