Over in the "The great multitool video thread " jaroslav asked about sharpening and the best sharpener to use . Although I dont claim to be an expert on sharpening I will show you guys whats works best for me .I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77 Now its not the cheapest on the market but it is very easy to use , I mean really easy
If you buy a new one you will get along with it a detailed instruction book and a DVD on how to use it , in which Sal Glasser ( Spyderco's owner ) actually demonstrates how to use it
The sharpmaker angles are obviously set to bring out the best in Spyderco knives but they are aslo spot on for Victorinox knives ( along with many other makers ) and re profiling isnt needed .I'm sure that other members who own a sharpmaker will join in and say how good they are . Of course its still a good idea to practice free hand sharpening on a flat stone and that is quite a good skill to learn .
Serrated blades .The Sharpmaker works very well on the serrated blades on the Spirit and Swisstool but I have found a problem with Gerber and Leatherman serrated blades ( plain edge are fine ) , the angle on the Gerbers and LMs are just too shallow and the Sharpmaker only touches the shoulder and not the edge
This is how I got round it , but its not ideal and is another reason why I dont carry either of those two brands .By putting a book underneath one end to change the angle
Tips
This is a great tip that will help you loads , before you start to sharpen a blade mark the edge with a marker pen
So that when you start to sharpen the pen will be worn off at the point where the part of the blade touches the stone so you can see where the metal is being taken off .You have to keep going until there is no black line along the edge ( on both sides for a plain edge ) .
An alternative to the sharpmaker for the Gerber and Leatherman is one of these , there are many other products for serrated blades but this is the only one I could get on with , you need a steady hand to get the angle just right and the marker pen method will help you here too so you can see where you are sharpening .
To finnish off heres a bigger picture of the Spyderco Sharpmaker
Hope I havnt confused you too much , its so much easier to show someone then it is to explain .
Dunc