Forget Bench Grinders: This Ace Hardware Find Sharpens Garden Tools For Under $20

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The garden tools we use to chop and cut branches or harvest flowers and fruit are wonderful as long as they are sharp. But even if you only use these tools for pruning or trimming, it's difficult to put up with them when they get dull. On one hand, you might think sharpening garden tools something best left to the professionals, and you might not even know where to start if yo want to do the task yourself. But with the help of the STIHL All-In-1 Sharpening Device found at Ace Hardware stores, even novice DIYers can successfully put a sharp edge on their pruning tools. This handheld tool (also known as the STIHL 3-in-1 because of its three built-in sharpening ports) is easy and safe to use. You can sharpen pruning shears, scissors, hedge trimmers, knives, hatchets, cleavers, and more. You could replace your bench grinder with an angle grinder instead, but this handheld tool is much easier to carry around.

On a theoretical level, the perfect cutting edge would be infinitely thin (sharp), infinitely smooth, and infinitely strong. When a cutting tool gets dull, its sharp edge becomes deformed. It gets rounded and perhaps even nicked. Sharpening restores the cutting edge by removing a tiny amount of metal to change the shape back to its proper thin edge. The benefit of the STIHL All-In-1 Sharpening Device is that the sharpening ports each have unique angles built into them. One is for pruning shears, one for scissors and knives, and one for axes and cleavers. Used properly, the tool will restore a sharp, properly-shaped edge to any garden tool you can think of.

The tool is very easy to use. First, find the correct sharpening port for the tool that you wish to sharpen. Wear protective gloves for this operation, and maybe add eye protection, as well. Next, secure the tool you are sharpening in some way. Clamp it to a workbench, put it in a vise, or have a friend hold it securely. Simply place the edge you wish to sharpen in the sharpening port and pull the edge through the sharpening blades (which are made from tungsten carbide) in a smooth, even stroke. Repeat the process until you can see improvement on the cutting edge, then test it to make sure it's as sharp as it should be. Just like that, you've sharpened your first tool. Now, go ahead and get busy sharpening the rest of them.

Sharp garden tools have the major benefit of making your workload easier. Cleaner cuts as you're pruning shrubs or flowers or harvesting veggies will also cause less damage to the plants. Plus, keeping your tools sharp means you won't need to replace them as often, saving you money. Very sharp tools do deserve a bit of extra respect to avoid accidental cuts, but that comes with the territory — as does the satisfaction of an edge well-sharpened.