Dump Expensive Bench Grinders: The $10 Lowe's Find That Easily Sharpens Landscape Tools

Gardening is a tremendously popular hobby loved by millions of people. There are many variants of what we call gardening, but all of them use specific tools, and the list of garden tools is long. 

However, when you use a tool, it will get dull ... so what's a gardener to do? Send the tools off to be sharpened? Pretend that they are not dull? How about sharpening them yourself? Many gardeners are hesitant to do so. But what if there were a non-intimidating, novice-friendly way to sharpen your tools? The good news is that Lowe's has the Corona AC 8300 sharpening tool, which fits that bill perfectly. No noisy bench grinder and no complicated setup. Just a small, simple tool that nearly anyone can use.

The Corona sharpening tool is versatile. It can sharpen curved cutting edges like on pruning shears, straight knife edges, loppers, scissors, and even large tools like axes or lawn mower blades. The reason it is so versatile is that it uses a small tungsten carbide sharpener to remove metal from a dull edge. It does not matter what type of edge. It need not be said, but sharpening your tools will keep them working as good as new.

The goal of any sharpening effort is to remove a small amount of metal from the bevel that creates a cutting edge. These bevels vary in terms of the amount of angle, but the goal of sharpening is to simply restore the cutting edge while keeping the original angle that was ground into the tool. The Corona AC 8300's tungsten carbide sharpener has three flat faces formed at 90 degrees to one another. To sharpen any edge, align one of those flat surfaces with the angle of the cutting edge. With gentle pressure, push or pull the sharpener along the bevel two or three times. Flip the tool you are sharpening over and take one pass flat on the back of the blade at the cutting edge. You've done it; you have a sharp tool.

As with any task, you'll need a bit of practice to master the technique. The key is not to change the bevel on the cutting edge. Because it is small and portable (take it into the garden with you!), it is easy to use. But that small size can also cause trouble if you are not careful. Take care not to rock the tool back and forth as you sharpen. That will round the bevel, harming the cutting edge.

Finally, there are some considerations related to safety. Unlike a bench grinder, there is no danger of flying debris when using this tool. Your eyes are safe. But your hand is perilously close to a sharp cutting edge. Use protective gloves when you sharpen with the Corona AC 8300.