Review on Enhance Precision and Performance with the Selectool SEL001 Master Sharpener, Black by Shannon Chisholm

This product shows promise for those looking for a small/portable/lightweight sharpener, many different items. However, I could not fulfill this promise; It's a great idea, but the execution wasn't quite there. It's not all that bad, but let me start with the cons first.* The overall feel is a little underwhelming. I know they were aiming for lightness, but it might have made sense to use a slightly thicker material. However, there is a lifetime guarantee. So if you damage them, you'll likely get another one for free (more on that below). * The attached documentation is rough and needs to be updated. I found several inconsistencies in performing certain actions, grammatical errors, and wording that made some tasks less intuitive. When I emailed them asking for clarification on some less clear descriptions, the reply was that the documentation is "about 50 years old" and will be updated in the future. I thought it was a joke, but apparently not; when it appears that the original design is about the same age. *The website mentions a lengthy video explaining how to use the product - which would probably be very helpful given the state of documentation - but you'll need to sign up for an account to access it. This seems like a pretty odd requirement for something I already have. Proper usage instructions are the kind of information you want to make easily available to your customers, and YouTube is probably a good place for that. Hell, everything else is already there. * The blade alignment gate allows for a lot of movement of the blade so you need to be sure to follow the angles on either side exactly like you would with other sharpeners. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because it contradicts some product claims. But really, how could it be otherwise? Your ax will be much thicker than your twin knife, so there's no way you can design a tool that can sharpen both with equal aplomb. To compensate, they've engineered it to extend the insert, at which point you can hand-sharpen larger items. Speaking of the insert.* Mine is very tight so the only way to get it out is with a vise and a good pull. After removing it, I was able to expand it, but in doing so I encountered something unexpected; The insert is not long enough to extend the tool with scissors and still sharpen it. The mission can do both. So if you want to use it by hand, you need to pull it out to the right length, sharpen the object (like a lawnmower blade, hatchet, etc.), and then retract the blade before doing anything else. Scissors. . It's only held on by a single screw, so it doesn't take a lot of time to do the job, but it still feels a bit like a design oversight. If it were half an inch longer, you could adjust the insert to any length you wanted and still not lose functionality. There's no indication of what the insert is made of, but an email from the owner confirmed it was something called Carboloy. It's not as hard as tungsten carbide, but my research suggests it can be pretty close (I'd never heard of carbolic acid before, so I had to look it up). Given the composition of the alloy, it's likely to last for quite a while. So unless you're sharpening a lot of items, wear and tear is probably not an issue. Areas I find positive: * The mentioned lifetime warranty is quite generous for such a cheap product. In one of the few YouTube videos I found about Selectool, the company owner even mentions that if you run over it with your truck, you can still replace it by simply sending them the remaining parts. I can't think of many other products that come with this guarantee.* It's made in the USA. Of course, for people overseas this isn't a commercial benefit, but for many of us here in the States, myself included, it matters.* The design is such that you can sharpen a wide variety of blades and tools. Obviously he can't do everything, but he's certainly able to cover a lot of things. There's even a built-in tile cutter and glass cutter. It won't be very helpful to me, but I'm sure others will find it beneficial.* The company sent two separate emails after purchase to make sure I was happy with the product. One of them even had a link to his Revain list, which encouraged you to leave comments, good or bad. When was the last time you heard from a company that does this? When was the first time? Maybe these people. And it turns out it wasn't just a bunch of nonsense. I contacted the owner about the issues and concerns documented above and he responded quickly. Turns out they really want to hear from you and are ready to prove it. last note; Pay attention to how often you use the sharpener on your knives. I played around with some of the blunts I had in my tackle box and without much pressure there were visible metal shavings. He literally cut off the metal, leaving small shavings. For a truly dull knife that has its perks, but once sharpened, you have to resist the urge to keep using that part. Instead, run the knife through the deburring section several times after every other use. This should sufficiently sharpen the blade, which is technically all you need to do with a knife that stays sharp.