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My inexpensive side-clamp honing tool, sometimes called the Eclipse guide after the company that created it, has been my faithful companion since the mid-1990s. When Lie-Nielsen Toolworks started showing its side-clamp hone guide around, I resisted even considering picking it up. I don’t like to mess with any aspect of my sharpening routine.
Thomas Lie-Nielsen approached me two years ago to help him test a prototype for his guide. Perhaps because I was skeptical, After six months of using it, I retired my trusty Eclipse. Why? The Lie-Nielsen is simpler to use, requires less fiddling and holds tools with a vise-like grip. Plus, a variety of additional jaws (sold separately) allow you to hold odd-shaped tools and get precise edges.
Because it only has one opening, the guide can be used to hold both plane irons and chisels. The Eclipse has two. One opening makes setting the sharpening angle easy because you dont have to decide which opening to use.
It requires less fiddling because the jaws are precisely machined from stainless steel.
You can read the complete review here
Web site:lie-nielsen.comBlog: Read a longer version of this review with details on the jigs array of jaws.
From the November 2015issue
