What is it?
A pocket pull-through sharpener, item 50918, the version with a TPU soft-grip insert. Smith's lists a carbide slot, a ceramic slot, a fold-out tapered diamond rod and a lanyard hole, at 3.5 x 1 in and 1 oz.
Who is it for?
Someone who wants a near-weightless backup to bring a basic camp knife back to a working edge, without learning to hold a freehand sharpening angle.
How is it used?
Draw a straight edge lightly through the carbide slot to set it, then the ceramic slot to finish. Serrations go through the ceramic slot or on the diamond rod. The angle is preset; Smith's does not give the number on this version's page.
Every keychain has at least one key that opens nothing anyone remembers. The Smith’s Pocket Pal is the rare thing you can hang next to it that does a job: about an ounce, with a lanyard hole.
What it does on a keychain
Smith’s lists two pull-through slots and a fold-out tapered diamond rod. The carbide slot sets a quick edge and is for straight edges only. The ceramic slot finishes, and it takes straight and serrated edges. The rod is for serrations, small gut hooks and fish hooks. The version on this page is item 50918, with a soft TPU grip insert.
The slots preset the angle for you, which is the whole point. You still pull the blade through lightly. One owner on Reddit adds a warning about pull-throughs in general: pressing down is how people end up with a ragged edge.
The reviews are of the older PP1
Almost every review tests the older PP1. Smith’s describes the same slots and rod, so the reviews are a guide, not a test of this exact tool.
The Prepared called the PP1 the best simple sharpener for everyone, in a guide that has go-bags in mind; a one-ounce tool is easy to justify there. Walden Labs dropped theirs 2 m onto a hard surface without a scratch, but named the diamond rod’s plastic hinge as the weakest point. They also found the carbide had too little bite for an edge with moderate or severe nicks, so a chipped blade is a job for something else.
Keep it off the good knife
Smith’s describes the carbide slot as a quick-edge stage for straight blades. The reviews add the cost. HiConsumption admits the Pocket Pal it reviewed removes a lot of material and would not use it on premium blade steel. BladeReviews found its PP1 would not shave arm hair but would cut open an envelope, and would not make it anyone’s main sharpener.
So give it the right knife: the beater in the glovebox, the pocket knife you lend out, the camp knife that already has a few scratches. Owners on Reddit describe the same use: pocket knives that have stopped cutting nicely.
Straight from the threads
"I run my knives through a cheap Smith's Pocket Pal when they don't feel like they're cutting nicely and that's good enough for me."Owner on r/knifeclub, January 2015, version not statedRead the r/knifeclub thread ↗
"I use a Smith's Pocket Pal only for my pocket knives."Owner on r/knifeclub, June 2015, version not statedRead the r/knifeclub thread ↗
"I would never suggest carbide pull through sharpeners unless you are really in a bind."Commenter on r/knifeclub, June 2013, about Pocket Pal and other carbide pull-throughsRead the r/knifeclub thread ↗
Its PP1 "wouldn't shave hair off my arm, but it would cut open an envelope."BladeReviews, December 2016, older PP1Read the review ↗
None of the Reddit owners says which Pocket Pal they have, and the posts are from 2013 to 2015. Nearly all identified review units were the older PP1, which Smith's describes with the same slots and rod; HiConsumption does not name its version.
Pros and cons
Pros
- About an ounce, with a lanyard hole for a keychainSmith's ↗
- Diamond rod for serrations and fish hooksSmith's ↗
- The Prepared's simple pick for everyone (older PP1)The Prepared ↗
- Walden Labs' PP1 survived a 2 m drop without a scratchWalden Labs ↗
Cons
- Removes a lot of material (version not named)HiConsumption ↗
- A toothy working edge, not a shaving edge (PP1)BladeReviews ↗
- The diamond rod's plastic hinge is the weak point (PP1)Walden Labs ↗
- Almost no reviews of this 50918 versionBestProducts check, Oct 22, 2026 ↗
Main limitation
HiConsumption reports that the Pocket Pal it reviewed, version not named, removes a lot of material, and says it would not use it on premium blade steel; BladeReviews would not recommend the older PP1 as a main sharpener or for higher-end knives. Almost every review tests the PP1, not this 50918.
Who should pick something else
- You want one sharpener for a knife you care about: the Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener has diamond plates, a ceramic rod and a strop, with 20° guides.
- You are not sure what your knife allows: start with the edge check in the portable knife sharpener guide.
Compare both sharpeners
The guided tool and the pull-through sit side by side in the portable knife sharpener comparison. Clip the Pocket Pal to the keys, keep the good knife for the other one, and you finally have a key that opens something: a dull blade.
Questions before you choose.
Is this the PP1?
No. This is item 50918, the version with a TPU soft-grip insert. The PP1, the X2 and the Mini Tactical are different packages; the Amazon button opens the 50918.
Can serrations go through the carbide slot?
No. Smith's specifies the carbide slot for straight edges. Serrations go through the ceramic slot or on the diamond rod.
What angle does it sharpen at?
The angle is preset, and Smith's does not give a number on the 50918 page. If your knife maker lists an angle, compare before you pull the blade through.
Should it be my only sharpener?
The reviewers say no for good knives: BladeReviews would not make the older PP1 a primary sharpener, and HiConsumption would not use a Pocket Pal on premium steel.
Where the information comes from.
Sources checked . Every product fact on this page comes from the documents below. We have not handled or tested these products ourselves.
- Smith's: Pocket Pal SP-50918 ↗
Version, size, weight, slots, rod and which edges each part is for. No numeric preset angle on the page.
- The Prepared: pull-through knife sharpeners ↗
Older PP1. March 2022.
- BladeReviews: Smith's Pocket Pal PP1 review ↗
Older PP1: edge, harder steels, primary use. December 15, 2016.
- Walden Labs: Smith's PP1 review ↗
Older PP1: drop test and the diamond rod hinge. August 9, 2014.
- Owner thread: pressing down on pull-through sharpeners ↗
About pull-throughs in general, not the 50918: downward force leaves a ragged edge or a burr. November 17, 2024.
- HiConsumption: best pocket knife sharpeners ↗
Material removal; the version tested is not named. February 15, 2024.
Opens the SP-50918 soft-grip version on Amazon, not the PP1, X2 or Mini Tactical.