Bridge City Tool Works and their HG-4 Honing Guide

[Steve Mathews]

Realizing that I should be learning the skills to sharpen tools by hand I still have an attraction to sharpening guides. My Veritas Mk.II works OK but it does have some issues. The Bridge City HG-4 just came to my attention and it looks like it might work better. Anyone with experience with it? Also, I read somewhere that Bridge City Tool Works was recently sold and their products are now made in China. Is that true?

[Christopher Herzog]

China manufacturing company Harvey is the owner of BCT. The days of exotic woods are dead and gone.

[Steve Mathews]

China manufacturing company Harvey is the owner of BCT. The days of exotic woods are dead and gone.


Disappointing, I'm no longer interested in the HG-4.

[Phil Gaudio]

Yeah, no more Bridge City Tools for me either, but I do have the HG-4 made in USA. Its a very nice guide. If you fiddle with the bevel angle during sharpening (e.g., primary/secondary/tertiary bevels, etc) then you will like the dial adjustable bevel angle. It has an integral fence, although not as robust as I would have liked. Having said all that, I tend to use my Lie Nielsen honing guide most of the time.