Learning to sharpen things was one of the more useful skills I picked up last year. Once you understand the simple science of it and acquire some basic equipment, you'll never work with dull tools (or pocketknives or scissors) again. I took a sharpening class at Tools for Working Wood, and if you live in the New York area I can highly recommend it.

Pros can sharpen items by feel. But being a visual person I also wanted to see what a sharp/dull edge looks like, which is impossible to see with the naked eye. So I bought this cheap, $10 fold-out jeweler's loupe on Amazon.

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This has become one of the handiest things I own--and not just in the shop. While it does help me to examine damaged edges closely, so I can focus my repair efforts, I've also found it super useful for reading labels and small text, on receipts, newspaper print, instruction manuals, or on the sides of bottles. Whether it's that my eyesight is getting worse, or all commercial printers in the world are conspiring against me by printing things smaller and smaller, I find myself reaching for this constantly.

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In practice I never use the built-in LED lights on the thing--I find the buttons too small and fiddly, and usually just move towards a nearby window when using it. (I also don't want to deal with having to replace tiny batteries, which leads me to subconsciously not use the light.) It comes in a dorky little plastic case, if you want to throw it into a bag and carry it around with you. I never do--this lives on a dedicated shelf in my house, so I always know where it is.

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At just ten bucks, it's cheap enough that I might buy a second one to leave in the car.