[gremlin]

How should I sharpen the curved blades on my pruning knife and bypass secateurs? 
I've been looking at widgets in the shops and wondered if a diamond "pencil" is the tool to use or whether an ordinary "steel" like we used to have for sharpening a carving knife is better. 

It's not worth sending them away. The knife is only worth a tenner and the secateurs not much more.

I don't want to chuck them away and buy new simply because they have had a couple of years use.

[tadpole]

buy a mixed pack of wet and dry sandpaper, glue it to a mouse mat, and glue that to some plywood. Sharpen your tools, there are shed loads of youtube demo's on how to do it

[fatcat1955]

I bought a pencil as you say, off fleabay. Brilliant bit of kit. Goes everywhere with me.

[Trillium]

I bought a little handheld sharpener called Speedy Sharp, located of all places in the paint dept of local stores. Love it! It sharpens anything fast and beautifully. All my secateurs are razor sharp now.

[Gwiz]

I have various diamond coated sharpening doo-berries. Most cost about £10 and last for ages.