Best Knife Sharpeners Reviewed & Tested
The slow but steady uptake of knife sharpeners among the mainstream of knife owners is informed by their superior performance, convenience, and ease of use as compared to traditional means of keeping your knives sharp. With regular, day-to-day use, your kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives will inevitably lose their razor-sharp cutting edge and irrespective of whether you have a cheap or expensive set of them, they will eventually require sharpening. And unless you don’t find the thought of sending them away for professional sharpening every now and then, which is not only inconveniencing but also expensive in the long run, it would be prudent to invest in a practical and functional knife sharpener.
Currently, the market is flooded with several varieties of them, each promising you versatility, ease of use, razor-edge sharpness and durability. Most have pre-set cutting angles, so you don’t have to worry about messing your knife and don’t require any special skills to use. For those who still want to experience old-day tool complexity, our list also features a few best manual knife sharpener for your consideration.
Our Top 3 Picks
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Like we mentioned above, the market has several types and designs of knife sharpeners and most are compatible with a wide range of knife types. You have the option of choosing among a growing list of honing steel, diamond, ceramic pull-throughs and even traditional whetstone, whichever you find most convenient. The wide availability of so many varied alternatives might understandably make it a little daunting, nerve-wrecking and off-putting any endeavour to find the best knife sharpener to use at home or in a commercial establishment. With this difficulty in mind, we’ve put together a list of ten of the best and most suitable knife sharpeners on the market today for your consideration. All of the products on the list espouse superior build quality, longevity, ease of use, safety, and most importantly, a remarkable performance in restoring an impeccable finish to your knives, leaving them looking smooth and sharp.
10 Best Knife Sharpeners
1. Edge Pro Apex 1
The fact that it is a manual sharpener has not escaped our attention. While a majority of homeowners would invariably opt for electric sharpeners on the basis of their convenience and speed, they are not always the best option for keeping your knives in optimal performance condition. For one, they use grinding wheels which, due to their fast speed of rotation, leads to the generation of a significant amount of heat which is inevitably transferred to the blade and which consequently affects the hardness of the material from which the knife is constructed. With consistent occasional use, they have the potential for ruining your knives, forcing you to go out for a new set. Another major disadvantage to going with electric models is the fact that they only let you sharpen at a single angle, and therefore interferes with the angle and hardness of the blade with time.
The design makes it relatively easy to put together and disassemble whenever the need arises. The product is fitted with suction cups at the bottom to give you a stable platform to allow you work with the least disturbance. The feature makes it relatively effortless working on different flat surfaces. And you have the liberty of removing the suction cups to allow for easy attachment of the product to a workbench. One of the glaring differences between the Edge Pro Apex 1 Knife Sharpener Kit and other sharpening systems is its use of a patented guide at a time when other systems are using clamps for holding the blade in place. The patented guide allows you to sharpen some of the longest and tallest knives in the house and commercial kitchens and you're not restricted regarding length or width.
The design allows for a range of between 10 and 24-degrees, which essentially makes it one of the most flexible and versatile knife sharpener kits on the market today. It has several settings to accommodate a majority of common angles and further gives you the freedom of selecting your preferred angle as dictated by the blade you intend to sharpen.
The top-notch manufacturing quality is yet another factor that hugely makes the product appealing to the mainstream of homeowners. To ensure consistency in bevelling, the entire length of the blade is aligned with smooth sharpening stones that will get your knives sharp in the shortest time possible and with minimal effort. The ability to effortlessly and seamlessly handle small, standard and large knives is yet another major selling point and one that’s partly responsible for propelling it to the first position.
The sharpening kit easily accommodates a width of up to 3-1/2-inches and different knife different designs that include but not limited to Western, Japanese, and serrated variants meaning that it will at home in any setting. To keep you and loved ones safe while sharpening your knives, it comes with several safety features the most outstanding of which is the built-in stops and guards.
Like all great products, the Edge Pro Apex 1 still has got its own drawbacks. While a manual sharpening system has its advantages over its electronic counterparts, many consumers perceive it to be a cumbersome, laborious and time-consuming way of keeping the knives sharp and would instead opt for the fast and convenient electric models. Secondly, it is not ideal for use with filet knives, and this will most likely lockout most prospective consumers.
To recap, the Edge Pro Apex 1 Knife Sharpener is an easy to use and versatile kit even though the fact that it’s manual might be off-putting to some segments of consumers. Its simplicity of operation coupled with its capacity for sharpening different knives at several angles makes it a must-have for homeowners looking for a straightforward operation and sharp knives. The design allows you to change the stones quickly and painlessly and because the system is manual, it won’t affect the tampering of your blades. All these features make the Edge Pro Apex 1 Knife Sharpener Kit one of the best knife sharpeners to consider for purchase.
- Compact and lightweight for greater portability
- Sharpens knives and blades evenly
- Very versatile
- Has a carrying case for easy transportation and storage of accessories
- Fairly priced
- Exceptional safety features
- Has a relatively steep learning curve
- Works a little slowly
2. PriorityChef
The knife is capable of handling both straight and serrated knives and several implements with blades, irrespective of their lengths and widths. Consequently, it an ideal selection for breathing life back into a wide range of old and blunt blades. The knife sharpener relies on a 17-degree angle to ensure your knives have the best cutting edge, which also means it's ideal for cutting different items and objects without spending too much time at the task, as is the case with poorly manufactured models. Furthermore, the ease of using it means you don't have to have vast experience in handling knife sharpeners so that Do-It-Yourselfers, homeowners, and professional chefs have the easiest time keeping their knives sharp.
The high traction properties do a great job minimising the likelihood of it slipping away and injuring yourself or those near you. The ingenious design of the diamond and ceramic sharpening wheels also guarantee that you don’t run any risks of causing any kind of harm to yourself. While the first wheel is for sharpening your blade to a double-edge finish, the second is for honing it with the aim of improving all the resulting small imperfections resulting from the first step.
Another major selling point is its modern, sleek appearance that makes it reek of sophistication, ensuring it blends in with the décor of your kitchen effectively making it the focal point of your kitchen. The attractive stainless appearance and classic design of the knife sharpener will make you the envy of your visiting friends and relatives whenever they come over, and it will take some considerable effort on your part trying to keep it out of sight.
Concerning ease of use, it'll be difficult trying to find a knife sharpener that easier to use and operate. The product is designed to be as comfortable and effortless to use as possible. The hand grips are ergonomically designed to give you a comfortable and easy grip so you can use it for hours on end without experiencing any serious fatigue.
Because it is lightweight and compact, it's highly portable and can be used by all family members, even the aged grandparents visiting from upcountry. Another reason as to why it's the preference of most homeowners is that it fits relatively easily into most spaces and can, therefore, be used to access those points that standard knives can't. And the best part is that the PriorityChef Knife Sharpener is fairly and reasonably priced, so you don't have to dig too deep into your pockets to experience the premium qualities that have until now been the preserve of the rich and wealthy.
To recap, if you want great value for your money, make the prudent decision of investing in this option. THe unit will maintain the sharp cutting edge of your knives and other blade implements for the next several years, eliminating the need to purchase knives each and every year. While the market is filled with several other cheap alternatives, they largely lack the professional construction quality, durability, and sharpness of the PriorityChef Knife Sharpener and definitely won't give you your money's worth over the long run.
- Provided with a sharpening and finishing slot for optimal performance
- Has a non-slip base for better stability and precision
- Comes with both diamond and ceramic sharpening wheels
- Versatile and can sharpen wide range of knives
- Ergonomically design for comfort and ease of use
- Lack of clear and precise instructions
- Not ideal for use with large knives
3. Linkyo Sharpening System
One of the main differences between this option and several other electric and manual sharpeners on the market is that it sharpens one side of the blade at a time while the others sharpen both sides simultaneously. Consequently, half of the slots are dedicated to the rough grit while the remaining two are for the fine grit. This makes it possible for homeowners, enthusiastic Do-It-Yourselfers, cooks, chefs, and even outdoor enthusiasts to sharpen just the side of the blade that they want to sharpen without having to sharpen the two sides at the same time.
A second safety feature aimed at keeping you and your loved ones safe is the automatic stop function that will immediately shut it down in the event that you apply excessive force in pressing the knife downwards. In case the blade is too heavy, the auto-stop feature will also kick in to prevent the knife sharpener from jamming and damaging its internal components and the blade itself, ensuring you continue using it for the next several years.
As was mentioned in the introduction, the knife sharpener has four sharpening slots to enable you to keep your knives sharp like those of a chef. The first stage is for re-shaping the angle, sharpening the blade and finally rejuvenating the edge, leaving it looking sharp and new. Another interesting feature is the inclusion of a special catch basin that simplifies the subsequent clean-up process by catching all the metal shards and shavings generated during the sharpening thereby ensuring you spend the least amount of effort and time to clean up.
With every purchase you get a 12-month warranty from the manufacturer, clearly indicating that the product is indeed of high-quality and has passed all the necessary quality checks. With the warranty, you are sure all defects resulting from the use of substandard or poor-quality materials or resulting from poor workmanship will be corrected by the manufacturer without any additional charges to you. Unfortunately, the unit is not compatible with serrated knives, and this may be a huge deal breaker for people with such knives. Also, the design doesn't allow you to change the angle of the blade. These are the two main drawbacks you have to be aware of before committing your money. Apart from the drawbacks, it functions flawlessly and seamlessly, no matter the extent to which your blade is blunt.
Overall, the Linkyo Electric Knife Sharpener is a cost-effective and professionally designed knife sharpener made with high-quality products and will last several years with proper use. Some of its most attractive features are ease of use, versatility, durability, two sharpening stages, an automatic blade guide system as well as a heavy-duty suction cup to ensure you work safely and securely without jeopardizing your health. Whether it's re-shaping, sharpening, or honing your dull knives, it is always up to the task. Because it comes with receptacles and plugs, you won't have any difficulties cleaning the shards and shavings resulting from sharpening your knives. You won't regret getting this product.
- Compact and light for greater manoeuvrability and controllability
- Easy to clean without making any messes
- Cost-effective
- Comes with a limited lifetime warranty
- Exceptional performance with its 2-stage sharpening prowess
- Superior sharpening and polishing capabilities
- Lacks versatility for working with serrated blades
- Not compatible with knives thicker than 4.4-millimetres
4. Precision Sharpening Guides
Because it uses abrasive belts, it allows you to sharpen re-introduce a breath-taking and hair-raising sharpness to straight, bladed, curved, tanto, filet and even serrated knives within the shortest time possible and without expending much effort. Precisely, experienced users should expect to spend less than a minute to sharpen their knives while novices and enthusiastic Do-It-Yourselfers and hobbyists will take a maximum of two minutes, proving that the sharpeenr is one of the easiest to use. Just to prove it's a versatile knife sharpener worth taking seriously, it incorporates two useful guides: 50-degrees and 40-degrees. The 50-degrees guide is for sharpening knives meant for outdoor use like those used in camping and hunting while the 40-degrees guide is for sharpening knives that are thinner and the ones meant for use in the kitchen.
Other than knives for kitchen and outdoor use, it is equally capable of sharpening other blade implements that include but not limited to scissors, garden shears, axes and hatches, mower blades, and just about any other tool that uses a blade. The product’s compatibility with such a wide range of common tools means that it is also quite economical and will save you a great deal of money in the long-run as there will no point purchasing different sharpeners specially dedicated to keeping them sharp, which also translates into economical use of storage space.
To conclude, this is such a versatile knife sharpener that’s widely compatible and accommodative of several types of knives and blade implements and is, therefore, an indispensable tool for maintaining, if not improving, the razor-sharp edge of your knives. Irrespective of the type of knife you own, be it a kitchen, outdoor, tactical or pocket knife, the sharpener allows you to sharpen like a professional: quickly, effortlessly and accurately.
You have a choice of five belts that include coarse belt, medium belt, and gine belt, all of which are optimized for different types of knives and other blade implements. Plus, the product is unbelievably accurate since you have the freedom of interchanging the sharpening guides to give you better precision for your knives. This option is definitely a worth investment.
- Very versatile for handling all types of knives and blades
- Packaged with a guide specially designed for scissors for perfect results
- Ease of installing replacement belts
- Comes in a long-lasting and sturdy body
- Package conveniently includes an angle guide
- A little on the expensive side
- Has a short 12-month warranty
5. Smith’s CCKS
This is a feature-rich knife sharpener, and all these features are aimed to give you the best experience in your endeavour to keep your knives sharp. To begin with, the unit is lightweight and compact with a weight of just 1.5-ounces and dimensions of 2-5/16-inches by 2-3/4-inches by 7/8-inches. Consequently, the product is high manoeuvrable and easy to control and can be used relatively easily to cut those things in hard-to-reach parts of the kitchen. The second advantage to being lightweight and compact is that it does not take up too much storage space.
The sharpener is not a slouch when it comes to performance. The knife sharpener is equipped with two tungsten carbide inserts for handling the coarse side of a blade and another two 1500-grit ceramic inserts whose design is maximized for sharpening the fine side of a blade. The carbide inserts create a smoother, finer and sharper edge by essentially shaving steel from different blades, irrespective of their level of bluntness and thickness.
The Smith's CCKS comes with a detailed user manual to give you the easiest time when sharpening different types and sizes of knives. Sharpening any type of knife is as easy as propping the knife a flat and sufficiently smooth surface, gripping the textured handle on a wing of your preference before proceeding to press the blade into the metal inserts. Ensure the blade cutting edge faces down the entire time and that the coarse side of the blade goes in first to achieve the efficiency you need. The next step involves pulling the knife blade in a single motion through the two inserts while putting enough but not too much pressure on the blade. The procedure remains the same for fine-honing the knife blade in which case the carbine inserts do an amazing job shaving bits off of the blade thereby creating an exceptionally sharp knife.
To recap, this is an ideal choice for a knife sharpener for different people. Its versatility means it can be used by outdoor enthusiasts like hunters and campers and homeowners in the kitchen and even professional chefs, among others. Apart from the challenge of determining the best angle for sharpening various blades, the Smith's CCKS is easy to use and provides you with a convenient method for quickly and effortlessly sharpening your knives. It is constructed from commercial-grade materials and build to gracefully endure abuse and heavy use and still get to last for several years on end. For those who need a lightweight, compact, and long-lasting sharpening tool to provide them with a durable, razor-sharp cutting edge, this option comes highly recommended. Plus, it has a pocket-friendly price and is compatible with such blade types as serrations, gut hooks, and single-bevel knife blades.
- Sturdy construction for a longer lifespan
- Easy to use
- Spots non-slip for safety
- Very versatile and effective performance
Can rust in time
6. Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone System
The System is a staple of performance in the field of knife sharpeners and is a perfect fit for individuals who still yearn to experience contemporary tool complexity. Other than being easy to use, the knife sharpener without a doubt has the capacity for delivering the best results provided you take your time to follow the manufacturer's instructions to the latter, something that is now incredibly easy with the invention and successful uptake of YouTube tutorial videos. As the name suggests, this is a manual knife sharpener and has a total of five hones to allow you easily and effortlessly breathe life back into dull and blunt blades. Given their sheer number, all the five honing stones are colour-coded to make it easy to distinguish one from another. Another crucial addition to the delivery package is the precision clamp that goes a long way in helping you achieve some semblance of stability and precision when sharpening very dull and large knives.
You have at your disposal all the accessories to make the procedure effortless and straightforward. There is honing oil, a clamp for firmly and securely holding the blade during the sharpening procedure, five guiding rods, and extended screws to allow for the effortless sharpening of wide blades. The provided case makes it easy to carry all these accessories with you and minimizes the likelihood of misplacing or losing any of them.
Portability is never an issue with its ingenious design. Every purchase entitles you to a storage case in which you can safely and conveniently store all the other accessories of the knife sharpener, allowing for their neat organization and hassle-free transportation from one place to another without the risk of losing any components.
And when it comes to performance, only a handful of other knife sharpeners can match or even exceed that of the Lansky Deluxe System. With this knife sharpener, you get to enjoy a sufficiently wide and ample sharpening angle selection, and this is one of the factors that has been hugely responsible for its growing success and popularity among homeowners, outdoor enthusiasts, and hunters. The ample sharpening angle selection makes it possible for you to choose the ideal sharpening angle for sharpening a wide selection of blades and other blade implements lying around the kitchen.
You have a choice of at least four different angles, with each optimized for different responsibilities. Specifically, you can choose between 17-degree angle, 20-degree angle, 25-degree angle, and lastly the 30-degree angle. The 17-degree angle gives your blades a sharp but delicate edge and is therefore explicitly meant for sharpening razor blades, X-Acto blades, scalpels. The 20-degree angle, for its part, gives your filet knives and kitchen cutlery the perfect edge and is recommended for use on superior quality blades. The third angle, the 25-degrees, is reserved for the mainstream of outdoor blades for which a long-lasting, razor-sharp edge is ideal. Lastly, you have the 30-degree Angle at your disposal, and this is recommended for sharpening the cutting edge of blades used for cutting through tougher materials like carpets, wires, and cardboard.
To conclude, the main selling points are its angle consistency that enables you to sharpen your knives to the exact bevel you choose, durability, ease of use and durability.
The high-performance of the machine ensures you end up with a consistently razor-sharp edge every time, irrespective of your level of expertise. Plus, it comes with a limited lifetime warranty to cater for defects resulting from the manufacturer's use of defective or substandard materials and poor workmanship. However, the warranty is voided if there is evidence of misusing, abusing or altering the product. In all, the Lansky Deluxe System is an exceptional, consistent, and durable knife sharpener that will always come handy for keeping your kitchen knives, outdoor knives, and pocket knives razor-sharp.
- Colour coding of stones makes for easy identification
- Crucial accessories like knife clamp, honing oil and metal honing guides all included
- Comfortable and easy-to-use stones with their ergonomic design
- Special oil is mandatory for optimal performance of stones
7. 50009 Edge Grip
Jumping to the most important highlights of the product, you'll be pleased to learn that it is made from high-quality and long-lasting products such as ceramic and carbide. Together, these features ensure it grips firmly and securely on to a majority of surfaces so its stable enough for sharpening. Additionally, the unit is fitted with V-grip bottom and non-slip rubber feet so it stays on the edge without falling over. By just holding in a little firmly or pressing it a little harder to the surface ensures it sticks the knife sharpener is further optimized for sharpening all types of knives but really shines in performance when it comes to working on straight edge blades.
The sharpener comes with a black plastic construction made up of carbide and ceramic sharpening rods, both of which are highly customizable to enable you to achieve the results you want. The reinforcement of the carbide sharpening rods with several varieties of metal and colour shades makes it sufficiently strong to take on the toughest and most abrasive blades, especially those made from steel, and sharpen them within the shortest time possible, usually under a minute when done by an experienced knife owner. The reinforcement makes it the best at sharpening straight edge knives.
Its coarse characteristics ensure it gets rid of blunt and dented parts on different types of blades quickly and efficiently, leaving your blade looking fresh, new and most importantly, with a razor sharp and fine edges that are best for precise cutting. The second-stage ceramic rod, conversely, is ideal for touching up blades and is thus optimized for finishing the edges. The two stages ensure you end up with knives for superior cutting, slicing and dicing through any item in an effortless and safe fashion.
The ergonomic design and engineering are yet another of its several selling points. The handles, for instance, are rubberized to make them soft enough to touch and comfortable to use for extended periods of time without experiencing fatigue. The handles also come with grip features for preventing your hands from being slippery when you are sharpening your knives.
With the KitchenIQ 50009, sharpening your pocket knives, kitchen knives, and outdoor knives has never been easier and more effective. As the name makes obvious, the product is a two-stage sharpener, and each of the stages is optimized for different levels of sharpening, meaning that it is indeed a versatile and easy to use product. The professional and sturdy construction allows it to effortlessly and smoothly take on the most challenging sharpening tasks and the ergonomic design of the handle makes it easy and comfortable to use for longer without straining your hands. With all these features, we don't see why you can invest in the KitchenIQ 50009.
- Stable performance with its edge grip design
- Brazing of coarse side with copper maintains firmness
- The ceramic side has impressive blade honing abilities
- Ideal only for basic, inexpensive knives
8. Presto 08800
The best solution to circumventing or at least delaying the inevitable separation, you need to invest in a practical and functional knife sharpener, one that will allow you to sharpen your knives in the shortest time possible and use minimal effort. One of the best electric sharpeners currently on the market is the Presto 08800. In the next paragraphs, we reveal the features and specs of the knife sharpener that make it stand out in a field crowded by other equally competent and experienced manufacturers.
The quality performance can be attributed to the fact that it has an edge capable of delivering a range of between 20-degrees and 28-degrees, which makes it compatible with virtually all types of knives. For longer and superior edge retention, consider sharpening your knives at larger angles so you don't have to repeat the entire procedure a little too soon, like is the case when you decide to go with a narrower angle.
Faulting the design and engineering is indeed difficult, considering especially that it comes with clean lines, an impeccable finish and is both lightweight and compact, which basically means it ticks all the right boxes. With dimensions of 8-1/4-inches by 5-3/4-inches by 4-inches, the knife sharpener won’t take up too much storage space in the kitchen, plus you can tuck it away easily. Its aesthetical aggression enables it to blend perfectly in any space so it doesn’t become an eyesore.
The ease of use is further underscored by the fact that it weighs just three pounds to allow you and other family members to move it around easily. Just in case you were wondering, the Presto 08800, like all other top-end knife sharpeners, is equipped with a number of safety features to keep you and your loved family members while sharpening. For instance, the unit comes with a non-slip base. Consequently, the unit will be stable enough to enable you to sharpen your knives accurately. One outstanding time and labour saving feature of the product is its ability to simultaneously sharpen both edges of a blade which in turn reduces the number of moves or strokes significantly.
To give you the best results, the Presto 08800 provides you with a two-stage sharpening procedure: a precision grinding stage and a fine honing stage. When your dullest knives go through these two stages, you end up with the sharpest knives for normal, everyday use around the kitchen and for outdoor activities such as camping and hunting. All you have to do is ensure there is a uniform and light application of pressure with each pressing of the blade to prevent the motor from jamming.
Versatility is yet another factor that endears it to the mainstream of homeowners all around the world. The sharpener is optimized for use with serrated and straight edge knives in addition to other types of knives, meaning that it's an economical choice for those who don't want to buy a separate sharpener for all their different knife designs. Furthermore, the ease of using it means you don't need any previous experience with knife sharpeners nor need to be an experienced knife user. Novices and first-time users typically take three minutes at most to restore the sharpness in their dull and blunt knives which means less time will be spent on sharpening.
If you truly need a versatile, high-performing and long-lasting knife sharpener for breathing life back into your dull and old knives, the Presto 08800 is always ready for the task. Built with industrial-grade materials, it will provide you with at least a decade of reliable and faithful service, consistently leaving your knives with a razor-edge sharpness. Its sturdy and professional construction means it's capable of withstanding heavy-duty use in the busiest environment. Additional selling points include the fact that it is easy to use and features a pocket-friendly price tag, despite packing several premium features. And the best part, it's compatible with all types and models of knives.
- Powerful performance with 2-stage sharpening
- Ingenious and attractive design
- Lightweight and compact for easy portability
- Equipped with Sapphirite wheels
- Pocket-friendly price tag
- Ideal for light-duty to medium-duty use
- Very short 12-month limited warranty
- Not very long-lasting with its plastic construction
9. Smith’s 50281
The spectacular performance and long-lasting nature of the knife sharpener can only be attributed to the fact that its production is overseen by one of the leading brands in the industry, the Smith's Products. The brand has consistently released high-quality products since its inception in 1886, and have over the years gained invaluable experience and expertise in the field. Consequently, by buying the Smith's 50281 Adjustable Edge Pro Knife Sharpener, you'll be making a lifetime investment in a product that will provide you with several years of faithful and reliable service. To learn more about the head-turning feature of this knife sharpener, continue reading the rest of this review.
The Smith’s 50281 boasts lightweight and compact design measuring just 10.4-inches by 5.8-inches by 3.8-inches meaning that it will take up only a small fraction of the storage space on your hands. The kitchen sharpener is consequently an ideal addition to any crowded space as it will leave most of the space to other equally deserving products. Moving it from one spot to another will be a breeze seeing as it weighs just 6.7 pounds. The implication here is that moving it from say, the storage space to the kitchen counter will be an effortless and painless endeavour.
While there are several knife sharpeners whose performance is at par or even exceed that of the Smith's 50281, they nonetheless pale in comparison to the unit regarding reliability, versatility and ease of use. The product is packed to the brim with all the desirable qualities an experienced knife owner would look out for. For instance, the unit comes with two sharpening stages which you can utilize in restoring the best cutting edge on your kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives.
The product’s compatibility with a wide range of knife types including serrated and straight blade variants makes it the go-to knife sharpener for people looking to undertake jobs requiring the use of different types of razor-edge sharp knives. Selecting the most suitable edge angle is as easy as turning the strategically placed Angle Adjust knob to any sharpening angle lying within the sufficiently wide 10 to 30-degree spectrum. Plus, the fact that the diamond wheels interlock while the ceramic ones overlap ensures that the two sides of the blades are sharpened uniformly and at the same time, which also translates to a significant saving in time and effort.
In an endeavour to ensure ease of use, the Smith's 50281 comes with non-slip rubber feet, as you would expect for a knife sharpener of its class. The rubber feet do an astounding job preventing the machine from budging aimlessly on a surface when you are sharpening your knives, and this maximizes stability while minimising the likelihood of cutting yourself. The handle, other than being ergonomically designed, is rubberized to enhance your grip to stop it from slipping away and make it easy and comfortable to sharpen your tools. Lastly, the Smith's 50281 comes with a sufficiently long 36-month warranty to cover for any defects resulting from normal use due to the manufacturer's use of poor quality materials or poor workmanship.
Irrespective of the dullness of your knives and other blade implements, the Smith’s 50281 takes about one minute to fully restore blade sharpness and just about 10 seconds when re-sharpen, irrespective of your blade’s dullness. As these figures show, speed happens to be one of the product’s strongest suits even when used on scissors, pocket or sporting knives, which essentially makes the unit one of the most versatile products out there. Such speed, ease of use and versatility mean you’ll be completing your sharpening and re-sharpening activities quickly and without putting too much effort in the endeavour.
To conclude, this sharpeners is a feature-rich knife sharpener offering you top-notch performance and an endless list of impressive features that separate it from other knife sharpeners on the market. The premium price tag of the product is reasonable and justified considering that it’s one of the best in the market. The best-selling point is that it gives you the freedom of adjusting the sharpening angle thereby enabling you to restore the factory angle on your knives. By far one of the best knife sharpeners on the market today.
- Exceptional sharpening abilities
- Ideal for working with serrated knives
- Easy to use
- Comes with interlocking sharpening wheels for uniform sharpening
- Very precise
- Not ideal for working with ceramic blades
10. Trizor XV
Aside from its exceptional sharpening capabilities, it boasts of incredible honing competence, meaning that it is a three-stage knife sharpener. The first stage involves passing the knife or blade through a rough grit that optimized for tackling the dullest and most pitted edges of aged knives. In the subsequent step, the blade comes into contact with the fine grit which is suited for further sharpening the blades and honing them with the aim of cleaning up the edges to get rid of dented and blunt parts.
Honestly, it will be a little daunting and an almost futile attempt trying to find a knife sharpener that can perfectly replicate the performance of this one: it gives your blades, and other blade implements the kind of edge you don't want to handle carelessly. It comes with a pre-set 15-degree cutting angle, making it possible to make the finest of cuts, something that extremely hard to replicate with most home-style electric knife sharpeners out there. A majority come with cutting angle ranging between 20 and 30-degree which is for American and European-style knives but would prove to be of little help if you have fine-edge Asian-style knives at your disposal.
Still, on the subject of performance, the sharpener will steadily hold your knife for you as you do your sharpening thereby eliminating the need to worry about ending up with a wobbly edge. You may be worried about the sharpening speed seeing as it is electric. The steady holding ability eliminates the need to worry about it shaving a significant portion of the blade thereby messing it up and rendering it useless. The knife sharpener is equipped with long cutting slots for holding your knife in a straight line sharpening thereby minimizing the likelihood of inadvertently bending the knife whenever you turn your arm. Also, the loading of the sharpening discs with springs to make adjusting to the width of the knife an easy and quick, ensuring they're perfectly distanced from the blade to minimize the possibility of ending up with a wobbly edge.
To conclude, the Trizor XV comes with several striking features, and when all of them are brought together, it becomes one of the best knife sharpeners on the market currently. It is has a competitive price and continues to receive high praise for its design, ease of use, and versatility. The brilliance behind its construction and engineering make it an indispensable extension of every serious kitchen. You won't regret even for a single second any decision to go with the Trizor XV.
- Capable of converting knife and blade angles from 20 to 15-degrees
- Perfect for sharpening straight and serrated knives
- Equipped with flexible spring guides
- Perfect for sharpening different types and models of knives
- Easy to use
- Robust construction with 36-month warranty
- The rubber feet are less grippy
- Not compatible with ceramic blades or scissors
- A little on the costly side
Criteria for Choosing the Best Knife Sharpeners
Before delving into the different criteria to take into account when out shopping for a knife sharpener, we feel the need to reiterate that no one knife sharpener is the absolute best for keeping your knives sharp. It all boils down to your needs and the activity for which intend to undertake with a knife sharpener. All of them are ideal for different types of knives and needs. Either way, some of the most important factors to keep in mind are the construction quality, ease of use, and safety features, among others.
Affordability
Compared to their traditional counterparts, a vast majority of electric sharpeners come with justifiably higher price tags considering that they are bundled with several performance and convenience features. Some of the features include the ability to adjust blade dimensions and non-slip rubber feet. Old-style knife sharpeners, by comparison, are optimized for use with just one knife type and lacks any adjustment features. You might be tempted to settle for a cheap knife sharpener but keep in mind that they lack the efficiency, ease of use, versatility, and adjustability provided by typical ones out there. It would be wise to go for one that is robust and of superior quality but without all the blows and whistles that characterize the more modern ones.
Ease of Use
For a novice or a homeowner buying a knife for the first time, it would be prudent to get one that incredibly easy to use, especially if you have an expensive set of knives you can’t risk messing up. While the modern units take this into consideration and endeavour to take the guesswork out of keeping your knives sharp, others don’t. Some are fast and could easily ruin your knife in a few seconds if you were to direct your attention elsewhere. To help the clueless among us to sharpen correctly, manufacturers make an effort of including a blade guide with each product to educate novices on the best way of angling their blades correctly. In case several types of knives at your disposal, it would be best to go for one featuring adjustable guides.
Construction Material and Quality
Knife sharpeners are made from all sorts of materials which is also why they differ in terms of longevity, performance, and versatility. Those constructed from industrial-grade materials that are of abrasive and superior quality offer better performance compared to their counterparts made with cheap and low-quality materials, which also means they have a higher asking price. If you need to truly keep your kitchen in an optimal condition and are willing to dig a little deeper into your pockets, look for knife sharpeners made from diamond or better yet, tungsten. Other than costing you more, they will provide you with years of faithful and reliable service, irrespective of the dullness of your knives.
Safety
Safety is a serious consideration for anyone who’s new to knife sharpening. Apprehensions about the likelihood of injuring yourself while sharpening are well founded and are the leading cause of accidents in the industry. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe whenever they are sharpening, considering buying a knife sharpener offering some barrier for your digits as this will be instrumental in reducing the possibility by a large percentage. Also, see if the knife sharpener you intend to buy is fitted with non-slip rubber feet or any other mechanism that enhances stability while sharpening so there is no risky wobbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is sharpening my knives a necessary endeavour?
A: While the process of keeping your knives sharp might be intimidating to first-time knife owners, sharpening them is necessary to maintain their razor-sharp edge. Nothing is as dangerous as using a blunt knife for cutting: it predisposes you to the great danger of harming yourself. To efficiently, effortlessly and precisely cut through materials, sharpening your knives is a necessary endeavour.
Q: Is honing and sharpening the same thing?
A: There is a big difference between honing and sharpening. To begin with, a butcher’s steel is specifically for honing knives and not for sharpening them. Honing is for evening out the dented and blunt parts of a knife, leaving it smooth and impeccable in appearance. Honing is also for straightening the edge of knives and does nothing to make it sharp.
Conclusion
While we highly recommend that you take a few factors into account in your quest for the best knife sharpener for keeping your knives set in a tip-top condition, the most important one would be to understand what you intend to do with the unit. By first being conversant with the reasons driving your need to get a knife sharpener, you’ll be in a better position to narrow down your list to fit that best fit your search criteria before narrowing it down even further on the basis of such factors as price, brand, convenience, performance, etc. Now that you’re equipped with the best information on the different types of knife sharpeners and know the feature to look out for, it’ll be a lot easier finding your dream knife sharpener on this list or to help you conduct an independent, thorough search on the market. We hope you find what you’re looking for on this list.