Buyers Guide to Knife Sharpeners
Today’s knife sharpeners come in all sorts of styles, sizes and types. There are knife sharpeners that fit in your pocket for use when camping, and elaborate, precision electric knife sharpeners nestled inside of designer cases that complement any kitchen décor. And everything in-between.
Herein we’ll be covering some of the countless knife sharpeners that include tools and/or equipment for sharpening knives. These knife sharpeners do not require the practice, experience and skill that sharpening knives on flat stones does. The knife sharpeners covered are engineered for easy use by anyone, and primarily designed for kitchen knives, though some of them would put acceptable edges on certain specialty knives.
The Wüsthof Electric Knife Sharpener
This high-end electric knife sharpener features two sharpening slots: one with coarse and one with fine diamond wheels. It is encased in stainless steel with black accents. This knife sharpener is 9½” x 5¾” x 4½” high. It has an MSRP around $250. See photos and a video at: emailmeform.com/builder/emf/sale/huusk-test.
The Chef’sChoice Model 2000 Commercial Knife Sharpener
This is a professional/commercial grade knife sharpener that is also ideally suited to the consumer who insists on exceptionally sharp knives. One thing that makes this diamond abrasive knife sharpener stand out is the fact that it is designed to sharpen serrated as well as straight edged knives. Parts of this knife sharpener can also be removed for dishwasher cleaning. It’s a rather large, countertop unit that comes in a white finish with black accents. The model 2000 has a MSRP around $430.
The 3-stage Analon Universal Wet Stone Knife Sharpener
This is a relatively small, non-electric knife sharpener featuring three sets of ceramic sharpening wheels that rotate through a water chamber to ensure that no heat builds up during sharpening. It has a generous, non-slip handle to aid in keeping the sharpener steady during use. This knife sharpener has a MSRP of around $30.
The Chef’sChoice FlexHone Strop 320 Knife Sharpener
This knife sharpener works with both straight edge and serrated edge knives. It is a compact, countertop unit that is available in either a black or white finish, with accents. This knife sharpener uses diamond abrasives, a stropping disc and does not require water or honing oil. The MSRP is about $100.
The Lansky Professional Knife Sharpening System
As the name clearly states, this is a knife sharpening system – not a knife sharpener. The Lansky system is manual, not electric. The kit comes with 5 different honing stones built into special system parts. The dull knife is locked into a specially designed holder, which mounts on a counter, and then guide rods are used to ensure that each sharpening pass of the Lansky stones are at precisely the same angle. Knife sharpening with this system requires time and some work, but it is easy to use, will work on almost any knife and will deliver superior sharpening. The MSRP is around $56.