Knife Sharpner

tikigriller

I did a search, and the only thread I found was from 2010, so I wanted to see if there were any recommendations for a knife sharpner.  I bought a cheap A$$ one at Target that is really not doing anything IMHO.  I need simple, and fairly fast.  I don't want sharpening a knife to be another hobby.  My days are running out of time in them!

Oh...don't really want to spend a fortune either, but want to buy quality.  If this goes like everything else I have looked into on this forum, I bet I have it ordered by the end of the day!  LOL

morrobayrich

A while back Cooks Illustrated rated both electric and manual sharpeners.  For manual sharpeners they said that the AcuSharp model was almost as good as their $200 electric model.

https://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-ACCU-001C-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAIKBZ7IH7LXTW3ARA&&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00004VWKQ&tag=wwwbookcompar-20&ascsubtag=57fff63a48308f31a862a745

I have used the AcuSharp model for years and am very pleased with it and you can sharpen a knife in half a minute.  I'm sure the purists will scoff at this suggestion but it works, it is easy to use and it is quick.

Photo Egg

morrobayrich said:

A while back Cooks Illustrated rated both electric and manual sharpeners.  For manual sharpeners they said that the AcuSharp model was almost as good as their $200 electric model.

https://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-ACCU-001C-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAIKBZ7IH7LXTW3ARA&&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00004VWKQ&tag=wwwbookcompar-20&ascsubtag=57fff63a48308f31a862a745

I have used the AcuSharp model for years and am very pleased with it and you can sharpen a knife in half a minute.  I'm sure the purists will scoff at this suggestion but it works, it is easy to use and it is quick.

I have a few of these and they are great way to touch up a knife...and the price fantastic.

Canugghead

search forum for 'work sharp ken onion', seems popular here

I have the non KO version, quite pleased with it.

HeavyG

This thread is from earlier this year - http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1191064/knife-sharpeners/p1

Mattman3969

Canugghead said:

search forum for 'work sharp ken onion', seems popular here

I have the non KO version, quite pleased with it.

I'll second this

AD18

I like my Spyderco Sharpmaker.  Easy to use and fixes up edges pretty fast.

Lit

The king 1000/6000 stone is $22 on amazon. With a little practice hand sharpening is fast and works well.

shucker

I use a Worksharp Ken Onion edition for sharpening.  And a F.**** Rapid Steel for regular honing.  Awesome combo. 

Theophan

I got a Wusthof knife sharpener I think as a freebie when I bought some expensive knives, and it doesn't look like much, but it does a pretty good job.  A son-in-law who trained at the Culinary Institute of America was using my knives and said spontaneously that my knives were REALLY sharp, which I thought was a pretty good recommendation.

Eggcelsior

Do you have a local knife shop? I get mine done there for 2 bucks per knife. I can't justify buying one.

northGAcock

Eggcelsior said:

Do you have a local knife shop? I get mine done there for 2 bucks per knife. I can't justify buying one.

I'm with you Dylan. Wish I had one near my current home though.

tikigriller

I hate getting propane, now I have to get my knives sharpened too?  Actually, I have no idea if I have anyone in town that sharpens knives. When you do that, how often do you have them done usually?

DMW

tikigriller said:

I hate getting propane, now I have to get my knives sharpened too?  Actually, I have no idea if I have anyone in town that sharpens knives. When you do that, how often do you have them done usually?

Annually. Between sharpening, all you should need is a honing rod to clean up the burs.

Brason

You can go to William Sonoma and they will sharpen them for you. The first one if free then $5 per knife after that. After that get a steel and just touch up.

Focker

Many sharpeners out there to fit.  The pricier options make sharpening different blades easier such as rounded skinners, clips, drops, tantos, thicker cleavers, serrated, etc etc etc.  

My brother just bought an entry Tormek for $400.  It will sharpen just about anything.  I've had an Edge Pro Apex with Chosera stones from chefsknivestogo.com
Been really happy using that setup.

But in all honesty, we are knife nuts.  And there is pride, in putting a wicked sharp mirror edge on anything, taking a knife to the next level of performance.  

Friends and family that use my knives while visiting, whether home or in the mobile home, notice the differences immediately. 

For what you've shared, I think the Chef's Choice is a solid, user friendly option that will get you up and running, covering the bases, without breaking the bank.
https://youtu.be/x2natRFyRVE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004S1B8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476413935&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=chefs+choice+sharpener&dpPl=1&dpID=41zlviJ9yML&ref=plSrch
Have seen them at BBB, could use a coupon for a discount.

Stones are the best bang for the buck, but have more of a learning curve.  

Sharpening places are getting better as hybrids are becoming more popular, but it depends on steel, angle.   For the more acute angled Japanese stuff, I would much rather do it myself.  My guy Brian, takes good care of me on the Hobart knives, Lawnmower blade, scissors, and axes.  I'd maybe let him sharpen my beater Wusthoff. 

Toxarch

I have a Worksharp. That thing will sharpen a blade in a hurry. It will also ruin a blade in a hurry. As long as you use that honing rod regularly, knives will hold a good edge for a while. For my hunting knives, I always use a whet stone. Hard to beat a stone when getting it really sharp with a perfect edge.

gdenby

@tikigriller

You need to know what the bevel angle on the edge is, or could be, before you get a sharpener. The more common European style blades will take and hold bevels between 20 and 24 degrees per side. Fusion/Japanese will be between 17 - 15.

Its a matter of the steel. Top end blades, usually made in Japan, require either long practice w. stones, or a kit costing several hundred dollars, or sometimes shipping to a pro service. But they will hold edges as low as 8 degrees per side.

W, honing and stropping, and not hacking into bones, good blades in home use should not need a sharpening more than 1 time a year.

I understand that some contemporary electric systems are adjustable, and can easily be used without damaging the blades .Some older models would tear out too much steel w. proper use, and/or keep a steady angle. W. careless use, they would eat up a good blade in a few years. If you are using standard food service knives, they are typically inexpensive enough that it isn't much of a problem if they need replacing.

Eggcelsior

gdenby said:

@tikigriller

You need to know what the bevel angle on the edge is, or could be, before you get a sharpener. The more common European style blades will take and hold bevels between 20 and 24 degrees per side. Fusion/Japanese will be between 17 - 15.

Its a matter of the steel. Top end blades, usually made in Japan, require either long practice w. stones, or a kit costing several hundred dollars, or sometimes shipping to a pro service. But they will hold edges as low as 8 degrees per side.

W, honing and stropping, and not hacking into bones, good blades in home use should not need a sharpening more than 1 time a year.

I understand that some contemporary electric systems are adjustable, and can easily be used without damaging the blades .Some older models would tear out too much steel w. proper use, and/or keep a steady angle. W. careless use, they would eat up a good blade in a few years. If you are using standard food service knives, they are typically inexpensive enough that it isn't much of a problem if they need replacing.

This. My local shop will put 10 degree bevels on my Japanese blades. To do that myself will require a large investment of time learning on stones or spending hundreds on a sharpening system. Maybe in the future, but it makes no sense right now.

fishlessman

never understood why some can not use a stone, i was 4 or 5 when taught   have had most of the stones over the years arkansas, japanese whetstones, the king 1000/6000, belgian blues, coticule, etc. the fastest and best for me has been a DMT DiaSharp D12.  1200 grit is plenty for a kitchen knife, that diamond stone is fast, stays flat, takes on the hardest japanese knife with ease.  if i want to cut hanging hairs, its the coticule with coticule slurry, then the bluestone with bluestone slurry, finished up with the coticule with water only, then honed with newspaper, cow leather strop then horsehide=)  i only do that once every few years with my razor

Lit

fishlessman said:

never understood why some can not use a stone, i was 4 or 5 when taught   have had most of the stones over the years arkansas, japanese whetstones, the king 1000/6000, belgian blues, coticule, etc. the fastest and best for me has been a DMT DiaSharp D12.  1200 grit is plenty for a kitchen knife, that diamond stone is fast, stays flat, takes on the hardest japanese knife with ease.  if i want to cut hanging hairs, its the coticule with coticule slurry, then the bluestone with bluestone slurry, finished up with the coticule with water only, then honed with newspaper, cow leather strop then horsehide=)  i only do that once every few years with my razor

Agree the stones are really easy to use and I actually enjoy sharpening my knives. I do the 1000/6000 king stone then a loaded strop at 30000 then 60000 grit then a bovine leather strop. I have been eyeing a shapton glass 10000 stone since no water is required it would be perfect for honing but the flattener is 3 times the price of the stone and the stone isn't cheap. 

Raymont

Stone/strop/honing steel. Shun's & Wustof's. I take pride in a sharp blade.. Family brings their knives to me when they travel so I can sharpen for them. That may be a small thing but I'll take it as a complement. 

gdenby

Eggcelsior said:

This. My local shop will put 10 degree bevels on my Japanese blades. To do that myself will require a large investment of time learning on stones or spending hundreds on a sharpening system. Maybe in the future, but it makes no sense right now.

There is only 1 dedicated knife sharpener where I live, and from what he sells, I am dubious about having my best knives done by him. When I started buying better blades, I also bought an Apex Edge Pro set. They cost more now than previously, but there are many grades of stones, polishing tapes, etc. Yes, it did take me quite awhile to learn to use. I practiced on the dozens of crummy knives I already had. Now I just touch up my better knives 1 time a year. Just a few hours.

As it turned out, I have for the past few years returned to wood carving, so having a kit that keeps my carving tools in good shape is a plus. It also allowed me to restore a few of my mother's machine sharpened blades, which I gave as a gift to my son, who is the lead cook at a local cafe.

fishlessman

Lit said:

fishlessman said:

never understood why some can not use a stone, i was 4 or 5 when taught   have had most of the stones over the years arkansas, japanese whetstones, the king 1000/6000, belgian blues, coticule, etc. the fastest and best for me has been a DMT DiaSharp D12.  1200 grit is plenty for a kitchen knife, that diamond stone is fast, stays flat, takes on the hardest japanese knife with ease.  if i want to cut hanging hairs, its the coticule with coticule slurry, then the bluestone with bluestone slurry, finished up with the coticule with water only, then honed with newspaper, cow leather strop then horsehide=)  i only do that once every few years with my razor

Agree the stones are really easy to use and I actually enjoy sharpening my knives. I do the 1000/6000 king stone then a loaded strop at 30000 then 60000 grit then a bovine leather strop. I have been eyeing a shapton glass 10000 stone since no water is required it would be perfect for honing but the flattener is 3 times the price of the stone and the stone isn't cheap. 

ive found theres a point where grit size does not mean as much, theres a trade off between smoothness and sharpness of a blade. they will give a range of grit on a natural coticule stone but it doesnt compare to finer grits the same, the coticule sharpened razor is a extremely smooth edge compared to finer grit edges. im not sure why this is, ones sharper, one cuts better

Focker

Most times I think using my 10K Chosera is overkill, usually stop at 5K.

westernbbq

Chefs choice trizor xv.   Incredible value, i think it was $149 so appears pricey but man does it work well.  And it is so easy to use that even a dumb@ss like me cant screw it up

Focker

westernbbq said:

Chefs choice trizor xv.   Incredible value, i think it was $149 so appears pricey but man does it work well.  And it is so easy to use that even a dumb@ss like me cant screw it up

ATK is fond of it. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yif_uMZ-y5k

tikigriller

@focker THANK YOU!!  That video cleared up MANY things in my brain that I was getting confused over when everyone started talking degrees, and Japanese Knives, etc.  It will help me make a better choice.  I am probably going to go with the Chef's Choice Trizor XV as it seems like it will be easier for me to use than the Ken Onion one, even though the Ken Onion one just seems soooo much cooler! 

This is the only knife I have bought since diving into this cooking thing.  I can't tell what degree it is from the description.  Does anyone know? 

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-12-Inch-Granton-Slicing-Fibrox/dp/B0000CFDB9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476469351&sr=8-1&keywords=Victorinox+12-Inch+Granton+Edge+Slicing+Knife+with+Fibrox+Handle

 I love the knife, all my other ones are decades old---the kind you buy with the butcher block, so I will probably be adding more to the collection, but I really am going to wait for Christmas to get those as presents.  no, really, I am this time, Honest.

gdenby

Victorinox kitchen knives consistently are ranked as close to sharpness and edge retention as knives about 3 times more costly. I've read that they can go down to 15 degrees. Not fancy, but very serviceable.

Any knife I've ever tried to sharpen can be taken way down to 10 degrees. Cheapo knives will hold the edge for maybe 4 cuts, and then fold over. Harder steels will retain the angle for awhile longer, but often will get tiny chips, making the edge a fine saw, not a knife. Only the really hard, fine grained steels are worth the effort.

OhioEgger

For everyday sharpening of my everyday knives, I like the Chef's Choice electric job (I have the model 130). Coincidentally, I was in the kitchen of my favorite restaurant last year talking with the head chef, and he uses the same one on all his knives.

For my best knives, I do it the hard way with either the Ken Onion or the Edge Pro Apex job.

GlennM

I have the ken onion. They suggest 25 degrees for kitchen knives.  What do you guys think?  I have a couple of good German knives