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With so many different tools on the market that can sharpen your knives, this site is here to help make your purchasing decision easier. Have you ever tried to prepare a meal with a dull knife? It’s the worst! Most knives will need sharpening from time to time, so I have complied a list of the best knife sharpeners. Hopefully this helps make your life easier when searching for a knife sharpener.
Below is a table of the top 5 knife sharpeners. The picture field shows a image of the product. The product field provides a link to the product. The price field shows the cost of the product. One $ means the price is $50 or less. Two $$ means the price is between $51-$100. Three $$$ means that the price is over $100. The type field refers to the type of knife sharpener. Lastly, the rating field shows the user rating for the product on Amazon.
Contents
- 1 Top 5 Best Knife Sharpener You Should Buy In 2020 Reviews
- 1.1 1. Chefs Choice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener
- 1.2 2. Chefs Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Hone Electric Sharpener
- 1.3 3. Chef’s Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener
- 1.4 4. Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone
- 1.5 5. Presto 08800 Eversharp Electric Knife Sharpener
- 2 Things You Should Know Before Choosing A Knife Sharpener
- 3 Types of Knife Sharpeners
- 4 Difference Between Honing and Sharpening
- 5 Why Do You Need to Sharpen Your Knives?
- 6 How Do I Know When My Knives Need Sharpening?
- 7 What Type of Knives Will You Be Sharpening?
Top 5 Best Knife Sharpener You Should Buy In 2020 Reviews
1. Chefs Choice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener
The Chefs Choice 15 Trizor XV is a 6.2 x 12 x 6.4 electric knife sharpener. With the simple flick of the power switch and the sharpeners flexible spring, it can find the proper angle for sharpening. The Trizor XV can handle both straight and serrated edges, and is able to shift the 20-degree edges that factories churn out into a triple-beveled Trizor 15-degree edge.
Our Rating: (4.7 / 5)
The Trizor XV has three stages of sharpening, with the end result being a lovely and efficient 15-degree blade edge:
- Stage 1: Diamond abrasives for a microgroove and the first bevel.
- Stage 2: Abrasives finer than in Stage 1 refine and shape the second bevel.
- Stage 3: Abrasive stropping disks smooth and polish the blade on a microscopic level. Its also useful for sharpening serrated edges, due to straightening and sharpening each and every tooth
Looking over each element of this sharpener, its a solid sharpener that has earned our number one pick. That being said, the retail price of may be a bit high for the casual user, even with a 3 year warranty. However, my overall assessment is that the Chef’s Choice 15 Trizor XV is an excellent choice for both home and professional use.
2. Chefs Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Hone Electric Sharpener
The Chefs Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener offers many features for you to be able to sharpen numerous cutting tools, providing you with versatility in one single appliance.
This versatile, multi-stage, sharpening system, is designed to sharpen Asian, European, and American style knives, using its 100% diamond abrasives, and patented polishing discs.
Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)
The knife guides offer both 20-degree angles, for European/American knives, and 15-degree angles for Asian-style knives.
This electric sharpener is designed to automatically position the knife in the guides, so that you will get the sharpest edges possible, and reduce the risk of sharpening your knives unevenly.
The Chefs Choice 1520 AngleSelect Electric Sharpener will quickly sharpen many types of knives including both fine and serrated edges, traditional Japanese and Santuko blades, thicker Deba style blades, and hunting, sports and serrated edged knives.
If you are looking for a sharpening appliance that will expertly sharpen all of your knives, this is the price and versatility you will want.
3. Chef’s Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener
If you’ve been looking for the perfect kitchen product to give your knives back their cutting edge then you may be looking for the Chefs Choice 120 Diamond Hone Professional Knife Sharpener. This product comes ready to use directly from the manufacturer.
Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)
This product is great to use for almost all blade sharpening needs. Whether you use this sharpener for gourmet chefs knives, butcher knives, sporting knives, or serrated knives this product will return them all to their original edge.
This product features is 100 percent diamond abrasive, so it will never distemper. Its unique Trizor-Plus edge provides greater sharpness and durability, the three stage sharpening process guarantees your blades will get back their cutting edge.
This Chefs Choice sharpener also offers a unique stropping and polishing phase. Forget about the mess, this sharpener comes with a magnetic pad that will attract all the filings to make cleaning and maintenance easy. The three year product warranty will ensure you get proper consumer protection. Your blades will last longer and be more effective after using the Chefs Choice Diamond Hone sharpener.
4. Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone
The Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone features a dual-sided whetstone that includes two types of ceramic grit; a 300 grit and a 1000 grit, it also sharpens knives and then hones the edges for a smooth finish while performing its best results when wet down for lubrication and even cleaning. You can easily store this Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone in something as small a kitchen drawer when its not in use. The Shun measures 6 by 3-1/5 by 1-4/5 inches in space.
Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)
This knife sharpener is ideal for anyone looking for high quality cutlery. Its used by professional chefs and home cooks because the Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone is a great addition to any cooks arsenal of tools. You’d even be able to find this knife sharpener in many restaurants, regardless of whether they use shun knives or a different brand of knives. The blade is made out of hardened Japanese Steel, VG-10, with 16 layers of patterned Damascus stainless steel featured on each side making for a total of 32 layers of stainless metal.
The only disadvantage to this knife sharpener is that you may not get a mirror like edge since this Whetstone only reaches a maxim of 1000 grit where you’d need at least a 3000 grit in order to obtain that factory mirror-like finish. So, if you’re seeking that kind of finish, you could also purchase a Shun knife sharpener that offers 1000/3000 grit. Otherwise, this Shun 300/1000 Combination Whetstone is a great addition to any kitchen. This knife sharpener will give you satisfying results and transform any of your dull knives, giving them a sharper edge and make them as good as new so you’ll never have to cut with a dull knife again.
5. Presto 08800 Eversharp Electric Knife Sharpener
This product has a number of features that truly reflect why it is so popular. The first feature is the two stage sharpening system that utilizes Sapphirite sharpening wheels that rotate at 120 volts. As you slide your knife through the blade wedges, you’ll notice that the process is completely effortless and effective.
The knife gains professionally sharpened razor sharp edges also through the precision blade guide. As you sharpen your knife, the product will position the blade at the ideal angle for sharpening. This provides you with perfect results nearly every single time. You can also use this product on nearly any knife, as it is suitable for those made of alloy, carbon, or stainless steel.
Our Rating: (4.4 / 5)
The product fits well in every kitchen. Weighing in at only 3 pounds, the product is easy to move anywhere you need it. Furthermore, the bottom of the sharpener contains suction cups that keep the item stable when you use it and anywhere you leave it. You don’t need to worry about sliding or it falling and breaking.
With every special product, there is a big benefit. With this one, you’ll notice that the price is very affordable. Honestly, you really cant beat that. You receive a high quality product with excellent sharpening capabilities that works wonderfully. Its one of the best investments that you can make for your kitchen. Furthermore, to make it ever sweeter, this product falls under a 2-year warranty. So should anything happen to it, albeit unlikely, it is covered.
Things You Should Know Before Choosing A Knife Sharpener
With so many cheap knives on the market, many people tend to just throw out dull knives and just buy new knives. But there are a variety of reasons why more and more people are turning to knife sharpening to prolong the lives of their knives. Whether you just cannot afford to replace your knives or you found a knife (or set of knives) that you simply can’t bear to part with, knife sharpening is a cheap and effective way to maximize the usefulness of your knife or knives.
However, if you are new to knife sharpening, you may be hesitant. There is a lot of good information and quite a bit of bad information on the Internet, so here are some things that you should know before choosing a knife sharpener. Included will be the types of sharpeners; what sharpening and honing are; why sharpening is needed; when you should sharpen your knives; and how the type of knife may impact how it is sharpened.
Types of Knife Sharpeners
Knife sharpeners can really be categorized into three types: manual, electric, and whetstone.
Manual knife sharpeners are typically the cheapest and usually come in two or three stages. Each stage consists of v-shaped steel or carbon-based materials with varying levels of coarseness that you scrape your blade threw. Each time you run the blade through the coarsest slot, it rips material from the knife’s blade. The second and third finer stages are used to sand out the jagged rips caused by the first stage. Manual sharpening is quick and easy, but it is very traumatic on the blade and should only be done sparingly.
Electric knife sharpeners take manual sharpening to the next level by using spinning wheels to expedite the manual sharpening process. Electric sharpeners also take some of the guesswork out of sharpening by utilizing blade guides that ensure that the blade is sharpened at a straighter and more accurate angel. But like manual sharpeners, this process is quite traumatic on the blade.
Whetstone sharpening is the preferred method of knife sharpening, but it can be time consuming and takes a little practice to do properly. Whetstones are blocks of coarse, gritty stone that evenly sharpens your knives without tearing away too much of the blade’s material. With the proper technique, whetstone sharpening will significantly increase the life span of your knives, spare the material for future sharpening, and keep your knives exponentially sharper than any manual or electric sharpener can.
Difference Between Honing and Sharpening
The terms honing and sharpening are oftentimes used interchangeably, but the reality is that they are two completely different parts of the sharpening process. It doesn’t help that some knife sharpening products are mislabeled as hones when they are actually sharpeners. But by knowing the differences between the two processes, you can apply your knowledge to better sharpen your blades and prolong their useful lives.
Sharpening knives means that you are using a coarse material to grind material from the knife. With manual and electric sharpeners, this step is usually completed in the first, coarsest stage. When using whetstone, coarser stone between 200 and 1000 grit are recommended. During sharpening, the goal is to make the bevel (the knife’s vertical angle of the cutting edge) as thin as possible, which leaves it razor sharp. But sharpening leaves the blade’s edge jagged and rough.
Honing is the process of refining or polishing the bevel. Honing is conducted in the second and third stages of manual and electric sharpeners using finer sharpening materials. When using whetstone, additional blocks of 1,000 to 10,000 grit are required. Although some material is still stripped from the bevel, it is considerably less material and much less traumatic on the blade. To summarize sharpening sharpens and honing polishes.
Why Do You Need to Sharpen Your Knives?
This may seem like a silly question, but it can actually be quite complex. Some people choose to sharpen knives because they can’t afford new knives or choose not to spend money on new knives. There are many budget knives available, but they are usually made of inferior materials that wear out quickly. If you total the amount of money spent on replacing cheap knives with the price of a good quality set of knives, you will usually see that you save money with the quality knives over time.
Other people choose to sharpen knives because they have found a knife or set of knives that they really like and don’t want to replace them. Using proper sharpening techniques and whetstone, you can keep quality knives razor sharp longer than you will live, even with frequent use. You may choose to pass your favorite knife or knives to your children and with proper care they may be able to pass it down to further generations.
There are even some people who choose to learn how to sharpen knives as a form of self-reliance. There may come a time when quality knives may be hard to come by, so being able to sharpen them alleviates the need to find, purchase or make new knives. Outdoorsmen, hikers, backpackers, and campers also use the skill of sharpening to keep their tools effective while out in the field.
How Do I Know When My Knives Need Sharpening?
There is not really any scientific method to determining when you should sharpen your knife. A basic rule of thumb is to sharpen it whenever you determine that its performance has deteriorated to an unacceptable level. Simply put, if you think it is dull, it probably is.
Some people recommend different methods to testing the sharpness of a knife. One test is known as a tomato test. In this test, you test how much resistance you experience while cutting through a ripe tomato. If the blade is dull, you typically will experience the most resistance while trying to break through the skin of the tomato. If the blade is particularly dull, it may even feel like it is ripping through the skin. A well-sharpened knife will slice threw a tomato with the same ease as it would through butter.
Another popular test is to cut through cold meat. As the blade gets duller, it will encounter greater resistance and it will be more difficult to cut through the meat. A finely sharpened knife can easily penetrate through layers of flesh. However, you should never push the blade of the knife against your skin even if you suspect the blade is dull.
What Type of Knives Will You Be Sharpening?
There are many different types of knives, but ultimately the process of sharpening them remains the same. Yet, there are some variables that will dictate how coarse your sharpening material (whether manual, electric or whetstone) needs to be and how many times you will have to scrape the blade on the material. The two biggest variables are the type of blade material and the thickness of the knife.
Blades are designed using dozens of different types of steels, metal alloys, composites and other materials. The type of material determines how strong the blade is, how resistant it is to corrosion it is, and how brittle the blade among other things. The material of the blade will dictate how coarse your sharpening material must be to grind away the knife’s material. This will require some knowledge of the knife and some research of materials on your end. Furthermore, thicker blades will require coarser materials and more effort to sharpen than thinner knives.
One final consideration is serrated knives, or knives that claim to never need sharpening. Serrated knives are designed like saws. Although they can still cut while the blade is dull, they rely on their teeth to rip through what they are cutting. If the teeth become bent, they will need to be repaired. There are sharpeners designed for serrated knives, but you will need to research whether a serrated knife sharpener will be effective or if you will have to return the knives to the factory for repair.
Knife sharpening is an easy, cost effective, and fun way to spare the life of your knives.
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