How to Buy and Use Knife Sharpeners
Can you slice a tomato with your favorite kitchen knife using fingertip pressure alone? Or do you find yourself bearing down on your blade, using strength where finesse should suffice? While razor-sharp knives might seem scary, dull knives can be extremely dangerous, as there is always the chance of a nasty slip when you are cutting. What are you aiming for? The best knife has a fine, polished edge that will cut effortlessly and stay sharp with a little maintenance.
Creating a good edge and maintaining a good edge, such are the two stages of knife sharpening. To get the results you want, first decide how much time and effort you want to put in. Here’s a breakdown of sharpening methods and the skills they require:
- Some electric-powered knife sharpeners require only the skill it takes to turn the machine on and off.
- Some manual sharpening systems make greater up-front demands, but they pay off handsomely once you get the hang of them.
- The simplest sharpening tools, whether Arkansas wet stones, diamond dust stones, ceramic sticks or butcher’s steels, demand a little more skill, patience and undivided attention to detail.
Many of today’s electric sharpeners offer a sophisticated, engineered approach to sharpening. The Edgecraft professional sharpener and others like it use small orbiting diamond plates in two stages of grit-rough and polish-to both set and polish the edge. All you need to do is slowly pull the blade of a knife between the plates. The angle is set automatically.
You may love your French-style chef’s knife with its heavy metal bolster between the handle and the heel of the blade, but you will be at a disadvantage when it’s time to sharpen. Because the bolster and at least 3/4 inch of blade can’t be passed through the rapidly orbiting plates of sharpeners will grind a swale into the heel portion of your blade, ruining the most-used part of a chef’s knife. If your knives have no bolsters and you can pass their entire blade through the sharpener, you will be a lot happier with the results. If you are not careful, electric knife sharpeners can grind away more steel than you may have intended, limiting the life of your knife. Don’t multitask while you’re sharpening.
Manual knife sharpening can both be learned and is doable, especially if you start with a professional sharpening. Simply maintain the edge using a ceramic stick. A good edge can be maintained like this for up to a year. Ceramic sticks come in two colors: blue for coarse, and white for smooth or polish. They work in the same way, but the blue stick is recommended for general use. Both come in lengths from 8 to 12 inches. Select a length you think you can comfortably control. Ceramic knife sharpening is simple, low maintenance and takes little room because most ceramic sticks will fit into your knife block. You can also find ceramic sticks preset in a block of wood (you slice straight down; the angle is set), or three sticks of different grit mounted horizontally.
The traditional butcher’s steel predates the ceramic stick and remains a perfectly good sharpening and maintenance tool. You may find one included in the knife block when you buy a set of good knives. Make certain the steel is “regular-cut” or “standard-cut,” and use it just as you would a ceramic stick. The nice thing about butcher’s steels is that they don’t shatter when you drop them on the floor. Ceramic sticks do.
Sharpening stones come in many sizes, many grits, and many materials, some natural and some futuristic. In all cases, the basic idea is the same: apply one edge of the knife to stone, moving the knife across the stone’s surface as though you are cutting a thin slice off the face of the stone. It’s a combination of angle and pressure. When you have finished with one side of the knife, do the other. Know your stone material. If it’s a water stone, lubricate with water. Use mineral oil on oil stones. Salad oil or olive oil will get gummy and rancid.
Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener: Electric Knife Sharpener Easy Way To Sharpen Most Kitchen & Sport Knives To Razor Sharp Edge Professional 2 Stage System Precision Grids Perfect Sharpening Angle Then Fine Hones & Polishes The Edge Special Sapphirite Sharpening Wheels Are Made From Utra Hard Material Used In Professional Sharpening Shops No Guess Blade Guides Automatically Hold The Blade At Proper Sharpening Angle
AccuSharp Knife Sharpener: Finally, a Knife Sharpener anyone can use! No more messy oils or stones. In about 10 seconds, sharpen knives, (even serrated knives), cleavers, axes, machetes, and many other cutting tools. The large ergonomic handle fits either hand safely and securely. The full length finger guard protects your fingers. Sharpening blades are Diamond Honed Tungsten Carbide for years of reliable use. AccuSharp Knife Sharpeners will not rust and can be cleaned with soap and water or in the dishwasher. Replacement sharpening blades are available. Sportsmen, Cooks, Craftsmen, Gardeners, and many more, all need the easy-to-use, affordable AccuSharp line of knife and tool sharpeners.
Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener: This Wusthof Knife Life Sharpener is a two stage knife sharpener with a built-in scissors sharpener. The carbide side sets your knife’s edge, while the ceramic side finishes the edge. The scissors sharpener will sharpen both blades for left- or right-handed scissors at the same time. The E-Z grip handle and non-slip rubber feet helps to keep the sharpener in place and safe to use. The Knife Life Sharpener is for both right and left handed use.
Fiskars Axe and Knife Sharpener #7861: The Fiskars axe and knife sharpener features a patented ceramic wheel to effectively and easily sharpen axes and knives at an exact 30-degree angle. The sharpener is built for safety as well, with a built-in hand guard and non-slip feet. It is covered by a lifetime warranty.
Ridge Runner Sharpener by Knife-Kingdom: Designed to keep a sharp edge on both single and double edged knives. Constructed from impact resistant ABS with a classic black finish. The sharpening wheels are super hardened alloyed metal and ceramic constructed for fine and coarse sharpening.
Smith’s SPT Pull-Thru Carbide & Ceramic Kitchen Knife Sharpener by Smith Abrasives: Sharpens straight and serrated edges. Pre-set crossed carbides and ceramic stones provide the Perfect Edge every time. Carbides provide quick edge setting capability even for very dull edges. Specially shaped ceramic stones are designed to produce a razor sharp edge on standard and serrated edges. Ergonomic soft-grip rubber handle for comfort and non-slip rubber feet for safety.
J.A. Henckels Twin Sharp Duo Knife Sharpener: Henckels Twin Sharp Duo knife sharpener is suitable for all knives with a fine edge, with the exception of coated knives. The stainless-steel sharpener comprises two modules, which are marked on the sharpener. The first module features steel wheels for coarse sharpening and presharpening, and the second module uses ceramic wheels for fine sharpening and smoothing. This sharpener works well for both right- and left-handed people, features rubber feet so it won’t skid on the countertop, and measures approximately 8 inches across and 3 inches tall, so you can store it in a drawer or display it in a small space.
Lansky 8″ Ceramic Sharp Stick: Classic style butchers sharpener. Updated with a space age 8″ aluminum ceramic sharpening rod. Solid wood handle. Easily cleaned with Lansky’s Eraser Block.
Fallkniven Ceramic Sharpening Stick: 17 1/4 inches overall, 11 7/8 inch sharpening segment. Ceramic Stick Construction w/ Micro Grooves. Durable Black Plastic Handle. Easy to Store w/ Hanger Ring.
Buck Diamond Taper Stick Sharpener: Diamond 600 Grit. Non-Pourous Surface Resists Clogging. Ideal for Serrated Knives. Works Great for Gardening Tools. Use only Water for Lubrication.
6″ Combination Sharpening Stone by HDC: Coarse side for coarse surfaces. Thickness: 1.021″. Length: 5.75″. Width: 1.7″. Fine side for fine surfaces.
Smith’s TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-HONE Sharpening Stones System. by Smith Abrasives: Smith’s TRI-6 3-Stone Sharpening System features a Medium Arkansas Stone, Fine Arkansas Stone, and Coarse Synthetic Stone mounted on a moldedplastic triangle with handles on the end for easy stone rotation and easy to read stone identification. All stones measure 6 x 15/8 x 3/8. The sturdy molded plastic base has nonskid rubber feet for safety and a V trough to catch the oil drippings. A bottle of Premium Honing Solution and a sharpening angle guide are also included.
Woodstock International G4233 Japanese Water Combo Stone – 1000/6000 Grit: To achieve a surgically sharp edge on your tools, nothing works faster or better than Japanese Water Stones. The abrasive slurry produced on top of the stone cuts aggressively and polishes the blade as it sharpens. If you’ve never tried sharpening with water stones before, you’ll be astounded by the results.
Chef’s Choice Edgecraft 2-by-6-Inch Diamond Sharpening Stone: Sharpen your knives precisely to your own needs, just as professional chefs do. Edgecrafter’s ultimate sharpening stone uses 100% diamond abrasives. To use, simply hold a knife at a 25-degree angle, and rub it in circles across the stone for a razor-sharp edge. The stone sharpens knives, chisels, and shop blades made of any material, including tungsten carbide, ceramic, stone, tool steel, and stainless steel. Diamonds don’t wear, so no maintenance is required, and the surface will never become uneven. The stone has a precision hardwood cover and base with rubber feet for a secure hold.
