Product Description

If you find sharpening steels a bit intimidating and haven't the faintest idea what to do with a whetstone, consider this manual sharpener. Precision sharpening angle control, two-stage sharpening, and 100 per cent diamond abrasives come together in an easy-to-use design. Safe for quality knives this breakthrough sharpener puts an excellent, longer lasting edge on both straight edge and serrated blades.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6213 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Chef's Choice
• Model: 460
• Dimensions: 2.38" h x 2.94" w x 6.94" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Sharpens any straight-edge or serrated knife
• Works for kitchen, outdoor, and pocket knives
• Two-stage system double-bevels straight-edge blades for long-lived edges
• One-stage system straightens and sharpens serrated blades
• Precise, V-shaped guides eliminate mistakes

Amazon.com Review
Diamond abrasives in this tool actually sharpen a knife rather than simply realign its edges, as most sharpeners and sharpening steels do. For right-handers and left-handers alike, it's simplicity itself to use. Grasp the handle and draw a straight-edge blade back and forth through the stage 1 guide 25 to 50 times to coarsely bevel it. Then move the blade to the stage 2 guide and draw back and forth 10 times through finer diamond crystals for the second, fine-edged bevel. Serrated blades go only through stage 2. By turning, rollers demonstrate that a blade is properly straight so it is being beveled at the precise angle required. Lightweight but tough, the sharpener is formed of silver and black plastic. It's 6-1/2 inches by 2-1/4 inches, small enough to take on a camping or hunting trip. --Fred Brack

Customer Reviews

Almost as good as it claims to be
I got one of these recently, and put it to the ultimate test. I have an old "mixed" set of knives, which were dull beyond the ability of using the honing steel. At the time I got this sharpener, I also got a Brand New set of Sabatier Commercial knives, which had been hand sharpened from the factory.

The test was could I get the old knives to be as sharp as the brand new ones. The answer, No I couldn't. In a sense, this is unfair, since the old knives (with the exception of a Wustoff paring knife) are of lower quality. Further, the sharpener did restore the older knives to a very respectable edge. My old Hoffritz Chef's knife, for example was sharp enough to cut through a piece of paper held in one hand (a test recommended in the manual)with little effort. (The Sabatier Knife did this effortlessly).

One hint -- the manual says that a reasonably sharp knife can be sharpened in 20 or so strokes, while a dull knife might take 50. This, in my view understates the process. While my old knives were very dull, it took a couple of minutes per knife to get a good edge on them.

Overall, I recommend this product, for all but the best knives. I will probably have my Sabatier knives professionally sharpened, but will certainly use this for my second set of knives.

Inexpensive dummy-proof sharpening
Bought one of these recently to replace an older model that had been well-used. (These do need replacing every once in a while, as the diamond grit wears down.) Thought I'd share some tips here.

First, let me point out that the turning wheels in the center are a guide to make you hold the knife upright. The wheels may not be turning throughout your "swipe" if you are using a thin-bladed knife.

Second, you should use a feather-light touch when "swiping." The cutting edge of the knife is very thin, and you do not want to push it down in the groove and damage it. Use a long, sweeping stroke, light and smooth.

Third, to get the best use of this sharpener, every so often you'll have to clean out the metal dust that collects in the grooves. If the bottom of the groove is silvery-shiny when you look down at it, take a small, stiff, clean brush and whisk the groove until the original gray appears again.

I believe that the two slots on this sharpener correspond to the last two (and most gentle) slots on the manufacturer's three slot electric sharpeners. Thus, the first slot sharpens and the second slot hones. The first slot won't be used as often as the second slot.

The edge you get with this gizmo probably won't be as nice as the edge you'd get from an expert hand on the whetstone, but it will keep the family kitchen knives cutting well for many years.

Professional cook
I work in a major hotel and everybody comes around to use my sharpener. Now I have to order sharpeners for some of the crew. We use to have a guy who used the oil/water stone. But this one is easier, faster and dummy-proof. It puts such a sharp edge on my knives I find myself sharpening knives for my family too. I bought it over a month ago and it still does a fantastic job. I have to have a sharp edge in order to get my work done faster. I can't recommend this toy enough. It's a great investment.