A knife works best if it is sharp enough to cut, so you need a knife sharpener for all your knives. Here’s how you get the best one for your needs. When is a knife not a knife? When it’s dull. A dull knife isn’t really a knife at all. It’s more useful as a paperweight. That’s why you need the best knife sharpener you can find to make sure your knives remain useful as cutting implements. However, a quick look at the number of available knife sharpeners can be a bit intimidating, as there are so many options to choose from. So let’s make things easier for you by giving you a list of the better ones you should consider buying:
Best Selling Knife Sharpener Reviews 2020
Chef’sChoice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener for Straight and Serrated Knives (Editor’s Choice)
Chef’s Choice started out in 1985 with the specific goal of producing the very best knife sharpeners in the world. This product is their specialty, and they offer a large lineup of manual, electric, hybrid, and specialty sharpeners for knife owners around the world. The Chef’s Choice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener is a fine example of how well they make these sharpeners:
Features:
- This uses 3 stages to sharpen your knives. The first 2 stages use100% diamond abrasives to sharpen and hone, while stage 3 uses a unique flexible abrasive system to polish.
- The EdgeSelect feature lets you pick and choose the stage you want to use. For example, you can uses stages 1 and 3 only so the knife edge works better for fibrous foods. The stage 3 also sharpens serrated knives.
- This can sharpen 15-degree knives, and turn 20-degree knives into 15-degree knives. That’s because with a 15-degree edge you’re able to use the knife with better control and cut through food more easily.
- You have spring guides for automatic adjustment and accurate control.
- First sharpening takes only a minute, with just 10 seconds for resharpening.
- It measures 10 L x 4.25 W x 4.25 H inches and weighs 4.4 pounds.
- This will give you very sharp knives that are easier to control, and it doesn’t take a lot of time or skill either. You just need to read the manual to use this right. This is a high quality sharpener that you can depend on, and it has a 3-year warranty.
- If you’re not used to sharp knives, then the first time you handle the sharpened knives can be an unpleasant and bloody surprise. You have to be careful.
- This electric sharpener also makes noise ranging from 68 to 75 decibels. So it’s as noisy as a toilet flushing or a vacuum cleaner.
Chef’ Sharpener – Kitchen Knife Sharpener CS-T01 3-Stage Diamond Tungsten Ceramic Knife Sharpening Tool (Budget Pick)
You have to accept that cheaper knife sharpeners are more affordable for a reason. Now, this particular model is surprisingly of good quality, but it does have a limitation which you need to accept. So you can’t complain that it can’t deal with knives with micro-serrated edges. It also works best with 20-degree knives, and it won’t turn them into 15-degree edges. Still, you do get a lot of value for very little money:
Features:
- This uses the 3-stage process of sharpening knives. It has diamond, tungsten, and ceramic rods to fix damages, sharpen coarse edges, and hone the edge to a keen sharpness.
- It’s very easy and quick to use, as all you need to do is to just pull through the blades through the slots a couple of times. You can start with the Coarse slot first, and then follow up with the Fine slot. The resulting edge can cut through paper.
- This uses high-quality materials using stainless steel and ABS plastic.
- The design is excellent as you have a solid feel and a slip-resistant base. Everything fits perfectly so there are no gaps for food particles or dust to settle in.
- It offers an ergonomic grip, and the design lets you store it in a drawer or hang it on the wall. It looks good too, so you can just leave it on the countertop if you have space.
- It really does sharpen knives at a very quick clip, and there are no complicated processes to learn. It even looks nice enough to let it just stay out on the countertop, though it’s also very easy to store.
- You do need to accept its limitations. For its price, you have to make do without certain features like getting 15-degree edges.
Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener
When you buy this, make sure you get the “frustration-free” packaging. It costs the same as the standard packaging, so why deal with frustration when you don’t have to? In fact, this particular knife sharpener is great at reducing your frustration because it’s designed to sharpen just about any knife you own. Your knives can be straight or curved, serrated, or whatever. You can use this for hunting knives too, and you can even sharpen your scissors with this.
Features:
- This uses flexible abrasive belts, which is the same technique that professional knife makers use to put a razor edge on their knives. The belts include the coarse, medium, and fine grit, and these won’t damage or burn your blades while you sharpen them. Once the grit has been used up, you can just easily replace the abrasive grit belts.
- Then it uses precision angle sharpening guides so you get the right angle for the type of knife you’re sharpening. You have the 50-degree guide for hunting and outdoor knives (25 degrees per level) and a 40-degree guide for thinner blades and kitchen knives (20 degrees per level). There’s a scissors guide too.
- With this, you can even sharpen bladed shop tools, along with lawn and garden tools. Use this for your lawn mower blades, garden pruners, shears, shovels, and scrapers.
- This uses the North American 110v power source, but you can use this in your truck, car, or boat with a 12V power inverter (min. 150 watts).
- It has a 1-year warranty.
- The versatility of this knife is outstanding, and it takes only a minute or two to sharpen a knife edge. The smooth high-quality edge also can last for a long while.
- It’s not really a universal knife sharpener, as it can’t deal with 15-degree or 30-degree knives. You should also use a mask for this so you don’t inhale the fine metal dust it produces.
Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 1000/6000 Waterstone
Some people just like taking the time to use a whetstone instead of a more efficient sharpener. That’s because with a good whetstone you have more control over the sharpening process, and you’re less likely to ruin a great knife due to a misstep. Now with all the whetstones available, a lot of people go with this one in particular and just about everyone who uses this have nothing but praise for it.
Features:
- This is a double-sided whetstone, with 1000 grit on one side and 6000 on the other. Your purchase also gets you a bamboo base to hold the stone, a knife sharpening angle guide, a clear instruction manual, and most importantly a very detailed ebook with plenty of tips on sharpening your knife properly with this.
- Once you learn what to do, you’ll find that this whetstone can sharpen any sort of blade. You can use this for kitchen and hunting knives, pocket knives, scissors, chisels, and even axes.
- You don’t even need sharpening oil for this to work.
- This is quite versatile, as its usefulness covers every kind of blade you’ll need to sharpen. What’s more, it’s very safe. The knife sharpening angle guide lets you apply consistent pressure safely at the proper angle. The bamboo base keeps the whetstone securely in place. You have the instructions on how to use it, and you just need to learn them.
- There are no other degree guides available but the one provided. It doesn’t really have any other drawbacks that you can’t find in other whetstones. As long as you accept that you need to learn how to use this right and that it will take time to sharpen your knives, you’re good to go.
Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener
Do you have a pocket knife or find yourself often wanting to sharpen a knife on the go? If that’s the case, you need a knife sharpener you can keep in your pocket, and this one should do the trick for you.
Features:
- This is a slim and lightweight knife sharpener that you can easily put in a pocket. It measures 3.5 inches long and an inch wide, with a 1-ounce weight.
- It has a diamond-coated rod that works for both standard and serrated edges.
- The preset carbide blades restore a dull edge very quickly.
- Then you also have a ceramic stone for already sharp knives to gain a smooth polished edge.
- Both the ceramic stones and the carbide blades replaceable and reversible.
- There are preset sharpening angles for consistent results.
- It’s portable, and it’s easy enough to use to produce terrific results. It’s quite affordable too. This is great for hunters, hikers, and fishermen.
- The small size can be challenging for some people to use. The carbide blades are only designed to restore dull straight edges and not serrated ones.
Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone Sharpening System
This is another extremely popular knife sharpener, and most of its owners love it. With 5 stones to choose from, you’re able to sharpen a wide variety of blades.
Features:
- You have the Extra Coarse Black Hone (70 grit) for re-profiling the bevel grind, Coarse Red Hone (120 grit) for edge reconditioning, Medium Green Hone (280 grit) for sharpening and less frequent touch-ups, Fine Blue Hone (600 grit) for most frequent touch-ups to keep your blade paper-slicing sharp, and the Ultra-Fine Ceramic Yellow Hone (1000 grit) for polishing the edge.
- Each hone has a guide rod to help set the blade at the proper angle. The angled system gives you the option to pick from 17, 20, 25, and 30 degrees.
- The package includes long knife clamp screws for thicker blades.
- It also has a nice travel case.
- This is a portable knife sharpener system that offers you a very easy way to sharpen various knives. The hones are color-coded so you can quickly pick the one you want, while the sharpening angle system makes sure you’re always at the right angle for your blade.
- This will take time to learn how to use properly, and it can get very challenging at first.
Utopia Kitchen 10 Inch Honing Steel Knife Sharpening Steel Sharpening Rod
If you’re going to spend some time each day honing your prized kitchen knives, you may want to consider using this. It’s safe and easy to use. You can even use it for many types of standard knives.
Features:
- It’s made of carbon steel with nickel-chrome plating. The surface prevents any damage to the cutting edge when you’re sharpening your knives.
- The handle is ergonomic and can work with both righties and southpaws.
- It has a slip-resistant rubber bottom to keep it in place.
- This is great for daily maintenance for all your knives, and it’s very safe and easy to use.
- Aside from the fact that like all steel rods it doesn’t really sharpen damaged knives, this steel rod needs special maintenance procedures. You have to use non-woven oil cloth soaked with cooking oil to clean it.
GA Electric Knife Sharpener
This is a budget model you can pick if you don’t have the budget for a truly high-quality electric knife sharpener. As long as you temper your expectations, you won’t be disappointed.
Features:
- This can sharpen kitchen knives, scissors, and screwdrivers.
- It uses a 2-stage process. The first stage reshapes the blade angle while it sharpens and refines the edges. The second stage hones and polishes the blade.
- It’s very easy to use, as you only need to insert the blade into a slot and then press the power button.
- It comes in a compact size, and the 3.5-ft power cord is rewindable.
- For its price, it’s surprisingly useful and convenient to use. As long as you use it the right way, you can sharpen a wide variety of household tools such as knives, screwdrivers, and scissors.
- This motor isn’t designed for heavy duty. It will quickly heat up, so you can’t use it for more than 3 minutes at a time. Then you’ll need to let the motor cool down before you start again.
Buying Guide of Best Knife Sharpener
There are actually several types of knife sharpeners. You can use whetstones, which are gritty stones that use water or oil to activate the sharpening surface. A whetstone sharpens the existing edge of the knife rather than carve out a new edge. You’ll need to know how to hold the knife at the right angle, and you need patience for this method too.
If you want something faster you can go with the manual or electric sharpeners with the V-notches to carve a new edge on your knife. The correct angle is already set, and you only need a few passes through the sharpener to get a keen edge.
For some people, a honing rod or steel is also important. It’s a long steel rod that’s often coated with a ceramic finish. You pass your knife on the side of the rod to turn a bent blade straight, without having to chip away at the metal. You can use this every day, and they can definitely help your expensive knives in between sharpening sessions. To make your choice, you need to consider the following factors:
Time
If you’re in a hurry, then an electric sharpener is better for you than a whetstone. You only need a few quick passes with the sharpener to end up with a sharp knife. With a whetstone, you may need at least 5 minutes per knife. If you have a lot of knives to sharpen, a whetstone can take a really long time.
Ease of Use
Beginners can make use of manual or electric sharpeners much more easily. With a whetstone, you have to practice a lot to make sure you don’t end up with an uneven edge. Even small sharpeners can cause this problem especially when there’s no cutting slot.
Some sharpeners may even be dangerous to work with. These include sharpeners that require you to sharpen your knife by cutting towards your fingers or palm.
Grit Quality
You need a coarse grit (or a grit level of less than 1000) if you’ll use the sharpener on a knife with nicks and chips. Go with a medium grit (1000 to 3000) if you’re sharpening dull knives that aren’t damaged. Fine grit (4000 to 8000) is fine for refining the knife edge, and this is often what you get with the honing steel.
Size
The size of the sharpener affects your ability to store it properly. If you have a cramped kitchen, then you may not have the storage space for a large electric sharpener. Manual sharpeners and whetstones, on the other hand, can be small enough to fit inside a drawer.
Brand and Product Quality
Some brands are renowned for the quality of their sharpeners, as you can rely on them to work well for a long time. On the other hand, some low quality knife sharpeners don’t last long, and some may even damage your blades.
Price
Prices of knife sharpeners can go from as low as $10 to as high as $150 or even more. You should try to get the best knife sharpener you can afford, especially if you wish to use it every week or even every month. If you tend to use a knife sharpener only when you’re preparing your Thanksgiving feasts, then perhaps you don’t really need a premium model.
Just remember that price is often associated with quality in the knife sharpener industry. Low-quality sharpeners are cheap, while the better ones can get quite pricey.
Conclusion
Our list gives you a wide range of options, with different types and prices to suit your needs and preferences. Pick any of our recommendations, and you’ll likely get a better knife sharpener for the price than any other brand you may pick blindly.
Just remember that if you have knives, you also absolutely need knife sharpeners. Investing on a good knife sharpener makes sense, compared to buying a new knife every time your old one gets dull!
