Thinking of buying an electric knife sharpener

[Attjack]

What do I need to know? Would this Chef'sChoice Model 315XV be a good choice?

https://chefschoice.com/products/chefschoice-diamond-hone-sharpener-for-15-knives-model-315xv

[Jerod Broussard]

It should work. I have 3-stage that works well, it replaced a 2-stage that literally started falling apart.

[holehogg]

I have absolutely no knowledge of electric knife sharpeners let alone those sold in the States. What are you using to sharpen currently? I use a whetstone.

[Attjack]

A cheap 2 stage manual pull sharpener that I'm not willing to use on my one good knife.

[Stuey1515]

Rub your knives over a stone when you think of it and use a ceramic hone every time you use it, just mho

[Attjack]

So there are 20 degree knives and 30 degree knives and that one does both and it's a 2 stage sharpener which is good but 3 stage is better? What else might I consider?

[Attjack]

But aren't Japanese knives 15 degrees? That's my one good knife and I'm eyeing a second Shun but thought I should be able to sharpen them before purchasing another.

[Jerod Broussard]

20 is more durable when doing a lot of meat trimming, if not a heavy workload, 15-17 is fine.

[rickgregory]

Attjack - not all J-knives are 15. Some are sharpened asymmetrically and some use different angle.

[holehogg]

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/F-Dick-SM-111-Sharpening-Machine-P1587C26.aspx

Bit pricey but would be awesome to own one.

[surfdog]

I have a bunch of their knives and they’re darn near bulletproof. I can imagine that beast would last forever…and work a treat.

[holehogg]

surfdog I use their knives too. I have 2 butcher's knives that is so comfortable in the hand.

[WI Bubba]

I have a Chefs Choice 3 stage, 15 degree sharpener, and I really like it. The first stage is really aggressive and is only used to set the bevel the first time if you are changing the existing angle, or if you need to repair a chipped blade. Since all my knives were 20 degree to start with, I had to reset the bevel to match the sharpener. This was a choice I made because I personally prefer the 15 degree angle over the 20 degree. After the first time sharpening all my knives at the new angle, I have never had the need to use the first stage again.

What all this means to you is this. If you aren't changing the bevel of your knives, then get the sharpener that matches the bevel of you knives and you should be fine with a 2 stage. If you need or want to change the bevel of your knives, or if you are prone to chipping the blades, get the 3 stage.

The only other benefit to the 3 stage is that when your neighbor, friend, co-worker, ect. ask if you can sharpen their knives for them, being able to quickly set the correct bevel to match your sharpener will make your life a lot easier.

I'm also in the habit of running my knives over the honing steel everytime I take them out of the block, and only run them through the sharpener when honing no longer gives me a keen edge. On my 8" daily driver, I usually only have to actually sharpen it a couple/three times a year.

Chefs Choice also has models that will do 15 and 20 degree with the same unit, but I have no first had knowledge of those.

[rhronbo]

I have the 3-stage as well. Agree with everything said. Rarely use the first stage as it is really aggressive. You can do 90% of what you need done with 2 stage

[fzxdoc]

Did you have a chance to read through this topic? Lots of good info there.

K.

[FireMan]

Thank you so much K. I made a reference to ILMsmoke a post earlier & couldn’t remember who he be. With his experience in the trade all questions should stop here. 🕶

[DaveD]

I'm a huge fan of my Work Sharp Ken Onion model belt sharpener. Incredibly easy to use, zero elbow grease required, gravity does all the work. Hence it is way safer than rubbing a blade over a stone...

Link to Ken Onion unit

[ScottyC13]

I have this and love it. It works well for other things too like scissors tools and lawnmower blades.

[Argoboy]

I have a chief choice 3 stage knife sharpener and I was disappointed with the results, I recently bought a Worksharp Ken Onion sharpener and I really like it. My wife can not believe how sharp our knives are now.

[GolfGeezer]

The Worksharp E-5 is excellent, easy to use, handles western and Japanese beveled knives. There are some optional kits for additional sharpening belts of various grades if you get that into it. The Ken Onion sharpener is great if you want to sharpen more than just knives.

E5 Kitchen Knife Sharpener - Work Sharp Sharpeners (worksharptools.com)

[Mr. Bones]

Can confirm all above claims...

E-5 is a fine mochine.

[bbqLuv]

Dick Rapid Steel works for me to touch up the edge. I saw this on a YouTube video with Harry Soo.

[WillTravelForFood]

We see various Chefs Choice sharpeners for sale on Woot regularly, but never pulled the trigger to get one. We take our knives once a year to a professional and let them work their magic at $5/blade.

should we sharpen more often? Probably, so maybe we should get something for occasional home use

but is the edge we get from a pro better than what a home sharpener could do? Also probably.

a local kitchen store says they’ll sharpen knives for the same $5/blade, but they’re just using a sharpener like Chefs Choice as a sales demo. Somehow, we prefer the pro rather than a retail salesperson handling our knives.

[DaveD]

All this reminds me... time to take the knives down to the workshop and run them all through the Worksharp...! They're definitely due.

[jfmorris]

Attjack the description is vague. The details indicate it does 15/20, but most of the descriptive text only discusses 15 degrees. Most eastern knives are 15 degrees, most western kitchen knives are 20.

I have a Worksharp Ken Onion angle set sharpener, and while its manual, it only takes a couple of minutes per knife, and I like that it can do 15 to 25 degrees in 2.5 degree increments. It is also very compact for storage. I sharpen knives like my slicer, boning and filet and santuro at 15, and I'm sharpening most of the other kitchen knives at 17.5. I sharpen my Kershaw and other pocket knives at 20 degrees, as I want the edge to be a bit more durable.

This is what I have:

Ken Onion Angle Set Knife Sharpenerâ„¢ with Tri-brasive® - Work Sharp Sharpeners (worksharptools.com)

Now, if my WIFE were to ever sharpen a knive (not going to happen) I for sure would want an electric sharpener.

This morning I came into the kitchen to see her using my Rapala boning knife (very sharp) to cut carrots, cucumbers and celery. I reguided her to the recently sharpened santuro (just an Oxo brand one) which worked a little better due to the blade shape.

[rickgregory]

More acute angles require harder steel to hold an edge. Japanese knives are usually hardened to a higher hardness than western knives so they can hold the 15 or so degree angle for longer. A softer steel will usually take the angle but lose it faster, meaning more frequent sharpening and those more wear per year etc.

Chefs choice are... ok. They take off more steel than needed and I’d never use one on a good j-knife.

All of this just reminds me I need another waterstone for my Japanese knives...