I’ll second this. I bought one, and it’s much, much better than anything I have ever tried before. We have about 8 or 9 knives that are used on a relatively regular basis, and ever month of so they can be made to be every bit as sharp as the best razor in about ten minutes of easy sharpening. And I’m talking about dry shave the hair off your arm sharp.
In fact, I had a little problem at the beginning of using this machine. I tried the knives out so enthusiastically on my arm that I looked like I had the mange with all those bare patches. Thankfully I’m past that point now.
These sharpeners are so good that you’ve got to be a little careful with them, especially at first - used with to much verve and your knives will tend to wear down rather rapidly.
And not only are they good on kitchen knives, but they are also great for things like shovel blades, lawn mower blades, or just about anything that needs occasional sharpening. Not only that, but the shower of sparks you get when sharpening caron steel is quite impressive.
I have the Kyocera equivalent, and it’s terrific. I use it periodically to touch the knives up after several steelings.
That said, knives are tools to me, and not some sort of fetishistic object. So I tend to use them pretty hard- in other words, I put them in the dishwasher, and then steel them/resharpen them fairly often.
We have a few good Wusthof Classic santokus, a few cheaper stamped Wusthof chefs knives and a Mercer Genesis 8" chef’s knife. The Mercer is easily the equal of the nice Wusthofs, and is about 1/3 the price. Plus, it has a rubberized non-slip grip which is nice.
We also have a Mercer Genesis paring knife, a Victorinox paring knife and a stamped Wusthof paring knife- the Victorinox ($7) is far and away the best, followed by the Wusthof and then the Mercer, mostly because the first two are stamped, and have thin blades, and the Mercer has a fat-ish forged blade.
You may well be right. I think the problem with the honing steel isn’t so much that it doesn’t get them sharp, it seems to be that the sharpness doesn’t really last long. I love those knives, but I may have to look at better ways of sharpening them.
And yes, decades indeed. I hate to think how many readers here weren’t even born yet when I got the first of those knives and carved my first roast!
I’ve used a couple of different knife sharpening systems, through the years. But I’m now totally sold on;
Chestnut tools, knife sharpener (from Lee Valley, in Canada)
The sub-micron tungsten carbide blade sharpens to a smooth finish requiring very little force. It’s not terribly expensive, simple to use and works a charm. It’s perfect for a beginner!
I like knives. I have a ceramic utility knife I use for small vegetables in small quantities. It is fabulous for tomatoes, never need be sharpened. I have a fancy knife with “samurai swirling” that I only use to cut up raw meat. The pretty patterns are just for show, and flank the plain steel that is actually the cutting surface, but it’s beautiful and I enjoy using it. I have a henckels chef knife that I use for large veggies, and for carving at the table, and when I just want to grab a knife. I have a santoku my brother gave me that is also really good for bigger chopping tasks. And I have an assortment of utility knives that get used for everything. Oh, and a serrated bread knife, that only gets used for bread, and that the only knife used on bread. Bread dulls knives.
I also whittle, and have several pocket knives. Those i sharpen by hand on whet stones. I can shave with them when I’m done. I don’t bother with the kitchen knives, I take them to the local hardware store from time to time when they need a new edge, and use a steel in between.
Mostly what matters is “sharp”, followed by “convenient shape for this task.”
If you don’t mind spending a little money up front, the Spyderco Triangle sharpening system will sharpen just about anything with an edge, even serrated knives. It comes with medium and fine ceramic sticks. Spend the extra money and get the diamond-coated coarse sticks, too. They dramatically speed up sharpening really dull knives or changing the edge angle. The whole system will cost you a few bucks but it will last a lifetime. I have been using the same set since about 1993.
I have a huge collection of knives that I tend to use quite randomly and not necessarily for their intended purpose.
A Sashimi knife recently purchased* gets used a lot (new toy) as does a cheap but effective ceramic knife from Aldi - impressive for the price!
My favourite is a Chinese Chopper that I bought years ago in a Chinese supermarket that I used to visit weekly, the cheapest knife I have ever bought - £1.60 and can be used for almost any task.
I had been working in a Chinese restaurant and saw how the chefs handled them - absolutely amazing and somewhat terrifying.
Keep them sharp with a variety of hones and whetstones.
*Actual cost was £2 as part of a supermarket incentive, collect a pile of stickers and get the knives for next to nothing, unfortunately discontinued.
We had an array of stupidly expensive knives bought in Sweden that disappeared when we moved to England and never replaced.
This. We received a big ol’ ceramic chef’s knife as a Christmas present several years ago and now use it almost exclusively (exceptions: a paring knife for peeling fruit, and a steel chef’s knife for working with bone-in meat). It keeps a good sharp edge for a long time.
It will wear over time, but by sharpening frequently you are still just touching up the edge. I have a carbon steel sushi knife that I’ve portioned and skinned thousands of pounds of fish with over 20 years and maybe lost 1/4 inch of blade depth. The sharpening machines will wear a blade faster than that.
Should I (or anyone) be distinguishing sharpening and honing? I had a guy telling me what I was doing with the scrapey angle stick things was honing, and that sharpening was grinding a new edge on, but I always just called it sharpening when I used the stick things.
And honing, to be precise, involves removing very small amounts of metal with a very fine grit – just enough to remove the roughness left by sharpening with something courser. It’s more like polishing, removing slight bumps that are mere microns thick.
I splurged (well, the military splurged) on Miyabi Henckels santoku knife as a retirement gift which is my goto for most things. We also have a set of Henckels Twin Select kitchen knives we got as a wedding gift. I really like the feel of them in hand, esp. the Miyabi.
For sharpening I’ll use a 600-1200 grit diamond hone set and if they are really bad, my Lansky set. That’s usually about once evry 6 mo. on the hones and maybe once every two years with the Lansky. As above, they are usually hand washed after use.
The best way to see how well your sharpening is going is to draw right on either side of the edge of the blade with a sharpie*. That was immensely helpful for learning how to free-hand on a bench stone, particularly whether or not I was holding the knife at the right angle. It’ll also show you whether there are any larger chips or scratches that require more aggressive sharpening. I know I’m done when a single swipe of the 1200 grit hone removes all of the ink on the edge.
I imagine the same technique would help most sharpening techniques, whether it’s just to see whether a merely-steeled knife needs a new edge, or to determine whether you need a major grinding or a quick pass on the honing wheel with your electric sharpener.
*Clean up afterwards with rubbing alcohol, denatured alcohol, or vodka in a pinch. Or use a water-soluble marker and clean up with soap and water.
OK, here comes the opposition. LOL! I’m seriously out-voted already, but here’s my approach for what it’s worth:
I don’t allow ANYTHING into my kitchen that can’t go in the dishwasher. I know, some people find doing dishes to be a peaceful time of zen-like meditation. Not me. I need easy-clean quick to use kitchen implements. I prefer to have a set of very sharp, comfortable knives, and non-stick pans. Why on earth would I pay more for something that increases my workload?
If you are going to make sushi occasionally, or do some powerhouse chopping to make a veggie stew, then have a single, really good knife that feels great in your hand, and which you will lovingly wash and hone as necessary. But start with a set in different sizes and shapes which will help you learn what you do and don’t like in blades and handles. I guarantee that’s the one you will use for life when you are just trying to chop some carrots for dinner.
Go to retail stores and just feel some of the handle shapes until you know what you like. Get plastic or metal handles that can go in the dishwasher, and if you are not the type who drops things a lot, and don’t have a ceramic sink or tile kitchen floor, consider ceramic knives. Also, make sure you get a set with sturdy bone scissors, they are like goodtongs, once you’ve got them you won’t know how you lived without them. Get the scissors that come apart so they wash easily.
Finally, get a set with a container or rackthat works for your kitchen. You can get it free with the knives or pay $50 for one later, so think ahead about space and safety issues. I personally don’t like the wooden ones because you can’t clean them. I once had a guest cut some chicken, then just wipe the knife with a dish towel and put the knife back in its slot and the towel back on the hook. Ewwww! Straight to the garbage can.
ETA: These are my favorites of my knives. I once had a pineapple freeze in the back of my fridge. I sliced it with one of those with barely any effort at all. Like slicing warm butter. They also go through a turnip in nothing flat.
I’m sorry, but the OP clearly stated they wanted to hear from us knife snobs… not you pedestrian users.
The fact that I had enough “extras” to send a full set to my daughter when she moved from the dorm to a house may tell you something.
I actually frequently use a cheap no name knife that came with some Omaha Steaks that I got as a gift. For whatever reason it just feels right.
If I had to give up my knife hoarding though I would keep my Global Chef’s knife, my Global Paring knife and my Chinese Cleaver… ok, also a filleting knife… and my steak knives… that’s all I need… just these knives… and this thermos…
Other than the Kabar and the Cold Steel, most of my kitchen cutlery needs are met by a partial set of Guttmann knives from the early 90’s. I still use the block, boning knife, paring knife, and honing steel. The chef knife vanished somewhere along the way and has been replaced a couple times as I played around with different things. Right now, that slot in the block is occupied by a Paula Deen santoku, which turned out to be a surprisingly good quality knife. If you don’t have a couple of Victorinox paring knives in your kitchen, you need to remedy that. They will take and hold a good edge and have excellent ergonomics. I know more than one bird hunter and fisherman who use them as field knives.
My advice is that you don’t need a lot of knives, just a few good ones: a paring knife, a serrated bread knife, and two chef’s knives (one short and one long one). Avoid big sets of knives, just start off with a paring knife and a chef’s knife then add others when you realize there are gaps in your set that are preventing you from easily doing what you need to do in the kitchen.
My main knife is a Wuesthof 10” chef’s knife, and I’ve used the steel on it religiously since 2007 (when I bought it). It’s finally dull and beyond the abilities of my steel to realign the blade.
I’ve always sucked at sharpening knives, dating back to my time in the Cub Scouts and being expected to sharpen my new pocket knife on a whetstone. I simply could never, ever get the hang of it. I always told myself I’ll just take my knives to a commercial sharpener who knows what he’s doing, and let him have at it.
Craftsmanship in my country is, uh, non-existent. No way I’m loaning my Wuesthof to one of these guys (and, you know, the inability to find a shop).
So I bought one of these:
And holy crap! This thing works! I’ve not tried my Wuesthof yet, but I’ve been practicing with my Kitchen Aid and Cutco knives, and I can’t believe that I’m finally able to sharpen a knife after 32 years.
and can be used for almost any task.
and never replaced.