What's everyone using for a Knife Sharpener?

[primeone]

What’s everyone using to keep their blades sharp? Looking for recommendations on the best sharpeners out there, whether it’s electric, stones, or some trick setup I haven’t seen yet.

 

[RustyJake]

chefschoice.com/collections/electric-knife-sharpeners/products/chefschoice-trizor-xv-sharpener-edgeselect-model-15-brushed-metal https://share.google/tpnsKvGbxAp9aeY8O
I got it on Amazon though.
If i was to buy it again, I may opt for the 1520 model. That one will do both 15° and 20° blade angles. Most of the expensive/good Japanese knives are 20°, so you wouldn't want to destroy the edge sharpening it with a sharpener that is set to 15°
I am interested to see what others are using as well. There's a lot of options out there

 

[RayClem]

I have investigated many types of knife sharpeners over the years as I have a collection of pocket knives, fixed blade knives, kitchen knives, and straight razors. The BEST sharpener is a set of good diamond sharpening stones or Japanese water stones. While I can use such stones to put a wicked edge on straight razors, I am not quite able to do that when freehand sharpening knives.

My recommendation is for a "fixed angle sharpener". They come in a wide variety of prices from inexpensive to quite expensive. The inexpensive ones are not very good. The expensive ones are best left for professional sharpeners. I recently purchased the Xarilk sharpener. It is a mid-range sharpener that has a lot to offer.

https://www.amazon.com/XARILK-Sharpening-Aluminium-Professional-sharpener/dp/B0D5QQW4YD/

There are many YouTube videos reviewing this sharpener and offering tips on the best way to use it.

It is great for sharpening large knives such chef knives. It is not good for sharpening narrow blades such as filet knives or small pocket knives . I have not tried sharpening my brisket slicer, but that might be too long for the sharpener.

One of the best recommendations I can make is getting a good knife steel. They enable you to extend the period between sharpening sessions. I have three of them. Two are actually made of steel and work well for stropping the blade to remove burrs and realign the blade. I have a ceramic hone that removes steel from the blade and does make knives sharper. With the ceramic steel, the key is keeping a fixed bevel angle, just as you would with a sharpening stone. Here is the one I use.

Amazon.com: Shenzhen Knives White Ceramic Knife Sharpener Honing Rod: Best Professional Knife Sharpening Tool.12 Inch Honing Stick, Ceramic Honing Rod for Chef's Knife and Kitchen Knife: Home & Kitchen

Online shopping for Kitchen Knives & Accessories from a great selection of Cutlery Sets, Specialty Knives, Sharpeners, Cutting Boards, & more at everyday low prices.

www.amazon.com

 

[UofLCardfan77]

I have all Wusthof knives, the oldest is 44 years old. They are chrome/molybdenum/vanadium steel. They hold their edge incredibly well and require very little maintenance to keep them sharp. I use a 6” soft Arkansas stone and just a few swipes restores the edge. I never will use an electric sharpener on them.

 

[RayClem]

I have all Wusthof knives, the oldest is 44 years old. They are chrome/molybdenum/vanadium steel. They hold their edge incredibly well and require very little maintenance to keep them sharp. I use a 6” soft Arkansas stone and just a few swipes restores the edge. I never will use an electric sharpener on them.

If you are good at using a good sharpening stone, like a Arkansas stone, that is great. Wustoff uses X50CrMoV15 steel which is a good German steel. However, it is not the hardest. It contains only 0.5% carbon. It generally is hardened to HRC 58. I have many knives made with this steel.

Some steels can contain as much as 1.5% carbon. Even the budget Chinese steel 8Cr13MOV contains 0.8% carbon. The higher the carbon percentage, the more difficult the blade will be to sharpen. I have a straight razor made with Thiers Issard Carbonsong C135 carbon steel (1.35% carbon) with a hardness of 63-64. It is a really difficult to sharpen, but holds its edge well..

I have a Cangshan Chinese made knife that uses Swedish 14C28N steel. It holds an edge remarkably well. It is a fine grained steel with a hardness of HRC 60.

The higher the hardness, the more brittle the edge will be. I do not let my wife use the 14C28N knife as she is not respectful of knife edges. She uses an inexpensive knives that are easy to sharpen and can be replaced periodically.

 

[RedTeam98]

What’s everyone using to keep their blades sharp? Looking for recommendations on the best sharpeners out there, whether it’s electric, stones, or some trick setup I haven’t seen yet.

Lansky Knife Sharpening Kit with Diamond stones.

 

[RayClem]

Lansky Knife Sharpening Kit with Diamond stones.

Lansky is not bad for a inexpensive sharpener. However, you cannot fine tune the angle as you are limited to the slots in the blade holder. That is why I recommended the Xarlik Gen 3. You can precisely match the factory angle by using a felt tip marker on the bevel.

 

[RayClem]

I am surprised that there have not been more replies to this thread. There are lots of different sharpening systems from the dirt cheap Smith pull through sharpener to the very expensive Tormek sharpeners. Even confined to sharpening stones, there are all kinds of options: diamond stones, CBN bonded stones, Carborundum stones, Japanese natural stones, slates, Coticules, Arkansas stones, Japanese waterstones, inexpensive Chinese synthetic stones, etc. Sharpening knives and razors is an area of seemingly endless possibilities.

 

[traeger860]

I picked up a HORL 3 Cruise a few months ago and I've been happy with it. It's very easy to use.

 

[midwest]

I don't have many expensive knives. I use the Chefs choice sharpener for almost all my knives and it works good. I have had a set of decent steak knives for about a year now and I have not had to sharpen them. When they need it ill probably research having someone do them just so I don't mess them up. Not sure though.

 

[RayClem]

I don't have many expensive knives. I use the Chefs choice sharpener for almost all my knives and it works good. I have had a set of decent steak knives for about a year now and I have not had to sharpen them. When they need it ill probably research having someone do them just so I don't mess them up. Not sure though.

Unless you eat steak every night, your steak knives should not need sharpening for a very long time. Just make sure they do not get damaged in storage.

 

[FireTechMike]

I’m using a fairly cheap set of diamond stones that I got on amazon. Works pretty well on my (not expensive) knives.

 

[Hogan]

A 14" Henkels sharpening steel or, as a last resort, Cal Don Sharpening Ltd.

 

[RayClem]

A 14" Henkels sharpening steel or, as a last resort, Cal Don Sharpening Ltd.

Everyone should have a sharpening steel, but the name is misleading. A steel only realigns the edge to help with damage occurring from contact with bone, cutting boards, etc. It does not really sharpen the edge.

Unlike a steel, a ceramic rod does remove steel from the knife. Thus, it does sharpen the knife edge if used properly.

While using a sharpening service can be helpful, it can also be expensive if you have numerous knives to sharpen. Along with knives, I also sharpen my own straight razors. Some people can send a razor out for sharpening and the maintain the edge for months using only a leather strop. I have a very tough beard. I can get only 5-6 shaves before the edge is no longer quite sharp enough. Thus, I had to purchase the proper tools and learn the correct techniques to sharpen my own razors. Sending them out would be impractical. Likewise, I have tried many sharpening methods for pocket knives, fixed blade knives and kitchen knives. It took some learning and some experimentation, but I finally learned how to obtain a keen edge on my knives.

 

[IEJoe]

I have a few different systems and the go to is the DMT Duo Sharp Stones. Basically pick the grit you want depending on how you treat your knives. I own the Tormek T8 and that is a dream. If you visit Rockler / Wood Working supply store near you they have all the choices mentioned for the most part.