Knife Sharpeners: Best Knife Sharpener, Knife Sharpener Reviews

Best knife-sharpening system

Spyderco 204MF Tri-Angle Sharpmaker System

The greatest advantage to the Spyderco manual knife-sharpening system, which can sharpen both straight and serrated blades, is its ability to restore dull knives to sharpness without removing too much metal. Although the… Sharpmaker takes up to eight times longer to produce a sharp edge than other manual sharpeners, reviews say that this system is flexible, well designed, stable and practically foolproof -- once you learn how to use it. Reviews say that the Sharpmaker's accompanying training manual and video are excellent but complex. The Spyderco knife sharpener works for pretty much all types of knives and scissors, including serrated and honed-edge hunting knives as well as kitchen knives.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Los Angeles Times: Pete Thibodeau tests more than a dozen knife sharpeners. The Spyderco 204MF receives the highest marks overall. Thibodeau says it ...

eGullet Society for Culinary Arts and Letters: This long article discusses knife sharpening in incredible detail. Included are recommendations for several models. The Spyderco ...

Cook's Illustrated: Cook's Illustrated editors review a dozen manual knife sharpeners, looking at performance, ease of use and how well the devices ...

Amazon.com: The overwhelming majority of about three dozen owners give the Spyderco a perfect score at Amazon.com. The few owners who don't ...

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eBay

for $59.13

Working Person's Store

for $59.99

Amazon

for $52.08

Best electric knife sharpener

Chefs Choice 130 Professional Sharpening Station

*Est. $150 Compare Prices

Electric knife sharpeners are quick and easy to use, but don't offer the same amount of control as a manual sharpener. They also usually cost more. The Chef's Choice 130 is a heavy-duty electric sharpener that quickly and… quietly puts polished, sharp edges on straight and serrated knives. Reviews say that built-in guides make knife sharpening easier, but the internal spinning wheels grind aggressively, removing more metal than a manual knife sharpener. Reviews say that the 130's spring guides hold angles better than the cheaper Chef's Choice 110's magnetic guides. Another handy feature is a slot that serves as a manual sharpening steel.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Cook's Illustrated: Rigorous testing is the rule at Cook's Illustrated, and this article is no exception. Editors test six electric knife sharpeners, ...

ConsumerGuide.com: Although it's hard to tell how extensively knife sharpeners were tested, editors at Consumer Guide recommend the Chef's Choice ...

Amazon.com: More than 130 owners have written reviews of the Chef's Choice 130. Most give it a perfect score. A few detractors say that it ...

Cooking.com: There are only a handful of reviews here for the Chef's Choice 130. All are positive. One owner says the instructions need ...

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Budget electric knife sharpener

Chefs Choice 110 Multi-Stage Professional Sharpener

*Est. $85 Compare Prices

The Chef's Choice 110 has three sets of hones that produce adequately sharp edges. The 110 lacks the final stropping stage found on the more expensive Chef's Choice 130, as well as extended sharpening wheels that ensure… sharp blades all the way to the heel of the knife. And unlike the Chef's Choice 130, the 110 can't sharpen serrated knives.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

eGullet Society for Culinary Arts and Letters: In this detailed and lengthy tutorial, reviewer Chad Ward ultimately prefers manual sharpeners, though he does say that if you ...

Cook's Illustrated: Rigorous testing is the rule at Cook's Illustrated, and this article is no exception. Editors test six electric knife sharpeners, ...

Amazon.com: There are about 25 user reviews for the Chef's Choice 110, the majority of them positive. Only a few of the consumers who posted ...

Buzzillions.com: Two contributors to Buzzillions.com had rated the Chef's Choice 110 knife sharpener at the time of our visit. Both agree that ...

Cooking.com: About a dozen owners say they would purchase this sharpener again. The main criticism is that it takes some time to learn how to ...

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Budget manual knife sharpener

Chefs Choice 460 Multi-Edge Diamond Hone Sharpener

*Est. $30 Compare Prices

The Chef's Choice 460 is a lightweight model that uses industrial diamonds in two slots for coarse or fine sharpening. Reviews say that the 460 performs well at sharpening, and suits right- and left-handers. This manual… knife sharpener can be used to sharpen both straight and serrated blades. Since the 460 is so lightweight, users report that it must be held down firmly during use, so it's not a good choice for those with limited hand or arm strength.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

The New York Times: Looking for something that's simple to use and not noisy, Denise Landis tries out eight knife sharpeners. The Chef's Choice 460 ...

Cook's Illustrated: Cook's Illustrated editors review a dozen manual knife sharpeners, looking at performance, ease of use and how well the devices ...

Amazon.com: Of the two dozen owner ratings at Amazon.com, most are positive for the Chef's Choice 460. Some owners are disappointed in its ...

Cooking.com: There are about a dozen reviews at Cooking.com for the Chef's Choice 460. While a few owners give it a less-than-perfect rating, ...

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Cooking.com

for $29.95

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