OK Rob, here you are, the entire article cut right from the website. I would
caution you to make sure you understand the difference between honing a knife
and sharpening it. Yes, there is a difference, and it matters. Since I simply
cut this right from the web page, the results of the testing aren't lined up
all nice and neat, but you'll get through it if you just hit the down arrow key
often enough. I'll be saving this article should the day ever come that I can
afford their most-highly-recommended model.
Jon
Knife Sharpeners
By Cook's Illustrated
.
Published July 2015
Chef'sChoice Trizor XV Knife Sharpener
How We Tested
How We Tested
Japanese bladesmiths have long favored chef's-style knives with blades that are
ultraslim-that is, sharpened to about 15 degrees on either side of the
blade-and for good reason: In addition to being thin and lightweight, these
blades have a supernarrow cutting edge, which helps make them razor-sharp.
We've also come to favor a thinner edge. After years of testing dozens of
knives, our repeat favorite is from Victorinox, a Swiss-made knife that is
sharpened to 15 degrees on either side of the edge, allowing it to push and
slide through food more easily than do more traditional European blades
sharpened to at least 20 degrees.
To maintain that narrow edge, we use a tool specifically designed to sharpen a
blade to 15 degrees. Our favorite models, both from Chef'sChoice, are a manual
and an electric sharpener that each do a fine job of restoring an ultrakeen
edge to an Asian-style knife. But in recent years the trend toward slimmer
knives-and slimmer knife sharpeners-has spread west, as European manufacturers
including Wüsthof, Henckels, Messermeister, and Mercer have launched their own
15-degree knives and sharpeners. (In fact, Wüsthof and Henckels have
discontinued their 20-degree knives.) We were curious to see what these new
sharpeners had to offer-and were especially eager to test the claim of one that
it can even hone a 20-degree knife to 15 degrees. How would the best knife
sharpeners perform?
So we rounded up nine models (including our previous favorites), five manual
and four electric, from both Western and Asian manufacturers and priced from
roughly $20 to $200. To evaluate them, we bought nine of our favorite
Victorinox chef's knives and assigned one to each sharpener; we then dulled the
knives identically and sharpened them according to manufacturer instructions.
To assess sharpness, we slashed sheets of copy paper and sliced delicate
tomatoes, repeating the dulling, sharpening, and slicing process four more
times with multiple testers (for more information, see "Testing Knife
Sharpness" in related content).
Material World
All knife sharpeners work similarly: The user repeatedly drags the blade
against an abrasive surface at a set angle, which trims and reshapes the blade
by removing microscopic amounts of metal that are blunted or too far out of
alignment. (Honing a blade on a steel is for knives that are less dull, as it
simply repositions metal that is only slightly out of alignment.) With electric
sharpeners, the abrasives are on motorized wheels that spin against the blade;
with manual sharpeners, they're either on nonmotorized wheels or the abrasive
material itself is fashioned into a V-shaped chamber through which the user
pulls the knife.
Despite sharing similar mechanisms, the sharpeners we tested produced
dramatically varied results. There were differences in user-friendliness: Some
came with unintuitive directions and designs or fussy cleaning requirements;
others made jarring vibrations or piercing grinding noises. We docked points
for all these flaws.
But what really divided the pack was how sharp-or not-the knives were after we
sharpened them. Some models barely restored the knife's edge and others
actually damaged it, rendering it uneven or jagged so that the knife struggled
when it came in contact with the food. And then there were the best sharpeners,
which put such a keen edge on the blade that it felt sharper than it did out of
the box.
We first checked to see if electric and manual sharpeners performed
comparably-and for routine sharpening, they did. (Repairing deep nicks was
another story; more on that later.) It wasn't until we examined the inner
workings of the sharpeners that we realized that two key factors were
determining how effectively they sharpened.
First, the type of abrasive. The models we tested used three different kinds:
carbides (a combination of metal and carbon), ceramic, and diamond. Our least
favorite models featured carbides or ceramic, materials that proved problematic
in part because they have what Mike Tarkanian at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology's Department of Materials Science and Engineering calls a "high
coefficiency of friction." This means that they are relatively sticky and grab
at the surface of the blade more than diamond does. As a result, sharpeners
made of these materials rough up the surface of the blade, making it move
through food less efficiently. In addition, ceramic and carbides are also
softer than diamonds and degrade more quickly, shortening the life span of the
sharpener; in fact, the ceramic wheels on the electric Shun sharpener sent up a
puff of white dust every time we pulled the blade through its chamber.
Diamond, on the other hand, is the hardest material in the world, which makes
it strong and durable for sharpening. Its coefficiency of friction is also
relatively low, which allows it to glide smoothly over a knife blade as it
sharpens and thus produce a smoother, sharper edge.
In Chambers
The second factor affecting sharpness was the design of the sharpening chamber.
For the abrasive to put a consistently smooth edge on the entire blade, the
blade must move through the chamber as steadily as possible; if there's any
wiggle room, the blade can shift position slightly from stroke to stroke and
emerge unevenly sharpened. The Wüsthof, Victorinox, and Kuhn Rikon sharpeners,
for example, all had poor blade support, so testers naturally eased up on
pressure when the blades were almost through their chambers, lest they push the
blades off the sharpeners and onto the counter. As a result, the knives
assigned to these sharpeners had noticeably duller tips that couldn't cut
through paper and squashed tomatoes flat. Examining the blades under a
high-powered microscope at MIT confirmed that they were utterly ragged from all
that wobbling.
The best designs came from a single manufacturer. Both of its electric models
feature spring-loaded guides in their chambers that supported the entire edge,
allowing for smooth, consistent contact with the abrasive; on its manual model,
the company built high sides that held the blade at a precise, secure angle so
that testers could draw it through the chamber with even pressure.
Power Hungry?
With diamond abrasives, supportive chambers, and intuitive design, all three
models from one maker (two electric and one manual) put razor-sharp edges on
very dull knives and were easy to use. But whether you buy a manual or electric
model depends on your needs and personal preferences. Manual sharpeners are
smaller, lighter, cheaper-our repeat top-rated manual sharpener costs about
$50-and easier to store. They also don't need to be unpacked and plugged in for
use, making them a more convenient option for routine upkeep.
But what even the best manual sharpener can't do is repair extensive damage to
a blade. When we filed two identical notches into the ends of each knife and
then ran them through their respective sharpeners, the winning manual model
hadn't made much progress after 300 strokes. But since the electric models put
the abrasive in contact with the blade at a much higher speed, they quickly
repaired the damage, giving them a distinct advantage over manual models. Our
winning electric model, the only model to feature a dedicated slot for heavy
damage, required only 76 strokes to make a severely damaged knife look and cut
like a brand-new blade. Meanwhile, the runner-up electric model, got the job
done in about 220 strokes.
While our winner does have a hefty price tag, its heavy damage slot offers
another compelling reason to buy it, even if you don't own a 15-degree knife:
As advertised, it can indeed narrow the angle of a traditional Western blade,
converting it from 20 degrees to 15 (see "Angling for a Sharper Edge"). With
this ability, it may just be the last sharpener you'll ever need to buy.
Angling for a Sharper Edge
The manufacturers advertise that the aggressive first slot on the Chef'sChoice
Trizor XV can narrow the angle of a 20-degree Western blade to 15 degrees-a
function that would make this pricey model worth considering even if you don't
own a 15-degree knife.
We tested that claim by running a brand-new 20-degree chef's knife through the
Trizor for 20 strokes on either side of the blade (per manufacturer's
directions). We then compared its sharpness to a second new copy of that knife,
as well as a new copy of our favorite 15-degree chef 's knife from Victorinox,
by having multiple testers slice through crates of produce. The results were
convincing: Testers reported that the copy with the narrowed edge felt
noticeably sharper than its sibling and almost as sharp as the 15-degree
Victorinox.
Degrees of Sharpness
When manufacturers report that a knife has a 15- or 20-degree angle, they're
referring to the angle of the bevel-the slim strip on either side of the blade
that narrows to form the cutting edge. The more acute that angle, the sharper
the blade will feel.
METHODOLOGY:
We tested nine knife sharpeners, four electric and five manual. Models are
listed in order of preference. All were purchased online.
ROUTINE SHARPENING: We bought new copies of our winning chef's knife, the
Victorinox 8" Swiss Army Fibrox, and assigned one to each sharpener. We dulled
them identically and sharpened each according to manufacturer instructions. To
rate their sharpness, we slashed sheets of paper and sliced tomatoes and then
repeated the dulling, sharpening, and slicing process four more times with
different testers. Those that made clean cuts without crumpling the paper or
damaging the fruit rated highest.
NOTCH REMOVAL: We filed notches in both ends of each blade and ran them through
their respective electric sharpeners (manual models could not remove notches),
timing how long-and counting the number of strokes-it took to repair the damage.
DESIGN: Sharpeners that had clear, precise instructions, were intuitive to use,
and cleaned up easily rated highest.
Knife Sharpeners
Winner - Best Electric SharpenerHighly Recommended
Chef'sChoice Trizor XV Knife SharpenerChef'sChoice Trizor XV Knife Sharpener
With diamond abrasives and a spring-loaded chamber that precisely and gently
guided the blade, this sharpener "purred" with perfection, consistently
producing edges that were sharper than on brand-new knives from edge to tip.
"I'm cutting this paper into confetti," said one tester. It was the only
sharpener to quickly remove nicks in the blade; in 10 minutes, a severely
damaged knife looked and cut like a brand-new blade. A big perk: It can convert
a 20-degree edge to a sharper 15 degrees.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
Routine Sharpening
$149.99*
Buy Now
BEST BUYRecommended
Chef'sChoice Diamond Sharpener for Asian KnivesChef'sChoice Diamond Sharpener
for Asian Knives
Also fitted with diamond abrasives and a spring-loaded chamber that "cradled"
the blade, our previous recommended electric 15-degree sharpener was quick and
easy to use. It wasn't quite as effective at sharpening as its winning
sibling-the blade dragged just a bit when cutting paper-but the result was
comparable to the factory-sharpened edge. It removed nicks in the blade, though
it took 30 minutes and a tiring 223 swipes.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
Routine Sharpening
$79.99*
Buy Now
Not Recommended
Kitchen IQ Angle Adjust Adjustable Electric Knife SharpenerKitchen IQ Angle
Adjust Adjustable Electric Knife Sharpener
This electric sharpener's adjustable knob sets the edge angle anywhere from 10
to 30 degrees per side for different types of knives. But its vibrating motor,
which felt as if it was "kicking the knife around" was problematic. The tip
ricocheted back and forth out of the slot, which dented it badly. With these
flaws, we didn't care that it removed nicks in 96 strokes.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
Routine Sharpening
$199.99*
Shun Electric SharpenerShun Electric Sharpener
Though this model put a reasonably sharp edge on the knife, it worked too
aggressively: Not only did it remove an alarming 3 grams of metal from the
blade after four rounds of sharpening (other models removed statistically
insignificant amounts), but its ceramic wheels sprayed dust as it worked,
making us question its durability. It left a zipper-like pattern on the blade
and was the only model you have to clean each time after using. Removing nicks
from the knife's edge took longer than 30 minutes.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
Routine Sharpening
$79.95*
Winner - Best Manual SharpenerRecommended
Chef'sChoice Pronto Manual Diamond Hone Asian Knife SharpenerChef'sChoice
Pronto Manual Diamond Hone Asian Knife Sharpener
Our previous favorite manual sharpener quickly and easily restores a
razor-sharp edge to blades that have no serious damage. Its high guides ensured
that the blade met the abrasive at a precise and secure angle so we could put
even pressure along the entire edge. The handle was grippy and comfortable,
"anchoring itself in your hand," and the tool can easily be stored in a drawer.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
N/A
Routine Sharpening
$49.99*
Buy Now
Recommended with Reservations
Victorinox SwissSharpVictorinox SwissSharp
This sharpener put a decent edge on the knife, was quick to operate, and was
compact enough to stow in a drawer. The blade teetered back and forth in the
V-shaped chamber; when we looked at it microscopically, it showed a wavy,
irregular edge.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
N/A
Routine Sharpening
$32.40*
Miyabi 2-Stage Diamond/Ceramic Handheld Knife SharpenerMiyabi 2-Stage
Diamond/Ceramic Handheld Knife Sharpener
This sharpener secured the knife at a precise angle and produced an acceptably
sharp edge. But its lightweight plastic body felt cheap and was scratched up
after only a few uses, and its tall plastic case blocked the last 1/2 inch of
the knife's heel from contacting the sharpening wheel, which would eventually
create a misshapen edge. For the same price, the manual Chef'sChoice sharpener
is a much better product.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
N/A
Routine Sharpening
$32.40*
Not Recommended
Wusthof Two Stage Hand-Held SharpenerWusthof Two Stage Hand-Held Sharpener
This sharpener was sturdy to hold but didn't secure the knife because its 1/8
inch of extra space at the top of its chamber allowed the knife to teeter as it
slid over the abrasives. That extra space forced testers to ease up on pressure
as they pulled the knife through the chamber (lest they push too hard and have
the knife clunk down on the counter as it slid out of the chamber), which made
for an inconsistent edge.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
N/A
Routine Sharpening
$19.99*
Kuhn Rikon Dual Knife SharpenerKuhn Rikon Dual Knife Sharpener
Because this model didn't support even pressure along the length of the blade,
the knife never got very sharp; under a microscope, it looked jagged and rutted
at the tip and heel. Instructions were unintuitive, and pronounced ridges on
the handle dug into our hands.
More Details
Design
Notch Removal
N/A
Routine Sharpening
$19.50*
*All products reviewed by America's Test Kitchen are independently chosen,
researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail
locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested
sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not
endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial
recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Prices are subject to change.
