You’ve probably heard the old saying “it’s easier to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp knife”.
But why is that?
A dull knife requires extra force and leaves you with less control. The knife doesn’t go where you want it to and that’s when injuries occur. But a sharp knife puts you in control. It gives you the precise cuts you want with little to no effort. Since dull knives are so common in households, we made it our mission to find the best knife sharpeners on the market and bring professional razor-edges to your kitchen.
After scouring through dozens of manual and electric knife sharpeners and researching more than 11 hours through different forums for customer reviews, my top pick is the Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect. And if you’re looking for an all-around sharpener that can even sharpen scissors and other tools, look no further than my second favorite sharpener, the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener Ken Onion Edition.
Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect
The Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect is the quickest and easiest way to turn a dull, useless knife into a Chef’s standard. With its clever spring-loaded design, making a mistake is nearly impossible. But we’re not the only ones. America’s Test Kitchen also rated this as their top choice. It’s the ultimate sharpener to bring a Chef’s level edge into your kitchen. Here’s why we like it so much:
Speed. The secret behind its speed is it sharpens with unique diamond abrasives. Diamond abrasives are much harder than the alternative ceramic and carbide abrasives. Because of this, you save time sharpening and spend more time preparing your next meal.
Effectiveness. The diamond abrasives shave your edge into a 15-degree angle, the U.S. standard is 20 degrees. This makes for a sharper edge and thinner cut.
Reliability. The Trizor XV has a clever spring-loaded guide that supports the entire edge of the blade as it passes through. This protects your knife from wiggle room which is the death of all sharpeners. Any flop or rock around and the knife is back at square one.
Unique 3-Stage Sharpening.
Stage 1 is where the 15-degree angle is created and the knife earns its ‘bite’.
Stage 2 is where the real magic happens. The edge is honed by fine diamond abrasives and earns the status of razor-sharp. But just when you thought your knife was at its peak ability, there’s one last stage.
Stage 3 is what separates this knife sharpener from the rest. The knife’s edge is polished with the patented flexible abrasive stropping disk, the high-tech version of what barbers use to strop, to smoothen any micro-grooves created in the sharpening process. This last stage creates an unprecedented edge you can’t find anywhere else.
Have you ever heard of the famous Japanese 3 steps sharpening method? Find out more from the link shared.
PLUS: The Trizor XV sharpens both straight-edged and serrated knives. It’s the perfect go-to sharpener for all your kitchen needs.
Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener Ken Onion Edition
In a close second, we have the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener: Ken Onion Edition. This sharpener is the go-to all-around sharpener that extends beyond the kitchen and into the shed. We placed it at number two because it takes some practice to get used to but once you get comfortable with it, it’s the most effective sharpener you’ll find.
Versatile. Sharpen everything from your kitchen knives to your axe. This all-around belt-driven sharpener comes with 5 different belts that range from an extra coarse to extra fine abrasive. To change the angle you want to sharpen to, simply turn the sharpening guide to anywhere between 15 and 30 degrees.
Reliable. It has a spring-loaded guide to keep the knife stable while it’s sharpening. This means no more uneven edges and dull spots in the middle of your knife.
Effective/Longevity. Its engineered belts are specially designed to expose more abrasiveness as they wear down. The more you use them, the more effective they become.
PLUS: This particular belt-driven sharpener produces ZERO sparks.
Related article: Best Sharpener for Pocket Knife
Presto 08800 EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener
The Presto 08800 EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener is our choice for a budget sharpener. Delivering restaurant-quality edges to your kitchen, this simple yet effective sharpener is the gold standard when it comes to razor edges on a budget. Its only downside is it does not sharpen serrated knives. With that being said, let’s see what makes it such a bargain:
Two Settings. There’s a side for sharpening and a side for honing. This takes the guesswork out of sharpening your knife. Sharpen for dull or notched knives and hone for a quick touch-up.
Let the knife do the work. By using nothing but the weight of the knife, place the knife in the sharpener and pull it through adding zero extra pressure. We recommend this one especially if you suffer from arthritis.
Effective. It uses unique SapphiriteTM sharpening wheels, the same ultra-hard material used in professional sharpening shops. It doesn’t get any more effective than that.
Brod and Taylor Professional Knife Sharpener
The Brod and Taylor Professional Knife Sharpener might be the most simplified, manual sharpener you’ve ever used. Built from 18/10 stainless steel, this sharpener uses precision ground high-quality carbide sharpeners made of Austrian tungsten carbide that provides a wonder of benefits:
Versatile. It sharpens standard, serrated, and Japanese-style blades by simply angling the blade in the right direction. Angle down to coarse sharpen, up to hone, side for serrated, and flat to polish. Anyone can sharpen any knife in seconds.
Safe for All Knives. This sharpener is safe for all metal blades, unlike most sharpeners. It has patented spring-action bars that automatically adjust to accommodate different blade angles which means no scratching your blades.
Does Not Remove Metal. Instead, the tungsten carbide’s strength molds the knife to the appropriate angle. If you use expensive knives, this is the best way to save them.
Longevity. If used regularly, the tungsten carbide will last more than 5 years. That means less worry and more use.
Work Sharp E2 Kitchen Sharpener – Budget Pick
The Work Sharp E2 Kitchen Sharpener is the simplest sharpener on our list. If you’re looking for no hassle, no fuss, and a relatively sharp knife at a reasonable price, it’s hard to go wrong with this choice.
Back to the basics. There is one sharpening guide and one manual hone. This makes sharpening hassle free and a breeze to use.
Leave no knife behind. It sharpens all kitchen knives from paring knives to serrated knives. It’s hard to argue with versatility.
A gentle sharpen. Uses flexible abrasives for a gentler sharpening and a finer edge. This protects your blade and eats away at less metal.
How We Scored Above Products – Conclusion
In conclusion, we based our choices off what we thought were the most effective sharpeners on the market. Through customer reviews and outside research, we concluded the winner to be the Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect. We found its speed, effectiveness, and reliability to be the top qualities in a sharpener and we challenge anyone to find a sharpener to match it.
Though the other options are effective too, we found them to be suitable for more specific needs. So if you’re looking to pull the trigger on the best general knife sharpener, you can’t go wrong with the Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect.
