Easy to use and works quite well
Great labor saver! You can't get the kind of edge possible with the best traditional or professional sharpening methods, but it can produce a perfectly adequate edge, and it won't require anywhere near the same amount of skill, effort, or money to get and keep it. For something this quick and easy to use, it does a pretty good job, producing knives with a useful and safer cutting edge, and I now use it regularly. I should note that It did require considerable experimentation and eventual modification of the steps recommended to get to that point, but it does work, and using it has restored even our oldest cutlery to a useful condition again, down to and including even the half-century old Swiss Army Knives my wife and I carry. :-) That said, I should note that when I first acquired the thing, I was initially disappointed with the results, and didn't find it very useful at all. However, trying to cut up garlic, veggies, meat and such with a dull knife can be a very good motivator, and not always having the time (or gumption) for the full-fledged, traditional means of producing the very best edge, I kept after it, and finally ended up with usefully sharp blades again, although I pretty much had to throw out most of the recommendations for use provided by the manufacturer. You can choose to do the same or not as you wish, but eventually it did work, and continues to work well for me, keeping our knives sharpened to at least an adequate and usefully sharp standard, so I'm very happy with it. If you want to try this modified methodology for yourself, and with the caveat that your results may vary, please read on. Right off, I recommend skipping that first, coarse (number 1) slot altogether. I can only guess it's meant for the dullest of dull blades, but it seemed to me that it actually worked against the goal of getting a useful edge, instead of helping the process along, so now I don't use it at all. Instead, start with the notch in the middle, the number 2 slot, not at the 90' angle recommended, but at more of a 30-45' angle, with the point of the knife down towards the work surface. If you don't hold it at such an angle, every draw can and probably will result in the very tip of the blade hitting the other side of the device every time it passes through, which I found counter-productive at best. Also, pressing down on the knife just a bit when drawing it through (again, not according to the provided directions) produced much better results, so a slight downward pressure on the knife is recommended with every draw. Start by placing the rear of the blade edge (nearest the handle) in the middle slot, holding it at the angle recommended, and with a little downward pressure, repeatedly draw it all the way through, until the blade will pass through the slot with hardly any effort or 'grab' at all. Note that newer, sharper blades will take little to practically no time or effort for completing this step, but duller blades can require an effort of several minutes or more of work. When you think you're finished with this step, the cutting edge of the blade should feel like it's at least fairly smooth and dangerously sharp, although there probably will be some tiny burrs (rough spots) here and there along the very edge (which the last step should completely remove). Continue to the next step. Moving the blade to the 3rd slot, again holding it at about the same angle, and with a slight downward pressure, draw the blade all the way through. This step more or less just hones the blade, like a good steel, but it also should remove any burrs and such left by processing through the number 2 slot, as well as getting the v working edge all the way to the critical, correct angle, which is different from that produced by using the 2nd slot. Repeat until the blade finally passes through the slot pretty much effortlessly (remember to apply a little downward pressure with each stroke) and the knife edge is very smooth and usefully sharp. If it isn't very smooth and sharp after a few minutes of effort, try going back to the beginning step, this time putting a little more effort into the downward pressure, repeating the process as necessary until the blade ends up usefully sharp, or you are tired of trying, in which case, you probably should get someone else to do it, or bite the bullet and just send it off for professional sharpening. :-) Regarding the included glove, It seems like a very good idea, and there's certainly nothing wrong with using it, so I recommend doing so. I would add that after trying it out a few times myself, it seemed more awkward than helpful and I stopped using it at all, so I can't really vouch for any added safety it does (or doesn't) provide. However, I will reiterate that it seems like a good idea, and I recommend anyone the least bit uncomfortable with a good, sharp blade use it. Also, the utility of the sharpener over the long haul remains to be seen, although I have been using mine for about six months now, so it has easily more than paid for itself, especially in saved time. Admittedly, a better edge can be achieved and maintained using multiple stones and water or oil, followed by honing, but for months of easily getting and maintaining a perfectly acceptable, usefully sharp knife edge on kitchen cutlery (provided it was of good quality to start with), without the need for a large expenditure of effort or money, I recommend it. Read more
