After reading comments I read the instructions carefully and followed them closely. While I have been gifted a few quality kitchen knives, I could never say I have a collection of fine knives. However, when I grab a knife to slice something, I want it to slice and slice easily. All my knives had gone dull and my previous sharpening abilities didn't help much and/or were too involved for me to want to do. I wanted something that sharpened my knives and was quick and easy. Something I could do or my wife could do without a lot of setup. This sharpener filled the bill perfectly! My super dull knives came out super sharp with very little effort! Sure, I could probably spend more time on the sharpener perfecting a razor sharp edge but cutting quickly and cleanly met my goal and got all my knives back into useful condition. I would recommend this to anybody! Read more
This finally solved my dull knife problems. After many other sharpeners failed to give me a good sharp edge, I finally resolved to buy this one and I’m happy I did. I hate dull knives and this sharpener is so worth the cost. Read more
Where's the 6th star?? This is an EXCEPTIONAL product, worth a PERFECT rating. I am a tough grader, but this thing is just wonderful: 1. It just works, very little skill or time required. 2. No water, no significant maintenance, no mess no fuss. 3. Compact, space efficient 4. FAST (maybe a minute or less per knife) 5. SAFE - - the abrasive wheels are spring-loaded, so you can't easily make a big "ding" in the edge of a blade. My wife loves it, I love it, we're throwing out all of our other miserably ineffective sharpening tools. I have no idea about longevity of the abrasive wheels -- but I suspect, with the spring-loaded design, that they will not suffer premature wear-out (because you can't press the knife into them too hard). Time will tell. Read the instructions well and follow them closely, for the best initial results. But honestly even if you don't you'll get sharp knives. Just draw the blade fairly smoothly through the slot (no pauses). I did notice that the edges produced by this system do not have the razor-sharp "feel" on fingertips that I am accustomed to with hand-sharpening, but they ARE SHARP and they CUT VERY WELL. I attribute this to the dual-bevel structure of the way the 3-stage (really 2-stage) process works. Another thing I was concerned about was getting the blade sharp all the way down to the hilt. No worries, the design of the machine allows the wheels to contact the blade down to within about 1/8" of the hilt. I have a 30x magnifier, which I used to examine the process and nature of the new cutting edge. This is a very useful method to understand what's happening with the sharpener and with your knife blades. I highly recommend a 10x or 20x magnifier (jeweler's loupe), they're cheap and you can really see what's going on with your fine knives. I don't normally rave on and on about any products, but this puppy is a gem and I've never been happier with a purchase. Read more
Some of my knives had a very dull blade, so a new edge was required. This sharpener has a coarse wheel, which quickly puts a new edge on the blade, and removes the small dings I had on some blades. Typically, you will only need the fine wheel, and the final 'buffer' wheel to keep your knives sharp. The only reason I did not give (...) is you have to be careful not to press too hard or you will cut into the plastic guide slots. I did this the first few times I used the sharpener, but learned how to control the pressure. This sharpener does not need more than 2 passes on each wheel, per knife, and the directions are just guidelines. After you sharpen a few knives, you will get a feel on how much of which wheel you will need. Just be aware that different pressure will be needed on different knives, with thicker blades needing more pressure to fit in the spring loaded guides. Again, the first coarse wheel is rarely used, except for extremely dull or damaged (nicked) blades. This unit is so easy to use and lightweight, that it is not an inconvenience to touch up your knives quite often. You cannot go wrong by purchasing and using this sharpener. I have used it on Heinkels, Cut-co, Ito Chef, and on my cheap knives. I sharpened all my Benchmade, Buck, Kershaw,and Cold Steel pocket knives as well. Spyderco serrated knives are tough on the buffer wheel, so I would not recommend using this on extreme serrations, those found on Spyderco knives. Although the 'buffer' wheel is recommended for serrated blades, I found some serrated blades will cut into this leather-like material, decreasing wheel life. Since I don't know if there are wheels that are available for easy replacement, I would not recommend using it on serrated blades often. For straight edge knives, this is the best solution I have found. I have purchased Lansky sharpeners, Spyderco sharpeners, and regular whet stone sharpeners. This sharpener costs more, but is very reliable and produces the sharpest blade ever. It is much easier, and much faster. I am sure a pro or a trained whet stone user can sharpen a blade better, but for the person who is not a professional knife sharpener, this is your best bet. I can sharpen a knife perfectly in under a minute. I have seen 2 stage sharpeners made by Chef's Choice in some stores, but I would suggest the 3 stage for most people. It is always good to have the coarse wheel for dull, damaged blades. I have bought two of these models (120), and gave one away as a gift. There is a newer model, which is different, so I stuck with the model that has been proven to be a winner. Read more
