To sharpen knives and scissors independently, here are the best electric and manual knife sharpeners, from cheap to professional, to buy today and which to choose according to your needs.
Buying a knife sharpener allows us to keep kitchen knives and other cutting tools sharp and efficient. To always have a perfect cut when we prepare bread, meat, fish, and any other type of food must always sharpen the knife’s blade at the right point.
Depending on the knife sharpener model we want, we can dedicate it exclusively to kitchen knives or choose one suitable for other knives, from the Swiss army knife to hunting, diving, and hiking knives.
Many knife sharpeners are also able to sharpen scissors perfectly. Kitchen, gardening, hairdresser, dressmaker scissors, and all the scissors we use for DIY or children’s chores. Again, a sharp scissor not only works better, but it is a safer scissor.
To choose the best knife sharpener suitable for our kitchen or our activities, we consider what types of knives we often use, their size, and the blade’s material. For example, we may need to sharpen normal kitchen knives and a pair of scissors from time to time, so we need a cheap and easy-to-use knife sharpener.
Or cooking is one of our passions, and we have invested in a beautiful set of Japanese knives to prepare refined recipes, so we need a professional knife sharpener that is up to the situation.
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How to choose a knife sharpener
Let’s see the different types of knife sharpeners on sale and the main features we must evaluate to choose the best knife sharpener suitable for our needs.
Electric knife sharpener
The electric knife sharpener is a slot for inserting the blades. It is effortless: insert the knife blade inside and operate the device. Inside there are rotating discs that rotate to sharpen the blade.
The best professional electric knife sharpeners have three slots that provide different sharpening types, including polishing the knife’s complete maintenance. Furthermore, some devices are dedicated to the more experienced, selecting the sharpening angle between 10 and 30°.
This knife sharpener is easy to use without fatigue and is also suitable for the inexperienced. First, the slots are a safe guide that keeps discs and knives away from your hands. Second, the sharpening is precise and fast, ideal for those with little time and who frequently use knives.
The electric knife sharpener is excellent for maintaining high-quality knives. Still, it is very efficient even when we want to recover knives in bad conditions because they have not been sharpened for a long time.
Discs
The electric knife sharpener is equipped with discs of different materials depending on the function.
Diamond discs. Diamond is one of the hardest materials in the world. It is difficult to wear and lasts a long time. The diamond discs are intended for pre-sharpening, roughing the first part of the blade, and preparing it for subsequent discs.
Corundum, ruby, or sapphire discs. These stones are also quite hard, but not as much as diamonds, and they do an excellent sharpening job. In addition, most knife sharpeners are made of synthetic stones, which allows you to get an efficient tool at a reasonable price.
Ceramic discs. Ceramics are used for polishing discs, making the blade smooth and shiny. Ceramic discs are also excellent for improving or remaking the knife edge.
Tungsten carbide discs. This material makes sharpening discs very useful in professional electric knife sharpeners. During processing, the friction of the discs with the blade produces heat. Still, tungsten carbide boasts a high resistance to high temperatures. For this reason, it is excellent in knife sharpeners that are used intensively.
Stability
For safety, you must use the electric knife sharpener on a flat, solid surface. Stability is an essential parameter. All models have non-slip feet to prevent the appliance from moving during sharpening operations.
The best electric knife sharpeners are equipped with suction cups that offer greater grip on surfaces and guarantee more stability. The aim is to pass the blade into the appropriate slots without holding the knife sharpener with the other hand. For the same reason, knife sharpeners are available for hands-free use.
In addition to the suction cups to lock the knife sharpener to the table, they are equipped with blade locking systems that hook the knife into the slot without holding it with your hands, so the knife is sharpened without our further intervention.
Power
The electric knife sharpener motor can power between 15 and 80 watts. Greater power corresponds to the discs’ higher speed and allows us to do the job in less time.
To sharpen a knife with the electric knife sharpener takes just a few minutes, and if we have to keep the wire, it takes just a few seconds of sharpening. So we can say that the energy consumption of these appliances is negligible.
Manual knife sharpener
Unlike electric models, a manual knife sharpener is a tool that does not require electricity. Many manual knife sharpeners of different sizes and shapes are designed for simple and immediate sharpening.
Sharpening steel. The steel knife is one of the simplest traditional knife sharpeners. It is a metal bar, steel, or even diamond-coated, with a handle on the end. Butchers mainly use steel, also available in many domestic use sizes. It is beneficial to keep the knife sharp, and its use should be constant. It only takes a couple of passes from both sides of the blade with an inclination of about 20° to always have perfect knives.
Those who use steel should do it immediately on the new knives to keep the thread. On the contrary, if the knives are damaged, sharpening them with a steel knife can be too tiring, and it is not certain that it will achieve the result.
Wheel knife sharpener
The knife sharpeners are equipped with a handle, and a slot or slot is equipped with small discs or wheels. It is a mechanical knife sharpener that slides the blade inside.
The knife sharpeners are available in various sizes, from the simplest ones with a single slot to sharpen the blade to the more elaborate models with two or three slots that allow you to work with larger-sized knives pre-sharpen or polish almost like electric models. In this case, we can have different materials available, from diamond to ceramic to tungsten carbide, for different types of sharpening.
Of course, manual action cannot match electric models’ speed, so wheel knife sharpeners are simple solutions for keeping kitchen knives sharp. But, as in steel, sharpening a very damaged knife requires some experience and some physical effort.
Japanese stone knife sharpener
The Japanese stone knife sharpener is widely used to keep high-quality knives efficient. If you have a chef’s knife set, you can get great satisfaction from the Japanese stone.
This method is very effective even if it requires a little more attention and more time than electric knife sharpeners. It is a block supported by a wooden structure to pass the blade with an inclination of about 20°.
Before being used for sharpening, Japanese stone must be adequately wet to allow the surface to reach the right consistency, which is useful for smoothing the blades. Usually, the stone has two sides with different grains, one thicker for sharpening and a thinner for polishing. As a result, stone knife sharpeners are rarely suitable for sharpening serrated blades.
The best knife sharpeners to buy
Below is a selection of the best models of knife sharpeners to buy, with their respective characteristics and types, in a price range between $5 and $150.
- 3-Step Knife Sharpener: With our incredible 3-slot system, we’re revolutionizing the art...
- Easy to Use: Whether you’re right or left-handed, the ergonomic handle allows you to...
- Cut-Resistant Glove Included: At Kitchellence, we put the safety of our customers above...
![Longzon 4-in-1 Knife Sharpener [4 stage] with a Pair of Cut-Resistant Glove, Original Premium Polish Blades, Best Kitchen Knife Sharpener Really Works for Fruit Knife and Steel Knives, Scissors.](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ZEyGV5cEL._SL160_.jpg)
- Versatile 4-Stage Knife Sharpener: Experience the ultimate sharpening solution for a wide...
- Added Safety with Included Cut-Resistant Glove: At Longzon, customer safety is our top...
- User-Friendly Design: Compact and convenient, our knife sharpener offers broad...
- Easy Use, Expert Results: Restore stainless steel kitchen and utility knives with our...
- A Smoother, Sharper Edge: Our chef knife sharpener gives your favorite knives some TLC....
- Professional Knife Sharpening: Our knife sharpening tool is so easy to use and comes with...
- Professional Rolling Knife Sharpener: Good chefs know the importance of having a knife...
- Sharpening Set: We use the hardest and most effective whetstone in nature: diamond. The...
- 15° and 20° Magnetic Angle: Two different angles of magnetic angle allow you to modify...
- 【Accurate and Long-Lasting Sharpness】Any serious chef knows that high-quality knives...
- 【Diamond and Ceramic Discs】AIERLIAN rolling sharpener are equipped with #400 diamond...
- 【Multi Angle Magnetic Support】The kitchen knife sharpener always maintains a constant...
- Sharpen Dull Knives: Features a carbide blade sharpener to quickly sharpen damaged or dull...
- Compact Size: Fits easily into drawers to store compactly and saves space.
- Easy Sharpening: Pre-set angles provide proper sharpening every time for straight or...
- MINI 2-STEP SHARPENER – Smith’s 2-Step Pull-Through Sharpener has two stages of...
- GUARANTEED RESULTS – The crossed tungsten carbide blades & crossed ceramic rods are...
- VERSATILE – Smith’s 2-Stage Sharpener can be used on all types of knives and is...
- 【Complete Knife Sharpening Stone Kit】You don't need to be a Pro to sharpen your...
- 【Dual Sided Whetstone】Our wet stone is made of highly durable and professional-grade...
- 【Multipurpose】Our professional-grade knife sharpener kit is highly durable &...
- 12" Sharpening Steel maintains the edge on knives and extends the life of your cutlery...
- Steel rod is made of carbon steel and plated with nickel-chrome.
- Ergonomic, easy-to-grip polypropylene handle with hanging hole.
- GET A SHARP EDGE IN 10 SECONDS: A sharp blade makes getting work done quickly and safely...
- VERSATILE & EASY TO USE: This is the ideal knife sharpener for chef's knives, paring...
- DIAMOND-HONED TUNGSTEN CARBIDE SHARPENER: AccuSharp sharpening blades are crafted from...
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