How many times have you thought about throwing your ragged, blunt knives out? Well, this is a common scenario in almost every kitchen. However, a knife sharpener can come to your use and you can extend the life of the sharp knives by sharpening it effectively. A knife sharpener is a handy tool for the chefs and cooks, even at the household kitchens that help sharpening the dull blades. You will need to grind down the blades of your knives to make the edges even and sharp. These can either be manual, made up of whetstone or you may also choose the more powerful, electric sharpeners for your kitchen.
Knife sharpeners can effectively extend the blade’s life, make cutting and chopping smoother and convenient for a cook. For most commercial kitchens, these sharpeners are considered as must-have tools whereas many households seem to have these too! In many communities, the cooks can get their blades sharpened paying a service provider. Cutting and chopping with a dull blade can be extremely inconvenient and kill your precious time inside the kitchen. These tools don’t only help you make the tasks simpler and convenient, but also help you save time while cooking!
| Ranking | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
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| Product | Chef'sChoice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect | Smith's 50281 Adjustable Edge Pro | Edge Pro Apex 1 Knife Sharpener Kit | KME Sharpeners KFS Sharpening System | DMT WM8FC-WB 8-Inch DuoSharp Plus |
| Weight |  |
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| Price | $158.00 | $151.00 | $165.00 | $112.00 | $64.96 |
| Features | - High quality materials - Premium cookware - Superior heat - Induction compatible - Good looking - Includes a lid that fits each - Will last a lifetime |
- High quality materials - Premium cookware - Superior heat - Induction compatible - Good looking - Includes a lid that fits each - Will last a lifetime |
- High quality materials - Premium cookware - Superior heat - Induction compatible - Good looking - Includes a lid that fits each - Will last a lifetime |
- High quality materials - Premium cookware - Superior heat - Induction compatible - Good looking - Includes a lid that fits each - Will last a lifetime |
- High quality materials - Premium cookware - Superior heat - Induction compatible - Good looking - Includes a lid that fits each - Will last a lifetime |
| Overall Score | 99/100 | 98/100 | 98/100 | 97/100 | 96/100 |
| Rating | 4.7 out of 5 stars | 4.7 out of 5 stars | 4.6 out of 5 stars | 4.4 out of 5 stars | 4.8 out of 5 stars |
| Shipping | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Product Dimensions | 24.2 x 14.2 x 10.7 inches | 24.2 x 14.2 x 10.7 inches | 24.2 x 14.2 x 10.7 inches | 24.2 x 14.2 x 10.7 inches | 24.2 x 14.2 x 10.7 inches |
Why do blades become dull?
Knife blades are made up of different metals. To protect these blades from going rusty and ragged, the manufacturers use different alloy metals. However, these metals are exposed to different biochemical agents and liquids which make it dull and blunt over time. The frictional force turn the sharp cutting edges blunt as well. Unfortunately, getting new knives for the kitchen every time isn’t a cost effective or convenient option at all. That’s why the chefs and cooks opt for using the sharpeners. Frequency of use comes in as another factor responsible for the blades going dull.
How can I tell if my knife needs to be sharpened?
You don’t need rocket science to tell if you need to sharpen the knives; if you’re not feeling comfortable while cutting or chopping with a knife as before, this can be an indicator that the blades have turned ragged. Even you can notice significant changes in the appearance of the sharp edge. Usually, the commercial cooks sharpen the blades regularly; in a household, you may not need to sharpen them as frequently as the commercial kitchen. If you feel, your cutting speed is reduced or the pieces are not being cut evenly, you definitely need to check the edges and sharpen the blades. Chefs recommend sharpening the knife blades once in a month for household kitchens, whereas they need to sharpen the knife blades at least twice every week!
How To Find a Knife sharpener That Meets Your Needs
In almost all superstores, these knife sharpeners are available to purchase. And there are different types of products to choose from. The hardware stores offer a range of products: from manual to electronic, from stone to steels and many other different products are available for the professional and avid home cooks. You can explore the features of these handy tools online before you can shortlist a couple of them. You should consider a couple of things while picking one up, such as:
#1 budget: First of all, you have to check out the prices online and plan your budget. If you’re not going to need the sharpener frequently, it’d be good to go with the inexpensive manual sharpeners. Look inside the pocket before picking one from the store!
#2 material: The knife sharpeners can be made up of different materials; stones and steels are mostly used in different types of sharpeners. Depending on the material, the price range may also vary within a wide range and hence materials should be considered as an important factor while buying knife sharpeners.
#3 kitchen setup: Once again, you will need to go back to your kitchen to find the best match for your knives accordingly from the store. If you have a collection of knives, you should definitely consider getting a high quality, durable sharpener! If you just need a sharpener to make the blades sharp for your day to day uses, you can go with the stone made inexpensive sharpeners too!
What are the different types of knife sharpeners?
Basically, the knife sharpeners fall into two major categories: manual & automatic (or electric). These tools can also be categorized according to the materials used to make them. Here, you will find some of the most popular types of knife sharpeners available in the market:
- Stone-made knife sharpeners: These are popularly termed as whetstone sharpeners. A mixture of different minerals, diamond, ceramic and other natural sharpening stones are used to make rectangular blocks of sharpeners. These are great tools for home kitchens and can be used to sharpen almost all types of blades such as: razors, knives, scissors etc.
- Knife sharpening steels: Steel made sharpeners are also used for sharpening dull knives. However, these sharpeners are meant to be used as sharpness maintaining tools. Still, many home cooks prefer these to be effective knife sharpeners.
- Knife hones: These tools also work in the same way as the steel knife sharpeners do. These cannot sharpen blades that have gone ragged completely, but can effectively maintain the shine and sharpness of the knives.
- Electric knife sharpeners: Most commercial kitchens have these sharpeners. These electric tools are highly effective, durable and make sharpening lightning fast. If you need to do cutting and chopping jobs heavily in your kitchen, you should definitely go with these electric sharpeners.
Top 10 tips to keep your knives sharp
Keeping your knives sharp can be a challenge at times! These metals naturally become ragged over time. If you know how to take care of these sharp kitchen utensils, you can effectively increase longevity and retain sharpness of the knives. Here, you will discover 10 tips from expert chefs to keep your knives sharp for long time retaining it’s shine and edge-appearance.
- Keep your knives clean: You have to clean the blades and handles of your knives regularly. it’d great if you clean the body and the blade each time you use a knife. This will keep the blades sharp and shiny as always.
- Keep your knives dry: Knives are almost always exposed to different liquid and biochemical products. You should always try to keep your knives dry before you keep it in the storage.
- Sharpen your knives regularly: Sharpening the knives regularly will significantly increase is longevity and efficiency. Whenever you feel that the knife isn’t cutting smoothly, you should give it a quick sharpening session.
- Using the right cutting board: Using the right cutting board will help you a lot to retain the natural shine and sharpness. Consider paying attention to the details while purchasing the cutting boards for your kitchen.
- Choose the right lubricant for your knives: Lubricants help the metal sustain longer with the glossy edges and sharpness. Use lubricants on the blades regularly to sustain it’s efficiency for long time.
- Choosing the right storage is important: It may sound surprising, but storage plays an important role in sustaining efficiency of a knife. Consider choosing the knife racks and storage carefully to keep these valuable items safer and intact.
- Don’t buy cheap, low quality sharpeners: There are different types of sharpeners; some of them come at cheaper prices too! But you should pay attention to the quality of these sharpeners while making a purchase. Don’t pick something only because it’s cheap; otherwise it may ruin your costly knives!
- Ask for expert help for repairing: This is a common mistake done by almost all the home cooks. They often damage the knives through a self-repairing procedure at home. If there’s something wrong with your knife, consider asking help from an expert.
- Be aware of rusts: Metals almost always catch rusts; especially those exposed to some kind of liquids. These rusts can drastically reduce the performance of your knives and make them look tarnished.
- Using knives for the right purpose! : You may have tried using your knives for different other purposes than cutting, like opening the screws, scratching on some hard surfaces and so on. But these are extremely harmful for the blades. You should always use the knives for the right purpose- cutting.
How much will a knife sharpener cost?
Price of these knife sharpeners may vary within a wide range. Depending on the material, design and brand – the prices may vary. These knife sharpeners may cost somewhere between $5 and $200. There are also some expensive sharpening tools for the really busy commercial kitchens around. Additionally, there are community sharpening services available almost everywhere. If you’re not comfortable sharpening them by yourself, you can spend $1 or $2 for each of the knives and get the sharpened.
How to Buy a Knife sharpener?
Buying a knife sharpener is pretty simple and easy. Especially the online stores like Amazon.com, eBay.com etc. have made shopping from home convenient and cost effective than ever. You can check the prices online at a few clicks; you can even get a high quality, affordable sharpener delivered at your home without paying a penny as delivery charge! If you know what you’re looking for, you just need to log onto your account on the online store and place an order. Explore and research more about knife sharpeners to find the best match for your kitchen needs!