Knife Sharpener

[winemakers]

Dare I go down this path?  I'm not sure there is another topic that evokes more loyalty/fanaticism than knives among those of us who haunt our kitchens, but lets try this derivation on the theme....

Home knife sharpeners,  I am considering purchasing one and the choices are vast.  I have been looking at the chefs choice 130, perhaps because of their slick marketing.  I use a sharpening steel virtually every time I touch my blades, however, periodically they need a slightly more aggressive touch, particularly the boning and fillet knives.

Any thoughts?

mld

[NePaSmoKer]

mld

I use a Meyerco sharpener for all my kitchen knifes, hunters and tactical folders.

Designed by Blackie Collins to be so simple that it could be used on horseback, the Sharpen-It features tungsten carbide wheels for the first stage and fine ceramic wheels for the second.  The ceramic is so hard and fine-grained that it is more like using a steel.  With this combination, the Sharpen-It performs well at both sharpening and honing.

Unlike other slot devices, the Sharpen-It adds a third wheel to each set, giving two slots, and shapes them so that they sharpen one side of the blade at a time.  This setup allows you to vary the bevel angle somewhat.  Drawing the knife through at an angle decreases the bevel angle and gives a more razor-like edge. Since it is assembled with tamper-proof screws, I could not measure the bevel angles, but this information is less important because you won't have to use it with another sharpener to get complete results.

Also unlike others, the Sharpen-It can be used equally well left-handed.  It is so compact when closed that it can be carried in the watch pocket of your jeans.  The unit well built and sturdy, and features a tapered hone for serrated blades.  A less expensive model is available without the tapered hone.



nepas

[Mr Walleye]

NePas... That's a nice looking sharpener. Do you know where they are available?

Some people won't like this method but it works very well providing you use care and caution.
I use a 1 inch belt sander. The belt itself is the finest grit I can get and I only use belts that are very worn. I also made a clamp on guide with 2 different angles on it. The knife doesnt actually rest on the guide, it's more of a visual reference for the angle. I make 2 or 3 passes on this then I have a cloth buffing wheel on my grinder. I use a little polishing rouge on the wheel. This method takes about 30 seconds to return a knife to razor sharp. I obtained this method from an older guy who writes a number of articles for a fishing/hunting magazine. Anyway, it works for me. I'm sure some people may be gun shy doing it this way but I have never had a problem.

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

I have a sister-in-law that does most of the holiday meals, so last Christmas I gave her the Chef's Choice Pro Sharpening Station 130, and it works great. A steel really doesn't do much for sharpening, but it does realign the edge. As you stated, eventually the knives need sharpening.

There are chefs that will tell you never use a grinding stone, but the 130 works really well. At times I will borrow it from her to sharpen my knives. I do plan to purchase one for myself.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

I have one of those as well. It does work good but alot more time consuming. The other thing I find with it is it eventually marks up your knives. Mainly from the magnet that holds you knife to the correct angle. I think it tends to get grit on it and the strength of the magnet and you pulling the knife through causes it.
Just my experience with it.

Mike

[NePaSmoKer]

Mike

I can get em at the big "C" store. if ya like send me a pvt message and i will get one out to you.

nepas

[Mr Walleye]

Thanks NePas, I will let you know. If I would have thought about it earlier I could have had it thrown in with the dehydrator. Oh well, that's hindsight for ya!

Mike

[Gizmo]

I purchased the Furi some time ago and it does a great job.  There are 3 sets of sharpening attachments and the device is very simple to use.  The number 1 attachment is an edge restore or repair attachment.  It will replace the edge on the knife.  I have used it to replace the tip on a paring knife that broke off.  You will seldom use this but it does have 3 different positions for the sharpening steels, 0 deg, 15 deg, and 20 deg, depending on what type of knife (or scissors) you are sharpening.  The #2 attachment is for sharpening somewhat dull knives (but don't need a new edge) and the #3 attachment is for maintenance usage (couple swipes before each use).  

http://www.furitechnics.com/news_usa.html

[Habanero Smoker]

Habs

I have one of those as well. It does work good but alot more time consuming. The other thing I find with it is it eventually marks up your knives. Mainly from the magnet that holds you knife to the correct angle. I think it tends to get grit on it and the strength of the magnet and you pulling the knife through causes it.
Just my experience with it.

Mike

You may have saved me some money. I only borrowed the sharpener from my sister-in-law on two occasions, and both times it worked well. It hasn't marked up the knives yet, I'll keep an eye on that. With that sharpener, I find I only have to sharpen my knives about every 6 months, probably they don't need to be sharpened that often.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

I think if a guy kept the magnetic guide on them clean both before and after each use it should certianly limit this problem. The sharpener itself works pretty good and you are right, once you get a good edge on a knife nad look after it, it's not too difficult to keep that way.

Mike

[Buck36]

Chefs choice ranks high at our hunting cabin. We have the prcessing area divided up by sections - debone, trim, running scraps, etc. One section is dedicated to sharpening knives. He is the senior member who sits in the warmest section and sharpens knives with the chefs choice when needed.

The whole set up works well and we can process quite a few deer in a small amount of time. I don't know about the scratching problem because they are all old hunting knives that are being used. It doesn't take long for the chefs choice to give you a sharp edge again.

[winemakers]

thanks all, as with any questions much food for thought.  I believe I will own a chefs choice soon, but nepa's gadget will find a home at my house as well.  I can see how it would handle shorter blades, read: pocket knives, skinning knives, etc. well and cheaply.

thanks again,

mld

[acords]

For what it is worth, I take my knives once a year to a pro that charges me 3 bucks apiece.  I use the steel to keep the edge straight.