Knife Sharpener

[srah1953]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a knife sharpener? I have a sharpening stone (oil stone) with which I can get a sharper blade but not very sharp. I see varioius knife sharpening instruments on ebay, etc, and I was wondering does anyone have any experience with them.
Thanks

 

[sailorman]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a knife sharpener? I have a sharpening stone with which I can get a sharper blade but not very sharp. I see varioius knife sharpening instruments on ebay, etc, and I was wondering does anyone have any experience with them.
Thanks

if you are trying to hone an s/s blade it will be difficult imho, the blades are generally too thick & wont hold an edge as carbon steel does

 

[SlimRick]

Not cheap - but one of these is supposedly the bees knees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzL41ygQG0o&feature=player_embedded

 

[Vara]

This one comes with the DBs award.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenger-Sup...r_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1316546636&sr=1-7

 

[Blueboatman]

Can't do a link from phone but I use this on the boat, for less than a tenner from Amazon, a " Any Sharp Global worlds best selling knife sharpener" . It's blue, compact and has a suction base with on off lever!

The best I've used in ages. I have carbon steel knives but it's good on my stainless steel knives too.

 

[wrr]

SS vs. Carbon Steel tradeoff

Let's face it, stainless is not ideal for a cutting edge! It work-hardens if the honing heats it to any extent. However, if you use a water-cooled, low revolution whetstone (say 2000 grit) followed by a water-lubricated diamond "stone" you can get a reasonable edge. The rust-free attributes come at a price and it will be never be quite as good as the best carbon steel.

 

[Babylon]

The OP didn't say anything about stainless-steel or high-carbon knives - he just wanted to know about knife-sharpeners.

It depends on what you want to sharpen, and what for.

For ordinary culinary use, buy yourself a decent steel (Sabatier do one for a tenner) and learn how to use it chef-style, which isn't difficult. An easy alternative is that x-shaped mini-steel gadget (I forget who makes them) which puts more or less the right angle of bevel on both sides of the knife at the same time, but which wears in the same place all the time so has a limited lifespan.

If you want to hone a knife-edge with a stone (eg a penknife), then you could use either a small medium-grit diamond stone, or a small traditional medium-grit water-stone - but you'll need to practice to get the bevel angle right.

If you want to hone a proper plane-iron or chisel, then (i) grind the correct primary bevel of 25deg using a slow-turning water-cooled grind-wheel, (ii) apply the correct secondary bevel of 30deg (ie 25 plus 5) with a medium-grit water-stone, then (iii) polish this secondary bevel with a fine-grit water-stone and polish the back at the same time. The end result will enable you to take shavings of up to a 20th of a mm thick in hard oak - which is unnecessary for ordinary knives.

 

[Strathglass]

Can't do a link from phone but I use this on the boat, for less than a tenner from Amazon, a " Any Sharp Global worlds best selling knife sharpener" . It's blue, compact and has a suction base with on off lever!

The best I've used in ages. I have carbon steel knives but it's good on my stainless steel knives too.

I have one of those, really great on my stainless boat knife. I move it to the boat during the season.

 

[omega2]

I spend ages with on oil stone on all the knives on the boat, even try to hide the sharpest one for bait preparation and filleting, but somehow someone always finds it and tackles one of these with it!!!

is there a legal way to decapitate the moron who does this?? LOL

 

[prv]

I have one that looks like this on my kitchen worktop. I give each knife a few strokes through it as I put them away after being washed, and it keeps everything nice and sharp. My mum has one the same that she's used for decades, so I don't think they wear much.

Every now and then I bring my rigging knife home from the boat and give it a go with the same machine. For some reason (possibly softer stainless?) this knife ends up with fine serrations which the kitchen knives don't, but they actually make it better at cutting rope so I'm not complaining.

Pete

 

[Golf Charley]

PRV, I agree in full. including the serrations!

 

[Giblets]

Yet another vote for the Chantry. Have tied most types in my time but nothing comes close to it.

 

[FishyInverness]

We used to use all kinds of Stones/Steels etc, for the Commercial Fishing guys. Then got in a few samples for the accusharp and they wouldn't then touch anything else....

http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/38317/Gael-Force-Accusharp-Knife-And-Tool-Sharpener.html

I've even bought one for my fishing box, so incredibly easy to use and sharpens in a couple of strokes.

(Also available elsewhere!)

 

[[70521]]

I have one that looks like this on my kitchen worktop.

I've had one of those for years, recommended to me by a chef!

 

[FishyInverness]

Oh, I've also got one of the chantry type ones (though mine is branded cookworks) in the kitchen and can +1 that too...but after 2 years the steels now have little effect, I need new ones and the local cookware shop I bought it from has long since shut up shop - Does anyone know the best place to get replacement steel mechanisms for these at the best price?

 

[Giblets]

Oh, I've also got one of the chantry type ones (though mine is branded cookworks) in the kitchen and can +1 that too...but after 2 years the steels now have little effect, I need new ones and the local cookware shop I bought it from has long since shut up shop - Does anyone know the best place to get replacement steel mechanisms for these at the best price?

I bought a replacement set of steels from Nisbits.

http://www.nisbets.co.uk/products/productdetail.asp?productCode=D159

 

[sarabande]

a little warning about wheel type sharpeners: they leave microscopic burrs of steel on the knife edge, so it's worth running a piece of kitchen paper over the edge. You will be able to see the bits of metal under a hand lens.

 

[al.carpenter]

Hi all,
in the same style as the first sharpener shown in the second post video, I have been using a "LANSKY" knife sharpener for years now and, as a hunting and survival knives collector, am very happy with it. (my favorite, a german hunting knife has a real Damascus steel blade and my trekking one, a Ontario TAK has a D2 steel blade and I get the best results with this sharpener).I carry the kit with me on treks all the time and recommand it... as you cannot get the wrong angle for your stones (5 of them). Cheers, Al

 

[[70521]]

Does anyone know the best place to get replacement steel mechanisms for these at the best price?

I suspect that it's cheaper to buy a new one.

http://taylors-eye-witness.co.uk/sharp.htm

 

[Csail]

I remember when i was little a bloke came round on a bike , inverted the bike on the drive and had some gadget connected to the wheel to sharpen the knives.