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Elevate your culinary experience with our kitchen knife sharpeners. Designed to effortlessly restore dull blades to their optimal sharpness, our sharpeners ensure precision and efficiency in every slice. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a home cook, our innovative tools provide a seamless sharpening process, enhancing both safety and performance in the kitchen. Say goodbye to struggling with dull knives and hello to effortless slicing, dicing, and chopping. Invest in quality sharpening solutions for a sharper, more enjoyable cooking experience. Unlock the full potential of your knives with our trusted sharpeners, like the KitchenIQ 2-Stage Knife Sharpener, your go-to companion for culinary excellence. 

   

Kitchen Knife Sharpeners: A Buying Guide

No matter how expensive the knife, it will eventually become dull. This guide will teach you how to use kitchen knife sharpeners to prevent that from happening.

What Is a Kitchen Knife Sharpener?

A kitchen knife sharpener is a device used to sharpen and hone the edge of a kitchen knife. Depending on the design of the sharpener, it may have one, two, or three stages in sharpening knives. This can affect how precise and how sharp the knife can be after the process.

2-Stage Sharpener vs. 3-Stage Sharpener

2-stage sharpeners are very common in kitchens. As the name suggests, it consists of two stages, with one handling the general sharpening and the second stage being used for fine honing. It’s a straightforward process and delivers decent results, but they’re not as reliable as 3-stage sharpeners. 3-stage sharpeners result in sharper and more accurately sharpened knives since the process is split into three stages, not two. Since three stages are involved, it takes a bit longer to sharpen the actual knife, but this also means that the knife gets sharpened more reliably as a result. It’s a tradeoff that you’ll have to make, but one that you’ll likely value if you care about the effectiveness and consistency of your sharpener.

Types of Kitchen Knife Sharpeners

Manual sharpeners

Manual sharpeners work by running the blade across a block of sharpening martial. They are very easy to use but also have the potential to be dangerous if not used properly. Since you’re moving the entire knife through the sharpener with many passes at each stage, there’s quite a lot of room for error if you don’t do it properly. Because of this, many manual sharpeners often come with a handle to better hold the sharpener in place. It minimizes room for error and prevents the sharpener from moving as you move the knife across it.

Electric sharpeners

Electric sharpeners are sort of an upgrade to manual sharpeners. Like manual sharpeners, you run the knife through a small opening, but instead of making multiple passes and letting friction do its thing, you rely on the power of electricity. The device sharpens the knife at a faster rate than doing it manually, and this can make the process take much less time. There are 2-stage and 3-stage options for electric sharpeners, too, so you’re not missing out on the quality of sharpening.

Knife Whetstone

Knife whetstones are a more traditional way to sharpen your knife. You use a solid block to sharpen and hone the edge of a blade, and this process usually involves quite a bit of time. It’s a slow and methodical process, but many chefs prefer this method as they have full control over every stroke and every detail of the knife as they sharpen it.

Tips When Using Kitchen Knife Sharpeners

Do not sharpen haphazardly

This is especially true when it comes to manual sharpeners. Do not sharpen with the goal of finishing as quickly as possible. While it may be relatively dull, it’s still a knife with the potential of injuring you or someone else.

Follow the stages correctly

Don’t just skip stages and use the knife on the final stage of a sharpener immediately. Follow the steps and begin with the first stage. This will result in more consistent and sharper blades.

Top Picks

  • Best Overall: Kitcheniq 2-Stage Knife Sharpener
  • Eco-Friendly Design: Anysharp Kitchen Knife Sharpener
  • Most Versatile: Kitchellence Knife Accessory Tool
  • Best For Scissors: Sharpal Kitchen Knife Sharpener
  • Best Electric Sharpener: Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener
  • Affordable Choice: Presto Eversharp Electric Knife Sharpener

Reviews

Best Overall
KitchenIQ 2-Stage Knife Sharpener

Kitcheniq 2-Stage Knife Sharpener

Pros Cons
  • Very portable design
  • 2-stage sharpener finely sharpens the knife
  • Edge grip makes it easy to hold
  • Small size may make it hard to use
Eco-Friendly Design
AnySharp Kitchen Knife Sharpener

Anysharp Kitchen Knife Sharpener

Pros Cons
  • Quickly and easily sharpens knives 
  • Attaches securely to countertop
  • Portable and compact 
  • Loud when sharpening knives
Most Versatile
Kitchellence Knife Accessory Tool

Kitchellence Knife Accessory Tool

Pros Cons
  • 4-in-1 accessory tool
  • Maintains your knife in good condition
  • Large grip for easy and convenient handling
  • Rubber base might be too small
Best for Scissors
Sharpal Kitchen Knife Sharpener

Sharpal Kitchen Knife Sharpener

Pros Cons
  • Can sharpen scissors
  • Works on serrated knives
  • Three-year warranty period
  • Lack of a convenient handle for stability
Best Electric Sharpener
Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener

Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener

Pros Cons
  • 3-stage sharpener
  • Electrically powered for efficiency and accuracy
  • Can be bought with a manual sharpener
  • Requires a bit of space to set up
Affordable Choice
Presto EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener

Presto Eversharp Electric Knife Sharpener

Pros Cons
  • Affordable option for an electric sharpener
  • Easy to operate with one button
  • Curved design is easy on the eyes
  • Not as accurate as other electric sharpeners

FAQs

Are kitchen knife sharpeners easy to use?
Kitchen knife sharpeners don’t rely on mechanical skills to sharpen your knife, and you don’t need a lot of expertise to be able to sharpen your knife effectively with one.
When should I use a kitchen knife sharpener?
Since sharpening a knife too much can shorten its lifespan, it’s generally recommended to use a knife until you are no longer satisfied with its sharpness instead of a fixed rate.
Can you sharpen any knife with a kitchen knife sharpener?
This depends on the device and the knife you intend to sharpen. Many modern knife sharpeners currently support serrated knives, for example, but not all of them might.