Just put in an order. I included a couple old dull steak knives to see if I should send the rest.
I used a guy in DC before. He did a good job, but it’s a 90-120 minute round trip to drop off and then again to pick up. This is a little more expensive but saving 3-4 hours would be worth it. Our local ACE hardware store has a laser based sharpening machine but it wasn’t as good as the guy in DC. I’m sure Knife Aid will do a better job.
Lonnie
I found this to be the most helpful video after watching a bunch of different tutorials that had different techniques to get the angle right (using a sharpie to color in the edge, putting the spine on a matchbook or stack of pennies, etc), but it’s more important to maintain a consistent angle than a precise 12º or something. I used a 1000 grit stone on a wustof chefs knife and got it much sharper than previous attempts by using a slightly more relaxed angle that i could maintain easily. I’m definitely happy with the results, but I’ll still be going to a local knife sharpener once a year to have a professional redo the edge and tighten everything up.
Has anyone tried the Tumbler Knife sharpening system advertised heavily on social media? Seems to be two simple magnets at 15 and 20 degrees with a diamond plated rolling cylinder and a honing cylinder for $95.
See discussion in this thread.
just ordered Knife Aid. Minimum 4 knives. Hope they do ok w fine Japanese knives.
Look forward to your thoughts. They did great on my Germans. I sent one Shun, maybe not ”fine” Japanese but it is sharper than ever.
Jason
@alan_weinberg
How was your experience?
Jason
For Chicagoans, I had a couple of knives sharpened at Northside Cutlery on Lincoln. They did a terrific job at $7 a blade.
Thanks for the recco RPS
They did fine. I’ll use them again.
I’m surprised there’s not as much discussion around sharpening using Japanese whetstones. I realize it looks intimidating, but I can promise it’s much simpler than you might think. With a few minutes practice, anyone can do it, and it’s BY FAR the best way to get a knife truly razor sharp. Also, if you have Japanese knives (highly recommend over German/western style), pretty much any “sharpening” gadget on the market will damage the blade. Stones are the way to go.
Tons of great videos on YouTube to get started, but I’ll link to Kenji’s here: https://youtu.be/ixCnCvDUKQ8?si=80DRvdZAqiVtcjRB
As for the stones, I recommend getting a 500/600, 1000, and a 4000 grit. Like sandpaper, you start coarse, make several passes, and then work up to the finer (higher number) to finish the blade. You can also consider a leather strop to add a mirror finish at the end. That’s honestly all you need. chefknivestogo.com is a great place to order from online (they stock some really great Japanese knives too). Owner is super helpful and friendly via email.
The only downside is all your friends and family will insist on you sharpening their knives once they see how sharp your knives are!
20% off now with BFCM20
I now realize I never updated - yes, I used them and they’re great, even on our semi-fancy Messermeister knives.
I was drawn to the dark side by a knife my Horl couldn’t hone.
So, I bought one of these and, holy crap! Talk about sharp!
I went to 14 degrees on a couple of Japanese blades and I could shave with them. Cleanest sushi cuts in ages!
50 bucks at Amazon if you are a Bezos contributor.
It sharpened an old stout knife that used to simply laugh at the Horl, but says, “Yes, sir” to this sharpener.
I’m a sucker for this stuff.
Me too. I’ve become a lot better, but a glowing review by @Anton_D draws me back in.
I’ve bought a lot of different systems over the years, but none have hit the sweet spot for my needs. The Work Sharp does a very good job, but it requires more effort to pull it out and run through the different belts than I want to deal with.
I’m not a purist, but want very sharp knives combined with ease of use/set up. I’m willing to settle for 90% of purist level for convenience. I want something where when I pull out a knife while prepping food and find that it isn’t sharp enough, I can quickly grab the sharpener and have it up to speed without really interrupting my cooking.
Thanks for the tip, I ordered one.
Figured it would probably cost as much now to send my set back to Shun and I’m willing to live with good enough.
We had a local guy who set up at the grocery and would do them for $4 a knife, but since he retired I’ve been looking for an easy alternative.
I cut the tip of my finger off the other day pushing to hard with a dull blade, so it might save me a Trip to the ER.
That’s the issue. For $50 it makes economic sense to keep trying these things until I find one that hits the sweet spot for me. I haven’t pushed the button yet though.
I have. I have my workhorse knives professionally sharpened 1-2 times per year, and use a ceramic bone in the interim. But I have 12-18 other knives I use occasionally that I’d love to try this out on
I need a good tool that works for asymmetrical gyotos.
I use my pro for these