Making my home kitchen safer
Ever since I retired last year, I’ve been relishing having the time to explore two of my lifelong passions: cooking and spending time outdoors. And thanks to this new free time, I’m discovering just how many products there are that could make my life a lot easier and allow me to enjoy my hobbies to the fullest.
Over the years, I’ve owned a few different knife sharpening systems, including a whetstone and a sharpening steel that have been gathering dust in my garage. I’ve always wanted to find something that I could use to sharpen my knives quickly and easily, without having to master a complicated technique or potentially ruining my knives because I was rushing or not using the sharpener correctly. What is the best manual knife sharpener?
I decided that the best solution would be to try out six of the most popular knife sharpeners on Amazon, to see if they could keep my knife blades sharp, with minimal effort and expertise on my part. There are dozens of kitchen knife sharpeners of all different shapes, sizes, and styles on Amazon, at drastically different prices. I wanted to find something dependable, safe, and easy to use that would be convenient to grab whenever I noticed one of my knives getting dull.
I bought and tried each of these knife sharpeners.
Hopefully, my experiences with these products will give you a good overview of the best knife sharpeners on Amazon, and will help guide you towards one that will serve you well for many years to come.
How did I evaluate the knife sharpeners?
- I used the knife sharpener on a variety of kitchen knives
- I used the knife sharpener to on my pocket knives
- I tried out the different sharpening stages
- I used the knife sharpener on inexpensive knives with dull blades
- When possible, I adjusted the sharpening angle to the correct setting for different knives
- I considered how quickly the knife sharpener put an edge on my knives
- I examined the blades after sharpening for any scratches or damage
- I considered how safe and sturdy the knife sharpener feels
- I considered how straightforward and intuitive the knife sharpener is to use
- I noted how easily I could store the knife sharpener
What were the most important factors for choosing a knife sharpener?
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✓
Quickly puts a sharp blade on dull knives
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✓
No previous sharpening experience necessary
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✓
Convenient and easy to use
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✓
Works on a variety of knives (western style, Asian style, sport knives, etc.)
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✓
Suitable for both cheap and expensive knives
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✓
Won’t damage the knife blade or blunt it over time
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✓
Has multiple sharpening stages for creating a precise, polished edge
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✓
Designed for safety (sturdy and no-slip grip)
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✓
Portable and easy to store
I’ve seen knife sharpeners on Amazon for under $30 – what are they like?
When I first started looking at the different knife sharpeners available on Amazon, I was amazed to see that some were priced at under $30.
To see what they were like, I purchased several of these budget sharpeners, and tried them out on a few cheap paring knives. Overall, I’m glad that I didn’t use them on my better knives, or even the old (though decent quality) stainless steel knives that are usually my go-to in the kitchen.
The one thing that the budget sharpeners had in common was that they really didn’t put a sharp edge on the knives. Most of these sharpeners took a long time to put any kind of edge on the blade, if they worked at all. Somehow, a few of my knives actually ended up duller than they were when I began sharpening them. Invariably, these budget sharpeners are lightweight, flimsy, and imprecise, which is far from ideal when you’re holding a knife in your hand.
My advice is to spend a little more money on a safe, quality product that actually works and will last for many years. It’s certainly possible that you might luck out and find a decent knife sharpener for less than $30, but based on my experience, you’re far more likely to end up with an odd-looking paper weight!
