How to Choose the Right Professional Knife Sharpener?

Last updated on January 10th, 2024 at 12:37 pm

When it comes to knives, a dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp one. A sharp knife makes it easy to control the depth of your cuts, whereas a dull knife requires more pressure and can easily slip, leading to accidental injuries. That’s why it’s important to keep your knives sharpened, and there are many professional knife sharpeners to choose from.

In this blog post, we’ll provide tips on how to find the best sharpener for your needs, as well as some information on what to look for when making your selection.

What is a Professional Knife Sharpener?

Types of Knife Sharpeners: 

Sharpening Stone:

Sharpening Stone or, the Whetstone is the most professional knife sharpening tool. A number of varieties of materials you will find in this type of knife sharpeners such as Diamond stone, Water stone, Ceramic stone, and Oil stones. These stones are also available with a double-sided feature to give you the comfort of switching between grits.

One fact about these stones you must know is that it needs more professional and technical knowledge to properly sharpen the blades. Though it takes a bit more time than other sharpeners, the best thing is that it can sharpen almost every kind of blade including sessions and chisels. Undoubtedly, it is the best option if you have a lot of knives and need to sharpen your blades frequently.  

Pull-Through Sharpener:

Pull-Through Sharpeners are also called Manual sharpeners. They are super simple to use and suit the most casual users. Like the stones, pull-through or manual sharpeners also allow different grit settings. Whatever you have to do is just to pull the blade through the sharpener until you get your desired sharpness.

Some manual sharpeners let you adjust the angle of the blades allowing different types of knives. Moreover, some of them also provide multiple guide slots ranging from coarse to fine sharpening. These sharpening machines are more user-friendly compared to other professional knife sharpeners as they require fewer techniques.

Electric Sharpeners:

Electric Sharpeners are featured with a completely hands-off operation. You will need to pull the blade to the guide slot on the machine and the motor will do the sharpening job on its own. Many of these sharpeners offer multiple guide slots that handle various blade angels.

These Sharpeners also offer different grit settings like the above-cited sharpeners. The best part of these electric sharpeners is that they can sharpen a blade more quickly using the least effort. They can sharpen almost all kinds of blades. Take note that it’s much easier to over-sharpened your blades with an electric sharpener so be careful while using it. 

How to Choose a Professional Knife Sharpener?

What to look for before purchasing the right professional knife sharpener. We all know that it takes a lot of research to get the best you need. So take into consideration some important points to buy the best knife sharpener.

Professional-Knife-Sharpener

Size:

We think that size is a major fact while buying any kitchen gadget. While buying a knife sharpener make sure that you have noticed its size so that you can store it smoothly. The sharpening stones come with a compact design whereas the electric sharpeners are bigger than other types of sharpeners. 

Honing Rods:

Honing Rod is a long rod that helps to maintain the integrity of your favorite blade. The materials of honing rods are steel or ceramic.  Steel rods can be a bit tougher on a blade, while ceramic rods offer more gives with very little abrasion.

Whereas the traditional knife sharpeners can take 20 to 30 minutes depending on how many blades you are sharpening and how dull they are, the honing rod takes mere seconds. Whatever you have to do slide your blade along the rod a few times and you are ready to go.

Here we can give a tip that looks for a longer rod so that you can hone all your knives using the same honing rod. Knife sharpening is a task that cannot be done frequently, but you can hone your knife anytime you want. 

Grit:

Grit clearly defines the sharpening surface. From the grit, we can know if the surface is Coarse, Medium, or fine. A Coarse grit (below 1000) will repair a damaged or blunt knife, and Medium grit (1000-4000) will repair the blades which are not completely dull. The Fine grit (above 4000) will hone the knife and provide a sharp edge.

Versatility:

Be sure that your sharpening device not only sharpens your daily using knives but also sharpens the scissors, chisels, and screwdrivers at the same time. You should remember that if your knife is made of anything without steel like ceramic or tungsten carbide, you need a special type of knife sharpener. Also keep in mind that, your sharpener must be stronger than your knife’s material. 

Number of Stages:

Though the dull knives can be restored easily with fine grit the heavily dull knives need a heavy grit. So go for at least two to three stage sharpeners for better performance. 

Desired Use:

If you are going to use the sharpener only for daily usage then it’s ok. But if you are going to apply it for commercial purposes then double-check that it is solidly built and able to do the toughest job smoothly. 

Reliability:

How will you meet the most reliable brand as you are almost new in this sector? Don’t worry, we are here for you. Check the reviews of the verified customers and go for what suits you most.  

Price:

Budget is a very personal thing but it’s necessary to clear that you will never want to spend a lot of money you don’t use much. Oppositely you will not love to have an unsatisfactory purchase. 

Final Thought on Professional Knife Sharpener

Owning a professional knife sharpener is a great way to keep your knives in top condition. Not only will your knives last longer, but they’ll also perform better.

A sharp knife is a safe knife, so you’ll be able to avoid accidents in the kitchen. If you’re looking for the best way to care for your knives, a professional knife sharpener is the way to go.

I love knives and love reviewing them. Knives have been a part of our lives for as long as we can remember. We grew up using knives in the kitchen and in outdoors.