Kitchen knives naturally dull with time and repeated use, making regular sharpening a must. The best electric knife sharpeners can help keep your blades sharp and lower the risk of accidental knife slips and injuries. “Anyone who uses their knives more than once a year can benefit from an electric sharpener,” says Jake Leiber, chef and co-owner of Chez Ma Tante in New York City. “It’s faster and cleaner than more traditional methods of knife sharpening.” Because these sharpeners don’t require skill or prior knowledge, “the process is incredibly quick and makes sharpening less of a chore,” Leiber says.
The best electric knife sharpeners will keep your blades sharp and lower the risk of accidental ... [+] knife slips and injuries. Pvc Coated Welded Wire Mesh
To choose the best electric knife sharpener, Leiber recommends selecting a model that’s compatible with the knives in your kitchen. “Also, get something that is really simple,” he says. It’s also important to consider your budget, the number of grit options, ease of use, size and safety features. Our top pick is the Chef'sChoice Trizor XV Electric Knife Sharpener for its range of sharpening options and ease of use, but the Narcissus Knife Sharpener is a great option if you’re working with a budget.
Whether you’re looking to maintain chef’s knives, steak knives or an entire knife set, we found the best electric knife sharpeners for your kitchen.
The Chef’sChoice Trizor XV is a popular choice because it offers a wide range of sharpening options in an easy-to-use device. This sharpener features three slots, each with its own specific use. One sharpens with diamond-coated abrasive disks, while the next stage hones 15 degree edges. The final slot uses stropping discs to polish and finish off knives for a smooth edge. The whole system is designed to be quick and easy—Chef’sChoice says that it takes a minute to sharpen a knife for the first time, while resharpening takes about 10 seconds. However, this isn’t the quietest machine on the market—it operates between 65 and 75 decibels—but electric knife sharpeners rarely are. It’s compatible with both straight and serrated-edge knives, so you can use this to sharpen your whole set.
You don’t need to pay a fortune to get sharp knives. While pricier electric knife sharpeners might have more bells and whistles, Narcissus’ sharpener still gets the job done—provided you’re using stainless steel flat kitchen knives. (It doesn’t work on ceramic or serrated knives.) For many home chefs, that’s all you need. This sharpener is simple to use: Just insert your knife, touch the outside wall and pull your knife toward you to sharpen it. The machine offers two stages—the crude stage can quickly sharpen your knife, while the fine stage polishes for a sharp, smooth edge—with results in about 30 seconds. There’s even a scissors slot on the side to help you get more refined cuts. The Narcissus is a workhorse, with an engine that has the ability to run for over an hour at a time, so you can sharpen up an entire set in no time at all.
For those willing to pay a little more, Wüsthof’s Easy Edge Electric Sharpener is considered one of the best electric sharpeners on the market. This device features specialized belts with three speeds to refine, sharpen and hone knives to precision. The brand recommends using the refine feature for weekly edge maintenance, sharpen to create a new cutting edge each month and shape to help knives that are dull or damaged. The Easy Edge hones flat and serrated knives, and provides a 14-degree cutting angle. An anti-slip rubber base keeps your sharpener firmly in place while you get to work. What’s more: You can purchase an upgrade kit separately for Japanese knives.
Most electric knife sharpeners are fairly approachable, but the Presto EverSharp is particularly easy to use. This machine has two stages to sharpen your blades: Stage one sands down any imperfections and creates an angled edge. The second stage hones, polishes and sharpens the knife for a smooth finish. Clearly marked numbers show you which slots to use first and second, while a simple on/off switch powers the machine up and down. At just shy of 3 pounds, you can easily move this sharpener around as needed. Just keep in mind that the EverSharp is only designed for straight-edge knives. (For serrated knives, you’ll want to consider a different model.)
If you’re interested in a manual option, the Zwilling Vertical Knife Sharpener is a popular choice. It boasts V-shaped ceramic sharpening stones with interchangeable adaptors for Western- and Japanese-style knives to help get the proper angle for each type of blade. (It doesn’t work with serrated knives, though.) Included ceramic sharpening rods also offer fine or coarse grinds. To use this device, just put in the proper adaptor that corresponds to your knife, insert your blade and pull it through. This machine also has a built-in storage compartment to house all the components.
Not all electric knife sharpeners work with every blade type, and that’s important to keep in mind when shopping for one of these tools. But the Work Sharp sharpener can tackle kitchen knives, serrated edges, scissors and shears, allowing you to freshen up your entire set whenever the need strikes. The sharpener has a built-in ceramic hone wheel for sharp edges, along with an easy to follow guide to help you get the right angle and edge. The three-year warranty covers any issues that may arise. At a mere 1.5 pounds, this sharpener won’t take up precious counter space and can easily fit in a drawer when the work is done.
To choose the best electric knife sharpeners, we consulted with three chefs for their input on what they look for in these home devices. We then looked at the most popular models on the market and narrowed the field based on elements like material, quality, versatility, ease of use and value. Only sharpeners with an average review of four stars or higher were chosen. Hundreds of reviews were also considered to ensure we selected the best machines.
It depends. Keep in mind that many chefs use sharpening stones—which are manual—to get a refined edge. “If you’re a real enthusiast with a fair amount of time on your hands...then by all means get some [sharpening] stones and start practicing,” Leiber says. “I love using whetstones and the result is far superior to an electric sharpener.” But Leiber says that electric sharpeners just make the process easier. “At this point in my life, I’m very relieved to have a machine that can make easy work of it at home,” he says.
Electric sharpeners are designed to give you a sharp blade but they’re not known for creating incredibly precise edges. “Electric sharpeners have no real nuance or flexibility, so if you’re interested in any kind of advanced techniques like blade thinning, edge conversion, re-shaping, or if you want to sharpen single bevel knives, you’re out of luck,” Leiber says. “There is also not nearly the same degree of grit selection, so you’re mostly going to be getting a fairly toothsome, albeit highly functional edge.” Keep in mind, too, that it’s generally recommended that you only use sharpening stones for Japanese knives, which use more acute angles than you’d be able to achieve with an electric sharpener, says Dan Kluger, chef at New York City’s Loring Place.
It’s important to use your electric knife sharpener properly. But if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, you should be just fine. “In restaurants, I've only ever used stones but growing up we had a knife sharpener and it was better than nothing at all,” says Abra Berens, the executive chef at Grano Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, and author of Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Seeds, and Legumes. “In restaurants you can strive for perfection. At home, I work hard to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” For what it’s worth, Berens notes that she’s never had an electric knife sharpener ruin a knife. Leiber agrees. “It's pretty hard to ruin a knife,” he says. “If you don't like the result, just sharpen it again with something else.”
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I focus on tax law including tax planning and tax controversy matters. My goal is to help taxpayers get compliant and stay out of trouble.
I earned my J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, PA. While at law school, I interned in the federal estate and gift tax attorney division of the IRS, and participated in the review and audit of federal estate tax returns.
I started writing using the moniker Taxgirl years ago and love making complicated information accessible to taxpayers and tax professionals.
I hate lists of awards but do have a few that I'm particularly proud of, including the Philadelphia Business Journal \"40 under 40\" and being named one of the Global Tax 50 by the International Tax Review for my \"tireless and passionate tax reporting.\"
I love to travel with my family and spend much of my time explaining to the kids why we can’t move to Europe—this week.
Want more taxgirl goodness? Pick your poison: follow me on twitter, hang out on Facebook and Google, play on Pinterest or check out my YouTube channel.
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