All sharp cutting objects need care and sooner or later require sharpening. Most often we encounter this problem in the kitchen, when knives begin to cope poorly with cutting meat, vegetables and other food products. At the same time, there are camping, hunting or pocket knives that may also require updating the blade sharpness. In any case, you will definitely need a knife sharpener. Some sharpeners require some skill to achieve good result, while others are quite easy to operate. For knives to serve you for a long time and faithfully, you just need to choose the right one sharpening tool. But you will understand which sharpener is best for you after reading our review.
A wide variety of tools can also come in handy in the kitchen, some of which are a kitchen scale and an electric can opener.
Features for comparison
Sharpener type
First of all, you should pay attention to the types of sharpeners and, accordingly, to their features, which is implied by their design and purpose. There are several varieties of these devices. Electric sharpeners, mechanical sharpeners, and whetstones are great for everyday use. Electric sharpeners are often trapezoidal or rectangular shape with several grooves or recesses on top, through which you need to pass the knife for sharpening. Inside each groove there are discs with a different abrasive coating. They rotate at an angle to the blade and thus sharpen or polish the knife. These sharpeners are very fast and easy to use. Such devices must stand firmly on the table during operation. It would also be a good idea to clean them internally from any remaining metal shavings that may form during the process of sharpening knives. Mechanical (manual) devices, as a rule, have wide capabilities: a choice of different abrasive stones, sharpening angle and the like. Take up little space and can be used in hiking conditions. However, it takes a little practice to sharpen a knife with their help. Thanks to the presence of an ergonomic handle and rubber feet, the mechanical sharpener will not slip out at the most inopportune moment and you will not get hurt. Sharpening stones have been something people have used to restore the sharpness of blades for centuries. Naturally, they have undergone some changes, which mainly affected their shape. They may look like an ordinary block or disk, however, this completely depends only on the imagination of the manufacturer. There are also systems of whetstones with different abrasive properties, some of which are suitable for sharpening very dull blades, others will polish or refresh your knife. Here, the quality of sharpening depends entirely on your ability to handle the sharpener, however, they are still considered the most unpretentious. Special marks that allow you to identify sharpening stones and other auxiliary attributes will make it easier for you to use sharpeners both during their mastering and throughout their service life. Perhaps you plan to sharpen only kitchen knives or are you looking for more universal device Once you have decided what items you need a sharpener to sharpen, it will be even easier for you to choose the right device.
Sharpening angle
It is important to know that it is recommended to maintain the bevel angle that was determined during production in accordance with the material and purpose of the knife, this will help you maintain and extend the life of the blade. It is believed that 15°-22° is an angle suitable for chef’s and fillet knives, and 22°-30° is a sharpening angle for hunting and universal knives (tourist, camping). There are also sharpeners with a universal sharpening angle, which is often the average of these indicators. However, the ability to adjust the sharpening angle when choosing a sharpener is one of the determining factors. You can change it if you wish, but it is worth considering that the smaller the sharpening angle, the sharper the blade, but at the same time its strength decreases. At the same time, a larger sharpening angle is suitable for knives that are made of high strength steel and are designed for heavy work (cutting large pieces of meat, chopping bones).
Sharpening stages
Depending on the blade material and its condition, you may need different sharpening steps accordingly. For knives with a metal blade, the sharpening steps are basically the same. First of all, damage and defects are eliminated, the cutting edge is restored and initial sharpening is performed; at this stage, carbides are most often used as a sharpening material. The final action will be grinding and finishing the blade, after which your knife will acquire a sharp, smooth cutting edge, this is done using ceramic abrasives or Arkansas stones, quartz rocks obtained from the Arkansas quarries from which they get their name. For simple Maintenance may be enough and last stage. Abrasive materials can be either of natural origin, which have been known for a long time, or specially produced for these purposes; these are considered more durable. If you have knives with serrated or ceramic blades in your kitchen, you will need a device that can sharpen them.
Before you start choosing a sharpener, you need to determine the following points:
1. Blade type of your knife(s)
Knives with straight blade and double-sided sharpening can be sharpened on most types of sharpening tools.
Single-sided knives require special equipment - suitable, , or for Asian knives.
Serrated knives (with a file) sharpened or with triangular sharpening elements. The editing of such knives can be carried out in a special groove of some models . The editing of such knives can be carried out in a special groove or at the polishing stage (with ceramic discs) of some models.
Knives with a wavy edge on one side only , are sharpened with small ones, suitable in diameter to the notches on the blade. Working hooks are sharpened on diamond or ceramic blades.
Fishing hooks, needles, arrows are sharpened on hand sharpeners with a special recess for pulling the tool through.
2. Sharpener type
Determines the level of sharpening. It is necessary to pay attention to the following characteristics of sharpening tools:
- Device size
- Your skill level
- Portability of the device
- Purpose
Some universal sharpeners can sharpen almost all types of knives and tools, while others are designed only for specific purposes.
For example, you can sharpen a variety of knives and tools. However, you will not be able to sharpen bread knives or scissors. Conversely, serrations will do an excellent job of sharpening serrated knives, but will not be suitable for working with tools.
A preset sharpening angle will help a beginner “not to overwhelm” the knife, while an experienced sharpener will be able to set any angle to the cutting edge of his knife on a stone. So, analyze all types of sharpeners and choose the one that suits your experience and goals.
:
- Sharpeners with a fixed sharpening angle.
- Suitable for quickly sharpening your regular set of knives with a minimum of effort and skill.
:
- Suitable for those who don't mind spending more time and effort, but want to achieve a perfect cutting edge. Requires a certain skill or, at a minimum, additional. devices: sharpening angle holder.
:
- Ideal for everyday easy and quick sharpening of knives. Not suitable for sharpening very dull knives.
:
- Allows you to set any sharpening angle for a knife or tool, but is somewhat difficult to install.
:
- Ideal for sharpening heavily damaged knives or very hard steel knives. Great option if you need to sharpen a large number of knives.
3. Abrasives
Exist four main types of abrasives : Arkansas stones, carbides, ceramics and diamond.
Each group has its own unique characteristics and capabilities. It doesn't matter which abrasive you choose, each of them gives a good result.
The choice comes down primarily to how quickly and in what volume you want to remove metal from the cutting edge.
Diamonds:
- Diamonds- the hardest substance known to man, therefore, sharpeners with abrasives made from diamond chips are the fastest, most wear-resistant and very effective. They are quite aggressive and quickly remove metal from the cutting edge.
Carbides:
- A very aggressive material that quickly removes metal from the blade, ideal for restoring a cutting edge in 3-4 pulls.
Ceramics:
- Removes a minimal amount of metal. Excellent for finishing and polishing phases.
Arkansas stones:
- Natural stone, mined in Arkansas (USA), removes a minimal amount of metal. On such stones, knives are polished, bringing the cutting edge to a mirror-like surface and razor sharpness.
We advise you to actively consult with sellers for correct selection sharpening device, because the quality and life expectancy of your knives depends on it.
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Greetings, friends! Happy holidays to everyone!
As I see it, many bloggers take stock and set goals for next year. And that's probably right. Well, I don’t know... public goals, of course, motivate, but I’ll wait with it for now. Even a year ago I didn’t set any special goals for myself, except for one - to be useful people, your blog and your knowledge.
So, without any global goals for now, I decided to end this year with a knife fast. If you, dear readers, have not forgotten, knives are one of my many hobbies. That’s why in the continuation of this section we’ll talk about sharpeners. More precisely, about devices for holding the angle when sharpening knives.
So, an overview of knife sharpening devices and their features. It must be said that if you distribute sharpeners according to, let’s say, functionality, you will end up with a list of several items (purely my classification):
- classic sharpeners are, simply put, two small bars set at a certain angle to each other and placed in a single body
- sharpeners with blade fixation in a clamp
- sharpeners with fixation of stones and free movement of the knife when sharpening
- sharpeners without fixation at all, interesting and the most the best option
I'll start with the simplest and most common option.
Classic knife sharpener.
I think there are such sharpeners in every kitchen. Or a little different, this is my slightly advanced version.
It contains two types of stones, for sharpening (carbide plates are installed instead of stones) and for finishing, but this does not make sharpening any more convenient.
Price: from 100 rubles
Convenience: no, you can sharpen knives only with a certain sharpening angle.
Sharpener with blade fixation
Next point, common sharpeners.
The principle is simple: a knife is fixed in a clamp, and then sharpened with a special whetstone. In the photo above, the multi-colored ones are just bars, and above the bars there is a special device for fastening them.
And this is how sharpening happens...
Everything is quite simple, but there is a drawback to such sharpeners. It is very inconvenient to sharpen knives with a long blade and wide knives, such as a chef's knife.
The most famous sharpeners are from DMT (photo above) and from Lancky
Price: from 1500 rubles (depending on the number of stones and the stones themselves)
Convenience: Any knives with a medium-length blade can be sharpened well; you can sharpen the knife into a razor.
Video from the official DMT website. Aligner™ Pro Kit sharpening system overview.
The only thing is that I sharpen a little differently... All manufacturers advise holding the knife and moving the whetstone along it. But it’s absolutely inconvenient for me to sharpen it like that. Therefore, I do the opposite - holding the block, I move the knife along it.
Knife sharpeners with stone fixation
Cool sharpeners, but I didn't like the sharpening result. Such sharpeners are well suited for sharpening knives, but sharpening a knife... I don’t know, I couldn’t do it. And the two fixed angles don’t really allow for any special sharpening.
There are also similar sharpeners of a higher class, the cooler manufacturer is Spyderco (very famous manufacturer knives).
Here is a video, in English, of course, but the friend who talks about the Spyderco Tr-iangle Sharpmaker has such expressive gestures that everything is clear.
Price: from 1500 rubles (depending on the manufacturer)
Convenience: not really, you can straighten the knife well, but sharpen it...
Sharpeners without fixation. Sharpening systems
This is the most normal sharpener, the knife is not fixed, and you can set any angle. But I can’t say anything in more detail, I don’t have this device yet and therefore I can’t say anything. Although many people praise it.
Price: from 4,000 rubles (the Chinese clone costs half as much)
Convenience: Of the sharpening systems, the best option, although I make do with DMT
Watch a video review of the Edge Pro Apex Knife Sharping System. Everything is clearly visible and it’s clear why I classified it as a sharpener without fixation
My friends! This concludes the article, after all, in a few hours New Year, there is still a lot to be done.
Good luck in all your endeavors!
The kitchen of any housewife is full of all kinds of utensils. And knives occupy a large niche here. For slicing, cutting, filleting - there are many and each has its own function, without giving up its conquered place to anyone. But any material tends to wear out over time, and a knife is no exception. Dull blades become useless.
But this does not mean that you should throw away the entire set and buy a new one. It’s easier to choose a knife to suit your taste.
Types of scissors
In order to maintain kitchen scissors and knives in working condition, you need to regularly sharpen the blade. At the moment, the main options for knife blades are the following:
- Sharpening stones. The old “old-fashioned” method is a stone with an abrasive coating. They come in different coating structures and perform different functions.
- Mechanical. The simplest device with discs on which abrasive is applied. The knife is manually passed between these discs to the desired state.
- Vacuum. This option is also mechanical, but has vacuum mounting to the surface.
- Electric. A device that processes knives very quickly, working automatically.
Expensive branded mechanical knife
Pros and cons of different types of sharpeners
When choosing any purchase, it is worth examining not only the positive variants of the varieties, but also the negative ones. Only then can you form your own subjective opinion and decide what you like most. Let's go through the entire list.
- The advantages of sharpening stones are their low cost and availability. Cons - you need at least three different whetstones to sharpen, grind and polish the edge of the knife. In addition, you need to be able to do it correctly, and this point already makes the option not acceptable for everyone. Well, the use of physical force during the sharpening process is also not the best positive point. However, in the kitchen of a bachelor who is not used to preparing lavish feasts, the bars can find a place for themselves.
- The advantages of a mechanical knife are low cost and widespread use. This type of sharpener can have several removable attachments for different types of knives. Add to list positive points safety of use is included. Disadvantages - the physical costs of working with such a sharpener are almost more than using whetstones.
- The advantages of a vacuum sharpener are primarily in the design. The device is attached to the table with a vacuum suction cup and is convenient and safe to use. The sharpening blades are arranged in such a way that they adapt to any knife configuration, including the “teeth”. No special power consumption is required. Disadvantages - the cost of such a device is much higher than that of previous options. And it takes longer to sharpen than the last option.
- The advantages of an electric knife are speed and ease of use. Wide choose models allows you to select sharpening discs for the material - ceramics, steel, diamond chips. The sharpener sharpens and polishes the blade quickly and efficiently. Plus, anyone can use it. Cons: high price and differences between models that need to be carefully studied.
Note to the hostess
You shouldn’t skimp on a knife for fear that your expensive purchase will quickly break. The sharpening parts of the devices are made of high-strength materials and are designed for long-term operation.
Choosing and purchasing is only half the battle. The second half is to get used to regularly and timely processing your knives, maintaining their working condition. After all, it’s much more pleasant and easier to cut bread and vegetables, peel them, and separate the fillets with sharp knives.
And finally, a video about sharpening knives on water stones from a professional. We look and remember how to sharpen knives correctly.
