Sharpener suggestion for kitchen knives

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Feb 17, 2018
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8
I'm looking for a suggestion on a sharpening suggestion for my kitchen knives. I'm a professional chef and need something that won't take a lot of time because I just don't have any.

I've looked at the Worksharp, Worksharp KO and the Tormex T-2 kitchen pro so far but haven't seen specific reviews kitchen related.

Most of my knives are softer carbon steel. Sabatier chefs knives, multiple pairing knives and even a couple old hickory butcher knives.

Any suggestions on what would work best?

Thanks
 
The Worksharp KO is about a third the cost of the Tormex, which while a good machine, is probably overkill unless you sharpen a large amount of knives in a large kitchen daily. For a 'sharpen at home' professional chef, the Worksharp KO would serve you well. The Worksharp also has an infinite angle optional tool for non-traditional knife sharpening angles. That Tormex diamond wheel is going to be expensive when you need to replace it versus the Worksharp belts which are cheap, easy to replace, and offer so many different grinding/honing options it's hard to remember them all.
 
How is the learning curve on the Worksharp KO? I have some classic Sabatier knives I wouldn't want to ruin along with my Japanese that would really be bad if they got ruined.
 
I am a knife maker and while I have never used the WKO unit, I have ruined the temper on several knives by sharpening them on a power system. I realize the speed is adjustable on the WKO but the J knives probably have a very thin edge on which the temper could be easily ruined. I use an Edge Pro unit for all my knives.
 
Have u tried a diamond honing steel? I too am a chef and in all honesty it is all I use. It maintains the edge like a traditional steel, but the fine diamond coating also slightly hones the edge with each use, removing the need for a seperate sharpening process.
Just pay close attention to blade angle, use light pressure and a slow even motion and you shouldn't have any problem keeping your knives razor sharp. This part is key, the edge of a really sharp knife is very thin and if your not paying attention to the edge geometry, or your pushing too hard you'll likely do more harm than good.

Maybe closer to your original question, I used a chefs choice sharpener with some success and other commercial versions of the same idea. They definately work, but none will put what I feel is a truly sharp edge on a knife.
The tormek looks amazing! But I don't know any chefs who could afford one..
The other system you mentioned seems like it could have promise though I've never used one. I have sharpened many knifes on my 2by72 belt grinder, which works quite well. The area I would worry about is the tip of the knife amd unless the belt is moving pretty slowly or being cooled will have a tendency to burn off the tip. This is probably going to be an issue with any system aside from the water cooled tormek..

Long story short, your best bet is keeping the knives sharp in the first place. Or at least that's what I've ended up having the best luck with.
 
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If you are careful a cheap(you can find them for around $40) 1 by 30 and a 1000 grit belt and a leather belt impregnated with white compound is very fast and costs significantly less than a ken onion work sharp (I suggest purchasing a $1-2 knife set at the local dollar store to learn on because there is a risk of burning the edge or messing up the blade)
 
One of the guided work sharps would work well. Even the small field Sharpener to maintain the edges after you reprofiled them. I'm not a cook but do work that's closer to construction and have been using and abusing my knives for awhile. After the initial reprofile I haven't found anything as quick or easy to bring an edge back. Consistenty is key and the guides help in that and I find the always ready field Sharpener is the one I go to for kitchen use as well as there is no setup time it's just a grab and go. Though I imagine their benchstone version would work quite well too while giving the option to remove the guides if you want.
 
I decided to give the Worksharp KO a try. If anything I can return through Amazon. If that fails, I'll look at the belt sander or Tormek option
 
find who in your town does knife sharpening. send them one. if good results, send one a week till all are done. when they start to get dull, repeat.
 
I have used the WSKO system for about a year and a half now for everything from touching up edges to re-profiling to putting an initial edge on the knives I make. I quickly discovered that while the standard system works upgrading to the belt grinder attachment is the way to go. It requires a little bit of a learning curve to use that attachment but once you get used to it I find it much easier than the regular angle guide. It’s also much less prone to rounding off tips.
 
Spyderco Sharpmaker would take only 5 strokes on each side. Just use the medium rods on the 40° setting. Takes a minute for the first one, maybe 30 seconds for each additional one.
 
Commercial Diamond Knife Sharperner model 2100
with removable 15 and/or 20 degree modules.
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As an and avid hunter, fisherman, and foodie, I am constantly sharpening knives. Ive used stones in the past, and while some are able to get a shaving sharp edge on stones, I just cant get the hang of it. Im probably not patient enough.
long story short, I have a chefs choice 1520. it has two diamond wheels set up for 15, and 20 degree sharpening. then it has a universal ceramic wheel which i suspect is around 800 to 1000 grit. this thing will take an edge to shaving in just a few minutes. ive used it on all my knives.. from my pocket knives, to my fillet, and hunting/skinners, to my kitchen knives, its served me really well..
2 years ago i got into knife making, and i have been using the chefs choice so much more, I think I wore it out.. i wanted something i could change the belts on easily.. so I just bought a Worksharp Ken Onion edition.. which works much faster and it has the added ability of changing the belts when they get old.. ive only put an edge on 4 blades with it.. got it last week.. but they are significantly sharper than the chefs choice.. and it has the added benefit of more choice of angles..
I should mention that both of these models tend to get a bit of dust on the guides, and that dust will make fine marks on mirror polishes, or etched blades, so be aware of that.. so if your lucky enough to have a Kramer, or a Randall and you want to sharpen it with one of these, your going to want to mask off the blade somehow..
 
I’m a lazy chef. I used a manual diamond sharpener for years but now have a Lansky Quadsharp carbide tool. It has 4 angles to choose from including a super fine 17°. It’s honestly all I need.
 
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