I purchased this Wusthof Electric Knife Sharpener since I'm getting behind in keeping many of my kitchen knives sharp. I have used a GATCO 5pc Stone Sharpener Gatco Knife Sharpener for years to sharpen my kitchen knives since it uses a clamp on guide to sharpen any knife I own. However this electric sharpener is not as versatile as my Gatco or other electric ones that tell you they will handle Asian knives or boning knives that should be sharpened at a 15° angle. And you can't use the Wusthof for serrated knives. But for sharpening to a 19 to 20° angle for European or American chefs' knives, this Wusthof will handle it (and well). I wonder how much more it would have cost Wusthof to place another set of grinding wheels for a 15° angle? The help line at Wusthof tells me while I cannot use the sharpener on my Santuku knives I can use it on boning knives? Well, I don't buy that advice.
I like the fact that I run each knife between the slots between the two wheels. First the coarse wheel slot then the fine slot. Done. Next knife. Easy. But I have a tendency to pull the knife through the slot a bit too fast and the knife skips on the wheel just a bit. I guess the reason why I can't easily sharpen knives other ways is that by the time I sharpen one edge the other edge develops burrs. Sharpening both sides at the same time seems to be the easier way to get a sharp knife. I agonized just a bit over whether a hollow ground sharpened blade edge while sharper will lead me to keep sharpening or tuning the knife because others say that this type of edge tends to be weaker than a traditional edge (as the argument goes). So far, I have not found that to be the case.
PROS:
Puts a hollow ground edge that is sharper than a traditional straight edge.
The Wusthof electric sharpener leaves a very sharp and very smooth edge on my knife, even smoother than with the sharpening stones of my Gatco.
I can sharpen or tune up my knife drawer full of knives in short time.
CONS:
Cannot use it to sharpen serrated, Asian (Santuku, Chinese Chef Knife), and I would add boning knives.
Tends not to sharpen about a quarter inch close to the heel of some knifes because of the design and placement of the interlocking wheels. But will you or I notice this when we use the knife? So far, I have not noticed it.
I've used several sharpening systems over the years, both manual and electric.
If you wish to spend the time with oil and stone, you will get the best edge,
but only if you learn the proper techniques and are very methodical.
The Wusthof 2908 is the best electric sharpener I have used.
It is quick and precise. Follow the instructions correctly and
you will get an edge that is almost as good as an oil and stone sharpening,
in one eighth the time.
I just finished my Sabatier set in about 15 minutes,
a job that would take about 2 hours with my Ouachita stone set.
Other electic sharpeners use grinding wheels that sharpen
each side of the blade seperately. The Wusthof 2908 system uses a set of
diamond impregnated steels that sharpen both sides at once,
with a hollow ground pattern.
It is expensive, but the three year warranty and the reputation
of Wusthof for quality cutlery should mean that you will get
many years of quick, efficient sharpening.
Well sharpened knives are safer and make cooking more enjoyable.
Buy Wusthof Precision Edge Diamond Electric Sharpener Now
If you want your expensive Wusthof knives to be as sharp as they were the first time you used them then get yourself one of these. Nothing worse than a dull knife. And if you already put out the money for Wusthof then you and I both know that cooking is more than just eating. I have tried other non electrical sharpeners only to find that they do not get the blade to the original razor sharpness. This will!
Read Best Reviews of Wusthof Precision Edge Diamond Electric Sharpener Here
I have a Chefs Choice electric sharpener and it is pretty good. However, it never completely satisfied me in terms of its performance in certain aspects. It scratched some of my Wusthof knives and while leaving them sharp, they were not as sharp as I expected. Ergo, knowing Wusthofs quality, I decided to go ahead and splurge on this sharpener. Wow!! am I glad I did. My first experience was with a knife I felt was not as sharp as it could be, after reading the instructions and then running it through stage 2 (honing) for four strokes it is now scary sharp. This is quite an upgrade. The only caveats are, it doesn't do serrated or Asian knives. However, it does a fabulous job on the fine edge knives. Highly recommended.
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I have owned 2 Chef's Choice knife sharpeners in the past which worked fairly well; however, they wear out relatively quickly especially for the cost. This sharpener on the other hand sharpens better and quicker than any Chef's Choice product I have owned and it's easier to use (sharpens both sides of the knife at the same time). I don't know about the longevity, but so far, an excellent product.
Good balance, resharpens easily, fits hand nicely, great value for the price, hard to find any knives at all in this size.
