I have tried several manual sharpening systems including Spyderco and Edgemaker Pro but never used flat stones due to the learning curve and time involved to get that razor edge. Stones are the professional's choice but take a while to use and master.Until recently, I was most pleased with the electric Chef's Choice Trizor XV which takes any knife down to a 15° angle. But it is time consuming to say the least. It, however, makes knives extremely sharp despite "shaving" metal from the cutting edge. It is the best of all the Chef Choice sharpeners I have used for the past several decades.
My new electric sharpener, the Smith's Edgeware with ceramic interlocking stones is the best I have ever used, period. My knives are sharper than ever before. And it is an effortless system in that it sharpens both sides of the cutting edge at the same time so you don't have to feel for the burr before continuing each stage of sharpening. It takes less than 30 seconds to pull the knife through the slot 10 times and, being ceramic, virtually no metal is removed.
It is simple to use, produces extremely sharp edges and takes much less time than any of the other Chef Choice or manual sharpeners I've used, although all of these other sharpeners can do a great job with patience on your part.
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It sharpens to a 17.5° angle which lays between the European (think Wustof) 20° and the Japanese 15°. Since my knives were already at 15°, it probably made it easier for this sharpener to reshape up to the 17.5° angle per side.
But one of my half width cleavers was at 20° so it gets pulled through a manual carbide stone slot 10 times to reshape it's edge and then goes through the rotating wheels.
Even my wife asked what I had done to the knives attesting to their sharpness.
This sharpener has a manual ceramic slot for serrated knives and a pull out ceramic slot to sharpen right or left handed scissors.Both work extremely well and my serrated edge knives are sharper than when new.
Sounds like a commercial but I ran my 30+ knives that I keep in rotation (I replace some now and then with others kept in storage) through the ceramic wheels and they came out razor sharp.
I realize that many frown upon electric sharpeners but this is an entirely new concept using ceramic interlocking wheels so little metal is removed.
Last year, I was singing the praises of the Chef's Choice Trizor XV sharpener and it is a great one. But it takes much longer and much more exact effort pulling the blades through all of the slots and stopping to feel for the burr.
The Edgeware ceramic interlocking wheel sharpener is my sharpener of choice right now, surpassing what I had considered the best before.
The Edgeware is the best of the best for me.
In many ways, this is a very impressive tool. It could almost be called a multi-toll because it provides so many options: a manual carbide sharpeener to hone or repair damaged knives, a (in my experience unique) sharpener for serrated knives, a scissors sharpener, and an electric ceramic wheel sharpener for routine touch-ups and manitenence.
Despite somewhat intimidating warning in the manual, this tool is very easy to use. In less than 15 minutes I had shapened near every blade in my kitchen: over a dozen chef's knives, a set of steak knives, and a wide variety of knives (paring, sandwich,vegetable...) which had been sitting in my drawer for years.
I am very impressed with it's performance on the serrated knives, as well as most of the old knives which I was ready to throw or give away. Suddenly they are useful again! My serrated knives, which I'd accepted as having reached their half-life are as good or better than new!
So why the 4 stars? Well, if I could I would give it a 4.5 On most of the knives I tested it with the performance was excellent. However i have not (yet) been able to get as good an edge on the most used knife in my kitchen: a Sabatier carbon steel chef's knife. The mnual does caution that knives made of harder steel will take extra passes, and this may be user error (if so, I will come back and rerate after I have used it several times and compare to the edge my husband gets with the steel). But after my first use, it is not there yet. It also did not do as good a job on an old, but fine sanwich knife with small serrations (though that alone would not have knocked a star off). My only withhold thus far is it's performance on the chef's knife, and because it is my single most important kitchen tool, it is where performance means the most.
All that said, I can not get a very good edge using the steel, and consequently do not use it often.
If, like myself, you are a bit flinchy or unsure about using a steel on fine knives, I would recommend this sharpener. It also did a really excellent job on my serrated knives which had never been sharpened before, as well as restoring a like-new edge to a variety of older stainless knives.
If you are good with a steel, this may not be the tool for you; if not, it is a pretty decent replacement.
if you have a lot of serrated knives which needs sharpening, I have not yet found anything else which does the job and this does it very very well.
It also is very solidly built, comes with a 3 year warrenty and looks nice enough to leave on the counter.
edited to note that someone was kind enough to tell me that I had misunderstood what the steel was intended to do: hone, not sharpen (which explains much). I am still very fond of this, feeling that it effectively eliminates user error, holding it at the correct angle and pulling it in a clean sweep, which is somewhat more difficult with a manual sharpener (particularly on long blades)
Buy Edgeware 50142 Pro Ceramic Edge Gourmet Electric Knife and Scissors Sharpener Now
Summary:Overall I am happy with this purchase, but at this price point I would hope for a little less compromise and a little more wow! I can easily slice ripe tomatoes and fibrous meats. I am very happy with how quickly it sharpened my knives.
Could I get a better edge with alternative products?
Probably. Potentially using the Chef's Choice XV, 1520, or 130 series based on the reviews / documentation I have read.
Would I be able to sharpen my knives nearly as quickly as I can with this product?
No. I am very happy with the speed of this sharpener and the fact that it sharpens both sides of a knife at once.
Would I buy it again?
Probably.
Product Use Scenario:
I used the product to sharpen several forged steel Henckel knives, including one Asian style knife (Santoku).
Stars Removed:
1.) -1 Star Guide can hinder sharpening the heel of a knife with a thick bolster.
2.) -.5 Star The edge produced by using this sharpener is competent, but probably not as good as competing products.
3.) -.5 Star Price for 2 sharpening wheels and a few manual sharpening slots is steep.
Questions To Ask Yourself Prior To Purchasing A Sharpener:
Q1.) Do you like to spend time sharpening knives or do you value a quick solution?
My Answer:
I view sharpening knives as a chore, and prefer to complete the task quickly.
Q2.) Do you want the best possible edge on your knife when you are done, or one that is merely functional (Able to slice ripe tomatoes without squishing or easily cut fibrous meats)?
My Answer:
Functional. Knife sharpening can rapidly reach the point of diminishing returns. The sharper the edge, the faster it will degrade. If you spend extra time attempting to put on a sharper edge, it will wear away relatively quickly with use. How sharp do you need your knife to be? Personally, I use my knives for cooking, not for fighting crime (nobody needs to see me in a leotard).
Q3.) What type of knives do you plan on sharpening?
My Answer:
Cooking knives. European, with the exception of one Santoku Asian Style knife.
The sharpener is spec'd to create a 17.5 degree angle per edge which is not optimal for Asian style knives (typically sharpened at a 15 degree angle). European knives are typically sharpened at a 20 degree angle, but if you have invested in hard steel knives the edge should be plenty durable at 17.5 degrees and will "feel" sharper. I didn't want to purchase a seperate sharpener for my Santoku, and the 17.5 degree angle is an acceptable compromise for me. Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The edgeware ceramic edge gourmet knife sharpener is an all-in-one sharpening station that's convenient, and dare I say it, fun to use!
The edgeware is a very simple looking machine. It's arc shaped with a white plastic and stainless steel finish. On the front is a single large power button. On the left topside of the sharpener is a rubber hand rest for steadying yourself, while a pop-out scissor sharpener is on the other side. The bottom of the edgeware has a small door with a magnet inside that catches the material that comes off the knives when you sharpen them. Construction quality is good, and the machine is stable in use. The powered wheels are about as loud as hand mixer on low. Overall, it's not going to be the focal point of your kitchen, but it's also not something you'll feel compelled to stash away in a cupboard when company comes over.
Using the edgeware is simple. If your knife is extremely dull first you make 10 passes through the manual carbide sharpener (which is to the right of the powered ceramic wheels) and then you turn on the ceramic wheels and make 10 slow passes through there as well (or until the knife is sharpened to your satisfaction). If you're just honing a fairly sharp blade you skip the manual passes through the carbide sharpener. There is also a manual sharpener for serrated knives, of which I have none, so I cannot comment on its effectiveness.
I can, however, say that when it came to sharpening my straight edge knives the edgeware did a great job. I have a set of Chicago Cutlery knives that are made of high-carbon stainless steel. I've had them for five years and up to this point have only sharpened them with a sharpening steel. The sharpening steel worked OK, but my favorite knife, the 5" utility knife, was definitely showing some wear and had a nicked and ragged looking edge. I ran that knife through the carbide sharpener and then the ceramic wheels. After 10 slow and careful passes through the wheels the knife's blade looked like new (straight and very cleanly beveled) and I was able to slice through carrots and cucumbers with aplomb. I love using the edgeware and hone my knives each time I use them. It's like using a new knife every time! Additionally, the scissor sharpener is convenient, simple to use (pull it out, lock it in place, and pull the scissors towards you), and sharpens well. For all the sharpening I did there was very little material cut off the knife, a testament to the efficiency of the edgeware.
One other thing I'd like to point out is that the edgeware has a 3-year warranty.
05/31/2013 Update: I'm still using the Edgeware and it works great.
All in all...quick, easy to use, and makes great knives better.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I've wanted an electric knife sharpener for many, many years. I mean, REALLY wanted one. So I was all too thrilled to finally get my hands on one. Well, long story short, this knife sharpener is all that I could've hoped for, and more.I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that the main sharpening medium is ceramic, leaving my coveted, pricey kitchen knives with as much metal as possible after being beautifully sharpened. This sharpener is also SUPER easy to use. Simply push in the power button, and gently and carefully guide your knife's blade through the sharpening slot and over the rotating ceramic sharpening barrels.
I've tried plenty of manual sharpeners over the years, and I always keep a honing steel on hand, because more often than not, your knives just need a good honing session. But when they actually, truly need to be SHARPENED, this sharpener does the job beautifully. Edgeware's Pro Ceramic Edge Gourmet Electric Knife and Scissors Sharpener has a black rubber guard below the slot through which you'll guide your (non-serrated) knife's blade, making the sharpening session comfortable, while protecting the sharpener unit from any unexpected cuts or scratches if your hand should slip. To the right of this are two small metal blade honing/sharpening areas, one for straight edge blades (intended to set the initial edge on your knives for successful sharpening in the unit), and one for serrated blades (and really, the ONLY place to sharpen your serrated blades, as doing such is a delicate task). Underneath the right "leg" of the unit sits a round pull-out section that contains an adjustable scissors sharpener consisting of a thin ceramic rod and plastic scissor blade guides, but one side is meant to be used for traditional "Righty" scissors, while the piece can be flipped around to be used for specialty "Lefty" scissors. Edgeware has thought of everything that you'd need to sharpen a blade here, and done so beautifully.
Once the unit is on, it's as simple as fitting the blade through the slot, and carefully, lightly, and gently guiding it through said slot and against the rotating ceramic sharpeners for straightening and sharpening the edge. After sharpening all eight of my Pampered Chef Forged Cutlery steak knives last night, I noticed the lightest dusting of metal that was shaved from each blade in the sharpening process, but that's pretty literally all that this unit removed just a dusting of metal. My steak knives are now as sharp as they were on the first day that I got them, but without any real loss of blade media, which is of IMPLICIT importance to me, and, I'm sure, anyone that truly values their quality knives.
I actually traded up to a (top notch, fully forged, $720.00) full set of Pampered Chef Forged Cutlery from a nice set of stamped Henckels knives that I'd gotten a few years ago. Along with my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, my PC forged knives are my most prized (and valuable) possessions in the kitchen, so taking good care of them is a must for me. I am extremely cautious about anything and everything that touches my knives, and make certain to always hand wash them promptly after use, so I'm extremely particular about any tool that I use to take care of them. This sharpener, I believe, will do the job admirably.
The Edgeware 50142 Pro Ceramic Edge Gourmet Electric Knife and Scissors Sharpener is intended for use on double-edged knives those that have a "V" edge and is not intended for use on single-edged blades. If you have knives that you've been feeling just aren't responding to honing, and you've been considering getting yourself a proper electric knife sharpener, I really don't think that you can do much better than this one. It'll do the job beautifully, and keep your knives in beautiful condition for not just your lifetime, but their own.
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