I was very suspicious of this guy, but having actually used it I can only recommend it.We've had one in my house for quite some time. My mother bought it because she is not interested in learning the ins and outs of knife maintenance and read several great reviews of the 120.
I was suspicious, mainly from bad experience with cheezy knife sharpening gadgets, but also because my mom's knives, which had been through the Chef's Choice, always had crappy edges. I had made something of a habit of looking sideways at the Chef's Choice 120 on our kitchen counter.
I finally read one too many good reviews of this product (when I wasn't even looking for them, they just seem to pop up here and there if you read enough about cooking and cutlery), I decided to give it a shot on a Henckel's 5-star Santoku that had lost it's edge. I love the size and shape of a santoku, but it had gotten dull and was superceded by a Kasumi chef's knife I received as a gift. I figured the worst thing that could happen was that a knife I wasn't using would remain unusable.
First off, I Read The Freakin Manual. Do not underestimate the importance of this step. If I had just bought it based on good reviews and ripped open the box, I might have done this, but since I was already suspicious of it, I read through every word of their instructions. If you don't read the manual, the way you assume it works may be wrong (the big mistake might actually be overusing it). More on that later.
Next, before I turned it on, I did a few practice pulls with the power off. Get a feel for pulling the knife through smoothly and evenly. Make sure you keep the knife blade properly aligned with the wheel (i.e. if the knife you're sharpening has a curve, pull in a curve to keep proper contact with the sharpening wheels). Look at a clock, and make sure you're pulling at roughly the speed recommended for your knife's length.
Once I thought I knew how to use it, I made one pull through each side of stage 1. Felt the blade, as per the manual, and I had the burr they said I should feel for. Cool, it seemed to be working. I would recommend doing the burr check, because it does tell you that things are going according to plan. The same test is performed when knife sharpening is done by hand with a stone. After that, one pull on each side in the number 2 slot. Again, I had a burr, things seemed to be going well. Then I made 3 pairs of passes through stage 3, doing the left then right side, as recommended in the manual. Did a cutting test on some veggies. Wow, that thing was SHARP. Definately a better edge than you get from the factory on say, Henckle's or Wusthof's knives. I think my Shun and Kasumi knives were as sharp or sharper from the factory, but this was a nice, sharp, effortless, smooth-cutting edge, and it was equally sharp along the whole length. It's theoretically possible to get a sharper edge, but practically there is nothing left to desire from the edges I get from the Chef's choice, and I will happily be putting that knife back to regular use.
I asked my mom to have a go with the knife, and she was amazed at the edge I got from the same device she'd been using on her knives. It turns out she wasn't using it as recommended by the instructions. For example, she was making multiple pulls on the same side of the knife (you're supposed to alternate, left and then right side), and probably making too many passes. I redid the edges on all our knives, and now they are just awesome. I do feel like I got slightly better results the second and third time I used the machine. Splitting hairs, but it's safe to say it gets better as you get the hang of it. As other reviewers have said, the best thing would be to practice on something inexpensive or throw-away to be absolutely safe. I didn't really have anything that fit that bill, so I just jumped in with a good knife.
So, bottom line is this sharpener can do a very good job, but it's a tool. Like any tool, it needs to be used properly. It may be electric, and it may be a lot easier and faster than a whetstone, but it doesn't have a brain. That's what you're for, so read the manual, make some practice pulls with the power off, sharpen a cheap knife first if you can, and then enjoy. Don't worry about a reviewer who says the thing jams if you try to push the knife against the wheels and thus doesn't sharpen the knife. The manual says not to do that, just use enough pressure to make contact with the wheels.
The Model 120 uses three sets of rotary stones that are controlled by springs that keep a constant pressure between the blade and the knife. It also has spring loaded slots that keep the knife at an exact grinding angle. It is an almost foolproof method of sharpening knives. As long as you maintain an even speed pulling the knife through the sharpener and you allow the spring to hold the knife at the proper angle, you should get the same excellent results that I got. The first stage only has to be used the first time that you sharpen a knife with the unit after that only stage two and three should be necessary.
One of my concerns about using an electric knife sharpener has always been about how much steel is removed from the blade during sharpening. The model 120 has a magnetic cleanout plug under the machine that collects the steel removed during the sharpening process. After sharpening eight knives the filings that accumulated on the magnet were almost non-existent.
I have always been reluctant to try an electric knife sharpener on our Henkels Four Star knives. We have had the knives for over twenty five years and the only sharpening that they have ever seen has been with the Henkel's fixed wheel pull through sharpener and steel along with an occasional "tune-up" by a professional knife sharpener. After using the Chef's Choice the edges of the knives are a good as the day they were purchased.
I highly recommend this unit.
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Nothing beats a good whetstone, but you need to not only know how to use one correctly and hold your blade at a very precise angle, but you also have the time to do it right. I originally bought the (much) cheaper two-stage Chef's Choice sharpener which was great for quickly and accurately honing cheap kitchen knives. I've even used it on machettes, anything with a flat grind can be sharpened with these things...Since upgrading to high-end Shun knives, however, I was uncomfortable with the amount of metal the old one removed and the rough finish it left. After heavy daily use, a manual honing rod simply isn't always enough to keep your blades razor sharp so you'll either need a whetstone or a mechanical device. Dull knives not only work poorly, but they are dangerous to use as well. I've tried the Lansky rod system but it's very hard to hold certain knives in the clamp, which also leaves scratch marks. Not an acceptable solution for $125 plus blades. Sooo, I've upgraded to this device to supplement my whetstone.
This one costs three times as much as the two-stage model, but it works at least three times better. Gradations between the hones is excellent and the third wheel leaves a nice smooth finish. After the initial sharpening you'll probably never use the first one again on any given knife but it's nice to have available. The guides work very well too, helping you maintain a consistent, accurate grind. The down side is that you cannot sharpen hunting knives, daggers, or other blades with a diamond grind or large center spine. Anything flat-, tapered, or hollow-ground works fine. Be cautious not to remove too much material with repeated use though--the diamond hone wheels are very quick and efficient, sometimes more so than you'd expect... They seem to hold up quite well over time too.
All in all I'm glad I bought it. Still need to do things manually from time to time depending on the type of blade and how delicate I need to be, but this really is a top of the line sharpener. Recommended.
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The three stage strategy works very well. I've used many non-powered techniques over the years with mixed success. Rods, stones, gizmos... Most work fine under limited circumstances, but all fall short in either the time and effort involved or their ability to do a particular stage of the sharpening.I have a mixed bag of knives, ranging from Chef's Choice trizor and Sabatier au carbone to no-name stamped junk. Of course, this sharpener had no problem bringing them back to an extremely fine edge, but the interesting thing to me, was how differently these knives progress through the different stages of the sharpening. This may account for some of the different sounding reviews here.
The manual has good tips, read it!
I also have a knife that has primarily been used for construction tasks including sheet metal, sheet rock and digging. Needless to say, this knife was a mess. The 1st stage of the sharpener reshaped the edge in no time.
Once your knives are in good shape, it takes very little time to touch them up with the last two stages. Stage 3 is for straightening and polishing the blade, and stage 2 is a very light sharpening. Someone else here mentioned using a steel between sharpenings which is always a good idea. It's also a lot quicker/easier to pull out and put away, and for some softer knives, I think I get a somewhat sharper edge. (BTW this is an F. Dick 12" fine oval steel)
There was also a comment about not having much success with serrated knives that I have to echo. It can help true an already sharp edge but it can't sharpen a dull serrated blade.
Overall, I've had great results. Both in the quality of the edge it produces and the ease of use.
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