After sharing my favorite chef’s knives, as well as proper knife care, I’ve had a few readers ask about which knife sharpener I recommend.
We love product testing at Chris Loves Julia, so let’s try out some of the most popular knife blades on Amazon and put them to the test to see which one we like best. Note: Although I have tested sharpness to some extent, this test is not highly scientific. It’s meant to show who I like to work with the most.
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Hot Tip: You don’t have to love sharpening knives as much as I do to love the results. Whether you sharpen them yourself or take them to a professional knife sharpener, it’s a critical task that actually makes the blade safer – the sharper the blade, the less pressure you have to apply, the more control you have over the knife.
For this test, I took some of the knife blades with the most rounded edges, sharpened them with each tool for about a minute, and tested the knife cutting through a piece of paper.
I cook almost every day for my family of five, and my knives dull quickly. I included one that is my go-to tool, but I knew it wasn’t the most suitable option for most. It looks cool. It is very effective. But you have to get the technique right. So let’s start with that.
Avoid a combination of cutlery
Avoid a combination of cutlery
A whetstone is quite popular and a classic that many chefs use. It is compressed sandstone. Soak it in water and start with the lower grit to shave the blade, then smooth it down with the higher grit side. I start with three passes in both directions over the wet rock. If it gets dry, I simply add more water. But you build up sand and mud on the stone itself and that’s what creates your edge and throws off any metal bits that might not be in line with the blade itself. Then I switch to one aisle in both directions.
What I liked about this one is that it’s honestly fun. It’s a little primal, very analog. The difficulty is getting your angle right on the blade: it can be difficult to be consistent with the angle you’re holding it on every pass. A whetstone works very well, but is slower to sharpen. One minute of sharpening was not good enough to cut paper cleanly.
I give this blade for knives a 6 out of 10.
Smith’s CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener
Smith sharpening knives in 2 steps
This knife sharpener has had many good reviews. The blade has a rough side and a fine side. It’s very compact, but doesn’t give you much control. I don’t like this type, but I went in with an open mind. And? It is OK. It is very cheap and easy to use. Make sure you use it on the edge of a table or work surface so your hand can rest at an angle when sharpening.
It’s fine on the knife; I think if I spent a little more time on it, it might be more successful in cutting the paper cleanly. However, it is not satisfactory to use it. But if it sharpens, it sharpens.
I give this knife sharpener a 5 out of 10.
AccuSharp 001C Knife sharpener
AccuSharp Knife sharpener
This one has so many high reviews. It works by just sliding the knife through the sharpener in the same direction. But it makes me so nervous to have my hand so close to the blade. Shall I open my finger? The sound effects on this one are also annoying. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.
What do I like about this one? Not much. The paper crumpled under my knife. I see it’s sharpened I can put it through the dishwasher, that’s it.
I will give this knife sharpener a 2 out of 10.
Work Sharp Professional Electric Culinary E5 sharpener for kitchen knives
Work Sharp electric sharpener for culinary knives
This is an electric sharpener that has two flexible sharpening belts on both sides: one with a coarser abrasive and one with a finer abrasive. It has a built-in vacuum cleaner to prevent knife dust from settling on your counters.
Sharpen the knife by gently moving the blade back and forth in several passes. Don’t forget to sharpen your knife after sharpening it to really ground the edges.
This is nice. I like how it works, and it did a pretty good job cutting the paper. It’s really easy to use. There are clear guides. But I don’t like that it’s electric. The sandpaper belt will eventually break and you will need to replace it.
I give this knife sharpener a 7 out of 10.
Homly professional electric knife sharpener
Homly electric knife sharpener
My hopes were high with this one. It has three sections with two levels of abrasion and one section that is polished. Like the rear sharpener, turn it on and then make several passes with the knife through each side and level of abrasion.
After testing it, I raved about this one. I felt like it was completely destroying my knife in the process. But it actually sharpened very well in a short time. Just for the fact that it works so well on paper, I have to give it a high rating. But I don’t like to use it.
I give this knife sharpener an 8 out of 10.
Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Tool for sharpening knives
Work Sharp Precision Adjust Tool for sharpening knives
This one has a complicated setup: it works by swiping a sharpening tool over a pendulum over a stationary blade that the tool holds. You can adjust the fineness of the grain of the handle you are using.
My opinion? I like it this way. It’s fun and it gets edgy. The downside is that it is big and has a lot of pieces. It is definitely an investment in storage space in your house. But I can hear the knife getting sharper – it sounds less shrill the more I move the sharpener. Once you get into the groove, it’s very cathartic. He cut the paper pretty neatly.
I will give this knife sharpener an 8 out of 10.
Work Sharp Rolling Knife sharpener
Work Sharp Rolling Knife sharpener
If you’ve been following me on the stories, you’ve probably seen me using (and loving) this rolling sharpener over the past few months. However, I found this one with a few extra tidbits that I wanted to include in the test. This sharpener works by holding one side of the knife stationary with a powerful magnet while you move the sharpening roller back and forth across a flat surface across the other side of the knife.
What I like about this one is that it doesn’t require any power. The block comes with four different angles for different knives – each manufacturer has its own angle. I like the different graining tips of the discs in increasing the level of abrasion. It’s effective, really fun to use, and not as expensive as some on the list. He made a clean cut through the paper after only a minute.
This blade for knives it gets 9 out of 10.
Overall winner
So what’s the verdict in general? There are many options with knife blades. My top electric pick was the Homly Professional Electric Knife Sharpener. It’s quite accessible, but it’s hard to tell what’s going on with the knife because it only makes one sound. However, I prefer non-electric blades, because I like to know what is happening to the knife: you can hear it getting sharper. My top pick is the Work Sharp Rolling Knife Shapener. It’s handy, it’s small and it stores really well.
