How to choose a sharpener for kitchen knives. What is the best knife sharpener, and from what materials? How to choose the right tool sharpening angle

Every person who loves to cook knows how important it is for a kitchen knife to be well sharpened. Only sharp knife You can cut a variety of foods beautifully and thinly. With a dull knife, it will not be possible to achieve high-quality cutting. And the pleasure from the process of preparing a culinary masterpiece will be hopelessly spoiled.

It follows from this that the process of sharpening a kitchen knife must be approached with special attention. It includes several main stages. By the way, what kind of sharpening should be directly depends on the material from which the knife is made, how many cutting edges it has, and how it is used in the cooking process. As a rule, knives are sharpened various materials, and, therefore, this requires certain skills. So, the sharpening process can be of different types:

1. The actual process of sharpening the blade of a kitchen knife when it reaches the desired degree of sharpness. It should be borne in mind that a knife that is used for cutting rough materials or fabrics can simply be sharpened and that’s it. All defects in the form of scratches and the like will only enhance the “sawing” properties of the kitchen knife. However, its sharpness will not last long, so you should consider purchasing a sharpener that can withstand frequent use.
2. Editing process. Editing is needed when “waves” form on the edges of the knife blade. In other words, the edges of the blade can be wrapped either in one direction or in different directions. In this case, edge alignment is even more important than sharpening. After this, light sanding is required.
3. Resharpening process. It becomes necessary when there are chips, breaks and other defects on the blade. Resharpening is also needed in cases where the user wants to change the sharpening angle of the blade.
4. Finishing process. Finishing includes grinding, with which you can completely eliminate minor deformations and simply polish the blade. A knife that has been fine-tuned retains its cutting ability longer. Moreover, it is considered safer.

Here's what you need to know about the process of sharpening kitchen knives. This knowledge will allow you to achieve maximum blade sharpness.

So, everything is very clear with the sharpening process. Now let's look in more detail at what tools you can use to sharpen a kitchen knife. In other words, we will talk about the types of sharpeners.

So, there are different types of knife sharpeners. Starting from the most primitive to the most advanced models, which allow you to achieve maximum blade sharpness with minimal effort.

All sharpeners for kitchen knives are divided into the following types:

1. The simplest type of sharpeners are keychain sharpeners, which are mobile devices. There are such sharpeners different forms, colors and sizes. This sharpener is convenient to have with you, especially when hiking or fishing. She's different original design. Such a sharpener can look like a standard pocket keychain, or it can even be made in the shape of a bank card.
2. Folding balisong sharpeners get their name from the region where they were first created - the Balisong region in the province of Batangas in the Philippines. By the way, the first folding knives were invented here and, based on their type, folding sharpeners were created, which can be rectangular, in the form of a rod or an awl. This sharpener can be used to sharpen any blade. This type of sharpener is also convenient to use in hiking conditions, when traveling and fishing, as it is compact in size and gives a fairly high-quality result, restoring the sharpness of a kitchen knife.
3. The most primitive and simple device used for sharpening knives is a whetstone. In most cases, it takes the form of a bar, cylinder, disk or rod. The shape depends on the imagination of the manufacturer. In some cases, the whetstone may have a handle, backing, and body made of wood or plastic. There are double-sided sharpening stones that have different abrasives. In general, such a sharpener is also considered mobile, compact and unpretentious. It will allow you to cope with even a very dull knife in any conditions.
4. There are also mechanical sharpeners. Usually they are stationary and have quite large capabilities. Using such a sharpener, you can set the required sharpening angle, install a suitable abrasive material, and so on. Mechanical sharpeners are classified as professional devices that require certain skills and experience. In general, it is universal and quite convenient to use, but in order to use it correctly you will need to learn.
5. The most modern are electric sharpeners, the design of which can be either bulky or quite compact and neat. Typically, such devices are used in establishments catering, where knives must always be sharp.

However, this does not mean at all that electric sharpeners are not used by ordinary housewives in the kitchen, and we will talk about them in more detail.

What is an electric sharpener?

This device usually has several grooves or recesses. It is through them that you will need to pass the knife blade several times. Inside the groove there are special disks that have different coating. When the discs rotate, the process of sharpening the blade occurs. To sharpen a kitchen knife efficiently, it will be enough to swipe the blade two to three times.

In general, there is nothing supernatural about this device. It operates from a 220 Watt network, and it would be much more accurate to call it a sharpening station, which is equipped with an electric drive. To make the sharpener work, you just need to plug it in and run the knife blade along the grooves several times.

Electric sharpeners have a function that allows you to select the sharpening angle according to the type of blade surface. In this case, as a rule, a system of polymer or magnetic guides is meant, which allows you to maintain the desired angle while sharpening a kitchen knife. Naturally, this allows you to expand the list of knives that can be sharpened using an electric sharpener. The device can also be equipped with special slots that allow you to sharpen the edge of the blade on one side. It is worth noting that this unit costs a lot, but high price completely justifies itself. Especially when you consider that the device not only allows you to quickly sharpen a kitchen knife, but is also safe, versatile and convenient.

In general, an electric knife sharpener is a portable device that has a compact size and runs on mains power. Its body is usually made of high-quality plastic, which is equipped with a special tray. The chips that are formed during the process of sharpening knives will fall into it. It is worth adding that metal electric sharpeners can also be found on sale.

With an electric sharpener, you can sharpen your knife in just a few minutes. The range of these devices is quite huge. They come in very small ones that are intended for home use. There are also professional devices on sale that allow you to sharpen several knives at once. They usually have several holes that are designed for blades different types. It is worth adding that with the help of such a sharpener you can also sharpen scissors and even screwdrivers.

The equipment of an electric sharpener may vary. For example, the device may be designed not only for sharpening a dull blade, but also for polishing it. Not many people know that regular polishing will keep the knife blade in working condition without resorting to the sharpening process.

An electric sharpener will not take up much space in the kitchen, even if the room is small. The presence of this small unit will get rid of the problem of dull knives, and kitchen knives become dull very often - this is a fact proven by many housewives.

And that’s why it’s worth understanding in more detail what you need to pay attention to when choosing this device.

What to consider during the selection process

The main advantage of electric sharpeners is that even women can use them, since the sharpening process itself does not require significant effort. However, when choosing this device, you should consider the following nuances:

1. Manufacturing company. This is important, since sharpeners differ from well-known brands. high quality and long service life. In addition, a trusted brand also provides a guarantee on the product.
2. Unit power. Yes, electric sharpeners come in different capacities. Low-power, low-cost models are suitable for domestic use. For use in a professional kitchen, you should choose a more powerful sharpening. Naturally, its cost will be much higher. It should be taken into account that the processing speed of the blade depends on the power.
3. Functionality. In this case, the number of grooves for sharpening is implied. Budget models usually have only one groove. More expensive ones may have two grooves or more. The most simple devices are intended only for sharpening a universal type knife. Others may additionally have slots for straightening and polishing the blade and more.
4. The material from which the body is made. This factor also matters when choosing an electric sharpener. It is usually made of plastic, but there are also metal models. They are more durable. The metal electric sharpener will not break if dropped or hit.

Taking into account all these nuances, you can choose a quality electric sharpener for kitchen knives that will last a long time.

In conclusion

It is worth adding that electric sharpeners are not at all suitable for sharpening knives that are made of ceramics. Or rather, you can use them for ceramic knives. However, you should not think that an electric sharpener will return the edges of a ceramic knife to their former sharpness, but at the same time it can even out chips.

Overall, an electric sharpener is a useful device to use in the kitchen, since a kitchen knife is used for cooking more often than any other item. Therefore, it quickly loses its sharpness. It follows from this that you will have to sharpen the blade often, which means that the need to purchase an electric sharpener is completely justified.

Video. How to choose an electric knife sharpener

You might be holding a piece of rough metal or a brand new Swiss Army knife, a piece of rusty WWI hardware, or a new item from Cold Steel. Whatever you use in everyday life, whatever knives you have to deal with - sooner or later you will be faced with the question of. And if at first you can get by with standard stones, over time, you will somehow want more (such is human nature). The outlines of an ideal cutting edge will flash before your eyes, and pieces of videos where knives whistle as they shave the hair on your arm and cut paper in midair. And then you will ask yourself a complex, important and practically unsolvable question, which we will try to answer in today’s material: “ How to choose a knife sharpener?»

The question of quantity and existential ways to solve it

I have a lot of knives. I have already removed most of them out of sight, but this does not change the fact that I sharpened each of them more than once. And, of course, I strived for perfection every time. And since I have a lot of knives for various purposes, they are all in different conditions and need different types edits and sharpening. I believe that whetstones and sharpeners also long to be several. However, not everyone feels this need at first. I want to buy one universal block, who at least bring the katana to a razor sharpness. Over time this will pass. But for now, we will compile our guide based on who you are regarding knives at the moment, and what your need for knife sharpener.

Beginning

On initial stage Standard abrasive or ceramic stones (‘boats’), which everyone saw in childhood, if not used themselves, will be quite enough. It is impossible to sharpen a knife into a razor with them, but this is how one acquires the skill of sharpening, which most people who deal with knife sharpeners for the first time, of course, no. You can choose boats based on their grain size. The smaller it is, the finer the grains and the more filigree sharpening is available to you on this whetstone. On the other hand, such a ‘boat’ will remove less metal, therefore, if the cutting edge needs to be sharpened completely, it will take much longer than with large-grained bars.

Abrasive and ceramic ‘boats’ are easy to handle working knives, scythes, axes, and machetes. Suitable for initial processing and restoration procedures when working with heavily damaged/dull blades of folding and higher quality knives.

Due to low quality (in the vast majority of cases) and manufacturing features (consists of small grains that produce sharpening, and an abrasive filling in which these grains are ‘scattered’) abrasive and ceramic bars quickly become unusable, which, in principle, is compensated by their extremely low cost and availability.

Experienced

So, you already know how to handle and have basic sharpening skills. From here it would be possible to jump straight to the next level (not without some bumps and mistakes made, but still), but our guide is moving progressively. The next level is inexpensive (relative to other sharpeners) and expensive (relative to tools at the previous level) sharpeners and stones.

Almost all Lansky products belong to the class of budget sharpeners. And since Lansky (and some other companies whose names we often don't know) are doing a lot of really cool stuff, it's worth breaking them down sharpeners into several categories.

Pocket (EDC) sharpeners

Small sharpeners, often folding, which most often allow you to set a strictly defined sharpening angle, easily straighten the blade and even make it sharp. He is already close to cutting through paper, cutting - not sawing - food and cardboard. It is convenient to carry such sharpeners with you in your bag or equipment pockets in case the cutting edge is accidentally damaged, or you have to do a fair amount of work with the knife (you never know...). There are also high-quality Lansky diamond stones in a leather case, which are also convenient for editing basically any knives: from harsh Finnish knives and bayonet knives to neat folding Japanese ones.

Sharpeners for shelter (at home)

Sharpeners, specially adapted for comfortable and accurate work to bring the cutting edge into excellent condition. Often designed to be attached to a table, they often come with several bars of different grain sizes, both ceramic and diamond (professional sets also include sapphire, Arkansas, etc.). The bar mount can be made of either plastic (and screwed to the table using fasteners (Lansky Professional, Lansky Diamond)) or wood (and not be attached to the table surface (Lansky Four Rod). The latter can be easily carried with you and, on occasion, sharpen knives at a party, at work, in a cafe, or in some other less suitable place for this activity.

Diamond stones

Metal bars with diamond coating - the juice second level sharpener. They are reliable, durable, allow you to bring the knife into more than satisfactory condition (if you have the necessary skills, of course) and at the same time are easy to use. Due to the properties of diamond, they can be very light and compact: sometimes they consist of a thin diamond-filled steel strip attached to plastic holder. Depending on the grain size, they are able to work on knives with different levels damage, but invariably successfully and efficiently. Diamond coating, due to its properties, will last a long time. How much depends on the frequency of use.

Experienced

This is a ‘clinic’, what else can I say. For you, a knife either cuts like a razor, or it’s not a knife at all (and it shouldn’t cut. Never. Until it starts cutting like a razor). Either he shaves his hair and cuts the paper right away, or it’s better not to catch his eye at all. AND bars you need the corresponding ones. But seriously... For those who already have enough practice and experience, who have already tried more budget options, or simply wanted the extreme and complexity of the process to go off scale. Well, this is probably how a true master is born...

Natural stones. Arkansas

The concentration of SiO2 in this stone is greater than in rock crystal (more than 99%), and thanks to its unique structure, it is excellent sharpens knives. Arkansas isn't cheap and wears out quickly, but it's worth it. If you plan to sharpen only on it, buy three whetstones (soft, medium, hard) with different hardnesses (the higher the hardness, the less metal the sharpener removes, the less grain there is in it and the longer it will last). This will allow you to sharpen the blade more efficiently and, at the same time, preserve work surface bar for a longer time. Before work, such bars must be moistened with special oil to avoid clogging the pores with pieces of ground steel, and after work they must be washed thoroughly hot water, soap, clean with a hard brush. The process is complex, labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive, but that’s why you fall into the “experienced” category. Nobody promised that it would be easy.

Japanese water stones

It seems to me that you can pray based on the name. The stones themselves will definitely become an object of worship when they appear. Learning how to sharpen them is, in principle, not difficult. To do this, it is advisable to have basic skills handling sharpeners and, just as important, to properly care for the stones. This, in principle, is the main difficulty. Stones must be kept in water before and after work (but not for too long), they must not be left in the sun or dried artificially, they must not be exposed to high and low temperatures, need to be stored separately and prepared for work using a special stone to create a suspension on the surface of the bar.

Choosing Japanese water stones may not seem easy. But our guide will help you here too. Stones for you: ... - and then the grain size you need:

• For final finishing and maintaining high sharpness of already sharp blades: 5000-8000 (several bars). They practically do not remove the steel from the cutting edge; they sharpen the knife ‘into a mirror’
• For editing, bringing to a sharp state: 1000, 3000, 6000. The first one will be somewhat difficult to cut. The second one is the most basic, and it’s worth starting your collection with. Well, if it ‘goes’ to 3000, sooner or later, you will somehow come to 6000 - it’s just for finishing, polishing, for sharpening, after which they cut the silk threads on the fly and shave... everything...
• For sharpening, working with damaged/dull blades: starting from 120-600. A serious set of stones for all types of work.

The grain size of the stones in the set should not vary greatly (the difference should be in the region of two times superiority of one over the other, i.e. 600-1200-2200-4000).

In general, Japanese water stones are an amazing choice for everyone who wants and can sharply sharpen your knives.

You can love knives and piercing and cutting to the point of insanity. You can praise them, worship them, buy them and choose the best ones ad infinitum. But it is impossible to achieve harmony without knowing how to sharpen them. IN correct sharpening- the soul of the knife, the key to its functionality, long service life and safety in use. Sharpening knives is something worth paying attention to, something worth struggling with, and something really worth learning.

Sharp blades to everyone.

Before you start choosing a sharpener, you need to determine the following points:

1. Blade type of your knife(s)

Knives with straight blade and double-sided sharpening can be sharpened on most types of sharpening tools.

Single-sided knives require special equipment - suitable, , or for Asian knives.

Serrated knives (with a file) sharpened or with triangular sharpening elements. The editing of such knives can be carried out in a special groove of some models . The editing of such knives can be carried out in a special groove or at the polishing stage (with ceramic discs) of some models.

Knives with a wavy edge on one side only , are sharpened with small ones, suitable in diameter to the notches on the blade. Working hooks are sharpened on diamond or ceramic blades.

Fishing hooks, needles, arrows are sharpened manual sharpeners with a special recess for pulling the tool through.

2. Sharpener type

Determines the level of sharpening. It is necessary to pay attention to the following characteristics of sharpening tools:

• Device size
• Your skill level
• Portability of the device
• Purpose

Some universal sharpeners can sharpen almost all types of knives and tools, while others are designed only for specific purposes.

For example, you can sharpen a variety of knives and tools. However, you will not be able to sharpen bread knives or scissors. Conversely, notches will do an excellent job of sharpening serrated knives, but will not be suitable for working with tools.

A preset sharpening angle will help a beginner to “not overwhelm” the knife, while an experienced sharpener will be able to set any angle to the cutting edge of his knife on a stone. So, analyze all types of sharpeners and choose the one that suits your experience and goals.

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• Sharpeners with a fixed sharpening angle.
• Suitable for quickly sharpening your regular set of knives with a minimum of effort and skill.

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• Suitable for those who don't mind spending more time and effort, but want to achieve a perfect cutting edge. Requires a certain skill or, at a minimum, additional. devices: sharpening angle holder.

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• Ideal for everyday easy and quick sharpening of knives. Not suitable for sharpening very dull knives.

:

• Allows you to set any sharpening angle for a knife or tool, but is somewhat difficult to install.

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• Ideal for sharpening heavily damaged knives or very hard steel knives. An excellent option if you need to sharpen a large number of knives.

3. Abrasives

There are four main types of abrasives : Arkansas stones, carbides, ceramics and diamond.

Each group has its own unique characteristics and capabilities. It doesn't matter which abrasive you choose, each of them gives a good result.

The choice comes down primarily to how quickly and in what volume you want to remove metal from the cutting edge.

Diamonds:

• Diamonds- the most solid, known to man, therefore, sharpeners with abrasives made from diamond chips are the fastest, most wear-resistant and very effective. They are quite aggressive and quickly remove metal from the cutting edge.

Carbides:

• A very aggressive material that quickly removes metal from the blade, ideal for restoring a cutting edge in 3-4 pulls.

Ceramics:

• Deletes minimum quantity metal Excellent for finishing and polishing phases.

Arkansas stones:

• Natural stone, mined in Arkansas (USA), removes a minimal amount of metal. On such stones, knives are polished, bringing the cutting edge to a mirror-like surface and razor sharpness.

We advise you to actively consult with sellers for correct selection sharpening device, because the quality and life expectancy of your knives depends on it.

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