Knife sharpeners: what is it and how to choose?

Any items that have a cutting edge, even being made of expensive alloys, become dull over time. Because of what, it becomes difficult for such an inventory to carry out the actions for which it is intended. To fix the problem, you should purchase a special sharpener. Depending on the owner’s requirements, the type of steel from which the knife is made, different sharpeners will have to be preferred. How to choose them, the principle of operation of the tool and the rating of the best manufacturers of kitchen grinders, you will learn from our article.

A knife sharpener is a one-piece blade made of abrasive material that can grind the surface layer of soft metal. Sharpeners are presented in various variations, such as manual, mechanical, electric and so on. There is also a grindstone, which in its characteristics differs from the kitchen sharpener familiar to us all.

All types of sharpening tools one principle of use - the outer edge of the knife blade is superimposed on the abrasive side of the sharpener at an angle or flat (depending on the type of tool) and the blade is sharpened by forward / backward movements.

The abrasive coating can also be used to remove cracks, roughnesses from the surface of steel objects, smooth small curvatures of the blade, and polish the surface of the tool.If the wrong type of sharpener is chosen, or rather its coating, then the kitchen appliance may become dull during sharpening or, conversely, the surface of the sharpener itself will be damaged.

Each type of sharpener has its pros and cons. The disadvantages of electric sharpeners refers to engine braking under strong pressure of the blade of the knife on the machine, which may affect the quality of the sharpening tool. Pros - speed and ease of sharpening.

Hand sharpeners require more time and effort to sharpen the tool, which for some people can be a minus, but such a sharpener will serve faithfully for decades, and does not require electricity. The same goes for mechanically controlled grinding machines. However, its bulky size, as well as the presence of skill in working with the device, do not make this tool massively used. But these sharpeners are suitable for sharpening a variety of objects with a cutting edge: scythes, sickles, scissors and so on.

Whetstone it is convenient to use, but this item is dangerous because there is no handle or protective frame on the bar. Grinding speed is average, high quality. The whetstone has a long service life. Sharpeners with metal rings (roller) convenient in use, transportation and storage. But the quality of sharpening is almost at an average level. Such a tool is only suitable for household scissors and knives. For high-quality sharpening of a kitchen tool, it is recommended to use musat. It does not require a possession skill, is convenient to use, and allows you to achieve maximum sharpness of a kitchen knife blade, and it is also convenient to store.

Tools for sharpening can be divided into several segments according to a functional attribute.

• Standard sharpeners. Inventory of simple shape, abrasive material is placed in the body of the object at an angle from two or one side of the sharpener. These may be the following options:
  • suction-mounted bench-mounted pencil sharpener, which allows the tool not to slide off the table and frees the hand;
  • brass knuckles or pocket sharpener, which is worn on the hand;
  • roller, which is a metal ring embedded in a plastic or metal case;
  • “Fish” - the item is made in the form of a fish, where the carcass of the fish is a handle for holding the sharpener, and grinding rings or a stone are mounted in the tail of the device;
  • a round sharpener that looks like a yo-yo toy, where a sharpening blade is placed in the middle of the structure.

• Knife Lock Products. These are usually mechanical or automatic electronic sharpeners. An object with a rotary mechanism allows you to securely fix a knife or other object in the sliding holders of the grinding machine, safely sharpening the inventory. Sharpeners with an adjustable sharpening angle or with an adjustment of the degree are equipped with a special button that allows you to set the desired angle at which the abrasive material will be placed in relation to the cutting edge of the tool. This feature helps you sharpen your knives easily and quickly at home.

• Sharpeners with the free movement of the knife when fixing the grindstone or coating. These devices of a stationary type are most often used in repair shops. The table sharpener is a monolithic structure on which abrasive material is stretched in the form of a tape. Belt sharpeners are always electric. The motor spins the canvas at a given speed, the sharpening of the subject occurs in free movement.

• Tools for sharpening without fixing. These are any types of sharpeners that do not need to be placed on the surface. These include musat, folding, whetstone and others. These devices are universal in use, convenient in transportation.Implements with a freely adjustable sharpening angle have a greater advantage than sharpeners with fixed stones, but require skill.

Several varieties are distinguished depending on the mechanism of action.

• Electric sharpener. This is a bulky tool, used mainly in places of catering, in industries. The device and size of the machine allow for a short time to qualitatively sharpen a large batch of sharp tools. Today you can find models designed for home use.

• Grinder. It can be a mechanical or automatic device. The device is a footrest for overclocking a drive or a stand with a motor. A clamp, a flywheel is fixed directly to it. When the machine is connected to the mains, the motor accelerates the grinding wheel to a predetermined speed. In the mechanical type, the movement of the disc is driven by a foot mechanism. The surface of the sharpener is made of stone with diamond dusting. The kitchen tool is applied to the plane of the disc at an angle, the blade of the knife is held by hand. A few seconds will be enough to sharpen the blade.

To use the grinder, you need skill, as well as safety precautions.

• Hand sharpeners represent an abrasive block fixed on the handle or just a grinding block. The principle of their work is simple. These devices do not require specific skills from a person.

The tool is made of a metal rod with a hem and a handle. It has light weight, ease of use, compact size. Sharpening of the inventory is carried out as follows: the edge of the blade of the knife is located in relation to the sharpener rod at an angle of about 30 degrees, progressive grinding of the working surface of the knife occurs. The main thing is that the movements should be in one direction, for example, the hand moves only forward. Turning is done from two sides.

The whetstone is a simple whetstone with abrasive spraying in the form of diamond chips or silicon. Before use, it must be wet, like a knife. The tool is applied to the bar at an angle, then the edge is turned. Eight movements are enough on one side. To sharpen a knife properly, skill and skill are required.

Consider the types of spraying used for grinding tools, as well as the granularity of the abrasive.

This abrasive is used for processing blunt knives. Strong impact can give the instrument its former sharpness, remove jaggedness, chips.

Sharpeners with coarse-grained abrasive are available in the form of manual, electrical and mechanical devices.

Most often, this option is made of diamond, silicon chips. It is considered the most versatile coating. The device with a medium-grained abrasive copes with the removal of small irregularities on the cutting edge, while giving the blade sufficient sharpness. Diamond spraying is not able to spoil the aesthetic appearance of the inventory.

Fine-grained abrasive is not suitable for home use. Sharpeners with this abrasive are used for grinding and polishing the working tool, sharpening manicure accessories. Fine-grained abrasive is available as an additional nozzle for sharpener. Soft-coated bars can be used to sharpen ceramic tools, but the quality of sharpening will be average. For better sharpening, it is better to use diamond-sharpened sharpeners.

The choice of sharpener depends on the following factors:

• where the sharpener will be used;
• type of tool to be sharpened;
• the skill of owning a grinding device.

Musat allows the kitchen knife to stay sharp longer and extends the life of the inventory. If the cutting edge is slightly dull, then the musat can be used. In other cases, sharpeners with the right abrasive material are used. As a rule, musat is widely used by chefs.

If the tool will be sharpened only at home, then you can buy the simplest and most versatile sharpeners, for example, products with metal discs or with a coarse-grained coating. Such an inventory costs about 400 rubles. Items with natural or synthetic stone (electrical, mechanical, manual types) will cost an average of 1,500 rubles.

All products intended for polishing knives, or sharpeners of complex design with a wide profile of work will cost about 5-10 thousand rubles. Professional tools, grinding stations with high-quality abrasives are the most expensive. The market price starts at 10 thousand rubles.

The table shows the top best foreign products.

The table below contains an overview of Russian devices.

Japanese technique best suited for Asian-style knives - they usually have a thicker alloy, the cutting edge is wider, and a certain degree is required for sharpening, so that evenly placed metal disks in the grinding device will not work. The same goes for Chinese products. These products are distinguished by affordable price and quality coating.

Swiss devices are easy to use, durable, high-quality abrasive materials. Particularly popular are Victorinox products. American brand Chef's Choice sharpeners are versatile. Each machine is equipped with three grinding holes, which differ in sharpening angle, abrasive coating. That is, using only one device, you can tidy up knives made of different materials, for example, steel, ceramics, as well as polish them and carry out fine-tuning.

Among Russian devices, one can distinguish ordinary grinding diamond blocks. Products are delivered in covers, the price of the device ranges from 450-750 rubles. Each bar is accompanied by instructions for use. The base of the product is made of aluminum. The material consumption is minimal.The owners note the ease of use of the sharpener, the ability to edit and sharpen kitchen and hunting knives, dangerous razors. They do not scratch the surface of the instrument.

Manual sharpeners of roller type are of average popularity due to the quality of knife sharpening. These devices do not work with damask, high carbon and forged steel. They are able to leave damage on the metal or, conversely, make the blade of the knife more blunt.

On the advice of the manufacturer, the knives should be held with your hand on the edge, with the blade facing you. The material from which the sharpener is made quickly deforms, the quality of sharpening the cutting edge is low. The product quickly becomes unusable.

Sharpeners of Japanese manufacturers are noted with positive reviews. With these devices scissors, knives can be put in order, and they are also suitable for serrated blades. Company product Samurai shark made of high quality plastic, abrasive material - tungsten carbide. The device is convenient to use, the speed of sharpening is fast, the quality is high, the tool does not require a lot of storage space.

In the next review, you will get acquainted with some types of pocket knife sharpeners and identified features that can lead to very negative consequences.