Knife sharpening

[RizzoTheRat]

To save hijacking the knives thread...

Any recommendations for sharpeners?

I currently have one of these which does an ok job, but I still have a couple of knives that I never manage to get properly sharp.

[shirt]

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

i found a company that caters to trade. 3quid per blade and 6 for an edge repair. also means being without any knives for 24hrs so i spend more than the sharpening cost on takeaway

[NDA]

I bought one of these recently:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CNTJK8HB/ref...

Seems to get my knives razor sharp. I believe it's a copy of a more famous and considerably more expensive design.

[Deckert]

I recommend the Catrahone diamond sharpener, had mine for a few years and it gives amazing results
https://www.catra.org/sharpening-products/catrahon...

[21TonyK]

What sort of knives are you sharpening, ie. a specific manufacturer?

Also, have a look at the link Shirt provided.

Lots of options, budget?

[RizzoTheRat]

A set of Sabatier knives and a few random extras, not high end but not cheap crap either. They live in a wooden block or on a magnetic rack so shouldn't be getting blunted by contact with other stuff.

Lots to work through on that threat Shirt linked to, including a video on why the sharpener I have now is crap.

Interested to know how different the roller NDA linked to is from the £150 Horl ones.

[NDA]

RizzoTheRat said:

Interested to know how different the roller NDA linked to is from the £150 Horl ones.

I have used both - the £150 one briefly at a friends house, which prompted me to try the cheapie one.

I suspect the £25 won't last as long as the one that's six times more expensive. But it seems equally well made and the results seem pretty much the same.

I've always struggled to get a sharp edge, the roller method is easy.

[21TonyK]

Given the cost of the roller clones I'd be tempted to give one a go. Kinder to your knives than any pull through sharpener and generally they seem to do a reasonable job with minimum effort. Use on the 20'ish degree setting and all should be good.

[RizzoTheRat]

21TonyK said:

Given the cost of the roller clones I'd be tempted to give one a go.

That's what I'm thinking too

NDA said:

But it seems equally well made and the results seem pretty much the same.

It's done a decent job then? I was a bit worried the cheaper ones might have crap magnets or the grinding plates not be flat or something silly.

Amazon reviews seem to be a bit mixed though, presumably there are lots of different unbranded ones and the quality varies

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 3rd May 10:15

[NDA]

RizzoTheRat said:

It's done a decent job then? I was a bit worried the cheaper ones might have crap magnets or the grinding plates not be flat or something silly.

Amazon reviews seem to be a bit mixed though, presumably there are lots of different unbranded ones and the quality varies

The one I linked to is the one I bought.

Yes, a decent job - great magnets and the grinding plates are perfectly flat. The rollers and bearings seem 100% fine too - I can't tell too much difference from the branded one - other than the packaging and no wooden storage thing.

I suspect the grinding material on the plates is not quite as good as the £150 jobbie, but they do the job fine for my 4 knives in the block, large or small.

[.:ian:.]

Better to purchase from aliexpress than amazon, as long as its "choice" shipping, free 7 -10 day delivery.

The basic ones are about £16 ex vat and ones with 6 grades are £35 or so.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006455860688.h...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006850539894.h...

Actually there seems to be little choice now on amazon, I wonder if Horl are getting them taken down...

[dickymint]

Take a look in here......................


https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...



and bin that thing you're using

[andyA700]

Am I the only one who still uses a steel and finds it perfectly adequate?

[dickymint]

andyA700 said:

Am I the only one who still uses a steel and finds it perfectly adequate?

Whatever works for you is great. Some of us treat it like a hobby and are obsessed with 'sharp' to a high degree. It's a rabbit hole best avoided.....if you can

Out of interest do you use a sharpening steel or a honing steel? I've never owned either.

[andyA700]

dickymint said:

andyA700 said:

Am I the only one who still uses a steel and finds it perfectly adequate?

Whatever works for you is great. Some of us treat it like a hobby and are obsessed with 'sharp' to a high degree. It's a rabbit hole best avoided.....if you can

Out of interest do you use a sharpening steel or a honing steel? I've never owned either.

No idea what type it is, just know that it puts a nice edge on the knives. I probably bought it around 20 years ago in TKMax.

[dickymint]

andyA700 said:

dickymint said:

andyA700 said:

Am I the only one who still uses a steel and finds it perfectly adequate?

Whatever works for you is great. Some of us treat it like a hobby and are obsessed with 'sharp' to a high degree. It's a rabbit hole best avoided.....if you can

Out of interest do you use a sharpening steel or a honing steel? I've never owned either.

No idea what type it is, just know that it puts a nice edge on the knives. I probably bought it around 20 years ago in TKMax.

[sean ie3]

I've a 8 inch chef's knife used in a commercial kitchen for 6 months, tomatoes are still afraid of it. TK MAXX.

[21TonyK]

Like most things. If you have a reasonable knife (or knives) its worth spending a bit of money making sure you have suitable kit to maintain it. if you are not minded to fiddle around with stones then the roller type sharpeners seem to be popular.

However, its also important to remember theres a balance between sharpness and functionality and practicality.

Once sharp a decent quality fine steel (not diamond) will keep the edge in order.

Edited by 21TonyK on Monday 6th May 20:14

[dickymint]

21TonyK said:

Like most things. If you have a reasonable knife (or knives) its worth spending a bit of money making sure you have suitable kit to maintain it. if you are not minded to fiddle around with stones then the roller type sharpeners seem to be popular.

However, its also important to remember theres a balance between sharpness and functionality and practicality.

Once sharp a decent quality fine steel (not diamond) will keep the edge in order.

Edited by 21TonyK on Monday 6th May 20:14

Great post - and may I expand a little for others: all knives ought to be sharp (except maybe butter knives ) functionality and practicality is more to do with the angle of grind. A non diamond 'old school' steel will not sharpen a knife, because they do not cut but will correct any 'curling' of the edge. All knives will eventually need to be sharpened.

[21TonyK]

dickymint said:

21TonyK said:

Like most things. If you have a reasonable knife (or knives) its worth spending a bit of money making sure you have suitable kit to maintain it. if you are not minded to fiddle around with stones then the roller type sharpeners seem to be popular.

However, its also important to remember theres a balance between sharpness and functionality and practicality.

Once sharp a decent quality fine steel (not diamond) will keep the edge in order.

Edited by 21TonyK on Monday 6th May 20:14

Great post - and may I expand a little for others: all knives ought to be sharp (except maybe butter knives ) functionality and practicality is more to do with the angle of grind. A non diamond 'old school' steel will not sharpen a knife, because they do not cut but will correct any 'curling' of the edge. All knives will eventually need to be sharpened.

Completely. Silly acute angles under 10 degrees are lovely until they chip and polished finishes are detrimental to the effectiveness of a kitchen knife on soft fruits and veg. You're not push carving hardwoods across the grain.