Edgecraft Chef’sChoice Electric Knife Sharpener Price: $99.99 Shipping Options:: $5 Standard (Free with Prime) OR $10 Two-Day OR $20 One-Day Shipping Estimates: Ships in 1-2 business days (Friday, May 18 to Monday, May 21) + transit Condition: New
This is an excellent knife sharpener and I’ve owned one for years. You should know, however, that this particular model sharpens blades to a 15-degree bevel which is common on high-quality Japanese and German cutlery. More common brand name knives are typically sharpened to a 22-degree bevel.
What this means is that if you are purchasing this sharpener for your ordinary KithenAid or Cuisinart kitchen knives you will first have to spend some time resetting the edge to 15 degrees (the first slots on the left) before you can hone to a fine cutting edge with the middle and right end slots. This will take more time than you may expect - and I suggest that you practice on a cheap knife first because despite the glowing reviews you still do need a bit of technique (although not nearly as much as any other sharpener).
Reading the reviews can also be misleading when people claim that it takes “20 pulls” or “only 5 pulls” thru any of the slots. Don’t get hung up on the number of pulls or passes - it will take what it takes.
It should, but even a company like Wusthof sells a broad range of quality from inexpensive to downright outrageous. That being said, even a cheap kitchen knife could benefit from the more acute bevel angle provided it is applied well (which this sharpener is more than capable of doing).
Knives with softer steel will lose their edge faster, but will take an edge quicker. A very hard stainless will keep an edge longer but need more time and effort to (re)establish it. Regardless of the knife, however, you should still learn to properly use the honing rod that comes with most sets to touch-up the edge right before you use it.