Thanks, that was fun and informative.
There are at least 2 very highly rated sharpeners on amazon for less money
Edgeware Edge Grip 2 Stage Knife Sharpener - same maker - only $10
Smith Abrasives CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener - over 4 stars and only $6
[QUOTE=fighterflight, post:20, topic:344344]
@tasoli The Alton video was informative but he didn’t actually elaborate on why sharpening is “best left to professionals.” Anyone know? Seems pertinent to the product being discussed here.
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Because it’s very easy to destroy a blade if you don’t know what you are doing. Destroy as in take too much off the blade, scratch the crap out of it, never get it sharp etc.
Isn’t this the same sharpener that was on the woot-off yesterday for 1/3rd this price (or less)? It was gone quick and I didn’t get in in time. If so that’s some pretty steep inflation.
The cheaper the sharpener, the less confident I would be that it isn’t destroying my blades.
I might trust this to keep the edge if you use it every other month or so, but if you’ve gone years without a resharpening, I think it would be better off with a professional sharpening first.
Would this be fine for people who have a crap knife set from Target? My knives aren’t worth professionally sharpening and I have no interest in learning to delicately drag them upon a whetstone.
[QUOTE=boingo82, post:27, topic:344344]
Would this be fine for people who have a crap knife set from Target? My knives aren’t worth professionally sharpening and I have no interest in learning to delicately drag them upon a whetstone.
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Yes.
Maybe I should get 3…one for each of the Kershaw knives I Wooted earlier this week. LOL
Ditto boingo’s question. [Edit: Answered while I was typing and thanks!]
My parents bought a 9-piece Wolfgang Puck block set that has served me very well for the last ten years or so. I’ve never honed (or sharpened) the blades because, until I turned 30, it frankly never occurred to me to do so. (I change my oil regularly; I swear I’m not a complete rube.)
At this point, is it best just to buy another set and start treating it better? I do have one of those honing/steel/rotisserie-looking things, but – outside of a few YouTube videos – no idea if I’m even using it correctly. =D
Because of the beveled edges on the sides–those little indentation things. It can’t get sharpened the same way as a flat chef knife.
Wow, woot! Where did you find someone with such perfect hands to model this fine piece of machinery?
The question is…should i trust a $15 knife sharpener on my $300 knife?
So this will polish my Katana ok right?
It boggles my mind that folks with expensive tastes and over priced knives are even bothering to comment on this item. Wow, the stupidity.
will it sharpen scissors?
A tricky thing about these sharpners with guards are that if your knife has a thick bolster (the part that sits between your handle and the heel of your blade), then you can’t sharpen the heel portion of your knife.
In my experience, many chef or santoku are ok. But you probably will have hard time with many fillet/boning, pairing, petty knives. Also, thick knives may not fit. So camping/utility knives are often a no go. Something to think about before your purchase.
I’d use it if I was giving old and not very good kitchen knives to someone. I use Norton 1000, 4000, and if I have time to waste 8000 grit stones for sharpening. But I don’t really need to sharpen too often either.
If you use something like that strop it good afterwards. You can use old jeans for that pulling the blade towards the spine without pushing the knife down into the denim. Leather works better but more people have old blue jeans.
Is there anything I can say to talk you out of that idea? I’d hate to see a Kershaw (even a cheap one) suffer such a fate.
Pull-thru sharpeners are really good at mangling blades, and not much else. They’ll turn a uselessly dull knife into something slightly sharper than a sledgehammer, but will never put a “good” edge on a blade. They remove lots of metal, and they do it by scraping and tearing. They create thousands of little jagged “teeth” that create the illusion of real sharpness until they start to break off. Then the knife gets dull much faster than it did before.
Of course, a pull-through’s ease of use is its big appeal. No one but a real knife geek wants to mess with bench stones, or spend the considerable amount of practice time necessary to use them effectively. So that seems to present a dilemma… Do you go with the easy solution that’s bad for your knife and produces a horrid, jagged edge? Or do you go with the solution that creates a polished, perfect edge but takes much time and skill?
Well, there’s a best-of-both-worlds solution: a “crock stick” system like the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It’s not quite as capable as putting an ultimate edge on a knife as a serious pro with bench stones, but it’ll get you 90% the way there. It’s not quite as fast or mindless as a pull-through, but it only takes couple minutes if the knife isn’t seriously blunt and is close to idiot-proof.
With a Sharpmaker, all you do is slice the knife down the length of the rods, and your only real job is to keep the knife vertical. After doing that for a couple minutes, you’ll have an edge good enough to shave with. It’s the ultimate mix of effect, easy, and good for your knives. It can also handle serrated knives, which most other styles of sharpening systems can’t do.
I hoestly think crock sticks are the best answer for the vast majority of knife users. Most people don’t want to shred their cutlery, but don’t have any desire to do things the hard way.
Depends. You lookin’ to get your Katana polished, sailor? 
So just for today it’s hone.woot! Snort,that’s a knee slapper for ya.