Thursday, April 4, 2013

Gadgets: Wustoff Electric Knife Sharpener

Sometimes the best way to get an unbiased review of something is to hand it to someone who doesn't know how to use it, and see what happens.

That's what I did with the Wusthof Precision Edge Knife Sharpener ($185). I grabbed a bunch of cheap kitchen knives and let my husband have some fun. I had band-aids  ready just in case.

I have several sharpening stones, and I know how to use them, but I've also got some inexpensive knives that don't hold an edge really well. They're handy for some things, but they don't necessarily deserve the time it takes to hand-sharpen them. A faster way to get an edge would be great.

So I handed over the knives and they came back sharp. Just like that. Magic.

My husband said the instructions were really clear and the process was simple and relatively fast. Just slide the knives in the slots and they're sharpened at the correct angle. For really dull knives, you start with the coarser grind, and work your way to the finest grind. For less-abused knives, you can use the finest grind.

The nice thing about this unit is that you can also use it for sharpening serrated knives, which many sharpeners can't do. For those, you just use one of the slots on the finest grinding setting.

I'm still not set on the idea of using an electric sharpener on my favorite, more expensive knife. There's something about hand-sharpening that's sort of pleasing and zen-like. It's nice to sharpen a knife the way they've been sharpened for so many years.

But not everyone knows how to hand sharpen a knife, and in some areas it might be hard to find someone trustworthy to do your sharpening for you. And not everyone has knives that they want to baby - they just want a sharp edge and not a lot of fuss.

No electric sharpener is going to match a skilled expert but this sharpener does a good job, and it's so easy to use, you can get a sharp edge even if you don't really know what you're doing.

This product was provided to me for testing purposes only, for a review on Serious Eats.
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Comments (8)

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Very interesting. I've never really been a fan of electric sharpeners, the old ones were especially ghastly on good knives, and so I do it myself or take it to a fellow who does many of the local restaurants. But, I do have knives that aren't worthy of that time or expense, so this might be a solution. I like your product testing system, too!
An interesting review. Like you, and Robby above, I've never been a fan of DIY knife grinders. While perhaps, for a less valuable or non-essential knife, the idea almost frightens me for the very few high-quality knives that I own. I note the well respected brand, Wustoff and have to wonder... "If you owned some higher-end knives of the same, Wustoff brand, would you sharpen your Wustoff knives in this Wustoff grinder?" Perhaps - or perhaps not, but I'd like to know. I'm sure that I don't understand their process for sharpening serrated blades, and I'd need to know a lot more... Sharpening them is a major operation and typically requires some very sophisticated gear. Mostly out of curiosity, I'll look for your review over at Serious Eats, as it may include more details. And yes, $185 is a *lot* of plunk for a a home grinder. If the machine is worthy of you best knives, let's call it a distant maybe. I note that your carefully polite wording did not include your best knives. In all fairness, the vast majority of your reviews are straight forward and even bold. In this case, I think I'm reading some polite, very professional word play, statements that say almost nothing, but won't offend the sponsor. If I've missed something important, of misunderstood this review, please let me know. Put another way, if your recently fragile budget had recovered to its normal state, would you buy this device with your own funds? (I know that you received the device for 'testing purposes only,' but did you get to keep it, or was it returned?) So help me Donna, I'm not trying to pull a snarky here, but $185 is a lot of plunk for a type of device that many would question and, at that price, this is not the time for dancing words. Best wishes, -C.
1 reply · active 642 weeks ago
I thought I was pretty clear. My best knives, I, personally, would hand sharpen, but that's something my dad taught me to do when I was a kid, so I'm comfortable with it. Some people wouldn't have a clue how to hand sharpen a knife, so it's either something like this, or pay someone else who might or might not know what they're doing.

I actually have another electric sharpener that's a few years older but very similar. I use it for the less expensive knives. But I have the option of hand sharpening as well. Some people don't.

If someone doesn't know how to hand sharpen, and/or there's no one they want to take their knives to, this is a good option. It's a little pricey, yes, but for something like this there are always sales and coupons.

If you're getting charged $2/blade-inch for sharpening and you've got a few larger knives and a couple of paring knives, you'd pay for this after a few uses.

FYI, these posts aren't sponsored. Serious Eats pays me to write them. Some things I keep, some things I don't.
Good Points. Thanks.
1 reply · active 642 weeks ago
Whether the company takes an item back is irrelevant. A better question would be if I actually need and want the item. I have a fully stocked kitchen, and most of the things I have reviewed were similar to items I already owned. It's not a huge incentive to get to keep something if I already own one.
I am not going to comment on the electric knife sharpeners versus doing it manually as i do not have the craftsmanship to manually sharpen the knife myself so i have always been a big fan of electric sharpeners. I am planning to upgrade my current setup to a more professional model, and i was thinking of wustoff or one of the chef's choice models, not sure which is better though.
This Wustoff electric knife sharpener looks very similar to the Chef's Choice electric ones. Have you had a chance to review those as well, which ones do you think are better?
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I think Wustoff electric knife sharpener, and in general all electric knife sharpener are great for inexpensive knives. You get to sharpen them fast and easy, and in case of an accident or mishandling, no big loss. I personally do not trust my high end blades to an electric sharpener, no matter the brand , and i prefer to do it manually, even if it takes longer.
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