WÜSTHOF 2-Stage Hand-Held Sharpener, Black

Almost as good as being a professional knife sharpener
I’ve used this sharpener on the newer Wusthof Classic Chef knife and it works perfectly. The standard cutters are for that particular line of knives, where the bevel on each side is 14 degrees. It also has cutters for Asian knives, and this really means ASIAN, more on the lines of Japanese Damascus steel blades that are very expensive and the metal is very hard. Those cutters are not for something like an any brand Santoku knife. It’s for high quality, expensive Asian knives made from very hard steel, that holds a fine edge while you’re working.I’ve used the standard cutters for Mercer Genesis blades and it works really well, but the metal is a little softer I believe so you need to hone after every use, which is easy enough since that’s what the ceramic cutter does. I find if I do a bit of cutting through harder food stuff such as carrots then I have to sharpen the Mercer blades more often. Once again though, this pull through is absolutely wonderful and easy to use so I don’t mind using it with those blades. I also have a couple of fillet knives that I use strictly for fish, and I can use the Asian cutters for those blades, and I hone every time I use the blades.I have a couple of other blades I use with the standard cutters and once again because the metal isn’t as good as the Wusthof Classic line, I have to sharpen more often. The point is though, it’s easy.While you’re learning to use this, which requires a certain amount of pressure applied with your hand when pulling through, after sharpening and honing, do a paper test, where you pull the blade while pushing down on the edge of paper, to test your edge. This will let you know if you need to do more work, maybe adjust what you’re doing, ensuring you’re pulling through at a 90 degree angle, etc…. It’s easy to use, but you still have to pull a knife through these correctly to have a consistent edge across the length of the blade. When going through paper you should have a clean cut, with no tearing or ragged cutting. It should be a clean cut along the entire blade. That’s when you know you’re sharpening the entire blade correctly.Feel free to experiment with different blades, but do know that many blades will not retain such a fine edge very long and you’ll at least need to hone on a regular basis. But once again, it takes me about 30 seconds with a few pulls through the ceramic cutter to recondition the edge so for me I don’t mind and I like the fine angle (14 degrees) for most my cutting. Many cheaper or older blades were originally set to 20 degrees, so taking it down to 14 degrees is a bit of work. But I also don’t have cheap knives. I have some that are less expensive but they’re certainly a step up from the bargain knives you buy in many stores, or on Amazon when you see a low cost set.

A high quality sharpener for high quality knives.
Very difficult to evaluate this. The 4-star rating is for the confusion caused by changing the angle of the blade edge. Wusthof changed its blade edge which means that its old knives would need to be put through the new sharpeners until they were the new shape. If you had an old blade, you could sharpen it in the new sharpener but it would forever change its shape. And your non-Wusthof knives would also be reground to the new shape of the blade. I am not even sure that I understood everything, but this is my interpretation of their explanation. However, this did not matter to me because all of the good knives in our families are Wusthof and a Wusthof sharpener would maintain a Wusthof edge. My knives are so sharp that they will cut paper. Wusthof is usually quality except for its Gourmet line. This is easy and quick to use and requires a lot less skill than using manual sharpening and honing tools. I have the Wusthof electric sharpener. It can also sharpen serrated knives. I have had very sharp knives since buying Wusthof sharpeners. So if you are buying Wusthof knives now, buy a Wusthof sharpener at the same time. You will not encounter the problem that I did during their transition to the new blades. Why damage a high quality knife with a low quality sharpener? The knife is only as good as the sharpening job.

Great but as with all sharpeners, make sure you understand how and when to use this.
A sharpener can quickly destroy knives and scissors if not used properly. Be sure to watch a few how-to’s if you have little to no experience with sharpeners. If you have expensive knives and even if you don’t, I’d suggest buying a cheap knife to use as a trainer.When most kitchen knives are used in their swim lanes and in a typical household vs commercial use, sharpening is rarely needed. A honing rod is often included with knife sets. It’s the honing rod that you’ll use to keep the knives performing well the vast majority of the time.Honing rods don’t abrasively remove steel to the degree that sharpeners will. Negligible. They simply align the knife edge. The edge of a knife will deform over time. Common in softer stainless steel knives. Knives that use harder carbon steel can micro chip. These things can be seen under magnification. It is often this that results in the feel of dullness.When you do need a sharpener, this one is excellent for a sharpener *of it’s type*. Safe to use, almost fool proof. Those knowledgeable about knives may recommend using a whetstone instead. They’re not wrong. That said, whetstones require a certain amount of technique, take more time and are not as user friendly for the average person.Note that there are two versions of this. One red for Asian knives and this for German knives. There’s also at least one combo version. Asian knives tend to be made from harder carbon steel and German knives from softer stainless steel. Both types have their advantages but when sharpening is needed, always check with the manufacturer, ask what they recommend. If your knives came with a manual, definitely read it for care and cleaning instructions.Bottom line, great sharpener of it’s type. It should last for years if used properly. Happy customer..

I really didn’t think it was anything special until I washed it. Without pressure, without thought I cleaned the knife with the sponge and the next thing I knew was it was cut in half!

On peut facilement affuté des couteaux normaux, à dents et asiatiques.Facile d’utilisation.Robuste du Wusthof tout simplement.