Gadgets: Wusthof Knife and Scissors Sharpener
"Used regularly, it's a very inexpensive way to get $10 knives to perform almost like $80 ones."
Slowly but surely, I've gone from being the girl with terrifyingly unsafe knife skills to being relatively nimble with a blade. But if there's one thing that still remains squarely outside my comfort zone, it's manual sharpening. As my current roommate is the fortunate owner of some enviable Wüsthof knives, I've yet to upgrade from my not-so-desirable (and since discontinued) Ikea set. Considering that the roommate (and her Wüsthofs) won't be around forever, I decided to put a knife sharpener to the test. With some TLC, could I get my crappy set to mimic the sharp competition?
I quickly mustered up my old scientific skills to devise an empirical test. The gadget? A handheld 2-stage Wüsthof knife sharpener. The victims? A juicy heirloom tomato and a shockingly oversized cucumber. With two textures to challenge the blades, and a certain engineer boyfriend to act as referee, I was sure we'd pinpointed the most objective method to judge our chopping prowess.
Round One
Unsharpened, our 8-inch Wüsthof chef's knife scored a somewhat surprisingly low 2 out of 5 stars on the tomato test, with only a marginal improvement of 3 stars against the cucumber. The Ikea counterpart, having gone through considerably less use, beat the Wüsthof in the unsharpened tomato race with a score of 3 stars, but fell flat with the cucumber and earned a sad 2 stars there. Against my expectation, there was no clear forerunner pre-sharpening. A dull knife, it seems, is a dull knife.
Round Two
After running each blade through the coarse and fine slots of the sharpener, my knives looked ready for a second wind. In its newly refurbished glory, the Wüsthof knife justified its initial price tag--it rated 4.5 and 4 on the tomato and cucumber tests, respectively, falling just a hair shy of professional quality. The Ikea knife, which deceived me with an ever so subtly serrated blade and didn't maximize the sharpener's potential, improved regardless with scores of 3.5 and 3.
The Verdict
Seeing as that both knives improved considerably in performance--the Ikea knife would have had better results had it been a fully smooth blade--I'm declaring the sharpener today's winner. In terms of value, it is the least expensive option on the market (electric ones are about three times as much), and it's surely effective and compact enough to satisfy any beginner or intermediate cook. Used regularly, it's a very inexpensive way to get $10 knives to perform almost like $80 ones--and if I'm not killing myself (or the boyfriend referee) in the process, it's all that much better.
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14 Comments:
We have this one! My husband is obsessed with keeping our knives ridiculously sharp and this is a great sharpener--especially since it easily fits in the silverware drawer.
inothernews at 10:31AM on 08/06/09
I just bought this for my hub's father's day gift and he LOOOOVES it! I considered the electric fancy schmancy ones and am glad that I went with the manual sharpener. It works great on our Wustof's & Henckles. I can't recommend it enough :)
cookinmama at 10:34AM on 08/06/09
That's all fine and dandy, but you have to remember not to abuse the sharpener as they will wear down your blades really fast. These things are so handy and easy to use that you are tempted to run your knives through them before every use. In the long term that's bad news for your cutlery. Knives should be sharpened only when they are really dull and honing with a steel doesn't help. I still think buying a steel for everyday use is a better idea than getting one of these contraptions.
SqueezeBottle at 10:36AM on 08/06/09
I'm with @squeeze, these sharpeners destroy your knives if used often. I won't use them. A sharpening stone is best. Use a honing steel in between sharpenings to straighten the blade. Once you learn proper techniques, using a steel is just as quick as your wusthof sharpener. A stone takes a little longer, but it's good chef/knife bonding time.
ProfessorChaos at 11:10AM on 08/06/09
i steel my wusthof knife pretty regularly. after i had been using it for about about six months, i dutifully took it to be sharpened. she {marge cohen, of samurai sharpening at the chelsea market} tested it out and said it was fine and didn't need a professional sharpening. steeling on a regular basis keeps it razor sharp.
cybercita at 11:11AM on 08/06/09
Just to clarify, I wouldn't advocate using a sharpener too frequently but I do maintain that it's a fantastic option for those of us who lack the skills to make steeling them a safe option (for us and our knives!).
Nikki Goldstein at 11:20AM on 08/06/09
Using a steel will help extend the life of your knife, but most steels don't sharpen, they hone. And while it's important to have a straight edge, I'd say you should still sharpen your knives once a year. That being said, I'd recommend this gadget, or even sending them out to be sharpened, over any sharpening stone. You can really mess up your knife by not getting the right angle. And most people don't remember that German-style knives have a different angle than Japanese-style knives.
amanda0730 at 11:51AM on 08/06/09
Another vote here against using sharpener devices like this (or electric ones) on good knives for the reasons stated above. I have a set of high-quality sharpening stones and a jig that holds the knife, and sharpen my kitchen knives about once every six months. It takes me a good hour or more to get through the four or five knives. But they are razor sharp, and I know that I am not taking off any more metal than is necessary.
Lorenzo at 1:12PM on 08/06/09
i don't think the point is to find the best sharpener out there. this is a great gadget for the price, and a good way for people to sharpen knives when they're not confident enough to do it manually (i sure can't). besides, many people think they can sharpen knives manually and do it wrong--which is worse?
mew2009 at 1:53PM on 08/06/09
I have much-beloved Wusthof knives, a steel, and this sharpener. I'm very interested in 1) keeping my knives sharp and 2) keeping them for as long as possible. Should I use the steel on them every time I use them and then use this sharpener every 6 months, or a different regimen?
emgroff at 3:13PM on 08/06/09
@emgroff: A steel, also known as a straightening steel, is fine to use very time you use your knives, if you wish. Unlike a sharpener, a steel does not take off any metal. A steel merely makes straightens the millions of microscope serrations on the edge of the blade.
The best option is to learn how to sharpen your knives, buy a good kit with stones, and take the time to do it right. Or have someone else do it. But if you don't or can't want to do this, then yes, a manual or electric sharpener is a good option, so long as you realize that it will reduce the life of your knives because it is difficult to regulate how much metal comes off when you run the knives through them--and they typically err on the side of taking too much off because that allows them to sharpen faster.
Lorenzo at 3:49PM on 08/06/09
Okay, that tool looks seriously scary. But after reading your review, I may just need to buy one. Like you, I haven't updated my knives for years (they're much too expensive!), so this tool could be the answer.
AshleyMayo at 10:11PM on 08/06/09
Those cheap Ikea knives are surprisingly good.
Most of the time, super expensive knives are not even worth it. Almost all of the time, really.
wunami at 11:58PM on 08/06/09
An electric sharpener is the quickest way to destroy your knives, and a honing steel takes some skill to master. This device looks like it would serve its purpose if not abused. I have an older, Wusthof manual sharpener that has two pairs of ceramic wheels. I use it often, but with a very gentle touch, to keep my Henckels knives sharp, and it works very well.
salpico at 12:09AM on 08/09/09