Chef’s Choice Knife Sharpener
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 11:38AM in Product Reviews, opinion Question: Are you in the kitchen a lot? I am. I use my knives just about every single day. They’re not terribly expensive ones, but I have a chef’s knife and and a Santoku knife that I love. I also have a serrated bread knife, a roast carving knife, and a filet knife that don’t get as much use, but still, they’re like old friends when I need them.
Next question: What do you use to sharpen your knives? I’m a little embarrassed to show you what I’ve been using, but here goes…a pocket knife sharpener! Just like this one:
Oh my gosh, can you believe that? My husband bought it for his Swiss Army Knives (which I think every household should have at least one of, and also make great holiday gifts!) and I swiped it from him right away. It worked pretty good, for a while. Recently, not so much. Big surprise, right?
I was recently contacted by Valerie, who represents Chef’s Choice. I know you’ve seen their stuff--and they do offer a lot--sharpeners, slicers, small appliances, and more. If you’re even slightly into food and cooking, you’ve no doubt come across one of their many products at one time or another. Val asked if I’d be interested in receiving a knife sharpener to try out and review. I immediately flashed to a picture of my pocket knife sharpener in my mind, and knew that it was time to grow up and use a real one. We talked, and after asking me what I use most in the kitchen (remember--a chef’s knife and a Santoku), she sent me their Model 1520.
When I received it, I was surprised by the weight of it! I mean, not too heavy, of course, but this sharpener is serious business and great quality! Here are it’s features:
- Engineered to provide astonishingly sharp edges using highly precise knife guides that automatically position the knife, it is an easy to use, must have sharpening system.
- The multi-stage Model 1520 features 100% diamond abrasives and patented flexible stropping/polishing discs that create a “gothic arch” edge structure recognized for incredible sharpness and durability.
- Electric 3-stage knife sharpener for straight, serrated, single and double-bevel knives
- Puts a sharp edge on European/American (20 degree) and Asian-style (15 degree) knives
- Patented flexible stropping/polishing disks for a microscopically polished edge
- 100-percent diamond abrasives sharpen and hone; knife guides
When we started testing out the knife sharpener, all of my knives had rough edges and burrs. When looking along the edges, there were visible knicks and rough spots. Terrible! Ugh, I’m ashamed. By following the directions carefully, my knives are now in amazing condition! Now I can “slice tomatoes so thin, the in-laws will never come back!” (Ha! I know some of you will remember that reference.) We even cleaned up the serrated knives! I didn’t know knife sharpeners could do that.
Plus! In some cases, when you need your knives sharpened, you need to actually ship them somewhere to have them done. That may be commonplace to some of you, but how inconvenient is that, really? It may be included with the cost of the knives in some cases, but still, terribly bothersome.
Here’s a short video from Cooking.com where you can see the sharpener in action:
The sharpener is quiet, and doesn’t make a mess. There’s a small spot underneath that collects the metal shavings, and you can open and clean that out separately. It also doesn’t take up a whole lot of room, so you can feel good about storage with one.
I was thinking this would make a very thoughtful gift for someone who uses knives often. It even sharpens sport knives and pocket knives, so the sportsman in your life would appreciate this, as well! The safest knife is a sharp knife, right? And with the holidays upon us, your knives will be getting a work out, for sure!
If you’re interested in picking a Chef’s Choice knife sharpener up as a gift or for yourself, you can see a list of retailers on their site. Of course, there’s always Amazon, too. It will definitely be something you’ll appreciate having when you need it.
Disclaimer: I received the knife sharpener to review at no charge, and was not endorsed for my opinions or my review.
Reader Comments (11)
There is nothing better in the kitchen than a good sharp knife.
I have a wonderful set of Cutco knives and though they promise free sharpening forever, it means shipping them and being without knives so I've never taken them up on that offer...or the one where they'll come to my home if I just listen to another sales spiel. Really...do they think we'll buy just as easily from a stranger as we did from our own kid?
So I took action a couple of weeks ago and this knife sharpener was delivered the other day. I , especially noted that it did serrated knives as I have several between steak, bread and a vegetable knife and I can also attest to how happy I am with the results. It's like having a new set of knives!
If you cook, which I do OR a butcher, which my brother is, there is nothing like a good SHARP knife!!
I was lucky enough to get one of these for Christmas from my sons. Little did they know that they had just gave me the best present ever! This sharpener is the bomb!! Very easy to use, sturdy, doesn't take up too much space on the counter and it sharpens knives very well. There is a magnet in it to make sure you have your knife at the right angle to get your knife to the best sharpness it can be. If you can get one of these I highly recommend it. You will not be sorry.
A sharp knife is so important in the kitchen! I'm so lucky that my local grocery store butchers will sharpen our knives for us for free.
I could definitely use one of these since I'm hacking away at something in the kitchen every day and always reach for the same knife. I'll have to put it on my wish list and try to pretend it's not quite so expensive! lol Thanks for the review!
I have a few knives that need a good sharpener!
I've had a Chef's Choice 120 for a few years now, and I'm also really happy with it. In fact, with the holidays approaching, it's time to give all my knives another good run-through!
Nice! I use a Furi knife sharpener and it's worked well but how well? And it doesn't sharpen my serrated ones. Thanks for the info.
~ingrid
I remember Craig Claiborne used to endorse these many years ago when he was the hottest celebrity chef on the scene. I remember seeing him in person at a demonstration he did in New York at Macy's. I didn't buy one at the time but through his words I finally understood (I was in my 20s at the time) how important it is to work with sharp knives in the kitchen.
That's awesome! And great that it works well :) When I want my knives sharpened, I take them home to my dad :) It works for me! But I should probably find a way to do them on my own!