I have Chicago Cutlery knives. First I used the Steel that came with the knives. After about 3 years, the knives would not sharpen very well. Then I got a "set" that used 4 ceramic rods to sharpen the knives. They did a very good job, but it was a LOT of work. After using that set for about 5 years, I tried a real "cheapy" electric sharpener and returned it after one use. It just did not sharpen. -- Back to the rods. I finally decided to give the 300W a try. It works just great. The knives get much sharper than any other method I have tried and they stay sharp much longer. For my purposes, this is an excellent sharpener.
Granted, this isn't the most expensive thing in the world, but I was looking for better results more quickly than I could achieve with a manual sharpener. As the company's website claims you can have sharper than new edges, I decided to put that boast to the test with my set of brand new Henckels. Not only was the process tedious and quite demanding of technique, but I never got edges as good as factory (which were, admittedly, near razor sharp to begin with.)
The magnetic guides work OK close to the bolster, but as the blade narrows and your hand is farther from the guide, it becomes very difficult to maintain alignment. On curved blades, you have to bring the handle up carefully during the stroke while unable to see the exact portion of the blade you are sharpening. It must be done by sound and not sight. Also, while inserting the blade into the sharpener, care must be taken for exact alignment or the diamonds will grab and kick out the blade somewhat. I never detected any damage, but it doesn't inspire confidence.
I imagine that while the more expensive models with wheel type sharpeners and a different style of guide might work much better, I'm just not going to pay $100 for a knife sharpener. I will stick with my manual diamond hone. I returned the 300W.
Unfortunately, I paid twice the www.Amazon.com price from a local store several years ago, and I must say it is one of the few kitchen appliances I have been disappointed with. It takes a long time to get all the knives honed to the angles of this sharpener. Then keeping them sharp seems to take a long time and they never seem to get as sharp as one would expect. The motor heats up quite easily after a few knives and begins to smell like it is overheating. I think the product has always been over-rated. I might buy it at this price but a simple non electric works just as well at less money.
I don't normally write reviews, but this time I will as I think it might help others who have been searching for a decent and reasonably-priced sharpener. Four months ago I had about 14 utility and steak knives sharpened by an upscale store in Santa Monica. The price? $35.00. Now, I got the 300W for $34.88 all in. I sharpened the knives according to the instructions, and they came out sharper than the "professional" store job!
After investigating knife steels, oil stones, water stones,and various gadgets this sharpening device is truly a "Chef's Choice". It is easy to use, requiring only a light touch. It does a great job in sharpening your knives and does not take a long time. Another benefit is the price and better still the immediate savings when you buy the Chef's Choice 300W Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener from Amazon. This purchase will NOT CUT into your wallet !! My Henkels and Sabatiers have nice sharp honed edges. Now I think I need to buy a new cutting board.....
Several reviewers have complained that it takes a long time to sharpen knives with this gadget. Perhaps, but compared to using a whetstone, the Chef's Choice 300W is blazingly fast. Properly done, sharpening knives does take time.
It is vital to break in knives exactly as described in the literature that accompanies the sharpener. Other reviewers have said that the sharpener does not perform well on hard knives, but I am using it on hard stainless steel knives and getting a good, sharp, long-lasting edge.
I have been pleased so far with the sharpness of my knives after sharpening them with this sharpener. My only complaint is that sometimes it's hard to get the knife into the running grinder without nicking the blade on the vibrating sharpening plates. This is a good quality item.
This sharpener does not do the job as easily as stated by the info on the site. It takes to long to sharpen the knives. Matter of fact I still have not been able to put a razor sharp blade on any of my knives. I would not purchase this sharpener.
I just received it, read the instructions and then sharpened six knives in about 15 minutes. The first sharpening takes longer because the knife edge must be reground to match the sharpener. I have another Chef's Choice with three stage sharpening which adds a grinding wheel and makes the first sharpening go very fast. It is over 10 years old and is still going strong. I rarely use the grinding wheel so decided this version is more practical and much less expensive. I highly recommend this excellent sharpener.'
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