Kitchen knife sharpening

[John Coloccia]

Let me start by saying that freehand sharpening on a waterstone is out. I've never been great at sharpening knives. Chisels....I'm pretty good. Plane irons? Yes, sharp as the dickens. No problems. Knives? I stink, and I don't want to get good.

But I do want SHARP knives. I have some very nice kitchen knives. They've been razor sharp for as long as I can remember...all I've ever done is steel them. They need a good sharpening now, though, and I want them absolutely razor sharp...I won't be happy with pretty sharp, sorta sharp, sharp enough, etc. I want them SHARP, just as they were the first day I bought them.

What do I do? I don't really have a service that's convenient to me near Hartford, CT (at least not that I know of). I'll mail them out if I need to, but I'd hate to loose them for a week or more.

So first question: does anyone know of a sharpening service in my area that will sharpen knives? I'm willing to drive some, but I want world class sharpening.

Second Question: do any of the home sharpening tools work? I'm thinking of the electric sharpeners.

So what do I consider sharp? If I can take a piece of paper and push...not slice, but push, my knife through, that's good enough. I sharpened one by hand tonight and can almost do that, but I know it can be better.

What say you, SMC collective?

[Mike Henderson]

I did work the edge of my chef's knife on a stone to get the bevel angle down to something that will cut - most knives come with a very broad bevel. Once I got that done - it's a one time job - I use a leather honing wheel (powered) with green compound to keep them sharp.

But let me make a comment about kitchen knives. Many western kitchen knives (I'm mostly talking about chef's knives here) are too soft, maybe a Rockwell C rating of 50 to 52, so you have to hone them pretty often if you want really sharp knives. I used to hone about every two days.

Then I discovered Japanese chef's knives. They're hardened to maybe RC 60 to 62 and they hold an edge much longer. They're also narrower so the bevel angle is usually not so broad, which makes them cut better. They're also lighter so if you're doing a lot of cutting it's not as tiring.

Final comment - for regular knives, two will do: a chef's knife and a paring knife. That's about all I use. I do have multiple chef's knives and multiple paring knives, however.

Mike

[Joe Pfeifer]

Over sharpened kitchen knives don't cut well. They need to have a "tooth" to cut, especially if you are cutting things like tomatoes, peppers, and other soft, skinned fruits and vegetables. The bevel is also a different angle depending on what the knife is for, so I wouldn't recommend an automatic knife sharpener. I go up to a 1,000 grit waterstone and with daily use and using the steel, I go about a year between sharpenings.

[Mike Henderson]

Over sharpened kitchen knives don't cut well. They need to have a "tooth" to cut, especially if you are cutting things like tomatoes, peppers, and other soft, skinned fruits and vegetables. The bevel is also a different angle depending on what the knife is for, so I wouldn't recommend an automatic knife sharpener. I go up to a 1,000 grit waterstone and with daily use and using the steel, I go about a year between sharpenings.

A good sharp knife will cut through a tomato skin just fine. A poorly sharpened knife with serrations will also cut through the skin of a tomato but will go dull much faster than a really sharp knife. If you want a serrated knife, buy a serrated knife. If your knife is not serrated, sharpen it the same as a chisel - to as perfect an edge as you can do.

A knife with serrations in it, whether put there intentionally or by using a coarse sharpening material, saws through the food rather than cutting it. Once you try a properly sharpened knife - a knife with a proper (narrow) bevel and ground and honed smooth, you'll never go back to sawing your food.

Lots of people use a steel but I hone when the knife gets dull. All the steel does is straighten the edge, it does not sharpen it. And it works better on a soft knife.

Mike

[Bryan Morgan]

Theres some home hollow grinders that work pretty well. I have one of those ceramic rod deals that works well for quick touch up. Honestly, lately I've been using the steel sharpener that came with the knife set. Once you get the hang of it you can make your knives razor sharp. Sharp enough that a slight pull on the knife slices through 1" steaks like hot butter.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I'm not sure I get my knives quite as sharp as you want, but I use an Accusharp knife sharpener (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004VWKQ), and a steel, and get them sharp enough to drag through a sheet of paper.

Tangential: John, have you ever watched "America's Test Kitchen" on PBS? It's a cooking show that would appeal to engineering minds (actually, you can watch it on their website, too). They did a testing of knife sharpeners, and the Accusharp was recommended.

[Joe Angrisani]

I also have the Accusharp sharpener, and I've been happy with the results. I did find there's a small learning curve, and that the amount of pressure varies how fine the edge turns out. It's also important to keep the knife perfectly vertical for each stroke. But once you find the sweet spot (again, it's a small learning curve), the results are quite good.

I saw that Woodcraft sells the three types of Accusharp sharpeners when I was at the store last week. Should help you, John.

[Dave Gaul]

John, have you considered the knife sharpener attachment for your WorkSharp 3000? I know you have one because I remember your review.

I have it for mine, and I have sharpened many knives with it with much success. I've used it on my pocket knives, as well as many kitchen knives. I sharpened a ton of good kitchen knives for a friend, and she said they were sharper than when she bought them (most of them were from pampered chef, I said good, not the best!).

I have a really good chef's knife (Knuckle sandwhich), but I have yet to try to sharpen because it still cuts like a hot knife through butter!

[Jay Maiers]

Since you didn't give us your budget, I'll throw in this company:
http://www.edgeproinc.com/
I don't own one of these yet, but I intend to...
I've read a lot of good things about their product(s). They're sort of like a Lansky sharpening setup on steroids.

[Ben Hatcher]

I also use the knife sharpener from my WorkSharp 3000 and find it to work very well. With that and your stropping wheel, I have no doubt that you'll be able to get the edge you want.

I slightly disagree with Mike on needing only two knives. I think that a serrated bread knife is also a must unless you don't eat crusty bread or like it smashed.

[Greg Peterson]

Our farmers market has a guy that sharpens knives. You might check your farmers market. You can also check with any local high end or kitchen specialty retail to see who they recommend for sharpening.

[Mike Davis NC]

I use a 1 x 30 Delta belt sander, but any of the 1 x 30 belt sanders will do. I had a Grizzly that burned up after 5 years and just happened to find a Delta at a pawn shop. I find the best tools in the worst places. Grizzly, Harbor Freight and just about any sander will do for knives, it is light work.

Trugrit.com has 3-M gator belts in 220 up to 2000 grit. I use 320, 600 and 1200. I do all my knives about twice a year, takes 30 minutes or so. Do all on each belt then change to the next finer one.

001x30:130-600-A30CF

1x30-600 A30CF Trizact “Gator” Aluminum Oxide

$3.05

3M

[Matt Meiser]

We bought the dedicated Worksharp sharpener which was almost the same price as buying the attachment. I was happy with the results, but a chef may disagree.

[David Weaver]

a 1200 trizact belt on a belt grinder and a leather belt to follow it up, either that or just a loaded old razor strop that's too punky to use on razors any longer.

I usually steel the knives if I do any of the cooking (wife does most of it) or if I wash dishes and there are knives coming out, so they don't see the belt too often unless either the bevel is out of whack or they've gotten nicked.

[Mike Henderson]

I slightly disagree with Mike on needing only two knives. I think that a serrated bread knife is also a must unless you don't eat crusty bread or like it smashed.

I agree with you. I didn't want to get into a long discussion of knives so I specified "regular knives". But a serrated bread knife is the third necessary knife in the kitchen. That one can be a cheap knife. When it gets dull, throw it away and buy a new one.

Mike