Chef’sChoice 120 EdgeSelect Knife Sharpener

I would think most people buy good knives for good performance, not for display. Yes, Chef's Choice sharpeners can occasionally place a cosmetic, but functionally inconsequent, minor scratch on a knife if the sharpeners are not kept free of grindings and the infrequent diamond dust particles that may come off the sharpener during use. But if you keep a knife for a long time, it will eventually get scratches and minor imperfections on the blade surface anyway. It used to bother me when a blemish for any reason would appear on one of our good knives, but rational thought allowed me to move on and to accept such inconsequential eventualities while enjoying the use of the knives as fine cutting instruments that, in general, do keep a very good appearance. We have about 25 matching Henckels Four Star knives that we have acquired, used and sharpened on Chef's Choice sharpeners for up to 25 years. The Chef's Choice sharpeners put an excellent hone on the edge of each type of knife in a very short amount of time. I do not have the time to devote to sharpening all of our knives manually with dual surfaced whetstones, but as a nonsensical practice, I do put a slightly sharper edge on one of my quality pocket knives with a stone. This takes much time and careful effort, but the razor edge I can obtain on my pocket knife does not last nearly as long as the shaped blade put on by the Chef's Choice sharpeners. I must point out that whenever one sharpens a knife, material is removed from the blade, and that knives with safety bolsters at the heel such as Henckels and Wustof, require a grinding of their bolsters after repeated edge sharpenings. This grinding cannot be done by a knife sharpener but is necessary to prevent gaps between the blade's edge and the cutting board when cutting food near the bolster. (Material cannot be removed from the bolster during the sharpening of the blade with a sharpener, thus the blade is being slightly reduced in height during sharpening but the bolster is not.) Additionally, I have found that on certain thin blade or flexible blade knives, over time, so much material can removed from the blade that the original 10mm height of the blade can be reduced to 5 or 6 mm, thus rendering the knife weak and unsafe, or even unsharpenable with the Chef's Choice sharpeners. Flexible boning knives are most subject to this situation and must be replaced eventually. Thick knives cannot be sharpened indefinitely because a proper blade angle may longer be achieved. Over the years, I have found the Chef's Choice sharpeners to be a superior product, with a price that must result in a similar superior margin to the company. Generally, due to the wear of the diamond coated surfaces, we have needed to replace a sharpener after 10-12 years of use in conditions where a couple of home cooks demanding reasonably sharp knives on a continual basis reside. We have never had a motor failure or other malfunction. Our uses of knives and sharpeners causes an undesirable periodic expense to replace an old knife or sharpener, but we believe it the cost to be reasonable when considering depreciation of such. The regular use of any form of knife sharpener provides additional safety to the cook in that reduced pressure on the blade of a sharp knife against a particular food is to be expected and force is rarely unnecessary. However, if one is used to using dull knives and accordingly used to applying more pressure to cut through an item, an unexpected switch to a sharp knife can be dangerous and result in cutting so rapidly through the material that a finger placed in the wrong spot my act as the stop in your cutting motion thus requiring a trip to the ER. Dull knives are more dangerous than sharp knives to the user, but an unexpected change in the sharpness of a knife can be more dangerous. I am about to purchase my third Chef's Choice sharpener in roughly 25 years and expect it to last 10 years. While seemingly expensive, I am expecting to get my money's worth. Sorry to go on and on about knife sharpening, but I thought there might be a few people who would benefit from my experience. PS Lastly, If one is looking for the most economical way of maintaining sharp knives over the long-term without considering the value of one's own time, one should buy high quality, high carbon steel knives (not stainless), hone them frequently with a steel, and sharpen them regularly and carefully with a stone while being extremely diligent in maintaining the proper blade angle. Avoid sharpening to razor sharp edges as they dull more quickly. Above all, wash and completely dry high carbon steel knives immediately after each use to prevent rust. If you have the time to follow this advice, you must have the time to do something much more valuable for yourself or family than maintaining your knives.