What can go worse than your knife not sliding through the food you are planning to devour a few minutes later? Can anything be more annoying than a dull and chipped blade? I wonder how many of us have bled trying to cut through the cardboard or the slippery portion of meat with a dull knife. Until we found an object called a knife sharpener which is incredibly easy to use and can bring an end to all your nightmares with cutting.
As there are options after options for your knives, its sharpeners come with hundreds of alternatives as well. You might find it very intimidating selecting the knife sharpener that would bring your knife razor edges for the most consistent cutting experience and that is why we have made an effort to ease down your life a bit as we have some of the best electric knife sharpeners in this article; Mentioning the convenience and inconveniences you may face using them so that you can select the perfect sharpening tool for your knives.
Things to Consider Before Buying an Electric Knife Sharpener
1. Type of the sharpening wheel
It is very important to see what type of material and mechanism the sharpener uses for sharpening your knives. One common sharpening material that is used in sharpeners is diamond. When you hear 100 percent diamond abrasive, you might think that is great because it is one of the hardest materials and should be powerful enough to grind your damaged blades efficiently. While it is part of the truth, it is also a fact that diamond abrasives can be quite aggressive and might damage a delicate knife rather than sharpening it.
If you are going to sharpen knives in general, diamond abrasives are great, but if you are going to sharpen thin, vulnerable knives, make sure you are not over-grinding the blades. Another great alternative for diamond abrasives is abrasive belts, which are flexible enough to suit different types of blade materials and also different shapes of blades. So if you own exotic knives with unique material and curves, you could go for sharpeners that use flexible abrasive belts rather than a fixed stone.
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2. Number of stages in the sharpening process
Most sharpeners come with two or three sets of slots, which are each assigned for a different stage of the process, the number of stages can affect how complicated the machine is to operate, the size of the machine, and how precisely the knives are sharpened. You can go for the sharpeners with a three-stage process if you want coarse grinding, precision grinding, and polishing. If you are looking for a compact and simple sharpener, then you can opt for the ones with a two-stage process.
3. Angle Guides
As we have discussed in the previous section of our article, knife sharpening involves something called a sharpening angle. And it is great if you are an expert when it comes to knives, and you can figure out at which angle to sharpen the knives, but this is not the case for most knife users. Hence, a knife sharpener must have a way to guide your knife’s blades to the correct angle for sharpening.
4. Bevel
Another matter of concern while choosing an electric knife sharpener you need to understand the type of blade your knife has. Your choice of knife sharpener must be compatible with the blade of your knife. The types of blades are straight, serrated, double, and triple-bevel. Other common types of bevels are convex, chisel, double, flat, hollow, and saber.
Even though electric knife sharpeners are suitable for sharpening most types of knives, you need to be extra careful while working with slim fragile blades which may not survive the aggressive sharpening nature of the wheels and can break, bend or deform.
5. Versatility
Bonuses are always welcomed and nobody minds if you have a kitchen tool that goes the extra mile to ensure superb versatility. If your choice of the electric knife sharpener can be used to sharpen other tools with edges like an ax or a lawnmower or scissors along with your kitchen knife, what is the harm? And you should know there are options out there that offer such multipurpose use so you might want to consider this as well.
6. Safety and ease of maintenance
Electric knife sharpeners can be dangerous for use if not handled properly and there to get a better grip and control over it and prevent it from slipping or skidding you need to check whether your desired one comes with a heavy base or rubber feet. This will ensure stability and keep it in one place.
As for the maintenance, you need to go for options that come with high-grade receptacles as the process of sharpening leaves behind a good amount of metal residues that need to be collected and disposed of properly. Other than that, there is not much maintenance an electric knife sharpener requires.
Top 14 Best Electric Knife Sharpeners
1. Work Sharp WSKTS-W Knife & Tool Sharpener
Being suitable for sharpening any and every knife and blade tool you have, our first reviewed product is from Work Sharp which not only sharpens them like a pro but also ensures your utmost comfort and is extremely time-efficient as it features a variable speed motor.
Its super flexible and easy-to-use replaceable abrasive grit belt is responsible for making it capable of sharpening a wide range of blades starting from serrated and curved knife blades to ax to shears and many more.
Meeting all your sharpening needs be it coarse (P80), Medium (P220) and Fine (6000), it can do an excellent job, that too in no time. Showing consistent results, the abrasive belt can sharpen kitchen knife blades to a 40-degree angle and the outdoor ones to a 50 degrees angle.
For greater precision, the sharpener has detachable angle guides which are equipped to sharpen blades of all kinds. Once you have sharpened your blades using this, you can go on using them for a long time without needing honing anytime soon. Featuring a very rugged look, you can use this machine effortlessly for an hour straight without any fuss.
However, you need to be careful not to use this with a power converter for 220V as it is not recommended by the manufacturers.
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2. Presto 08800 EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener
What we find to be truly appealing about this product from Presto is its simplicity, in terms of both design and functions. For many people, a simple sharpener without too many complicated features is best for getting their job done quickly yet efficiently, without any hassle.
This compact sharpener has very clear and easy instructions on how it should be used, and you only need to follow it and get your knife sharpened in no time. The work process follows two steps. First, you have to slide the blade through the two slots that are designated for step one, which grinds your blades.
Then you have to slide the blade through the other two slots, which are specified for the second step, which hones your blade. All the slots are placed in an angle so that you do not have to know your blade's sharpening angle, and you also do not have to depend on any kind of guesswork. This ensures that you get a consistent result every time you sharpen your knife using this machine.
Although it is very simple to use, it has been geared with sharpening wheels that have been made of a very hard and high-quality material called Sapphirite, which are used in professional knife shops, and hence helps you to achieve a professional grade sharpening results, while also giving the machine its high durability.Pros
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3. Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener
Being ideal for sharpening different types of knives and blades, this knife and tool sharpener from Work Sharp is another of our most favorite ones. The tool has versatile use and is not only perfect for sharpening straight blades but can give razor-sharpness to curved as well unusual-shaped blades.
Apart from its versatility, the control of this is totally upon you. You are the one who will decide how sharp you want your blades to be. Moreover, the motor that powers the sharpener is equipped with advanced technology that allows you to adjust the speed at which you will sharpen your tool.
But you need to know how different speeds affect the sharpness. When you are sharpening your blade at a high speed, you are basically grinding it. This is a more aggressive sharpening process and is effective in removing rusts or damaged residues that layer on top of your blade. On the contrary, when you use a slower speed, you are honing the blades. This process is used to smoothen the blade.
The versatility is further boosted due to its adjustable sharpening angle. All knives do not come with the same angle which is sharpeners with fixed sharpening angles cannot be used to sharpen all types of blades. However, this with its adjustable angle is fit for sharpening blades of all types and thickness from every angle possible including serrated, kitchen, pocket, or outdoor knives. The sharpening angle is adjusted by turning a dial on the sharpener.
In addition to these, speaking of versatility, this will not disappoint you in any way. You may wonder is it capable of sharpening knives that come with a gut hook or blades of an ax? Well, the answer is yes! The sharpener is integrated with different flexible bands which helps you get better control of the type of blade that you are sharpening. Moreover, the belt is equipped with three levels of abrasive properties- coarse, medium, and fine. Heavy-duty and tough blades are sharpened using the coarse belt. A medium belt is used to sharpen the regular knives and the fine belt helps achieve the finishing touch after they have sharpened in the other two mentioned belts.
The sharpener has been made more user-friendly by adding a place for holding the tool with one hand and sharpening the blades with another. This gives a better grip of the sharpening so that it does not skid away and cause any sort of accidents. Furthermore, the tool is built to last and has a very sturdy and powerful body that can sharpen blades effectively and can operate for an hour straight.
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4. SHARPAL 191H Pocket Kitchen Chef Knife Scissors Sharpen
If you are looking for a 3-stage sharpening tool that will give you nothing but an amazing experience, then let us introduce you to the SHARPAL electric knife sharpener.
This incredible sharpener comes with three different settings- the first stage where the tungsten carbide blades are used for speedy edge settings, the second stage where a ceramic blade is used to hone your knife to perfection and lastly your knife is scissor grinded with a specially crafted tungsten carbide blade. Together with the 3 stages, the knife sharpener does not compromise in giving you a premium service and will fulfill all your sharpening needs.
Featuring a strong suction base, the sharpener ensures greater stability and prevents any risk of it slipping while you are right in the act. The base of this very safe product is capable of exerting a suction force that is twice that of its competitors in the market. You just need to place it at your desired place and press the black switch, the machine will automatically suck on the table and you are ready to go! Moreover, it will not require you to hold it, keeping your hands free from any sort of danger.
Moreover, being very compact in size and measuring only a few grams, the product offers great ease of use which can be held with one hand only and can be handled very conveniently around the kitchen. It takes up a small space in your kitchen which releases you from the hassle of storing it.
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5. Chef’sChoice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener
This knife sharpener from Chef's Choice is the ultimate game-changer when it comes to sharpening knives. But before we tell you about its incredible capabilities, we have to tell you a little about bevel angles.
Different knives have different shapes and angles of the cutting edge of their blades. This angle and shape determine how easily you can cut through a certain material and also the longevity of the blade. While most western knives have thicker angles, Asian knives, such as Santoku knives have a thinner angle of 15 degrees.
And nowadays everyone looks for this 15 degrees bevel angle for general cooking purposes because it allows a lot more precision, less friction while cutting, and is very sharp. What this powerful machine from Chef’s Choice does, is that it allows you to convert any knife angle into this highly desirable 15 degrees angle. This means that you do not have to travel to Japan for a single knife, or you do not have to spend a fortune on buying an expensive 15 degrees angle knife if you have this sharpener at home.
However, there is one downfall to the traditional 15 degrees bevel angle, and that is the fact that they tend to chip or break due to their thinness. The great news is that this machine has considered that and converts your knife into a 15 degrees angle with a triple bevel so that its durability is not compromised. This means that using this sharpener is hitting two birds with one stone. You get a sharp 15 degrees angle and high durability for your blades.
Although the whole process sounds very technical, there is no need to be intimidated since this machine makes it very easy for you to complete this extraordinary task. It has a three-stage process, and three different types of slots fitted to its specific purpose. The sharpening discs in the slots for the first and the second stages have been made of pure diamond abrasive and do the job of sharpening the blade, creating bevels on the knife for durability and, forming the 15 degrees angle on the blade.
Then, the third stage slots are plated with a stropping material, which gently polishes and smoothes out the sharpened knife to give the blade a smooth finish. All three types of slots have been equipped with a flexible angle guide and this means that you do not have to depend on guesswork for deciding the sharpening angle. This machine can be used to sharpen any type of kitchen knife, sporting knives, pocket knives, and even serrated knives.
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6. Presto 08810 Professional Electric Knife Sharpener
If you loved the Presto sharpener above, but are looking for a little more control over the sharpening process, and some versatility, then this sharpener from Presto would be the best for you.
This has been stylishly designed while maintaining the simplicity and compactness that we love about Presto products. But instead of a two-step process, this machine has a three-step sharpening process for coarse grinding, precision grinding, and honing.
All the slots are angled so that you do not have to assume the right angle for your knives. All you have to do is to run the knife through each of the slots and you will get a razor-sharp edge with a polished finishing. This is due to the fact that the slots for step one has Sapphirite wheel suitable for coarse grinding to give your blade the proper sharpening angle, the slots for step two have Sapphirite wheels that are made for medium grinding to make the blades the edges required for precision cutting, and the slots for step three have ceramic wheels with a very fine grit, which smoothens out the edges to give it a flawless finishing.
If you own different kinds of knives, then you would be happy to know that in this machine, you can select the proper sharpening modes according to the type and thickness of your knives. There are three settings, thin, medium, and thick. The thin setting will be suitable for lightweight knives such as pairing and fillet knives, whereas the medium mode will be the right mode for general kitchen knives and the thick mode will work best for hunting and sporting knives.
The medium mode knives can also be used to sharpen Santoku knives, which are a special kind of knives made in Japan for making sushi fillet and other Japanese cutting techniques.
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7. LINKYO Electric Knife Sharpener
With many customers vouching for this, the electric knife sharpener from LINKYO is another of our favorites when it comes to premium quality electric sharpeners. Featuring a 2-stage knife sharpening technology, in the first stage, the angle of the blade is reshaped, sharpened and in the following and last stage, the blade is honed and polished to give it a brand new look.
The simple-to-use machine is quick and secure and does not involve any fuss. You do not have to possess much experience in this business as there is no requirement of holding in a certain angle.
The blades are automatically held in an ideal position by the blade positioning guides. Moreover, the heavy-duty base features a non-slip suction cup that holds the sharpener in one place preventing it from slipping ensuring your safety even further as you are not required to hold it with your hands.
Lastly, since the sharpeners leave behind a huge amount of metal residues which requires proper disposal, this product will not cause you much trouble in this aspect as it comes with detachable mess-free receptacles.
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8. Chef'sChoice 250 Hone Hybrid Combines Electric and Manual Sharpening
Why get one when you can get two? That too for the same price? This 2-in-1 sharpener from Chef’sChoice is a hybrid machine that can be used for both manuals as well as electric sharpening. This is an ideal addition to the kitchen especially for those who are more used to manual sharpeners and are only recently shifting to electric ones. They can have a taste of both worlds.
The sharpener offers a 3-stage hybrid system where the first 2 stages are concerned with electric sharpening and is completely motorized. Stage 3, on the other hand, is independent of the previous two stages and does not require electricity since it is done manually. The electric and manual combination sharpens the blades to razor-sharpness and gives them an added strength and durability.
Furthermore, the material used as abrasion is diamond which ensures a super-sharp polished edge after you have completed the 3 stages. The standard number of strokes required per stage is between 5 to 20 and each stroke should last around 5 seconds. The knife sharpener works wonders with its 20° fixed angle.
Last but not least, the maintenance of this is super easy. You just need to wipe it with a damp cloth and that is it, no oil or lubricating liquids are required. As for the suggestion, you need to keep in mind to alternate your blade left and right for even sharpening.
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9. EdgeKeeper Electric Knife Sharpener
The EdgeKeeper electric knife sharpener steals the show when it comes to offering affordability. The two-stage sharpener can efficiently and sharpen any fine edge blade giving a professional touch to it at the convenience of your home.
You are not required to have prior expertise in this area as the slot angles will automatically position the blades at an optimum angle that will give you incredible results every time you use them. Moreover, a removable magnet compartment within the unit catches the extra residue (metal fillings) which can be disposed of easily. This makes the machine low maintenance and releases you from the trouble of the tiresome cleaning process.
Moreover, the product comes with non-slip silicone feet that prevent slipping and helps the sharpener stay in place. It also features diamond-coated sharpening wheels which are fit for sharpening straight-edge steel blades.
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10. Chef'sChoice Professional Electric Knife Sharpening Station
Instead of buying different machines for each blade type, you can simply go for the Chef’sChoice Professional Electric Knife which eliminates the guesswork and can effectively sharpen all types of 20-degree class knives.
Showing very consistent results, the knife sharpener can be used on both straight edges and serrated blades including kitchen, household, sports, and pocket knives. The sharpener involves 3 stages where stage 1 involves sharpening with 100% diamond abrasive material, stage 2 sharpens with steel and the last and final step involves flexible stropping disks.
The polished look after the sharpening process gives it a brand new vibe. In addition to these, for greater stability, the product comes with rubber feet that provide better friction and will be firmly secured in one place.
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11. Chef’sChoice 120 Diamond Hone EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener
This is another powerful tool from Chef's Choice, similar to the one discussed that we have discussed before but without the ability to convert a 20-degree bevel edge into 15 degrees. Although it might seem like a downside to some users, it is assuring to others who do not want their knife edges to be too thin.
Other than that, it has all the superb features that you would find on the 15 Trizor XV model such as 100 percent diamond abrasives for stage one and two, flexible angle guides, and a stropping disc for stage three.
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12. Chef'sChoice 220 Hybrid Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener
As the word ‘Hybrid’ in its name suggests, this knife sharpener is semi-electric and involves a manual honing step after you have electrically ground the knife in the first step. Since the honing step is finer and more detailed compared to the more aggressive grinding step, it is a good initiative taken by Chef’s Choice to make the honing step manual rather than electric.
This means that you can rely on your own judgment of how many times you should run the blade in each slot and also have greater control over how you polish the blades.
Apart from the above-mentioned features, the sharpening wheels of the machine are made of 100 percent diamond abrasive and are also made in a crisscross pattern to give your knife a better ‘bite’. The white-colored body of the machine gives it a classic look and adds to the décor of your kitchen.
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13. Shenzhen Knives Electric Diamond Knife Sharpener
If you prefer using ceramic knives to other forms of knives, you must have been keeping an eye out for a knife sharpener that is compatible with ceramic knives, and if you are here, congratulations on finding the right sharpener for your ceramic knives.
The best part of this knife sharpener is that it can be used not only for ceramic knives but also for stainless steel knives, which is a plus point for anyone who owns both types of knives.
Another unique feature of this knife sharpener is that the cartridge, which contains two types of sharpening wheels, can be removed from the main body for easy cleaning and replacement. This cartridge has two different types of sharpening stones, one with a 600 grit for coarse sharpening, and another one with 800 grit for fine sharpening or honing.
They are both made of diamond abrasion and when they are combined with the machine’s powerful motor, they can fix chips on your knife blades that are even 1mm deep. Another common problem of other knife sharpeners that have been addressed in this sharpener is the shallow sharpening slot which makes it hard for the end of the blade near the handles to be sharpened. The slots in this machine have been raised, to make it easy for the blade to be sharpened from its tip to the handle.
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14. Work Sharp Culinary E5 Electric Kitchen Knife Sharpener
Although at home, we use stones to sharpen knives, do you know what manufacturers and professional knife sharpeners use to sharpen a knife? They use something called an abrasive belt.
And that is the same technology used in this sharpener from Work Sharp, which means you can achieve professional and factory-level results within the comfort of your home. It uses a rotating belt with a 17-degree angle guide, which can sharpen your knives to perfection.The advantage of a flexible belt rather than a fixed abrasive is that you can use it to sharpen many types of blades, for example, kitchen scissors, serrated blades, exotic knives, etc. It makes this sharpener a versatile device to give you complete coverage around your home. One dilemma that most users face while sharpening a knife is whether it is sharp enough. To rid you of this confusion, this sharpener has been pre-programmed to know when to stop.
Simply by a touch of a button, you can shape, sharpen, and refine your knife and it will also turn itself off when the sharpening cycle is completed. Also, you would be amazed to know the speed and efficiency at which this machine works, as it can complete a sharpening cycle within only 90 seconds! Another unique feature of this sharpener that we love is that it has a vacuum that has been built inside the machine.
When you sharpen your knives with other sharpeners, you have to make sure that you are far away from any food material because you do not want the debris from the sharpening process to contaminate your food. But since this sharpener uses its internal vacuum to suck in all the debris, you can sharpen your knives anywhere, and also with the peace of mind that your kitchen counter will be free of mess.
You might be thinking that a powerful and clever sharpener with all these features would be bigger than the others, but the interesting thing is that the truth is exactly the opposite. When you first look at these sharpeners, the first words that would come to your mind would be sleek, compact, and sturdy. This design has won this sharpener the 2018 Innovation Award. Although the sharpener is self-sufficient in bringing out the best results in sharpening your blades, it also offers a honing rod made of ceramic to give you an extra edge over your tool maintenance.
If you have been watching culinary shows, you would notice that your favorite chefs hone their knives with a rod before they start cooking. This process helps your knives to require less frequent sharpening, and also keeps the cutting edge smooth and razor-sharp at all times. The honing device also has angle guides, which will tell you the right angle for honing your knife. On the ceramic rod, there is also another slot called the MicroForge port. Running your knife through this port will make them able to cut through soft fruits, cooked meat, bread crust, and other material that are hard to cut, with ease.Pros
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Sharpening knives with an electric sharpener requires the knowledge of some technical concepts and hence we will break down these concepts in the next section so you can have an in-depth idea of electric knife sharpeners before you go out to buy one for yourself.
What is a Sharpening Angle?
When you look at the description of many knife sharpeners, you will come across this term very often. But what does it really mean? Well, in simple terms, this means that your knife has a specific angle at which the cutting edge of the blade has been made. This angle determines how sharp and how durable your knife is. Since this angle can vary from one knife to another knife, it is important to sharpen your knife at an angle that suits the angle of your knife's edge. This can be done in many different ways.
If you are unsure about this angle, you can use knife sharpeners with an angle guide, which will ‘guide' your knife while you are sharpening it. This makes the whole process very easy since you do not have to guess what the angle of your knife might be. Another great type of angle guide is a flexible angle guide. When your angle guide is fixed, you have to be very careful while sharpening the knife so that you do not apply too much pressure or you do not move the knife awkwardly.
But when the guide is flexible, it will guide your knife with a higher efficiency and accuracy. If you are more experienced in using and maintaining different kinds of knives and would love to have control over the angle of sharpening, then you can choose sharpeners with a dial using which you can set the angle to the number that is the most suitable for the knife that you are sharpening.
You might have heard that the thinner the angle is, the sharper the blade, and although it is part of the truth, the whole picture is not as simple as that, and hence if you want to know more about the sharpening angle and how it really affects the performance and durability of your knife, it is better to have an in-depth knowledge about it before jumping onto an easy conclusion.
Sharpening, grinding, and honing – Are they the same?
Most electric knife sharpeners have a two-stage or a three-stage process, and different slots designated for each of the stages. You might be asking why and this part will give you the answer. Although we might refer to fixing the dull edges of the knife blades simply as ‘sharpening', there are underlying parts to ‘sharpening'. First of all, coarse abrasive material is used to remove dull and damaged parts of the blade, and this is called grinding. This is the first step of your sharpening process. Then comes the honing, which is smoothening out of the blades.
When the blade is being ground in the first step, materials are removed from the blade and a ‘wire edge' is formed, which is not smooth and is also not durable. The second step, which is the honing, removes small blemishes and makes the edge more durable and hence the stone used in this step has a fine grit compared to the more coarse grinding stone. This is the reason why a good knife sharpener should have separate slots for grinding and honing, to achieve professional-level sharpening results.
How often should a knife be sharpened?
This is one of those questions that get asked very often but has no definite answer. Figuring out how often you need to sharpen your knife is tricky because of the multiple factors that affect how often you should sharpen a specific knife. First of all, it depends on how much you use the knife. If you use a knife very frequently, it is good to hone it every week. But the other part of the sharpening, which is the grinding, does not need to be done so often, and grinding your knife too often can actually remove too much material from the blade and cause it damage.
Generally, a knife needs to be ground once or twice a year, but the polishing and honing can be done more frequently, depending on your use. Another factor that determines how often the knife needs to be sharpened is the purpose for which you are using it. For example, a knife that is used for chopping hard materials such as bones will require more maintenance than a knife used for cutting softer materials. Although it is not very easy to guess whether your knife needs honing or sharpening, there are easy ways to help you know that your knife is not sharp enough.
One of the easiest ways to tell is when your knife is squishing something soft, like a tomato, instead of smoothly cutting through it, and another way to tell is to carefully feel the blade with your thumb to see if there are any burrs on the edge. Although most of the technical aspects of electric knife sharpeners have been deconstructed for your easy understanding, the most important question still remains and that is how to choose the right electric knife sharpener. But do not worry, the next section will answer that for you since here we will discuss some of the key factors to help you judge which would be the best sharpener for you.
Conclusion
Going to a sharpening shop can be a very expensive and tedious alternative to owning an electric knife sharpener. Having an electric knife sharpener at home is an easy way to take proper care of your knives, and we hope that this article has removed your confusion regarding how to buy one. Now that you know the best electric knife sharpeners on the market, you can confidently make a wise purchase. With an electric knife sharpener by your side, you will be able to experience a razor-sharp cutting experience that will surely add the joy of cooking.
Happy honing!
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