Tested in the United States: what is the best sharpening machine?
You can sharpen your knives in many different ways. The well-practiced enthusiast will be a big fan of Japanese water stones or a manual sharpening system. When you have mastered the technique sharpening on water stones will leave you with the best results. However, it might take you some time. When you are looking for fast results and will accept a ‘common sharp’ edge, an electric sharpening machine could be the answer. Within a minute your knives will be as sharp as they were before. At least, if you have a good machine.
But what is a good sharpening machine? At Taste of Home, the largest culinary magazine in the United States they asked the same question. For that reason they tested multiple sharpening machines, ranging from prices from 20 to 200 dollars. The results are based on user-friendliness, sharpness (based on the famous paper test) and price-quality ratio.
And the winner is…
The winner is praised because of the three separate sharpening phases: a coarse sharpening stone, a fine stone and finally a polishing phase. Many other sharpening machines – according to Taste of Home – go through these stages automatically. You cannot influence it if, for instance, your knife is so blunt it should be treated with a coarse sharpening stone for a longer period of time. The machine that won the test, which has also been enhanced with a very sharp sharpening angle of 15 degrees, does have this feature. We won’t keep you waiting any longer: the winner is… the Chef’sChoice 22CC1520!
Well, the American version of the Chef’sChoice 22CC1520 which only has the 15 degree angle. The machine we sell gives you a choice of a 15 or a 20 degree angle, but is otherwise identical. According to the test panel this electric sharpening machine is worth every penny. The long life, combined with the ease of use that leaves you with a razor-sharp edge in no time, makes the Chef’sChoice machine a winner.
But what about the Work Sharp E5?
Surprising? Not at all, we are convinced of the quality of the products we sell. However, the third place was given to the Work Sharp Culinary E5. A place on the podium and therefore a great achievement, however, we believe that the Work Sharp is just as good as the Chef’sChoice 22CC1520. On some levels even better!
The inside of the system, for instance, where you place the knife to hold the angle, has been enhanced with a type of suede. This to make sure you don’t damage the blade above the edge. After all, while sharpening steel particles are released that can affect the blade. In addition, any left-over particles could still be located in the machine. The protective layer on the inside makes sure that these sharpening particles won’t do any harm. The Chef’sChoice does not have this layer. When using this machine we therefore recommend that you wrap a piece of tape around the blade.
In addition, the Work Sharp is great when you want to sharpen scissors. You can click the guided system back to make the sharpening belt appear in order to hold scissors against it. This is not possible with most other sharpening machines. But there is more, the Work Sharp sharpening machine is more compact and a lot lighter than the Chef’sChoice version. And even though you don’t purchase a sharpening machine to place it in your living room as an accessory, the Work Sharp is, we believe, a lot prettier than the Chef’sChoice sharpening machine. Why not check out the video below about the Work Sharp Culinary E5.
