Work Sharp Precision Adjust Review

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust is a manual swing arm sharpener that has 320 & 600 grit diamond plates and a finishing fine ceramic plate, all mounted on a single rotating handle. With enough preset clamps and dials to keep all parts firmly in place, the Precision Adjust delivers some of the most consistent results of the group.

Performance Comparison

Sharpening Ability

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust earned an above-average score in this metric, falling near the top of the pack. It did not perform as well as some of the other (more complicated) sharpeners we tested, but it provides the highest sharpness level to ease-of-use ratio that we encountered. The biggest draw for some users will be the precision you can achieve in your bevel angle. It can be adjusted from 15°-30° down to one-degree increments using the angle setting dial, although keep in mind that the exact angle will vary depending on the height of your knife, so if you are very particular about this, you may want to double-check the angle of the rod. Once you have it set, you can be sure that it will stay consistent throughout the sharpening process. At the end of the day, it was still able to restore our predulled chef's knife back to near factory-level sharpness and produced a nicely honed edge, and that we appreciate.

In our measured sharpness test, we took a brand new chef's knife straight from the package, ran a metal pipe back and forth over the blade's edge to dull it, and measured the grams of force needed to cut a standardized material with that knife. Then, we used the Precision Adjust to sharpen the knife and repeated the measurement. This Work Sharp was able to take the chef's knife from a 1174 g force measurement all the way down to a 272 g force measurement, which is only a few grams off from the highest-scoring competitors.

During our paper-cutting test, the resharpened knife performed just about average. It cut the paper but did not feel quite as good as factory-level sharpness, and there was some slight ripping at a few points. There is an optional leather strop that you can purchase as an add-on, and we find that using one can make a huge difference. We performed an extra test just the same but added the stropping step and noticed enough of an improvement in the paper-cutting test that we would have upped the score by a full point if the strop had been included. However, we score strictly on the performance of the product as it comes, but it is worth noting.

Ease of Use

The Work Sharp Precision is not a plug-and-play product; it requires some assembly before each use and a bit of practice to get the hang of the process. After the initial setup, sharpening is a multistep process in which you secure the spine of the knife with a clamp, adjust the sharpening angle with a knob, and rotate the sharpening slide rod to the appropriate grit stage. In total, one round of sharpening in our tests took about 10-15 minutes with roughly ten passes per side, per stage.

But when you compare effort with results, it is well worth the extra work. We appreciate the attention paid to the design of this machine; many of the attachments are magnetic, and everything just works. Tester Graham Faulknor said that while using the Precision Adjust, you can't help but notice the “very thoughtful interaction with the design.” The comprehensiveness of the 3-tiered sharpening process is better than average.

Versatility

The Work Sharp Precision is more versatile than a pull-through sharpener, although not quite as versatile as its cousin product, the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition. The Precision Adjust can handle any straight blade, single or double-sided, as well as scissors. The grind angle is fully adjustable between 15° and 30°, and there is a variety of grit levels to choose from if you want to add more than the three included sharpening tiers. The only thing it can't do is sharpen a serrated blade. However, if this is important to you, a separate attachment is available.

When considering the ergonomics of the machine, we wished that the base was a bit bigger and more stable. We had to steady it with our free hand, which became a bit tricky when working with larger knives. However, it was still above average in this sub-metric.

Storage

Storage is where this model performed the worst, and if you have a small kitchen or don't have much storage room to spare, then you might think twice about purchasing the Work Sharp Precision Adjust. With a measured volume of 360 cu in, it scored well below average in this metric and will take up a good amount of room should you choose to bring it home.

You can disassemble the Work Sharp Adjust to get slightly smaller storage dimensions; however, you then have to keep track of all the parts. There are four subcomponents to keep track of, which include the base, knife holder, swing arm with stones, and angle adjuster. These parts can be arranged to lay somewhat flat, although this means reassembling the tool each time you want to use it.

Should You Buy the Work Sharp Precision Adjust?

The Work Sharp Precision Adjust offers better results than a pull-through sharpener, providing next-level sharpness to your blades, but it also requires more time and more skill as the trade-off. It offers a great return on effort investment if you want a really sharp knife with a precise edge, and swing arm sharpeners, in general, are great if you really care about the profile angle of your knife. However, if you just want a sharp knife and you are short on space, you may want to check out other options.

What Other Knife Sharpeners Should You Consider?

The only style of knife sharpener that gives you more control over your sharpening adjustments is a whetstone. If you are prepared to commit the time, effort, and practice required to achieve a good result with this method, the Kerye Professional Japanese Whetstone Set is the model we recommend. If you are not one to geek out over bevel angles and gram-force cutting measurements, you may want to go with something more straightforward. The Work Sharp E2 is a great electric pull-through model that provides above-average sharpness and is quite easy to use. A budget option to consider is the Longzon 4-in-1, which is a manual pull-through model. Again, it is one of the easiest to master, and it is very affordable, although the sharpening results are not as good as the Precision Adjust.