The Best 7 Knife Sharpeners of 2024

Best Overall Knife Sharpener

Work Sharp E2

Type of Sharpener: Electric - Pull| Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 2

Serving up an unbeatable combination of sharpening ability, ease of use, and versatility, the surprisingly compact Work Sharp E2 is our favorite knife sharpener. While some of our knife experts were initially skeptical about this model — the edge quality from an electric-pull sharpener tends to pale in comparison to other manual options — any reservations quickly faded after our first round of testing. The two-step process includes grinding and honing steps, and can accept knives with multiple angles, serrated and single-sided blades, and scissors. Though the versatility of this model is impressive enough, what captured our admiration is just how quickly and easily the E2 can resurface and resharpen a blade. Like most electric, pull-through sharpeners, the E2 is intuitive to use, but the addition of an automatic shutoff makes it even more so. You simply pull through each step until the sharpener shuts off, and within just a few minutes, you have a clean, well-honed edge.

Although the sharpening results are above average, the E2 isn't quite able to reset a factory edge. After resharpening, we were able to easily cut a curve through a piece of paper, though there was still a touch of ripping involved. The grinding wheel is flexible, and even though it seems like it shouldn't change the sharpening angle of your blade, it does, resetting our 14° knife blade to 20°. There is also no angle adjustment, so if you feel strongly about maintaining a precise sharpening angle (which can be particularly important for thinner knives), then we suggest an alternative electric model, like the Work Sharp Ken Onion. But as a straightforward option for any kitchen, it's hard to beat the price and overall performance of the Work Sharp E2.

Read more: Work Sharp E2 review

A Great Value for the Kitchen Drawer

Longzon 4-in-1

Type of Sharpener: Manual - Pull | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 3

If you're shopping on a particularly tight budget and want a simple, easy-to-use sharpener that will fit in your kitchen drawer, then the Longzon 4-in-1 is a safe bet. At a fraction of the cost of other top models we tested, this affordable, manual pull-through works significantly better than the dozens of similarly designed products available on the market. With just a few pulls through the three-tiered system, you can easily resharpen any flat blade or pair of scissors in about one minute. And if you need to re-profile a blade, simply put in a bit of extra effort on the honing step. The grip is very comfortable to hold, and we never felt like the sharpener was going to slip while pressed against a table or butcher's block.

Although this system is affordable and incredibly easy to use, the Longzon simply will never deliver the same edge quality as other premium sharpeners we tested. While it did a solid job of maintaining close to the factory edge angle of our chosen test knife (14°), a closer inspection with a microscope and the laser goniometer revealed a slightly asymmetrical edge. A much simpler paper-cut test revealed generally below-average resharpening results. We also noticed that it unfortunately only sharpened about half of the blade, which is likely due to the width of the notch. As a result, we don't recommend this model for sharpening particularly long knives, like a carving knife, for instance. If you're willing to dedicate yourself to the practice of knife sharpening, you'll be much better served by the similarly priced Keyre Professional Whetstone. But if convenience is near the top of your list, then the Longzon sharpener will get the job done easily and quickly.

Read more: Longzon 4-in-1 review

Best Budget Electric Sharpener

Presto EverSharp

Type of Sharpener: Electric - Pull | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 2

Even though manual sharpeners can be quick and are small enough to toss in a kitchen drawer, nothing quite beats the efficiency of an electric model. As a particularly affordable electric pull-through sharpener, the Presto EverSharp will sharpen a standard chef's knife as quickly as one minute. This two-step sharpener includes grinding and honing steps and uniquely works each side of the knife individually to better maintain the original edge angle. While it can accept serrated blades, as a result of this particular design, it can only sharpen knives that are serrated on one side. Once we understood this approach, the EverSharp was very intuitive to use, and the angle of the notch felt a bit more ergonomically designed than comparable pull-through sharpeners.

The unique design of individually-sided sharpeners is a good idea, in theory. But in practice, the resharpened knives came out with an asymmetrical edge, measuring 13° on one side and 15° on the other. There is no angle adjustment on the EverSharp, so what you end up with is a slightly wonky blade. Manufacturer instructions suggest three pulls per side, but based on our experience, that results in an uneven burr to match the uneven edge angle, which gives you a knife that is more prone to rip-cutting than slicing. It will take more effort — generally longer than just one minute — to achieve more than simply a passably sharp edge. Although it is not as versatile, nor does it deliver near the same quality of resharpened edge as the similarly scored Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone, relative to its ease of use and price point, you can't argue with the serviceable performance of the EverSharp.

Read more: Presto EverSharp review

Most Versatile Tool Sharpener

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition

Type of Sharpener: Electric - Pull | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 5

With a belt sander-like design that appears more at home on a workbench than it does on a butcher's block, the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is a highly versatile option. Carrying the namesake of renowned knife designer Ken Onion, this is one of the few sharpeners we tested capable of restoring even the dullest knife to factory sharpness. With a variable edge angle adjustment that can be set to 15°, 20°, 25°, and 30°, and a five-tier system that runs from 120-6000 grit abrasives, this model can sharpen anything. We used it to sharpen kitchen knives, scissors, pocket knives, and even hedge shears, and you can purchase extra attachments to support axes and other oversized blades. We admit that this model looks a bit funky — especially compared side-by-side with what we generally picture as a “knife sharpener” — but it is surprisingly comfortable to hold. While it took some time to learn, once we gained proficiency with it, it consistently delivered a shiny, mirror-like finish with a perfectly convex edge in as little as 5-10 minutes.

It feels important to drive home that this option is not nearly as intuitive to use as an electric pull-through model like the Work Sharp E2. The Ken Onion sharpener takes time to set up and additional time to switch out abrasives between steps, and sharpening different tools requires different sets of abrasives and dialing in appropriate belt speeds. It's an easy mistake to set the spring-loaded angle guide incorrectly, and we noticed that it's surprisingly easy to overpower the guide as you push down on a blade. But perhaps the biggest difference is that we'd much rather use this model in a workshop than in our kitchens. Regardless of what you're sharpening, this model leaves behind a decent mess of abrasive dust, and it is a bit too bulky to reasonably store in a kitchen cabinet. However, if you're looking for a single appliance to sharpen all of your tools, then the Ken Onion offers a level of versatility unmatched by any other knife sharpener we tested.

Read more: Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition review

Best For Honing Your Skills

Kerye Professional Japanese Whetstone Set

Type of Sharpener: Manual - Whetstone | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 5

Before the convenience of electric pull-through sharpeners and even more modern swing-arm designs, knife sharpening was a skill that required practice to perfect. If you're willing to put in the time, it is nearly impossible to beat the sharpening ability of a whetstone like the Kerye Professional Japanese Whetstone Set. This four-tiered system includes two two-sided corundum stones, progressing from a 400-grit stone for sharpening to an 8000-grit stone to clean up the edge, and even comes with a strop for a final polish (though, interestingly, no strop compound). You're able to adjust your grip to accommodate the edge angle of any type of blade, with the exception of a serrated edge, and the set comes with an easy-to-use angle guide while you're honing your skills.

The rub of using a whetstone is that you need to learn the proper technique, which takes significantly more time investment than any other type of sharpener in this review — our lead tester joked that the Kerye Whetstone “required a lot of Youtube University”. The sharpening process is also more intensive. You must soak the stones prior to use and then repeat each step a number of times, a process which often took us 10-15 minutes per knife. Although you can achieve a certain level of precision from a sharpener like the Work Sharp Precision Adjust, if you're willing to invest the time and energy, really only a whetstone like the Kerye will allow you to sharpen your fine blades to a level even beyond their original factory finish.

Read more: Kerye Professional Japanese Whetstone Set review

Excellent Results with Little Skill

Work Sharp Precision Adjust

Type of Sharpener: Manual - Swing Arm | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 3

If you're unable or unwilling to invest the time in learning the proper technique a whetstone requires, then you should consider the Work Sharp Precision Adjust as a viable alternative. Even though there is a slight tradeoff in terms of edge quality, the intuitive design of this swing-arm sharpener means once it's set up, you can achieve a precise edge without much effort. With a variable dial, we could adjust the arm to any angle between 15° and 30°, and two diamond abrasives plus one ceramic hone gave our test knives one of the sharpest refinishes of any model we tested. Although the results of a paper-cut test were suitable after using the fine ceramic abrasive, the already nicely honed edge was remarkably cleaner after finishing with a leather strop, which can be purchased separately. With the addition of a serrated blade attachment (which, unfortunately, also must be purchased separately), this is easily one of the most versatile knife sharpeners in our review.

Aside from the fact that some assembly is required (and that, again, a storage case must be purchased separately), there are some more pressing issues with this swing arm's ability to sharpen with the level of precision that the name suggests. After sharpening a knife with the angle set to 20°, we double-checked our work, and the actual blade angle measured 16° in the middle and 14° at the ends. The swingarm design has difficulty creating a burr at either end of the knife, and this effect is worse the larger the knife. We noticed a similar issue with the Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone, although interestingly, the angle discrepancy wasn't as pronounced with that model. Due to the width of the clamp, it's also a bit more difficult to sharpen smaller knives, like a pocket knife, with the Precision Adjust. But for normal chef's knives — especially those on the shorter side, like a Santoku-style knife — then this swing-arm sharpener does a fantastic job considering the amount of effort required.

Read more: Work Sharp Precision Adjust review

Great for Outdoor Sharpening Emergencies

Sharpal 101N 6-in-1

Type of Sharpener: Manual - Portable | Sharpening Tiers (Coarse, Fine, and Polish): 2

Full-size sharpeners work well to clean up our kitchen knives, but sometimes, smaller knives just need a quick fix. The Sharpal 101N 6-in-1 is the perfect pocket-sized option to carry on hunting, camping, or any other outdoor adventure. This two-tier sharpener includes a course, tungsten carbide abrasive to set an edge, and a ceramic guide for a final hone. It also includes a 400-grit diamond rod for sharpening serrated blades with a tapered groove specifically designed to sharpen fishhooks. What makes this a “6-in-1” model — and really separates it from other similarly designed pocket sharpeners, like the Smith's Pocket Pal — are the additional survival tools, including an emergency whistle and a flint that can be used with the diamond rod as a flint-and-steel fire starter. Despite its miniature size, the Sharpal 6-in-1 was easy to hold and practically disappeared in our pockets.

It may not come as a surprise that the edge quality of these pocket sharpeners pales in comparison to the majority of the full-size sharpeners we tested. Although the Sharpal 6-in-1 did a good job of maintaining the original 14° blade angle of the test knife, a closer examination with a microscope revealed uneven burrs that trended towards a single side of the blade, resulting in poor results in our paper-cut tests. While this might be fine for single-sided blades, unfortunately, this model isn't designed to sharpen knives with a single bevel. If you prefer using, say, a single-bevel filleting knife, it's worth considering carrying the surprisingly portable King Deluxe whetstone set. Even though these test results are less than ideal for a sharp chef's knife, the numbers we recorded after resharpening with the Sharpal 6-in-1 are more than adequate for a quick fix of a hunting or pocket knife.

Read more: Sharpal 101N 6-in-1 review

Compare Products

Compare select up to 5 products to compare

	Score	Product	Price
	78	Work Sharp E2 Best Overall Knife Sharpener	$80
	78	Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition Most Versatile Tool Sharpener	$170
	74	Kerye Professional Japanese Whetstone Set Best For Honing Your Skills	$30
	73	Work Sharp Precision Adjust Excellent Results with Little Skill	$70
	72	Longzon 4-in-1 A Great Value for the Kitchen Drawer	$21
	68	Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone	$73
	67	Presto EverSharp Best Budget Electric Sharpener	$48
	67	Kitchellence 3-Stage KS37	$14
	67	Sharpal 191H	$20
	67	Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone	$46
	66	Sharpal 101N 6-in-1 Great for Outdoor Sharpening Emergencies	$16
	66	Smith's Pocket Pal	$12
	65	King Deluxe Home Stone HT 1000/6000	$50
	64	Chef'sChoice Professional Electric 15XV	$180
	60	AnySharp Classic	$26
	57	KitchenIQ 50883 Edge Grip 2-Stage	$10
	57	AccuSharp 001C	$11

How We Test Knife Sharpeners

We researched dozens of the most popular knife sharpeners available on the market today before selecting the most promising options to purchase and test side-by-side. Knife sharpeners come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and our final selection includes electric and manual pull-through sharpeners (including portable, pocket-sized options), manual swing-arm models, and whetstone sets. We tested each sharpener using identical Mercer Chef's Knives — a common choice of first-year culinary students — as well as identical Gerber Paraframe Mini pocket knives — specifically chosen for its short blade length. We ran a series of tests and measurements with each knife sharpener to assess sharpening ability, ease of setup, comprehensiveness of process, time to sharpen, user-friendliness, versatility for sharpening different types of knives, ergonomics, and storage capability.

Our testing of knife sharpeners is divided into four rating metrics:

• Sharpening Ability (40% of total score weighting)

• Ease of Use (30% weighting)

• Versatility (20% weighting)

• Storage (10% weighting)

The cornerstone of our in-depth testing process is a close examination of the sharpening ability of each model. Each knife and knife sharpener pair was examined according to the same process. To ensure objectivity, our team relied on a few specialty tools to gather numerical data to back up more common, though more subjective, tests, like cutting a piece of paper.

Measuring Sharpness

To standardize our sharpness test, we used a professional edge tester. By measuring the force required to cut through a specific medium — a thin aluminum wire for which this tool is specifically calibrated — we can put a number on the relative sharpness of a blade. This edge tester was used first to measure factory sharpness on knives to establish a baseline straight out of the box. We then measured again after dulling and a third time after resharpening. The difference between those last two numbers provided us with a way to directly compare the effectiveness of each knife sharpener.

Measuring Edge Angle

To accurately measure edge angle pre- and post-sharpening, our testers relied upon a laser goniometer. This specialty tool can be thought of as, “a ruler for knife blades”. It is accurate within +/- 1° for a primary edge angle and can even identify secondary bevel angles. The crispness of the laser's reflection offers additional information about the quality of the hone.

Examining Edge Hone

As opposed to sharpening — which removes material to reestablish a blade's edge — honing helps maintain sharpness by realigning the metal along the edge. The strip of metal right along the edge or at the very tip of a knife is known as the “burr”. While sharpening a knife, the burr forms on the side opposite to the one you're sharpening. A well-honed knife will have a straight burr that perfectly follows the entirety of the edge. Our testers used a microscope to examine each blade edge after each step of the process to determine the evenness of both sharpening and honing.

Why Trust GearLab

Senior Research Analyst Graham Faulknor heads up our expert test team. With 15 years of experience in mechanical engineering and a knack for designing systems, Graham now develops the processes Gear Lab uses to test thousands of consumer products a year. Senior Review Editor Aaron Rice worked directly with Graham to translate his laboratory test results into this article. Having worked in and around kitchens for over a decade and as an avid home cook, Aaron lends his knowledge of knives to this review.

How to Pick the Best Knife Sharpener

With so many knife sharpeners on the market — and so many that look so similar — it's understandably difficult to pick out just which one is the best for you. Our test metrics help break down the nuanced differences between the models included in this review. But before diving into those details, it's helpful to ask yourself a few key questions to develop a better understanding of what type of knife sharpener will best suit your needs.

What Type of Knife Do You Want to Sharpen?

It's important to point out that not every knife sharpener in this review can sharpen every type of knife. When we say “type of knife”, we're actually referring to the bevel of a knife, which defines the angle and shape of the cutting edge. Most kitchen knives are double-bevel blades, with angles on either side of the edge, though some specialty knives — particularly some specialty Japanese knives — only have a single bevel. The previous two are known as “plain edge” knives, whereas the grind of a serrated blade creates scalloped edges, which also makes them particularly difficult to sharpen. Pay close attention to the specifications we've listed for each knife sharpener; these highlight what type of knife each model can and cannot sharpen. So the question remains: what kind of knives do you own (or will you own) that need sharpening?

How Many Knives Need Sharpening?

As we noted earlier, there is a difference between sharpening, which reestablishes a blade's edge, and honing, which keeps that edge aligned. You may be surprised to learn that as long as you maintain a well-honed edge — the best way to do this is regular passes with a honing rod — you actually don't need to sharpen your knives that often. But if the burr of your blade gets out of whack or your knife sustains some kind of damage (say, from trying to hack your way through a particularly tough winter squash), then sharpening is the only way to reshape the blade. Quick fixes from pocket sharpeners can take as little as one minute, though they're not very effective in the long run. High-quality sharpening with a whetstone is more involved and, depending on your proficiency, can take 10-15 minutes per knife. Electric pull-through sharpeners strike a happy median between effectiveness and efficiency, but be warned: these models can strip away a significant amount of metal if you're not careful. The Ease of Use metric accounts for the comprehensiveness of the sharpening process, how much skill a sharpener requires, and the average time it takes to sharpen a knife.

Do You Need to Sharpen Any Other Tools?

While knives are the obvious tool of choice to pull through a knife sharpener, a few of the products in our review are capable of much more. Whetstones are the traditional means of sharpening any blade — any blade, that is, with the exception of a serrated one. As such, they are a highly versatile option for nearly any kind of bladed tool and are really only limited by the size of the blade relative to the size of the stone. More commonly, folks are looking to sharpen a pair of scissors or a heavier-duty pair of kitchen shears; the listed specifications also indicate which models can and cannot sharpen scissors. The Versatility metric, as well as the listed specifications, will help you compare all-purpose options. Since we're discussing versatility, it feels particularly important to highlight the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition. This belt sander-like model is really more of a tool sharpener than just a knife sharpener and would make a highly versatile addition to any tool shed.

Where Will You Store Your Knife Sharpener?

Some models, like the Ken Onion mentioned above, really do belong in a workshop. They're big and bulky, and in the case of that model specifically, tend to create quite the mesh while sharpening. Models like the Sharpal 6-in-1, on the other hand, are small enough to slip into your pants pocket. If you're running short on storage space in your kitchen, pay close attention to the Storage metric, which considers the footprint and weight of each model, whether or not it is able to break down for more effective storage, and just how many pieces you have to keep track of. While manual pull-through models tend to be the easiest to store, you'd be surprised by the footprint of the electric pull-through Work Sharp E2.

Analysis and Test Results

In testing knife sharpeners, we discovered some nuanced differences between products that might otherwise be difficult to tell if you didn't have them available to compare side-by-side. Our assessments are a combination of objective data and subjective experience based on sharpening many knives over the course of our in-depth testing period. It's important to note that these products are scored relative only to the other sharpeners in the review — we chose only to test the best products on the market, so even if a knife sharpener scores poorly in a particular metric, it is still a solid product. The overall score is a summation of these individual metrics, which are weighted based on their relative importance to your overall purchase decision.

What's the Best Value?

There is a wide range of price point knife sharpeners, from just a few bucks to a few hundred. We consider the overall value of a product by looking at its overall performance against its price tag. While this is a fairly straightforward method, there are still some external costs that may factor into your decision. For instance, the Longzon 4-in-1 offers solid performance for a manual pull-through sharpener at a budget-friendly price point. The Kerye Whetstone is only nominally more expensive, and although it will result in a much sharper blade, it also requires time and commitment to learning the proper technique. The Presto EverSharp, on the other hand, is an electric pull-through sharpener that might as well define convenience. Even though our overall favorite model, the Work Sharp E2, is a bit more expensive than these other three, our team feels that this electric pull-through sharpener offers the best balance of all of our metrics.

Sharpening Ability

A knife sharpener rests its laurels on the ability to sharpen a knife effectively and efficiently. We paired a brand-new chef's knife with each knife sharpener and subjected each pair to the same battery of examination. The combination of objective data and the more subjective feel of cutting with a resharpened knife gave us both the numbers and the experience to rank these knife sharpeners based on their sharpening ability.

The process was extensive but rather simple by design. We used two different methods — one data-driven and the other a bit more common — to assess these products side-by-side. First, we used instruments to establish a baseline set of measurements for edge angle and sharpness, took pictures with a microscope to note the quality of the hone, and conducted a standard “paper cut test” to get a subjective baseline feel of the factory edge. Then, we dulled each knife by rolling a piece of steel pipe across the edge a set number of times under its own weight. We re-measured and re-examined the dulled blade and then sharpened the knife according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once again, we re-measured, re-examined, and conducted another paper cut test to compare the feel of the resharpened blade.

With the notable exception of the Work Sharp E2, which is a more traditionally designed electric pull-through sharpener, the highest-scoring sharpeners are all models that drag an abrasive across the blade rather than dragging the blade through an abrasive. Savvy readers will be screaming objection because we also listed the highest-scoring Ken Onion as an “electric pull-through” sharpener. And you're correct: you do, technically, pull a knife through this sharpener. But because of its belt sander-like design, the abrasive sheets are pulled over the grind of the knife perpendicular to the edge. This makes it much more like a whetstone than a classic electric pull-through sharpener.

Aside from these two electric models, the highest-quality edges were resharpened by knife sharpeners that don't require you to pull the blade through an abrasive — namely, whetstones and swing-arm designs. Not all whetstones are created equal, and the quality of the stones on the Kerye Professional Set surpassed the sharpening ability of either the Sharp Pebble or King Deluxe stones. Thanks to an additional 8000-grit stone and leather strop included in the Kerye set, we were able to resharpen our test knife to have an edge that actually felt sharper during the paper cut test than it did out of the box.

Based on the same idea as a whetstone sharpening, just with a slightly more modern take, swing-arm knife sharpeners produce a similarly high-quality edge but require less skill. Although we noticed some concerning discrepancies with the set edge angle, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust still turned out a finely sharpened blade. Due to the parabolic swoop of the abrasives, swing-arm models do have a bit of an issue creating a burr at the extreme ends of the knife, nearest to the heel and the tip of a blade. Out of the two models we tested with this design, the five-tiered system of the Lansky Deluxe offered the finest honed blades. While it still scored relatively well, we admit that we should have purchased the additional stand to properly assess it against the Precision Adjust and plan to do so in the future.

Ease of Use

There is generally a tradeoff between high-quality results and ease of use; we find that oftentimes, the more effort something takes, the higher the quality of the outcome. We tend to sacrifice a bit of precision for the sake of convenience, which is okay sometimes. Although the knife sharpeners that score highest in sharpening ability are not generally the easiest to use, there are a few in our lineup that strike a nice balance of these two qualities.

It's important that we don't let “user-friendliness” alone overshadow the Ease of Use metric. It is certainly an important component, and we consider how easy a knife sharpener is for a novice to understand — whether it is intuitive enough to use right out of the box or if it takes a significant amount of practice to master. But more comprehensively, we approach Ease of Use from the standpoint of “usability”, which considers how well these products can be used effectively and efficiently to satisfactorily sharpen a knife. These sharpeners were assessed based on their ease of setup, the comprehensiveness of the process — judged by how many abrasives are available — the skill necessary, and the time to sharpen a single knife.

Pull-through knife sharpeners — whether they are electric or manual — tend to be the easiest to use. At one end of the pull-through spectrum are the super simple, manual options like the Sharpal 191H. This sharpener can be pulled out of a kitchen drawer and set on the counter; no further setup is required. With 10-ish pulls each through the coarse and fine guides, it will sharpen your knife in about one minute flat. The Sharpal model scored a bit better than the very similarly styled AnySharp Classic because it offers two different abrasives, while the AnySharp is a single-stage sharpener. Interestingly, though, the resharpening scores for both of these options were nearly identical. While either is an acceptable option for anyone working with a very dull knife, neither resharpened our knives to a level we were satisfied with.

We were also a bit surprised that the handheld, manual pull-through sharpeners, like the Longzon and Kitchellence KS37, were not only easier to use but offered slight advantages in sharpening ability over the rounded-base models. All things considered, these two handheld models are nearly identical: both are compact and easy to stash in a kitchen drawer, and both offer a three-step process with fixed edge angles. The resharpened blade of the Longzon was in better shape than the knife pulled through the Kitchellence, although each one performed better with more passes through each guide than the manufacturer's instructions suggested. While the angles of the blade pulled through the Longzon were slightly off, the edge of the blade pulled through the Kitchellence was very asymmetrical, with edge angles measuring 15° and 12.5°, respectively.

As the ultimate in convenience, it should come as no surprise that the portable models — like the Sharpall 6-in-1 and Smith's Pocket Pal — are incredibly easy to use. Even though the similarly sized KitchenIQ Edge Grip is technically designed for the kitchen — and is a particularly handy option if you have very minimal drawer space — we lump it into the same category as these other pocket-sized models. Each of these knife sharpeners offers a quick-fix, two-tiered sharpening system consisting of coarse and fine-grit guides. We want to emphasize the quick-fix aspect of these models; none of them do a particularly good job of sharpening a knife, and are really only practical when nothing else is available.

Gaining popularity in the 1950's kitchens of post-war America, electric pull-through sharpeners exemplify ease of use. These plug-and-play models all offer grinding and honing stages, while some, like the Chef'sChoice Professional Electric 15XV, also offer an intermediate step. Due to the design, the grinding stage works the left and right sides of a blade individually, and it's important to pull a knife through an equal number of times on each side as these sharpeners can strip away a lot of material. If you don't balance your pulls, you may be left with an asymmetrical edge. Even though the Chef'sChoice is one of the most expensive models in our lineup, its results are relatively poor compared to the other two electric models we tested. Though Presto EverSharp is the quickest to sharpen of the three, the Work Sharp E2 offers the best balance of ease of use and sharpening ability. It shuts off after each stage, automating one more part of the process and helping to prevent unequal sharpening times. While it is not quite as fast at the Presto, you can still effectively sharpen a knife in as little as 1-4 minutes.

The two swing-arm models also offer quite a nice balance between ease of use and sharpening ability. It takes a little while to initially set up each sharpener and learn the system, but once you get the hang of it, the 10 minutes or so we spent sharpening each knife was well worth the effort. The diamond abrasives on the Precision Adjust don't require lubricant like the stones on the Lansky Deluxe do, and the unique rotating handle allows you to quickly switch between abrasives without having to disassemble.

Versatility

First and foremost, we want a knife sharpener to sharpen our knives effectively and efficiently. But if a particular model is able to sharpen more than one type of knife and do so in comfort and style, then it deserves recognition. To assess the versatility of a knife sharpener, we primarily looked at the sharpening angles a system offers and whether or not it can sharpen other commonly used blades like serrated and single-bevel knives, as well as scissors. These two key characteristics — what edge angle and what type of bevel — determine the range of knives a sharpener can potentially work with.

Although it's not as heavily weighted, we also considered the ergonomics of the design. This can be particularly important if you're sharpening all of your knives at the same time (a process that could take a few hours, depending on which sharpener you're using, how many knives you own, and how thoroughly you're sharpening them). Most of the sharpeners that are easiest to use also feature the best ergonomics. We particularly appreciated the angled left and right guides on the grinding tier of electric sharpeners like the Work Sharp E2 and Presto EverSharp. For the swing-arm models, it quickly became apparent that the size and stability of the base were major factors in how comfortable each model was to use. We love the Precision Adjust system; however, our lead tester wished that the base was larger and a bit heavier so he didn't have to use his free hand to steady it while sharpening.

Compared to other electric pull-through models, the E2 is particularly versatile. While all three can sharpen serrated knives, only the E2 can sharpen scissors. Unlike the swing-arm models, the angles cannot be adjusted, but the grinding wheel on the E2 is flexible and designed to accommodate multiple angles. Even though this design shouldn't change the initial angle of your knife, unfortunately, it does — our 14° chef's knife was re-profiled to 20°. This excessive stripping of material is always a concern with powerful electric sharpeners and is a risk that should be carefully considered as a part of your purchase decision. It is particularly important if you own softer steel or especially fine-edged knives.

If you are concerned about re-profiling your knives, then the safest bet is a whetstone set. A whetstone, by nature of its flat profile, simply cannot sharpen the scalloped edge of a serrated knife. However, they can sharpen any other type of plain-edge blade. All three whetstones we tested include an angle guide, which can be incredibly helpful as you gain a feel for the proper sharpening and honing technique. But the Kerye set is the only one that also includes a flattening stone to level the stones themselves, a useful addition considering the longevity of this type of knife sharpener.

Now that we've covered versatility as applied specifically to sharpening knives, it's time to highlight the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition sharpener, which is far and away the most versatile model we tested. Why this model deserves its own mention is that it really is more of a tool sharpener — the fact is that the Ken Onion can sharpen anything with a blade. We used it to sharpen knives, scissors, and hedge sheers, and it even has extra attachments to support oversized blades like axe heads. Our lead tester noted that because this miniature belt sander is easy to hold, it could even be used reasonably to deburr pipes.

Storage

Storage makes up only a small percentage of a product's total score, but it's still an important consideration. Many of us are tight on space, and others simply don't want to add more clutter to their kitchens. An assessment of storage potential is relatively straightforward: we measure each knife sharpener to note footprint and packed size. If it breaks down, we note how many pieces you need to keep track of and whether or not it includes a case for easier storage. For pocket-sized options, we additionally account for their weight since these are the only ones you will likely be carrying around regularly.

The small, portable models obviously score the highest in this metric. The Sharpal 6-in-1 and Smith's Pocket Pal are essentially the same size. But at merely 25 grams, the Pocket Pal is remarkably more lightweight than the 44-gram Sharpal or even the 40-gram AccuSharp 001C. Although the Sharpal and Smith's sharpeners will easily slide into a pocket, the slightly larger AccuSharp will really only fit in a kitchen drawer. But it really isn't that much smaller than the Kitchellence or Longzon manual pull-through sharpeners, two options that just as easily fit in a drawer.

If you're planning to carry a whetstone along on hunting trips, the single, two-sided King Deluxe stone is notably lighter weight than the other two options — the stone and platform together weigh a mere 1 lb 10 oz. Of the swing arm models, only the Lansky kit comes with a storage case, whereas you have to purchase one separately for the Precision Adjust setup. But the model that surprised us the most in this metric is the Work Sharp E2. Even though it's just a bit too tall to fit in a regularly sized kitchen drawer, it is still a fraction of the size of the other electric sharpeners we tested and will easily disappear into a cabinet.

Conclusion

Every knife eventually needs sharpening; every knife owner needs a knife sharpener. Taking on this task at home may feel quite daunting at first, but many modern knife sharpeners can be easy to use and effective, and the process can even be fun. We thoroughly examined all of these knife sharpeners side-by-side to help you better differentiate between options. Our hope is that this in-depth review of the options, and our expert recommendations will make it easier to find the perfect knife sharpener for your kitchen. Bon appetite!