Choosing an Industrial Or Professional Knife Sharpener

[Herbert Eddy]

For most home cooks or occasional users of tools with blades, a simple
pull-through knife sharpener, sharpening stone, or sharpening steel
should be sufficient. After all, this occasional task takes just a
little elbow grease, and your knives will be back in top condition in
no time. On the other hand, if you use your tools frequently, often
find yourself chipping them or otherwise wearing them down, or are a
professional chef or anyone else who uses an assortment of kitchen
knives on a daily basis, you'll want to consider an industrial or
professional model. Keeping your knives sharpened will allow you to
focus on your work, not your tools.
In most cases, you'll want a knife sharpener that is electric. This
will prevent you from having to manually pull each knife through the
sharpener multiple times. Those with angle guides can further reduce
the work needed to quickly and efficiently sharpen your knives. With
an electric sharpener, even a very dull kitchen knife can be sharpened
in mere seconds. Plus, electric sharpeners can easily handle high-
volume sharpening without wearing down. In fact, some electric
sharpeners can handle up to several hundred knives a day, easily
enough for even the busiest commercial kitchen.
When choosing a professional knife sharpener, look for one that can
handle a variety of angles and knife lengths or types. Choose a high-
quality electric sharpener or sharpening wheel that is designed to
stand up to the amount of use you require. Those containing ceramic or
diamond on the sharpening surface usually offer the hardest surface,
able to withstand frequent use. Choose the grit size according to your
needs; if you plan to sharpen your knives daily, choose a finer grit,
while more occasional sharpening may require a rougher grit to remove
more metal from the blades.
Along with an electric sharpener, consider keeping a sharpening stone
or steel on hand for fast honing of your knives. If you are a chef who
needs extra-sharp knives available immediately, this solution can give
you the sharpest edge possible with just a few passes.
If you use many tools with lades, such as axes or chainsaws, you can
also sharpen these yourself rather than sending them out for costly
maintenance. To sharpen these often-used tools, you'll want to use a
sharpening stone, steel, or stick. In most cases, you won't be able to
use an electric sharpener because these sharpeners have a slot for the
knife blade, and are designed for kitchen-sized knives. A grinding
wheel can also be used to sharpen such odd-sized blades.
Using your own knife sharpener can save you a lot of money because
you'll no longer need to send your blades out for professional knife
sharpening. Plus, you'll never need to wait before you can use the
knife you need, since you can sharpen it on the spot. No matter what
kind of knives or blades you use on a daily basis, you can find a
sharpening option that will allow you to sharpen them yourself.
Frequent resharpening can ensure that your blades remain in top
condition and are ready when you need them.