Work Sharp MK2 Professional Electric Knife and Tool Sharpener, Adjustable Tool and Knife Sharpening System

Product Information

The lubricant helps to lift metal shavings--called swarf--away from the stone so as to keep the stone surface from getting clogged with them (the dirty gray color you see as you grind the blade is the swarf being removed from the blade). We also had some issues with the ceramic hone: it's short and a little awkward to use for honing, though the thinness makes it great for sharpening serrations. The Work Sharp E5 is Work Sharp's kitchen knife sharpener. It's made for use indoors, with a handy vacuum to collect the metal dust and shavings during sharpening. It has three speeds--Shape, Sharpen, Refine. You will use Shape if your knife is badly damaged, otherwise you'll use the Sharpen and Refine setting most of the time. Overall, it's a nice system, if your knives have a 17 degree angle (34 degree inclusive). The upgrade kit allows you to sharpen 15- and 20-degree blades, as well. All Work Sharp products are designed and manufactured in the USA. Work Sharp is considered one of the best companies to work for in the Ashland, OR area.

If you were to sharpen a folding knife, which is usually ground at 20 degrees, at 17 degrees, you’re going to ruin the factory edge and spend a long time fixing it with the Rolling Knife Sharpener, if you can. A sharpening stone, like a water stone or whetstone, is a more advanced sharpening option that works by first soaking the stone in water and using it as an abrasive to sharpen your knife. The water acts as a lubricant for sliding your knife across the stone's surface and creates a method that offers the most control over the sharpening process, since you can control the angle that you hold your knife as you slide it over the stone, instead of pull-throughs' pre-set angles. Some users find that sharpening stones also make their knives sharper than a pull-through, although it requires more precision, skill and time. The Work Sharp Rolling Knife Sharpener consists of a safe and ergonomic rolling sharpener to which you attach the abrasive sharpening discs. The design keeps your hand away from the blade edge. The discs magnetically attach to it so the user can easily swap them. Regular honing, or steeling, will also reduce how often you need to sharpen a knife (which is what makes it such an important part of kitchen knife care and maintenance).Though electric knife sharpeners are easy to use and relatively foolproof, they tend to be pricey and don’t provide any grind-angle flexibility. They’re not as compact as manual sharpeners, but most are relatively small enough to be stored in a kitchen drawer. What to Consider When Choosing the Best Knife Sharpener The Work Sharp Ken Onion is our favorite Work Sharp belt grinder and our best belt grinder recommendation for kitchen knives. You can sharpen blades from 15-30 degrees or get the upgrade kit and sharpen blades 10-35 degrees. This offers the most variety of all the Work Sharp sharpeners. Even if you're not interested in expanding your blade angles, the attachment uses wider belts (so they'll last longer) and makes for a better sharpening experience overall (e.g., easier to see what you're doing, fewer scratches on blades). Different grind angles provide different characteristics, such as how long a knife maintains its edge or how easily it cuts through delicate material. V-notch knife sharpener angles are preset, however, so users cannot choose the profile to put on the knives. V-notch sharpeners also tend to leave a rougher edge on the blade than other methods. Honing Rods

Use a slow speed at first, as this will remove less blade material and create less heat. When you have a better feel of how the belt grinder works you can try faster speeds.Water stones are easiest to use and produce an excellent edge. Most makers recommend that you soak the stone in water for 15-45 minutes before using. But the nice folks at Work Sharp keep coming out with new products, so my cup runneth over with things to make knives sharp. I’ll be reviewing two of them today, both great products – but this is a study in using the right tool for the job, because both of these sharpeners are ideal for different types of sharpening. We’ll take a look at both and their competitors and give you a verdict on them as well as take a closer look at the different types of sharpening you might be doing. But First, A Little About Work Sharp We treated our knives as any cook would: when the knife was too dull to cut through a tomato, we sharpened it. The before-and-after ability to cut a tomato seems like the best possible test of how well a sharpener works if we're looking at how this translates to actual kitchen use. If you're inexperienced with belt grinders, practice on your cheap knives before attempting to sharpen your good ones. It's easy to use, but takes some practice to get it right. Precision sharpening guides provide fast, easy, repeatable and consistent results. Kitchen Knife guide sharpens blades to a 40° angle – Outdoor Knife Guide sharpens to a 50° angle.

The E5 does have a learning curve, so as with all electric sharpeners, practice on old knives first. For best results you should probably get the upgrade kit, even if you don't care about sharpening to other angles, because the variety of belts will give you the best results.Don’t let the blade slow down or stop until it is clear of the tool, or else you may get an uneven spot on the blade, or the blade may overheat. Be sure you can get all the different grits that you want for your belt grinder. In general, you want coarse, medium, fine, and possibly extra fine belts to cover all your sharpening needs. Here are some important features to look for when you're buying a belt grinder knife sharpener. Ease of Use