Pros and Cons of Using an Electric Knife Sharpener
Many years back, electric sharpeners are mostly found in professional kitchens or butcher stores. These days however, more and more households are relying on electric sharpeners to keep their blades in tip-top cutting condition. So what gives? Why are so many people using electric powered sharpeners these days?
Well, because good quality electric sharpeners offer many pros and benefits. Let’s discuss some of the pros of using one…Two of the most obvious advantages of using an electric knife sharpener is speed and ease of use. The tool is basically a fast and easy approach to sharpen a knife evenly throughout its length. It really doesn’t take too much time to sharpen a dull knife using an electric powered sharpener.
Essentially, all you’re required to do is plug in the device into a wall outlet in your kitchen, turn on the device, draw your blade into the sharpener’s slot, and you’re set. Yes of course, a really dull edge would require several passes through the sharpening slots in order to acquire that razor sharp cutting edge, but the process on the whole, is really simple and easy.
And the easiness is what makes electric sharpeners so appealing to many people, especially folks who aren’t familiar with manual sharpening approach which require a fair amount of skill. When it comes to manual sharpening, one has to learn how to pick the right sharpening stone. There’s the Arkansas stone which is favored by many knife enthusiasts, the ceramic rod which is also highly favored, and more.
And then there’s the matter of sharpening technique which as mentioned above, requires skill such as angle positioning, maintaining the right pressure to ensure knife is sharpened in an even fashion, paying attention to parts that have already been sharpened, etc.
With electric sharpeners, guesswork is pretty much eliminated. You see, many electric sharpeners on the market, especially the top-of-the-line ones possess multiple slots and each slot has its own unique function for keeping your precious knives super sharp at all times.
Usually the two different slots are dedicated for sharpening, stropping and polishing a knife. The process is accomplished by honing the blade which will result in a burr, and then removed by drawing the knife through alternately between the two different slots, or you could stick with just one sharpening slot. The other slot is used for resurfacing your dull blades.
Essentially, this slot offers you the ability to recondition a blade that holds no edge at all. Such function is made possible thanks to the wheel contained in this slot which is actually constructed of hardened steel that allows the reformation of microstructure along the steed edge of a dull blade. Furthermore, spring-loaded blade guides in the slots ensure the appropriate angle is maintained. In other words, it’s pretty much near impossible to wield the knife at the incorrect angle.
So that’s the simplicity of using an electric sharpener to fulfill your sharpening needs. It keeps the guesswork out of the equation, demands less skill, and allows you to focus completely on putting fantastically sharp edge on every single knife in your kitchen drawer. Only very little practice is required for a beginner to get a handle of using an electric sharpener, and full instructions are provided by the manufacturers to help you get going immediately.
Now, let’s look at the disadvantages of using an electric powered knife sharpener. First up…the cost. Yes, the decent quality ones are pretty expensive. Models that provide multiple sharpening, steeling, polishing, and stropping slots generally cost between $90 to $180.
Another problem is that if one is not careful, a knife could easily get damaged by an electric sharpener. It’s imperative that you hold the knife firmly while passing it through the sharpening slots and avoid pressing down hard to prevent damage, scratches or over grind. Finally, storage space…Some electric sharpeners on the market are big and bulky. They occupy a lot of space on the kitchen top. One model that comes to mind is the Presto 08810.
All told, the pros of using electric sharpeners far outweigh the cons, so if you’re still on the fence, I suggest you go for it because they are easy to use, quick, and highly effective.
Well, because good quality electric sharpeners offer many pros and benefits. Let’s discuss some of the pros of using one…Two of the most obvious advantages of using an electric knife sharpener is speed and ease of use. The tool is basically a fast and easy approach to sharpen a knife evenly throughout its length. It really doesn’t take too much time to sharpen a dull knife using an electric powered sharpener.
Essentially, all you’re required to do is plug in the device into a wall outlet in your kitchen, turn on the device, draw your blade into the sharpener’s slot, and you’re set. Yes of course, a really dull edge would require several passes through the sharpening slots in order to acquire that razor sharp cutting edge, but the process on the whole, is really simple and easy.
And the easiness is what makes electric sharpeners so appealing to many people, especially folks who aren’t familiar with manual sharpening approach which require a fair amount of skill. When it comes to manual sharpening, one has to learn how to pick the right sharpening stone. There’s the Arkansas stone which is favored by many knife enthusiasts, the ceramic rod which is also highly favored, and more.
And then there’s the matter of sharpening technique which as mentioned above, requires skill such as angle positioning, maintaining the right pressure to ensure knife is sharpened in an even fashion, paying attention to parts that have already been sharpened, etc.
With electric sharpeners, guesswork is pretty much eliminated. You see, many electric sharpeners on the market, especially the top-of-the-line ones possess multiple slots and each slot has its own unique function for keeping your precious knives super sharp at all times.
Usually the two different slots are dedicated for sharpening, stropping and polishing a knife. The process is accomplished by honing the blade which will result in a burr, and then removed by drawing the knife through alternately between the two different slots, or you could stick with just one sharpening slot. The other slot is used for resurfacing your dull blades.
Essentially, this slot offers you the ability to recondition a blade that holds no edge at all. Such function is made possible thanks to the wheel contained in this slot which is actually constructed of hardened steel that allows the reformation of microstructure along the steed edge of a dull blade. Furthermore, spring-loaded blade guides in the slots ensure the appropriate angle is maintained. In other words, it’s pretty much near impossible to wield the knife at the incorrect angle.
So that’s the simplicity of using an electric sharpener to fulfill your sharpening needs. It keeps the guesswork out of the equation, demands less skill, and allows you to focus completely on putting fantastically sharp edge on every single knife in your kitchen drawer. Only very little practice is required for a beginner to get a handle of using an electric sharpener, and full instructions are provided by the manufacturers to help you get going immediately.
Now, let’s look at the disadvantages of using an electric powered knife sharpener. First up…the cost. Yes, the decent quality ones are pretty expensive. Models that provide multiple sharpening, steeling, polishing, and stropping slots generally cost between $90 to $180.
Another problem is that if one is not careful, a knife could easily get damaged by an electric sharpener. It’s imperative that you hold the knife firmly while passing it through the sharpening slots and avoid pressing down hard to prevent damage, scratches or over grind. Finally, storage space…Some electric sharpeners on the market are big and bulky. They occupy a lot of space on the kitchen top. One model that comes to mind is the Presto 08810.
All told, the pros of using electric sharpeners far outweigh the cons, so if you’re still on the fence, I suggest you go for it because they are easy to use, quick, and highly effective.