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How To Choose A Knife Sharpener

Knife sharpener is a kind of scientific, practical, efficient and convenient knife sharpening tool developed recently. Suitable for all kinds of kitchen knives, outdoor knives, scissors, Damascus knives and ceramic knives. Knife sharpener is an instrument used to sharpen knives.


As the name suggests, knife sharpener is the general name of knife sharpening tools. It includes: sharpening rod, sharpening stones and sharpener. Knives are indispensable for daily cooking, but they will become dull after long-term use. Generally, we need to put the knives on the kitchen knife sharpener for a few times to get better.


Which is better to use, the sharpening stones or the knife sharpener? The following I will take you to understand.


1. Purpose of knife sharpener

Knife sharpeners are widely used in kitchens. The main features of kitchen knife sharpener are fast sharpening, convenient use and simple operation. The most important thing is to ensure the safety requirements during sharpening. The outdoor knife sharpener is small and exquisite, easy to carry, and has a variety of functions.


The dullest tool does not need more than a minute to make it extremely sharp, and its efficiency is unparalleled. The sharpening material of the professional knife sharpener is processed and refined with special materials, with long service life, cheap price, good quality and simple operation, In fact, it is an indispensable good helper for housewives.

electric kitchen knife sharpener

Compared with traditional knife sharpening stones, electric knife sharpener has the advantages of fast sharpening speed, simple operation, convenient carrying, beautiful appearance and so on. In addition, there is no need to add water and grinding oil when grinding the knife. Professional electric knife sharpener is very safe and hygienic to use. It is a must for modern kitchen supplies.


1.1 Classification of knife sharpener

1.1.1 Electric knife sharpener

The electric knife sharpener is an appliance that uses electricity to drive the motor to rotate to sharpen the knife. Electric sharpener is mainly used in hotels, slaughterhouses and other professional places. Electric knife sharpener is the first choice for chefs and other professionals. Electric knife sharpener is common in large restaurants and hotel back kitchens. Best electric knife sharpener can grind the knife to the standard included angle at high speed in a very short time, and the smoothness of the blade is also very satisfactory.


1.1.2 Manual knife sharpener

As the name suggests, this kind of knife sharpener is completed manually. Manual knife sharpener is generally suitable for household kitchens, outdoor sports, garden crafts, etc. Small size, easy to use, simple and safe operation. Best manual knife sharpener is the first choice of modern family kitchen.


Manual knife sharpener is the most common knife sharpening tool in family kitchens. Its blade loss is between the knife whetstone and electric knife sharpener. Hand held knife sharpener is affordable and has almost no difficulty in operation. Manual sharpener is generally composed of two parts: handle and grinding mouth with fixed included angle.


2. Material of best knife sharpener

2.1 Carbide knife sharpener

Cemented carbide is a kind of powder metallurgy material with high hardness. It is the most commonly used tool material for cutting metal in industry. Therefore, the automatic knife sharpener made of this material is the fastest of all methods. Because it is directly cutting metal for sharpening. Of course, a little damage to the tool, but as an ordinary tool, it is the best tool grinder.


2.2 Ceramic knife sharpener

High performance ceramics are good materials for ceramic knife sharpener. Its characteristics are: exquisite and durable. Its hardness is also very high, second only to diamond. Ceramic knife sharpener is often used for high-grade and fine cutting tools, which is the first choice of chefs. But the only disadvantage is that ceramic knife sharpeners are brittle, so be careful in use and maintenance to avoid fracture. Ceramic knife sharpener generally does not need knife grinding oil or water, and the ceramic surface is very easy to clean, so it is high-grade and hygienic.


2.3 Oilstone sharpener

Oilstone should be a well-known knife sharpening material, which can be buy in supermarkets and the price is also very affordable. Because of the need for certain knife sharpening skills and the need to add knife sharpening oil or water during knife sharpening, it is unsanitary and convenient, and the commonly sold oilstones are generally low-grade. Therefore, it is a helpless choice for everyone at present. For slaughterhouses, carpentry, carving and other professional purposes, the use of oilstone is relatively common. Of course, the quality must not be too low, because a good oilstone can ensure the sharpness of the cutting edge.


3. Types of sharpening stones

A knife sharpening stones is a stone used to sharpen a knife. Any sand rock can be sharpened. Gray clayey sand rock may be the best, quartz is also good, but it is very rare, and granite can also be used. The key is that the sharpened blade must be sharp and durable, and it is not easy to break. The general grindstone will be marked with the number of mesh.

knife sharpening stones

The screening particle size is the size of the mesh through which the particles can pass, 1 square inch (25.4mm × The number of mesh holes in the area of 25.4mm) is called mesh number. The grindstone is represented by the mesh number of sandstone. The higher the mesh number, the finer the particle, and the smaller the mesh number, the larger the particle size of the grindstone.


Generally, low mesh sharpening stones are used for rough grinding, while high mesh sharpening stones are used for fine grinding. If the household only grinds the kitchen knife, I suggests that the 800 mesh sharpening stones in the hardware market is absolutely enough. The mesh number of sharpening stones is not invariable.


When grinding slurry, the grinding particles of grindstone will also break. With the continuous grinding, "mesh number" will rise, especially natural sharpening stones. The sharpening stones is divided into grinding surfaces of different thickness. When using a whetstone, different grinding surfaces are selected according to the wear degree of the blade, which can restore the blade to a sharp state with the least loss. It has been the favorite grinding method of professional chefs for a long time.


Grindstones are divided into coarse, fine and oilstone: coarse grindstone: rough, "eat" iron fast. It is generally used to grind furniture with blunt mouth and gap. Fine grindstone: it has fine texture and is slow to eat iron. It is generally used to sharpen knives and axes. Oilstone: the texture is more delicate. It is mainly used for grinding delicate household items, such as carpenter's plane, barber's razor and carving knife, etc.


4. Material of best sharpening stones

The best professional knife sharpener is mainly made of sandstone and oilstone:

1) Cliff sand is a kind of sedimentary rock, which is formed by stone particles washed away by water and deposited on the riverbed. After thousands of years of accumulation, it becomes solid. Today's mines were formed by the orogeny of the earth. (mainly natural)


2) Oilstone refers to a kind of rock rich in oil. In terms of material classification, there are generally six kinds of rocks: green silicon carbide, white corundum, brown fused alumina, boron carbide, Ruby (also known as sintered corundum) and natural jade. Oilstone has different mesh numbers according to the distribution of material particles. Later, strip shaped consolidated abrasives made of abrasives and adhesives were called oilstones. (artificial, more refined)


4.1 Oilstone mesh

General grindstones have a variety of mesh numbers: 120 #, 240 #, 400 #, 600 #, 1000 #, 2000 #, 3000 #, 5000 #, 8000 # and even tens of thousands of mesh numbers. The mesh numbers of these numbers represent the unit content of corundum particles. The higher the mesh number, the finer the texture, and the lower the mesh number, the coarser the texture. Generally, grindstones with low mesh number are used for rough grinding and those with high mesh number are used for fine grinding.


Oilstone mesh: 1) mesh 120 #, 240 #, 400 #: mainly used for cutting edge of cutting tools or for repairing cutting tools with large gap; 2) Mesh number 600 #, 1000 #, 2000 #: mainly used to consolidate the blade, repair small gaps and remove burrs. It is suitable for daily sharpening; 3) Mesh number 3000 #, 5000 #, 8000 #: these high mesh numbers are used for grinding, polishing and mirror grinding of cutting tools. They are also suitable for people with high sharpness of cutting tools.


4.2 Grinding method

General oilstones need to be grinded with water or oil to avoid damaging the blade when the temperature is too high. First, soak the oilstone in water for about 5 minutes, then put it on a stable platform, and decide to sharpen the knife in one or two steps according to the blunt degree of the knife:

chef knife sharpener

Step 1: rough grinding, used for cutting or repairing severely damaged blades, suitable for blunt tools. Hold the blade at an angle of 10 to 30 degrees and grind the blade back and forth on the surface of the oilstone with less force. Grind until the tool is sharp. After grinding, the tool is generally rough ground after half a year, which can also be determined according to the specific situation.


Step 2: fine grinding, which is a necessary step to eliminate the burrs on the knife edge. Use less force to grind the knife, and repeat the grinding method in the first step to repair the smooth and sharp edge of the blade. Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to use it once a week or once a day, and keep the blade sharp at any time.


After the tool is polished, wipe it with a wet cloth or rinse it with water, and then wipe it dry. Clean the surface of the oilstone with a soft brush and dry it in a ventilated place. Pulp output: the grindstone made of white aluminum oxide has fast pulp output and high self sharpening. If you can't grind, you can use the angle guide to assist.


5. Knife sharpening bar

As the name suggests, the knife sharpening rod is rod-shaped. It is made of "mild steel" and is used to temporarily sharpen the edge of the knife. The sharpening bar can only be used to keep the knife edge sharp and remove subtle unsmooth. The sharpening rod is not used to "sharpen" the knife, but to straighten the folded blade by oblique pulling and correct the relatively accurate angle, so as to restore the "false blunt" blade to sharpness.


6. How to select the knife sharpener?

There are many kinds of knife sharpeners, including fixed angle, flat plate and rod, etc; Grinding materials include diamond, high-performance ceramics, cemented carbide and oilstone, etc; Different knife sharpeners have different prices. So how can you choose the best knife sharpener? We can start from several aspects for your reference when choosing:


6.1 Material and hardness of knife or tool:

If your cutting tool or the steel used for the tool is good, or the hardness is large, diamond sharpener, high-performance ceramic knife sharpener and oilstone can be selected; If your cutting tools and tools are made of alloy materials that are harder than steel, choose diamond knife sharpener and high-performance ceramic sharpener, especially diamond sharpener (such as best ceramic knife sharpener or cemented carbide sharpener, diamond knife sharpener is the best choice).


6.2 Single edge tool or double edge tool:

If you need a grinder that can be used with both double edge and single edge, it is generally regular plate-shaped and rod-shaped. It is generally diamond sharpener, high-performance ceramic knife sharpener or oilstone. But these all need some sharpening skills. There are also tools that can be specially used for single edge or double edge. Generally, these grinders do not need much use skills, but they are generally not universal between the two.


6.3 Sharpness of cutting tools:

If the sharpness of cutting tools and tools is generally required, it is recommended to select cemented carbide sharpener and diamond sharpener for fast sharpening, especially fixed angle sharpener. If the sharpness of cutting tools and tools is required to be high, it is better to choose high-performance ceramic sharpener or oilstone.


6.4 Considerations for each application:

If you are a family ordinary kitchen knife sharpener, it is recommended to use an ordinary carbide constant angle sharpener, which is fast, simple and hygienic. If you use a high-grade tool, it is recommended to use diamond wheel or "X" fixed angle grinder. If you are an outdoor knife friend, you should first use the universal fixed angle grinder or high-grade oilstone.


7. Advantages and disadvantages of sharpening stone, sharpener and sharpening rod

Advantages of sharpening stones: it can grind very sharp effect; best knife sharpening stones can also prolong the service life of the knife and polish the blunt knife; best sharpening stones can also grind the blade thinner. Disadvantages: it requires certain skills and time.

best kitchen knife sharpener

Advantages of blade sharpener: easy to use, electric knife sharpener is fast, easy to use and has good grinding effect; Safe and reliable, in line with human body design. Disadvantages: the sharpness retention of the blade is very short, which is not suitable for grinding the blade thin; Compared with using a sharpening stones, a lot of material will be lost.


Advantages of knife sharpening rod: the grinding speed is very fast, which can make the knife life longer. Disadvantages: the blunt blade is not suitable for grinding with a knife sharpening rod. It is not suitable for grinding the blade thin.


8. Best way to sharpen a knife

8.1 Knife sharpening stones

① When sharpening the knife, hold the knife handle with your right hand, gently stabilize the knife surface with your left finger, and move clockwise. ② The surface of the grindstone shall be kept wet. ③ The knife surface and the sharpening stones surface should maintain a stable angle, and the stone chips on the knife surface will prompt you to the corresponding angle. ④ When the blade surface is pulled back, do not apply force to the left finger, which is easy to cause reverse mouth. ⑤ Gradually reducing pressure during sharpening will make the blade delicate and sharp, and the other side should also be grinded back and forth in a clockwise direction.


8.2 Knife sharpener

① First find a clean plane to absorb the suction cup. ② Don't press the handle hard on the table, and then put it in the suction cup. ③ After fixing the suction cup, pull it back a few times at the v-mouth of the best electric sharpener.


8.3 Knife sharpening rod

① First sharpen one side of the knife, and a section of the blade against the handle against the tip of the sharpening rod. The knife surface forms an included angle of 20 degrees with the sharpening rod. ② The blade slides to the bottom of the sharpening bar, and the contact surface slides from the handle to the blade. ③ Grind gently without force until the tip of the knife just slips to the bottom of the grinding rod. ④ Then grind the other side and grind it several times to keep the same amount on both sides.


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