Are there any decent inexpensive, "idiot-proof" knife sharpeners out there?

MaxFactor

MaxFactor

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I'll preface this by letting everyone know that this isn't for me. I own an Edge Pro Apex kit and am very proficient with it.

I'm looking for an inexpensive, easy to use sharpener for my parents. Primarily for kitchen knives. Also for my dad to occasionally touch up the Spyderco Cruwear Military I bought him for his birthday a few years back.

For the past few years I've sharpened my families knives when I come home for Christmas but it seems like every year it gets harder and harder to find time to sharpen their knives and do the all important catching up with friends and family.

Any suggestions would be great. I simply haven't looked into any other sharpening system since I got my Edge Pro.
 
I just got a Worksharp for Christmas,,, SUPER easy and very fast,, especially on kitchen knives
 
Short answer.... no. There's an idiot for every sharpener ;) . That being said the Sharpmaker has continuously showed up as the forum favorite for most inexperienced sharpeners. The degree of experience usually determines the system and what you eventually find out is that the more experienced sharpeners usually fall back to the basics of freehand. Fastest way to sharpen (and consequently ruin a blade if you're inexperienced) is a 2X72" belt grinder with the appropriate belts.
 
Another fan of the Worksharp sharpening system. Keep the belt speed low and it works wonderfully.
 
I also have the KO Worksharp. It is a very good and fast sharpening system, but perhaps not for beginners. It will sharpen a knife really fast and if you're not careful it will wreck a knife really fast too. It also depends on what kind of knife you are sharpening. To maintain an Emerson, for instance, you cannot use the Worksharp if you want to maintain the chisel edge. The Worksharp will put a convex edge on the blade.
 
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Best way to idiot proof anything is with practice.

But, if you get diamond plates, they won't dish out, and you can use them on nearly anything that needs sharpening.
 
I appreciate the input fellas.

I suppose by "idiot-proof" I mean, incredibly impatient and irritable. That would be my father. I mainly don't want to get him a sharpener that he's going to get frustrated with and somehow ruin my mother's kitchen knives or even worse, the Spyderco I gave him.
 
Yea.. get the Worksharp WSGFS221 for around $20 online. It has 20 degree guides, ceramic and some leather. Best IMO for what you're asking. Check it out on YouTube
 
My parents have a Presto counter-top electric sharpener that they like pretty well. I'd never use it on a folding knife, but on your average kitchen knife it works well enough.

You can't shave with them, but tomatoes and chicken breasts are no issue.
 
"Idiot proof" is a fantasy. There are some really smart idiots out there. However, the Spyderco Sharpmaker is a very good system that is easy for beginners to learn how to use.
 
Chef's Choice electric sharpeners are idiot proof. I seldom use mine, but it is available for my wife for some kitchen knives. Meets your specifications except for the inexpensive part.
 
Honestly... if your dad doesn't want to take the time to learn to sharpen correctly, or if he doesn't have the patience to a) learn how, and then b) do it correctly himself... then you're probably wasting your money. But if you want to get him something that will do as little harm as possible while he's learning, I'd recommend the Sharpmaker. I have diamond stones, strops, and a KOWS . All are great sharpening tools. But they all need an experienced hand. The Sharpmaker is probably the best thing to start him on because it will sharpen if used correctly and it won't do anything fast. So it's less likely to greatly magnify mistakes he makes while learning to sharpen. Diamonds and powered equipment are not that friendly to sharpening newbies.
 
Plenty of idiots know how to sharpen a knife. If you want a quick, easy to learn method that won't ruin a knife quickly, I'd say diamond plates. They cut reasonably fast, aren't that expensive, and won't ruin a knife too quickly like a powered tool. Some basics will need to be learned, however. This part cannot be avoided.
 
I got a work sharp for Christmas and I've been impressed so far. An inexperienced sharpener could quickly ruin a knife so it might not be the best choice for your dad unless he is willing to be patient and learn. But, it might be something you could use to sharpen them all quickly. You could do a knife in a couple minutes so you have more time with the family.

It does put a convex edge on which could be good or bad depending on your outlook.
 
The Lanksy or Smith's guided system are decent and produce quick results that acceptable to most non knife people. I still use one occasionally for a quick reprofile or touch up of a pocket knife. I prefer the diamond stones for those setups as they work faster. They are approx 400-100 grit, with the 1k arkansas stone being about useless IMO compared to the same grit waterstone. They do produce what I consider a very useable edge, and some of my knives still have the edge on them that I put on with the Smiths. The griptillian in my pocket has maintained the Smiths edge for over a year and has been a good cutter for daily carry type stuff.

For kitchen knives I think the Sharpmaker would work better for their needs. The Lanksy and Smiths setups do not work as well on larger knives in my experience.

A Chefs Choice will put a useable edge on kitchen knives, but it removes a lot of material. I would not recommend it be used more than once a year, and they would have to learn to properly steel their knives to maintain cutting ability in between sharpenings, and to use a proper cutting board. Before I had anything better I maintained a nice pair of kitchen knives for several years, but eventually the Chefs choice removed a lot of metal and thickened the cutting edge up. Not ideal.

Sharpmaker is likely to be the most "idiot proof" and effective method of the ones mentioned.
 
We got some of those standard V shaped sharpeners for work, thinking they couldn't screw it up. This was the result after a month or two.

Q6Nl4Q0.jpg


Let me know if you find a good idiot proof sharpener. lol
 
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