I had a chefs choice platinum knife sharpener, IMO, it’s junk compared to the work sharp!!
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I’d like to hear more about preferences for sharpeners. I’ve always used diamond stones and ceramic rods, but would like an electric. So which model Work Sharp? And what is wrong with Chef’s Choice?
I’ve heard the electric sharpeners are “bad” b/c they “take the metal out of the blade”; ’ guess that means they remove more steel, which is what you’d expect.
As for the knives, my Dexters have worked for a long time, and serve double duty with general kitchen use. Wustof is a wonderful knife, but too expensive for my fish cleaning.
Roger
Im a bit of a fanatic when it comes to knifes/ sharpeners so Ill offer an opinion.Ive owned the chefs choice model 15/20 for six years and can say its hands down the best Ive ever used. The 20 degree sharpening slots are for most euro/us made knifes and the 15 for Japanese knifes. You would want to use the 15 degree for fillet knifes.Ive used this sharpener for all my knives, fillet, kitchen and pocket, I also take it to my parents,in-laws and friends house once or twice a year and sharpen their knifes. Its still like new after heavy use.
The best knife ? I think I have most of the moderate priced fillet knifes ( Dexter,Repala,Blacktip,Berkely), of those, the Dexter and Blacktip are the better but certainly not THE knife.The high end German knifes are good but the best Ive ever owned is made by Shun, a Japanese made knife ( $200.00)this is not a fillet knife but they make one.I bought it at the same time as the sharpener , it stays razor sharp for a long time and has never chipped or rolled the edge.Im almost exclusively a catch and release fisherman but if I wanted the best, I would look at this brand.
The old electric sharpeners were made with grinding wheels and would eat your knife. The better ones made today are made of metal discs with a diamond abrasive coating. I looked at the work sharp link and they look pretty good. The Ken Onion model ( the high end knife I have is a Ken Onion/Shun)looks like a very good sharpener. It would take a little more time and skill to use but it also cost less than the chef`s choice.
I guess saying the Chef’s Choice is junk was a overstatement. It’s not junk, but it didn’t perform like I thought it should. If you keep a knife sharp and dont abuse it, it will help maintain the edge. If you have a knife that is in poor shape, it will bring it back, it just seems like it takes forever to do so. The Worksharp on the other hand, slap on the 220 grit belt, make several passes to shape your edge, change out to the 6000 grit belt, make several more passes and in most cases, you are done!! Hands down the best knife sharpener I have ever owned, IMO…
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quote:
Originally posted by Ona MissionI’d like to hear more about preferences for sharpeners. I’ve always used diamond stones and ceramic rods, but would like an electric. So which model Work Sharp? And what is wrong with Chef’s Choice?
I’ve heard the electric sharpeners are “bad” b/c they “take the metal out of the blade”; ’ guess that means they remove more steel, which is what you’d expect.
As for the knives, my Dexters have worked for a long time, and serve double duty with general kitchen use. Wustof is a wonderful knife, but too expensive for my fish cleaning.
Roger
This is the worksharp model I have, works great!! The do have a heavy duty model for around twice the price.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200431964_200431964
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quote:I have a Shun Chef knife, Shun paring knife, and a Global bread knife, but I would never buy an expensive filet knife. They just get beat up and there's really no advantage.
Originally posted by B in BeaufortI
m a bit of a fanatic when it comes to knifes/ sharpeners so Ill offer an opinion.Ive owned the chefs choice model 15/20 for six years and can say its hands down the best Ive ever used. The 20 degree sharpening slots are for most euro/us made knifes and the 15 for Japanese knifes. You would want to use the 15 degree for fillet knifes.Ive used this sharpener for all my knives, fillet, kitchen and pocket, I also take it to my parents,in-laws and friends house once or twice a year and sharpen their knifes. Its still like new after heavy use.
The best knife ? I think I have most of the moderate priced fillet knifes ( Dexter,Repala,Blacktip,Berkely), of those, the Dexter and Blacktip are the better but certainly not THE knife.The high end German knifes are good but the best Ive ever owned is made by Shun, a Japanese made knife ( $200.00)this is not a fillet knife but they make one.I bought it at the same time as the sharpener , it stays razor sharp for a long time and has never chipped or rolled the edge.Im almost exclusively a catch and release fisherman but if I wanted the best, I would look at this brand.
Dexter Russel all the way. I have their filet knife and boning knife and they are scary sharp. I even bought one of their giant chef knifes for my parents beach house and it’s a workhorse. Bubba blades are all marketing. Same quality as your other cheap knives, but with a price tag.
quote:
Originally posted by B in BeaufortThe old electric sharpeners were made with grinding wheels and would eat your knife. The better ones made today are made of metal discs with a diamond abrasive coating. I looked at the work sharp link and they look pretty good. The Ken Onion model ( the high end knife I have is a Ken Onion/Shun)looks like a very good sharpener. It would take a little more time and skill to use but it also cost less than the chef`s choice.
They’re actually not hard to use at all. They come with a “guide” that has specific slots for specific angles and they come with different bands with different levels of sharpening abrasives. The pivoting head allows you to use it to sharpen things other than just knives. You can sharpen lawn mover blades, axes, scissors…anything that requires a sharp cutting edge. I’ve been using one for a couple of years now and wouldn’t trade it for the world. All of my stones, steels, Lanski’s, ceramic rods and the such sit around and collect dust because of my Work Sharp.
Earn it everyday
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I liked my 1st Bubba Blade so much that I bought a 2nd one. I can sharpen most blades to a razor’s edge with my electric professional knife sharpener, but the handle is what it is. The ergonomics of the Bubba Blade handle is the best I’ve found when it comes to cleaning fish without my wrist aching. I’m a knife queer. I’ve got Wustoff’s, Cuttco’s that I’ve owned for 30 years, a Uncle Henry fillet with a stag handle and the finest steel that looks like a museum piece, and I’ve thrown out a half dozen Dexter’s when they were sharpened down to a nub. Now I’ll admit that I had major wrist surgery in my early 20’s, and at 63 I’ve got my share of aches and pains. The handle on the Bubba Blade keeps those aches and pains to a minimum.
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I like my Bubba Blade as well. I think the Teflon coating helps a lot when cutting skin away from filet. The pros seem to like other brands but for a novice fisherman/fish cleaner like myself it works well.
I have messed up the tip and profile of a couple of $300+ blades with the WorkSharp belts. Their guided system does not look too bad, but I am definitely looking at the Chef’s Choice. I have always re-profiled my edges with a guided sharpener… a Lansky or similar. Once it is sharp a steel or strop can maintain the edge if it is not abused. When you sharpen a blade, a wire edge forms and ‘rolls’ to one side or the other. This is what causes the need for alternating strokes on the fine stones/ belts/ or whatever. In use, the wire edge rolls again and is easily straightened with a good steel or strop.