AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener
by Accu Sharp
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List Price: Our Price: $5.50 You Save: $8.49 (61%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener
Customer Review: Knife sharpening solution for the clutzy cook!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using this knife sharpener for years. In fact, after about 8 years, I wore out the sharpening blades and had to buy another one. A nice feature is that you can take out one screw and reverse the blades to get more life out of them. Supposedly the blades are replaceable, but for roughly $10 spread over 8 years of daily use, I figured I could afford a new one!
If you read reviews under knives at Amazon, you'll soon figure out that many people sharpen their knives with steels and diamond hones. I'm no good with those things, but I do lots of cooking and I like my knives sharp.
The Accusharp was the answer for me. You don't have to be good at sharpening knives. Just rest your knife on the counter sharp-side-of-blade up and run the Accusharp down it firmly 3 or 4 times. Be careful if you do the light finger test for sharpness because the Accusharp will leave the blade lethally sharp! (If your knives are really dull, you will have to do it more like 10x the first time to bring them back.)
I have used my Accusharp successfully on chef's knives, paring knives, pocket knives, etc. Be advised, it is not for use on serrated blades (of course)!
The thing I like best about my Accusharp is that it takes no more than a few seconds, so I tend to sharpen my chef's knives and paring knives every time I use them. Just a couple of swipes and I have a fresh, labor-saving blade that makes my cutting chores easier.
I like these so much that I give them to people for gifts and use them for stocking stuffers at Christmas. The recipients often tell me later, "I love that thing you gave me to sharpen knives!"
Customer Review: Great Sharpener
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the years I developed the skill to use sharpening stones and strops. My wife is an amateur chef and appreciates blades that have razor sharp edges. I was very skeptical over this item but having heard the Cooks County review and reading other reviews here, I thought I'd get it for my wife to use.
To my great surprise this thing works great. A very dull knife may require several aggressive swipes to get a good edge, but a knife with an already decent edge will quickly be very sharp. On a dull knife there will be some shavings which at first disturbed me, but I realized I probably would be taking off the same amount using my diamond stone to get a new edge. The big difference is this tool did it in seconds and no skill was required.
I quickly realized that the trick is to go very gently at first. Let the tool set the edge. Once it sets a reasonably sharp edge, a few very light swipes will create close to a razor edge. If you are a nut like me and appreciate a true razor edge, a few passes on a fine stone and a light stropping will do the job.
I also found that while it will get a good edge on even a cheap knife, good blades will develop a sharper, finer much longer lasting edge.
I cannot attest to how long this tool will last. I now have sharpened several dozen knives of all types of steel and it has yet to quit. I use a honing steel each time I use a knife to maintain the edge, and that may lessen the number of times I need to use this tool. So it seems like it will last for a year or more. Not bad for an item that costs less than $10 and is this easy to use.
Capt Tom
Customer Review: Accusharp is a winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
Great value! I recently purchased the Henckels International Fine Edge Stylus knife block set for a smokin' low price, and was concerned that, because they weren't the top of the line Henckels, they wouldn't stay sharp. They did lose their edge rather quickly, but I use them almost daily and the honing steel could only accomplish so much. Faced with a beautiful, though dull set of knives, my first thought was, "Oh, no, I need to buy an expensive and counter-cluttering electric knife sharpener". I know that a sharp knife is a safe knife, and after two slips and cuts, I was ready to take the plunge and spend.Thanks to the great Cook's Illustrated review of this easy to use manual sharpener, I didn't have to! The Accusharp quickly and safely returned my knives to their original razor sharpness--no more cuts and worn out, sore arms and hands from bearing down on my knives. It was easy to get the hang of using it, even for me, a knife sharpening novice who formerly feared and dreaded this task! It's a good, 'intuitive' sharpening tool...you actually can feel the blade as it becomes sharper. A couple of passes with the honing steel to straighten the edge, and I'm good to go! Best of all, no counter space required, goes right in the utensil drawer, lightweight, and you can control how heavy or light the passes are, so no fear of nicking or chunking out a piece of your knife on a grinding wheel.I know that someday I will need to make a trip to a professional knife sharpener for a new edge, but I'm really grateful that this product will keep me going for a while in the meantime.Customer Review: OMG, I LOVE IT! GREAT VALUE!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was reluctant to buy another knife sharpener since I had one which worked pretty reasonably. But all these reviews, plus the recommendation by Cooks Illustrated sold me. Hey, it's only [...] bucks, why not? After sharpening every knife in my kitchen, I'm asking myself, why not earlier? The knives were so sharp, I was paranoid that I would slice myself open with them.
The design is ingenious. Unlike other some other sharpeners where you move the knife across the sharpener, you place the knife with the blade facing up and move the sharpener over it. In this way, you get more even pressure across the entire blade, so you manage to sharpen the tips very well also. Moreover, because the blade is resting on a flat surface upside-down, the knife is sharpened more evenly on both sides of the blade--something which makes a major difference for both sharpness in cutting and for homes who have both left-handed and right-handed cooks like mine.
The only thing that has disappointed me is that the picture on the back of the packaging implies that it can sharpen serrated knives, which it can--in theory. I suspect it works best where the serrations are far apart, but on my serrated and steak knives, the serrations are too close together for the Accusharp to be effective.
For ten bucks, this item is a fantastic value! You can even buy new sharpeners for when the blades become dull. Wow!
If you found this review helpful, please let me know!
Customer Review: Spend the extra $10 and purchase the Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener
Summary: 2 Stars
Overall: fast, efficient and small but I question the safety and also the need to hone the blade after sharpening.
PROS:
1. Portability - small enough to keep in your tool- or tackle-box.
2. Fast - a few runs of your dull blade through this sharpener and you are ready to go.
3. Sharp - After a few runs, my kitchen knives were immensley sharper
CONS:
1. Safe? - I left a question mark on this one for two reasons: (a) The slot where you slide (to sharpen) the blade is very small opening. You need to take care that the blade is securely wedged inside and not sitting on top of the white plastic. (b) Inherently in the design you can see that your fingers and arm are inches away from a newly being sharpened blade. So long as the blade is securely contained in the wedge you are fine. I would have preferred to see the design keep the motion of the being sharpened blade in a direction pointed away from my hands/arms to feel safer.
2. Honing needed - This sharpener puts a nice edge on the blade but you still need to hone the blade afterward if you are looking for a finely sharpened edge.
IN SUMMARY:
I believe this is one of the most economical sharpeners on the market. For the money it does the job very well. I would recommend that you also consider very strongly the "Wusthof 2 Stage Knife Sharpener" as it looks safer and also includes a section to hone the blade as well. I will be returning mine for the Wusthof.