Only someone that has labored in the kitchen can understand the sheer irritation that stems from trying to slice a tomato with a blunt knife. Take our word for it, it is genuinely frustrating.
And since knives tend to get blunt ever so often, we also understand the reluctance that seeps in when thinking of going for a new knife set.
Because what’s the point right if your shiny new knives are also going to go down the same path after a month or so. What’s even worse is that when you buy knife sets online, some of them come blunt as is, making them a wasted purchase.
So the dilemma of investing in a new set is one that plagues every home chef time and again, and we’re here to tell you that there’s finally a long-term solution for it. Knife sharpeners are no less than a revelation.
While they’ve been around for ages, especially in elementary forms with local crafters, they’ve only been monopolized on recently, so why not go with the trend, right folks? Knife sharpeners come in several types and capacities.
Some are manual, some are electric; some sharpeners are metal-based, while others are stone-based; and finally, some involve running a sharpening rod over your knife, while others involve placing your knife in between bladed segments and pulling the knife out repeatedly so as to sharpen it.
We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how to sharpen your knife and what to look for in a sharpener a little bit later. Allow us to, first, walk you through the very best knife sharpeners in the business right now.
These are the Top 11 Best Knife Sharpeners in India
| Product | Average User Rate | Item Weight | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aworld Knife Sharpener | 3.8/5 | 200 g |  |
| KACOOL Kitchen Knife Sharpener | 4/5 | 220 g | |
| FLYNGO Manual Knife Sharpener | 3.8/5 | 160 g | |
| Petals Plastic Knife Sharpener | 4.1/5 | 100 g | |
| Zircon Knife Sharpener | 4/5 | 170 g | |
| Smitex Manual Knife Sharpener | 3.6/5 | 160 g | |
| Sai EnterPrise Manual Kitchen Knife Sharpener | 4/5 | 170 g | |
| Rena Germany Manual Knife Sharpener | 4.1/5 | 340 g | |
| Victorinox Knife Sharpener | 4/5 | 72 g | |
| Crystal - MKA013 Stainless Steel Knife Cum Scissor Sharpener | 3.6/5 | 100 g | |
| Victorinox, Swiss Made, Dual-knife sharpener | 4.4/5 | 40 g | |
Best Knife Sharpeners in India in 2023
1. Aworld Knife Sharpener Manual – 3 Stage Kitchen Sharpening Tool
This product is one of the most comprehensive knife sharpeners on the block and caters not only to knives carved out of different materials but also to knives in need of different degrees of sharpening.
Whether your knife is metal-based, or ceramic-based; whether it’s in need of a simple touch up or a rigorous sharpening, this Sharpener has got you covered. Let us first start with the three different sharpening slots this product offers and what they do for your blunt knives.
- Comes with three sharpening slots- Ceramic, Coarse and Fine
- Caters to all shapes and sizes of knives
- Comes with rubber grip in the bottom to maintain stability
The ceramic slot is the most specialized slot in a way because it caters especially to ceramic-based knives. These knives are notoriously famous for losing their sharpness much faster than their metal-based counterparts, but a true connoisseur would know the magic they work with bread loaves, fresh foods, and soft meats.
It is also extremely difficult to restore the sharpness of ceramic-based knives, but this product does an impressive job.
The next slot is called the Coarse sharpening slot, which as we mentioned before, comes in handy when your knives are in as bad a shape as they can be.
This gives them a rigorous, or as the slot says, Coarse, treatment and leaves the blade with a sharper, more rugged finish.
Finally, we have the fine slot, the task of which is pretty well indicated by its name. This slot comes in handy when you wish to give your new knives a shiny touch-up after whatever little use you’ve made of them.
Regular use of this slot will keep your knives almost as good as new for years. While these pointers cover what the sharpener does for your knives, we’re still left to talk about what’s required out of you.
Well, it’s quite simple, all you need to do is to place your knife in the slot of your choosing and then pull the knife out of the slot in a fast-paced, backward motion.
If you continue this motion on loop for a few minutes, your knives will come out sharper than ever. Now, the stability of the knife sharpener is of the utmost importance in order to swiftly sharpen your knife, without injuring yourself in any way.
For this, the knife sharpener comes with a rubber grip at the bottom, which actively maintains the sharpener’s placement on your kitchen slab, without allowing it to slip.
Additionally, the slots are sized adequately so as to accommodate all kinds of knives, be it Boning knives, Chef’s knives, Carving knives, Cleavers, Santokus, Filet knives, Pairing knives, and even scissors.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Aworld |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 10 x 10 x 5 cm |
| Weight | 200 g |
2. KACOOL Kitchen Knife Sharpener 3-Stage Profession Knife Sharpening Tool
Kacool is an enormously popular brand on all online retailing platforms and is quickly taking over multiple categories in the grooming, homeware, and kitchenware domains. It is yet another banger that shines through with three sharpening slots, each of which is truly state of the art.
These slots come with ceramic, diamond stone, and tungsten-based sharpeners, respectively, that sufficiently cater to all your knives, no matter what state they’re in. This comes with blades that range from fine to medium and finally, to coarse in terms of their sharpening abilities.
- Comes with three slots that are labeled in ascending order
- These slots ceramic, diamond and tungsten based, respectively
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic body is scratch resistant
- Sharpening slots are removable and washable
The Ceramic blade has been labeled fine and is used to simply spruce up or give your relatively newer knives a touch of polish and maintenance. The next is the medium blade; this has a diamond stone base.
Don’t get too shocked upon hearing diamond, because this one too is simply a sharpening rod that has just been wrapped in a thin diamond stone cover. This slot is particularly useful for those knives that are slowly losing their sharp edges.
It gives them a slightly rugged, unrefined finish for enhanced sharpness. All of the sharpening rods are placed at a fifteen-degree angle, which makes it easier to sharpen the cone shape blade of your knives.
Finally, we have the coarse blade carved out of Tungsten. This metal is highly regarded as the best base for knife sharpening rods thanks to its robust composition and strength. This is the slot that gives the most rigorous sharpening and can revive even the bluntest blades.
The body of this knife sharpener has been carved out of grade-A Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic, which greatly adds to this appliance’s durability and resistance to scratches.
It is also equipped with a grip at the bottom, which ensures that your sharpener doesn’t slip even when placed on the smoothest of all surfaces. This appliance minimizes your effort by simply asking you to just place the knife in the slot of your choosing and pulling it out in a fast, backward motion.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Kacool |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 20 x 8.6 x 4.6 cm |
| Weight | 30 g |
3. FLYNGO Manual Knife Sharpener 3 Stage Sharpening Tool
This product is pretty similar to the one we just saw. Both of them adorn the same materials for sharpening your knives and give equally effective results, no matter how bad the original state of your knives.
The sharpening slots are lined with tungsten steel, diamond stone, and ceramic, which combined together provide comprehensive care for your knives, whether they’re still new or old, dull and blunt.
- Comes with three sharpening slots labeled as- Fine, Coarse and Ceramic
- Works on all shapes and sizes of knives with smooth blades
- Ceramic, Diamond Stone and Tungsten steel based sharpeners provide comprehensive care
- Body is carved out of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic
It comes with sharpening slots that are labeled a little bit differently, which may arise a bit of confusion. So just to clear things up, the slots are labeled as Ceramic, Coarse and Fine. The ceramic slot, as opposed to its name, actually comes lined with diamond stone-based sharpeners.
They are perfect for ceramic-based knives and other knives that are slowly blunting away.
The middle slot is labeled coarse and as the name suggests, gives your dull and blunt knives a thorough sharpening and rough finish for added sharpness along with easy slicing and dicing. This slot is lined with tungsten steel which enhances the sharpness of your knives like no other material.
Finally, we have the fine slot, lined with ceramic, which offers the gentlest care of all. This slot only comes into play when your knives require a finishing touch or added polishing and maintenance.
This keeps your knives tip-top for longer. This product too comes with an Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic body, along with a rubber grip at the base for added stability while in use. The slots in this sharpener are also detachable and washable.
Additionally, this sharpener works on all knives, big or small, including utility and Swiss knives. The only kinds that this product doesn’t support are normal scissors or knives with irregular blades, like scalloped or serrated knives.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Flyno |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 21.3 x 8.4 x 5.3 cm |
| Weight | 160 g |
4. Petals Plastic Knife Sharpener
Petals is yet another brand that’s immensely popular on online retailing platforms, thanks to its minimalistic, and easy to operate kitchenware products, which come coupled with inexpensive prices.
This plastic knife sharpener is compact, reasonably priced, and can honestly fit inside your pockets, not to mention how simple it’s working is. This product is a circular shaped knife sharpener which is really only the size of a fidget spinner.
- Comes with two sharpening slots in its compact body
- Allows for both, coarse and fine touch ups on your knives
- Featherweight appliance, weighs only 0.13 kilograms
- Adorns a compact body, which is only 7 cm long and 9.2 cm wide
You can easily hold it in your hand while sharpening your kitchen knives. It weighs a total of 130 grams and is only 9.2 cm wide, making it the perfect size for your hand. It comes with two sharpeners placed on either end, vertically.
On one side you have a metal-based sharpener which is the equivalent of the coarse slot we’ve seen so far. This end gives your blunt knives a more rigorous sharpening, leaving them rougher and sharper than before.
On the other end, we have the softer and gentler, ceramic-based sharpening slot. This slot gives your knives a finer, smoother finish, while also maintaining their polished outer surface. This side is effective when you simply want to maintain your relatively newer knives.
This plastic-bodied knife sharpener comes with a rubber coating to make it easy to hold, along with grips on either end, so that its light-weight doesn’t lead it to slip or fall while placed erect and in use.
Additionally, this product can also be used on different shapes and sizes of knives, especially the smaller ones like pocket and utility knives.
It also comes with a chain so that you can easily hang the product from a nail to save up on storage space, although with this compact sharpener, storage space will never be a worry for you.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Petalo |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 7 x 9.2 x 41 cm |
| Weight | 0.13 g |
5. Zircon Knife Sharpener with Advanced 3-Stage Sharpener
At the risk of sounding too repetitive, this Zircon knife sharpener to comes with three sharpening slots, each of which gives your knives a different finish. You know the names and purposes of each of these slots by now, but a recap never hurts right?
Allows for the sharpening of all kinds of knives and scissors. Let us start, once again, with the three sharpening blades. First is the ceramic slot, which is laid with the diamond stone. Let us start, once again, with the three sharpening blades.
- Comes with three sharpening slots
- Fiber Reinforced Plastic body shows great resistance to cracks and scratches
- Ethylene Vinyl Acetate strip at the bottom provides a strong grip
- Lightweight appliance, weighs only 0.17 kilograms
First is the ceramic slot, which is laid with the diamond stone. The diamond stone is one of the most effective knife sharpeners and works perfectly well with ceramic-based knives, where most other sharpeners fail.
Ceramic-based knives are generally the most difficult to sharpen, which is also why several knife sharpeners aren’t even compatible with these knives.
Next is the coarse slot, this one maintains the edgy triangular shape of your knives, as knives usually tend to lose this shape and sharpness over time.
It gives your knives a rough, easily piercing finish, which brings even the dullest knives back to life.
Finally, we have the ceramic slot, which as we’ve mentioned before is basically the icing on top of the cake. This slot only refines the knives that were adequately sharp to begin with.
It helps maintain your knives, so that they retain their sharpness for longer. Apart from these essentials, this appliance comes with numerous other features that enhance the user experience and the durability of this knife sharpener.
Instead of a normal plastic body, this appliance comes topped off with an FRP or Fiber Reinforced Plastic which is one of the toughest and most long-lasting compositions of plastic out there today.
The good thing about this material is that no matter how many scratches your knives inflict upon this sharpener, and no matter how many times it falls, the material doesn’t crack or break, enhancing the longevity of your knife sharpener.
Additionally, even the grip at the bottom isn’t carved out of cheap rubber but is instead made out of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate plastic, which is known for its striking resemblance to rubber, coupled with enhanced scratch and heat resistance, along with its strong grip even to wet surfaces. All of these properties make this pull-through sharpener your one-stop-shop.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Zircon |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 21 x 8.2 x 5.2 cm |
| Weight | 170 g |
6. Smitex Manual Knife Sharpener
Consider this Smitex Knife Sharpener a younger brother, of sorts, to the other three slot knife sharpeners we’ve seen so far. It comes with two instead of the standard three-slot models and does so at the cost of the diamond stone-based slots.
This implies that this knife can sharpen all but ceramic-based knives. This product comes with Coarse and Fine knife sharpening slots. The coarse slot is laden with Tungsten Steel. It sharpeners are known for their ability to quickly revive even the dullest and bluntest of all blades.
- Comes with 2 slots- fine and coarse, laden with ceramic and tungsten steel, respectively
- Tungsten steel slot allows for enhancement of sharp edges
- Slots can be removed and rinsed clean after each use for better functioning
- Adorns a compact and light weight body that is available in bright colors
So no matter how ineffective your knife, this slot will bring back at least some of its edge and enhance its ability to slice, dice and pierce through. Additionally, tungsten steel blades enhance the shape of your knife’s blade.
As mentioned before, the triangular shape of the blade loses its sharply defined contours over time, which reduces the knives ability to slice. This slot helps in maintaining and redefining that sharp triangular shape.
Next comes the ceramic-based slot, labeled as Fine on the product. This slot, as you know full well by now, offers a gentle touching up of your knife, nothing too abrasive or rigorous, only a soft enhancement of the already sharp knife.
This product is easy to operate. A standard pull-through appliance requires you to simply place your knife in the slot of your choosing and swiftly pull it out in backward motions a few times.
Once you repeat this activity 5-6 times, even your bluntest knife will come out relatively sharper. Additionally, this product comes in bright colors, making it an aesthetically pleasing addition to your kitchen.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Smitex |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 2 |
| Product Dimensions | 15 x 15 x 5 cm |
| Weight | 200 g |
7. Sai Enterprise Manual Kitchen Knife Sharpener
This is yet another power-packed, triple slotted knife sharpener. We understand that multiple products with similar features may inject confusion into your decision-making process, but isn’t having too many choices a better problem than having no choices at all?
The three slots are as per trend labeled as Fine, Coarse, and Ceramic respectively. The ceramic slot works on your more sensitive and easily blunted ceramic blade knives. While these knives work very smoothly on fruits, veggies, bread, patisseries, and other soft products, they also degrade much faster than other knives.
- Ceramic, Diamond Stone and Tungsten steel adequately cater to all knives
- Works on all shapes and sizes of knives with smooth blades
- Body is carved out of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic
- Compact appliance, is 21 centimeters long and weighs 0.17 kilograms
Only strong blades like diamond stone blades, as laden in this slot, work on ceramic knives. Second is the coarse slot, which is the harshest and gives the most effective results. This one can adequately jolt even those knives back to life that you had completely given up on.
No points for guessing what the third slot is, it is most definitely the Fine slot. This one simply spruces up your relatively newer knives and enhances their outer sheen.
This makes your knives look and work like brand new knives for longer. Additional features include an Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic body. This grade A polymer is employed to enhance the durability and longevity of this appliance.
It also safeguards this appliance from cracks and scratches. The bottom comes topped off with a rubber base to provide a sturdy grip and balance while the knife sharpener is in use.
If you’re sharpening your knife with swift, intense motions, then a simple slip of the sharpener can cause you injuries. To avert such possibilities, the rubber grip has been employed.
While there’s a slot for ceramic knives, it is still advised to not use such sensitive knives on this product, as these knives are prone to chipping and breakage. Additionally, this appliance is also incompatible with knives with irregular blades, like scalloped blade knives.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Sai Enterprise |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 3 |
| Product Dimensions | 21.1 x 8.2 x 5.7 cm |
| Weight | 170 g |
8. Rena Germany Manual Knife Sharpener (12 inch Rod)
Rena Germany is a transcontinental corporation that has enhanced the quality of kitchen and cookware available in Indian markets by a mammoth amount. Since Rena Germany commenced operations in Indian production stations with the production and sale of knives.
You can be assured that knife sharpeners are a bit of a specialty with this brand. This manual knife sharpener is one of the most rudimentary forms in which knife sharpeners are available today.
- Comes in the form of a foot long rod, carved out of high carbon steel, for added durability
- Comes with a rubber coated handle and rubber grip
- Allows for the sharpening of all shapes and sizes of knives
- Requires you to hold the rod stable
It is also regarded by connoisseurs and professionals as one of the most effective kinds, however effective usage of such rod sharpeners requires a practiced hand. This is a simple one-foot long rod that has been carved out of high carbon steel.
High Carbon steel is simply steel with a greater composition of carbon. This alloy is actively used in sharp tools and even construction activities, making it highly suitable for use in knife sharpeners, especially due to the immense durability of this metal.
For ease of use, the top half of the rod comes with a rubber coating for you to be able to comfortably hold the rod while sharpening. What’s important to note is that the knife is run over the rod, while the rod is kept stable.
What you’re required to do is to hold the rod erect with one hand, while resting the bottom on a stable platform for support. Next, you’re to take your knife and run it over the rod longitudinally so as to sharpen it.
The advantage with such sharpeners is that not just the tip or one edge of your knife gets sharpened, like in the other pull-through sharpeners we’ve seen so far, but all edges across the entire length of the knife can be sharpened.
It is important to run your knife over the rod in only one direction repeatedly, instead of a back and forth motion.
Additionally, no matter what edge of the knife you sharpen, it is important to maintain the angle between the knife and the rod while sharpening, within the range of twenty to twenty-five degrees, for best results.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Rena Germany Store |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | NA |
| Product Dimensions | 20 x 14 x 4 cm |
| Weight | 340 g |
9. Victorinox Knife Sharpener – Stainless Steel Portable
Victorinox is one of the world’s foremost brands when it comes to the production of the utility, pocket, or Swiss knives. Now, if you can trust this brand to create the sharpest pocket-sized knives.
You can definitely trust it to help maintain that sharpness using this top-of-the-line knife sharpener. This is product is a little bit different from the ones we’ve seen so far, both in terms of looks and how it is used, take a look.
- Ergonomically designed product
- Adorns a ceramic body, that is highly durable and aesthetically appeasing
- Allows for quick results in just 3-4 strokes, on metal knives of all shapes and sizes
- Comes with an unlimited warranty coverage
At, first sight, looks somewhat shaped like one of those bar code readers that we find in office buildings and retail shops. That’s not far off, because this product has been designed for quick and easy use, and thus ensuring that it fits comfortably into your hand is of the utmost importance.
This is the only knife sharpener we’ve seen so far that is run on the knife while the knife is kept stable. This is the exact opposite of the pull-through and rod sharpeners we’ve seen so far. This product is carved out of ceramic, to support a sturdy yet light weighted body.
The ceramic body comes with a good grip and can easily be carried with you on all your travels. Now, we move on to the main bit, that is the sharpening slot. This product comes with just one sharpening slot that is laden with carbide metal.
Carbide Stainless Steel metal, as the name suggests, implies the mix of high content carbon and stainless steel. This alloy shows incredibly durability and strength as compared to steel and its variants. Carbide metal can easily shape and scale steel-based.
Thus it makes the perfect sharpener for all your metal and stainless steel knives. All this sharpener asks you to do is to place the knife in between the sharpening slot, and then run the sharpener longitudinally along the blade in a unidirectional manner.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Victorinox |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 13.49 x 6.48 x 58 cm |
| Weight | 72 g |
10. Crystal – MKA013 Stainless Steel Knife Sharpener
Crystal is a mega-brand in the cookware industry that has been around for almost half a decade now. From corkscrews to coffee bean jars to just about every little thing you can expect to find in a kitchen, Crystal has got you covered.
This is once again, an ergonomically designed knife sharpener and is supremely comfortable to operate. It looks a lot like the filers you find in women’s purses, and that’s exactly what it does, it files your knives to redefine and re-sharpen their ends and edges.
- Adorns a plastic frame that is 23 cm long, and 3 cm wide
- Super Easy To Operate, Store And Travel With
- Featherweight appliance, weighs only a 100 grams
- Comes with a single stainless steel blade
- Requires you to run the sharpener over the knife in a unidirectional manner
This product comes in dual colors and makes a pretty addition to all kitchens, traditional or modern. It’s less than 23 cm long and is 3 cm, making it compact and super light-weight thanks to its 100-gram plastic frame.
Just like you hold your filer and rub the stone over your ankles, you hold this knife sharpener and then rub it over your blunt knives in a unidirectional manner.
It is important to file in the same direction repeatedly instead of running the sharpener back and forth over the blade, as this would lead to counterproductive results.
The sharpening blade is carved out of stainless steel. Stainless steel makes for a slightly softer sharpening blade as compared to tungsten steel. This blade may not be too effective in reviving knives that are already too blunt and dull.
It can definitely keep your relatively newer knives in shape for much longer than they’d normally last. It is most effective in polishing and maintaining the sheen and sharp edges of those knives that are still piercing, slicing, and dicing quite effectively.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Crystal |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 2 |
| Product Dimensions | 22.5 x 3 x 5 cm |
| Weight | 400 g |
11. Victorinox Swiss Made Dual-Knife Sharpener
Here’s another truly winsome product by Victorinox. A double mention on the list must reinforce some faith in this incredible brand, with which quality is always a given. This dual Swiss knife sharpener adorns, not one, but 2 different sharpening blades that’ll leave the knives, sharp or blunt, much more effective than before.
Don’t get fooled by the way this product looks. We’ve seen a few relatively bigger and heftier knife sharpeners up until now, consider this a welcome change. This product adorns a long sharpening stone on one end and a standard ceramic-laden sharpening slot on the other end.
- Comes with a long stone sharpener on one end, and a ceramic laden sharpening slot
- Stone sharpener is run on the knife, while the ceramic sharpener acts as a pull through slot
- Accommodates two slots within its compact 12.7 cm long frame
- Weighs a total of 40 grams
- Works on knives, fish hooks and scissors
The sharpening stone works on knives of all shapes and sizes, including ceramic knives. This end of the sharpener works just like the last product we saw, wherein you run the stone over the knife in a low pressure, unidirectional manner.
The other end holds the ceramic laden slot, which works just like the ‘Fine’ slot we saw in the pull-through knife sharpeners. This slot comes in handy when you wish to give your knives a clean and polished finishing touch.
The most ideal results are achieved when you use this sharpener on regular metal knives. First, make use of the long stone sharpener, and run it over the edge of the knife that needs sharpening.
This stone effectively revives even the oldest and bluntest of all knives. After using the stone, move onto the ceramic laden slot for the finishing touches.
Apart from sharpening knives, the long stone comes with additional attachments to sharpen fishing hook apparatus, which makes this a truly well-rounded product.
In fact, being only 12.7 cm long and weighing only 40 grams, which is honestly negligible, this sharpener can easily be placed inside your pocket and carried along with you on your fishing products.
| Specifications | Value |
| Brand | Victorinox |
| Knife Sharpener Slots | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 12.7 x 5.08 x 5.08 cm |
| Weight | 39.69 g |
Buying Guide – Best Knife Sharpener in India
So now that you’ve been through the features of 11 of the very best manual knife sharpeners available in the market today, we’re sure that you have a fair idea of what materials sharpeners employ, how they work, and which sharpeners will serve your needs the best.
But even so, for some additional clarity, we’re going to list a few things for you to keep in mind before you go around the business of buying a knife sharpener for your home. These points are:
1. Type of Sharpeners
Knife sharpeners are primarily classified into three types. The first of these is Pull Through sharpeners. These sharpeners usually come with two or more slots that are typically laden with either tungsten steel, diamond stone, or ceramic.
These models require you to place your knife in one of the slots and pull the knife out in a swift, backward motion multiple times. These models also come in electric variants. Next, we have Sharpening Rods, and we saw one such sharpener on the list as well.
These models make use of a sturdy metal rod, which is kept erect while the knife is rubbed onto it while maintaining a certain angle, as required by the design of the rod. These are older models and are arguably still the most effective.
Finally, we have stone sharpeners that come in varying designs but are essentially like rod sharpeners that make use of tough stones instead of metal rods. Usually, pull through sharpeners are preferred for home use as they are versatile, easy to operate, and don’t require a seasoned hand.
2. What Type of Base Do Your Preferred Sharpeners Employ?
This is an extremely important consideration. Tungsten steel, stainless steel, diamond stone, and Ceramic are the most commonly used bases in knife sharpeners.
Tungsten steel and diamond stone are considered to be the most effective types of bases, that work on all kinds of knives and leave them with a coarse finish.
These redefine the sharp triangular shape of the knives, and enhance the sharpness of their edges by giving them a rough, jagged finish.
Softer materials like stainless steel and diamond stone are better suited for adding finishing touches and polishing your knives after they’ve been given a coarse finish.
Pull through sharpeners that come with two or three of these bases, divide the sharpening process into stages, with the stages of sharpening required by your knife depending on the material and degree of the bluntness of your knife.
3. What Kinds of Knives Do Your Preferred Sharpeners Work On?
This is another important consideration, especially if you make use of boners, cleavers, pairing knives, ceramic knives, serrated knives, etc., extensively. Several sharpeners are compatible with all shapes and sizes of knives, including utility and pocket knives.
Some are compatible with all but ceramic and serrated knives. Some are compatible with scissors, while others are not. Some are even compatible with fish hooks! Look into the kinds of knives and blades you make use of, and check if your preferred sharpener is compatible with them or not.
4. Do Your Sharpeners Require The Knives To Be Run On Them At A Specific Angle?
This is primarily an issue with sharpening rods. Pull-through sharpeners are much more flexible in that context.
Usually, rods require that knives be run on them while placed at an angle of 20 degrees or so. Stone sharpeners may also have these requirements, and may not give effective results if you don’t maintain the required angle.
5. Body & Grip
The material your sharpener employs for its frame is of the utmost importance as some cheap plastics may scratch or break easily. Usually Fiber Reinforced Plastic and Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic make for good frames due to their immense durability.
Now since sharpeners are so lightweight they tend to slip easily when the knife is pulled through at high pressure or at fast speed. This imbalance may lead to serious injuries. Therefore it is extremely important that all sharpeners that aren’t handheld come with a good rubber grip at the base.
6. Price and Warranty
Sharpeners usually tend to trend downwards of Rs 1000, however, some may cost more. Since the price isn’t too high, you can focus your importance on other, more important features.
The warranty period, if at all there is one, for knife sharpeners tends to vary from brand to brand. Go for a brand that comes with some sort of coverage preferably, but since sharpeners come so cheap, this isn’t too important either.
7. Additional Features
These include whether or not the sharpener is dishwasher safe, if the slots are removable and washable, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ’s) – Best Knife Sharpener in India
Ans. Sharpeners generally don’t wear out, as they’re used pretty infrequently. The only damage knife sharpeners sustain takes place when the material out of which the blade of your knife has been carved is harder than the base of the sharpener. In such a case, not only will you not be able to sharpen your knife but also wear your sharpener out.
But this is rarely ever the case as most sharpeners use diamond stone and tungsten steel which are much harder than stainless steel and ceramic. Your sharpener should easily last you for a couple of years.
Ans. Yes! Sharpeners should ideally be rinsed clean after every use. This helps them last longer. It is important to clean your sharpeners after use as sometimes there is fine residue from the blade that has been sharpened, which may settle on the surface of the sharpener. Thus, it is important to clean both the knife and the knife sharpener after use.
Ans. There is no right answer to this question, nor is there a hard and fast ranking of the most effective sharpening bases. How effectively your base sharpens your knife depends on how hard the base is relative to the blade of your knife and what degree of sharpening you need.
For example – Tungsten steel tends to provide a coarser sharpening as compared to diamond stone, which provides a coarser sharpening as compared to stainless steel, and so on.
So, there is no better option. While some stones and metals provide a coarse finish, others provide a smoother and more polished finish.
Ans. Serrated or scalloped blade knives are those knives that adorn a blade with an irregular cutting edge. Most knife sharpeners come with slots that are compatible with only regular or smooth blades and are thus not able to sharpen serrated knives.
This is primarily a problem with pull-through sharpeners, as rod sharpeners are generally compatible with serrated knives as well.
Ans. Yes! Knife sharpeners do work on cleavers! Cleavers adorn wider blades, but sharpeners don’t concern themselves with the size of the blade, they only focus on the piercing edges. Thus cleavers and even small knives like pocket and utility knives can be sharpened using most knife sharpeners.
Ans. Sharpening your knife should be a purely need-based activity. Whenever you feel like your knives aren’t performing adequately, take them out for a spin on your sharpener.
You shouldn’t sharpen your knives too often because if your blade isn’t too great quality-wise then it may sustain damages upon sharpening and slowly get shaved or chiseled away.
Conclusion – Best Knife Sharpeners in India
There you have it folks, we’re at the end of this guide. We hope to have given you a fair idea of how knife sharpeners work and what exactly is it that your home needs.
Knife sharpeners are simple appliances, their features aren’t too complicated and neither is their working, so you shouldn’t feel too confused.
At our end, we suggest to you the Zircon Knife Sharpener with Advanced 3-Stage Sharpener (Easy Manual Sharpening). It comes with tungsten steel, diamond stone, and ceramic slots along with a premium quality plastic body and a grip that doesn’t falter even when the surface is wet.
So that’s it out of us. Do reach out to us should you find yourself in need of any assistance.
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