Wusthof Asian Edge Knife Sharpener, Red

Perfect sharpener, just what I was looking for
This sharpener sharpens at 17 degrees, which is perfect for my Wusthof Classic Santoku and Wusthof Ikon knives. It can be used on other Japanese knives as well (though truthfully, you should be using a stone to sharpen your nice Japanese knives).

I guess you could call this the lazy man's sharpener, for those of us who don't have time to learn how to use a whetstone. It's cheaper, and more compact than a Spyderco 304, which I was also looking at (but can only be found on eBay these days, and costs twice as much). But it works well, and creates a sharp knife in just a few swipes.

Now my sharpening is complete. For my regular German knives, I sharpen every 6 months - 1 year with the Chef's Choice 120 (sharpens at ~ 25 degrees), and I steel everytime before use at about 22-25 degrees. For my remaining knives, Ikon, Santoku, I just use this Wusthof Asian Edge sharpener (using the fine ceramic) every so often, and the coarse ceramic at most 1x or 2x a year...

Great Sharpener
I purchased this santoku sharpener at Amazon and have been very satisfied with it's performance. It maintains the 16 degree angle required on all german-made santoku knives and most other similar asian knives. Routine honing with the finishing stage will maintain the ultra sharp edge of a new blade for a long time.

Have not used the course-stage sharpener because I do not allow the knife to become dull. However, a dull knife usually requires removal of metal to become sharp again, and I don't believe this sharpener removes metal. It is great for its intended purpose though, maintaining the near-new sharpness of a high quality santoku knife, and maintaining the 16 degree angle without scaring the edge when sharpening.

Highly recommended - easy sharpening
I highly recommend this sharpener - it does a better job on my Global, Wushoff and Calphalon knives than any other sharpener. Including Global's recommended Minosharp with the two wet sharpening wheels, which does just an ok job in comparison.

It performs excellently on straight blades - you need to curve the knife a little for best effect if the knife's blade is curved near the top.

I think it loses some of its effectiveness after about 6 months of moderate to heavy use, but at this price I think it's well worth getting a new one if you spent on premium kitchen knives.

Also, it is impossible to cosmetically scratch your knives with this sharpener - it will touch the blade an nothing else...

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