Electric sharpeners have come along way since the days when they were attached to the back of your electric can opener. They are quick and easy to use and don't ruin your knives. They don't sharpen as well as good quality sharpening stones but for most people that is a reasonable trade off. The Chef's Choice 120 is a puts an acceptably sharp edges on straight and serrated knives. The built in guide makes it quick and fool proof.
Best Sharpening Stone: Global Minosharp Combination Stone.
A good sharpening stone will put a razor sharp edge on your straight edge knives. We like this stone because it is relatively large which allows for even strokes of the blade on the surface of the stone and it comes with 2 different sides that offer different grits. Grit levels come in a number with the higher number indicating a less abrasive stone. This particular model comes with 1000 grit on one side and 8000 on the other. The other thing we really like about this unit is it comes with a pair of clip on sharpening guides which help you maintain the correct angle of your blade while drawing it across the stone.
Best Manual Sharpener:
There are a number of inexpensive manual sharpeners on the market. Some do a good job and others do not. These sharpeners come with a pre determined angle so you need to pick a sharpener that aproximates the factory angle edge of the knife. Our favorite in this category is the Wusthof Knife Life Sharpener for German knives and the Global Minosharp Sharpener for Japanese knives like Global or Shun knives.
Best Sharpening Steel:
Regular steels do not grind metal, they simply re-align the blade edge which tends to turn over with frequent use. Steeling is easy to do and should be done frequently, unlike sharpening which actually grinds the edge down and should be done every few months at the most. Our favorite in this category is the F Dick Multicut Steel. The steel has a wide flat side and is long enough to make swiping your knives easy with one stroke per side. This is a favorite among professionals and with a little care should last a lifetime.
All Clad Worth the Price?