I just finished a thorough testing of this unit, and I'm happy to report, This Thing Is Worth It's Weight In Gold! I was really worried because in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "You never know what you're going to get." I'll try and do this as objectively, and as simply as I can, while remaining the most concise. I will give a rating from 1 to 10 as I go along putting the rating in parenthesis for each category, starting from the very beginning.
Packaging & Shipping:
When the unit came via UPS yesterday I was concerned about it getting here unscathed. The unit couldn't have been packaged better. It came in a tight fitting, heavy corrugated box, encased in 2 molded halves of Styrofoam. The powered unit, and the sharpening unit were packaged separately with all manuals and paperwork poly bagged neatly underneath. This thing could have been dropped kicked by an NFL place kicker without any damage. Packaging and shipping (10)
Overall impressions:
Upon examining the unit it is very impressive. The weight is heavy. Around 8 to 10 pounds. No doubt from the heavy duty 175 watt motor and fan cooling assembly housed within the power unit itself. The sharpener unit is packaged in a separate box, and simply slides into place on the power unit, and snaps into place with a spline coupling connecting the two for a driving assembly. The power cord itself is very heavy gauge with an outside O.D. measuring a little under (.312), 5/16's thick. The power switch is a rocker type on the front of the unit with a red indicator light that is on when the unit itself is on. The unit is quieter than I expected for such a high output motor. (10)
Actual Sharpening Results:
In this review I sharpened a total of 26 knives of various length, thicknesses, and edge designs. Anything and everything from long bread and filleting knives, to cleavers and wide butcher type knives. Here I can say the unit is simply superb! It is very simple and straightforward to use. The sharpener itself has 3 sharpening "cells", marked 1, 2, and 3. For new knives that the unit has never seen, you start out at #1. This is the roughest Diamond wheel, and shapes the blade. It takes about 4 or 5 alternate pulls through each side to "rough in" the edge. This is done effortlessly, and so simply a child could do it. Once a sharp burr is felt, (be careful when you feel it!), you move over to "cell" 2. This is simply a much finer Diamond wheel that finely grinds the edge, and establishes a second angle bevel to the edge itself. Again 4 or 5 pulls through on each side for a "new" knife should do it. By now the knife is VERY SHARP! Now all that is left to do is to move to the right one more "cell" to station 3. This is the stropping "cell" that polishes the blade, removes the burr, and polishes the edge to an almost razor sharpness. Without trying to sound like a salesman, it's as easy as one, two, three. For overall operational easiness I must go with a (9)
Cleanup, And Overall Maintenance:
This simply could not be any easier. If you really make a mess of things you simply pop off the sharpening unit, place it into the dishwasher top down away from any drying heat source, hit the button and that's it. I started out with very clean knives so I simply removed the sharpening unit, blew everything out with compressed air, and I was good to go. One thing I did that works out well if you are new to these type of sharpeners is to use a black Magic Marker to darken the cutting edge so you can see where you've been, and how much more you have to go. Otherwise you may find yourself removing more material than necessary. There is nothing to oil or lubricate on the entire unit. Clean, reassemble, and you're ready for the next batch of dull knives. (10)
Disadvantages:
There is only one and that is knife thickness. This unit would not take my thicker hunting knives. They simply don't have the room in the guide to accommodate them. I expected this from reading the over all profile of the unit. But I still was disappointed I couldn't run my heavy blades, like say an M-9 Bayonet through them. But this is a cutlery sharpener, not a lumberjack tool. Still, it would have been nice to provide and adjustment tool to allow for these type of sportsman knives. For the price of this unit, I don't think it would be unreasonable to include this within the design parameters of the unit. (5)
Synopsis:
This is an expensive, well made unit that because of it's design and cost is not intended for the average household. It is made for commercial businesses that are required to sharpen dozens of knives per day, and or shift. In this area I have to say the unit performs exactly as advertised. If I owned and operated a restaurant, I would purchase this unit unhesitatingly. But for the average household it is a bit of overkill. I say this as a compliment to the unit, not a detraction. The average household could get by on a lesser purchase from the same company. I wanted the ability to strop serrated knives, which this unit will in fact do. The other units won't accomplish that because they do not have the "stropping cell".
In closing I'm satisfied with the unit. It's quality, and performance all fall into the proper category in relation to cost. I'm happy with the purchase. With that said it is most definitely one of those tools you simply hold your breath, take the plunge, and spend the money. Not an easy choice in todays rancid economy. But if you're looking for a quality knife sharpener that does what it says, as fast as it says, this is your unit. In comparison to stoning by hand it is the equivalent to biking to work as opposed to driving there in a Z-06 Corvette! OVERALL RATING........ (8.5) Bill T.
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