Work Sharp MK2 Professional Electric Knife and Tool Sharpener, Adjustable Tool and Knife Sharpening System

Product Information

Painless gardening: Dull tools make a mountain out of a molehill. By making them sharp, you’ll save time and effort, giving you a bit more confidence going into every job.

Whether you have a spade, pruning shears or secateurs, keeping them sharp will make gardening tasks easier. Here are a few tips and techniques that I have learned over the years to help you keep your garden tools in tip-top condition:Keep knives in a covered, safe environment when not in use," says Hartley. "Do a weekly light hone with steel or stone, always wiping away particles with a clean dry towel. Don't feel like you have to work fast—with a process like this, form is everything. Work out the proper form first, and then the speed will come." Can you sharpen kitchen shears with a knife sharpener? Stone sharpeners: For those who prefer a more traditional approach, sharpening stones are still popular today. They offer a hands-on method for sharpening delicate tools like secateurs, and are great for achieving a fine edge. A whetstone is much harder to use. To get a good result, you need skill and practice, plus considerable patience.

We rate each knife sharpener on how easy it is to set up and use, plus how easy the instructions are to follow. Things we learnt testing knife sharpeners

Maintenance requirements: Consider how much time you are willing to dedicate to maintaining your sharpener, as some require more frequent cleaning and oiling, particularly benchtop and electric models.

Repeat this action three to six times. You can go for three if your blade is just a bit dull, and more if it's blunter. Electric sharpeners: Pressed for time? An electric sharpener is the way to go. Simply plug it in and sharpen. With a consistent angle, it’s easy to achieve a precise edge every time. These sharpeners are perfect garden shears and hedge trimmers.Hold the knife at about a 22-degree angle to the stone. 90 degrees is your knife placed on the stone as if you were going to cut through it. Tilt the knife halfway between that and the whetstone and you'll be at 45 degrees. Then tilt it halfway between that and the stone, and you'll be at around the correct angle you need. Work Sharp Electric Culinary E2 Kitchen Knife Sharpener: This sharpener is easy to use and has an excellent price for an electric model, but you get what you pay for. We found that it did just an OK job at sharpening, while its feet let it slide around on the countertop, which is a definite safety hazard.

Using the knob on top of the sharpening system, you infinitely adjust a sharpening angle from 15 to 30 degrees. Enough to sharpen almost any knife! The sharpening system shows you the sharpening angle of the clamp on the left side in steps of 5 degrees. The sharpening system shows you the sharpening angle of the sharpening table on the left side in steps of 5 degrees. This process is essentially the same with both a manual and electric sharpener, but the motorized abrasives in an electric model will do more of the work for you. The most important thing is to try to use the same amount of pressure and the same angle with each pull through the slot—different models of sharpener make this easier or harder, depending on their design. Unless the directions specify otherwise, it should take three to five pulls through the coarse slot, and then just a couple through each finer slot, to sharpen the knife. If it's not as sharp as you like, try a few more pulls through the finest grit slot, and if that doesn't work, try the whole process over again. The base of the Professional Precision Adjust is made of metal. A big upgrade from its predecessor, the Precision Adjust, which has a plastic base. By using metal, there is less flexibility in the system and you get more accurate sharpening results. The base is also reinforced, making the sharpening system stand steadier on a table. For those who plan to use the system often: the base of the Professional Precision Adjust features screw holes. With these, you mount the sharpening system permanently on a workbench. Clamp and tilting system Rebecca Treon, who also updated this piece, is a food writer, experienced home cook, and mother of two. Her work has been featured in BBC Travel, Huffington Post, Hemispheres, and Thrillist. Handheld manual knife sharpeners are designed to keep your blade fresh, and you should use them to top up the blade after every few hours of use. An electric knife sharpener or whetstone would be your best bet for a fully dulled knife.Budget: Like any product, there’s vast variation in price. Naturally, you’ll want a sharpener that falls in budget, but I recommend investing in a high-quality model which lasts longer. Take your time and sharpen at the correct angle. A nice sharp edge should have a bevel angle of around 20-30 degrees. Take your time to find the right angle and hold it consistently as you sharpen.