How to Use an Electric Knife Sharpener – Let’s Find Out!

Electric knives have had their fair share of complaints — they may reduce the knife’s longevity or lack sufficient control — the list goes on. Nevertheless, the ease of usage and accessibility that they offer are nothing to be scoffed at. 

Provided that you get an electric sharpener with the proper grinding angle and a bit of know-how, it’s possible to get surprisingly decent results out of them. 

In this discussion, we’ll look at how to use an electric knife sharpener to its fullest potential. Additionally, it’ll include some dos and don’ts to achieve the highest sharpness without compromising your blade’s longevity. 

Understanding an Electric Knife Sharpener

Unlike a manual sharpener, an electric one has multiple variations and features that vary between products and manufacturers. 

The Slots

One of the very first things to understand about these sharpeners is the slots. Most of them come with two to three slots to put the blade through. These are known as two-stage and three-stage electric knife sharpeners, respectively. 

Much like a whetstone, these slots feature different levels of coarseness — going from coarse to fine. The first slots do the sharpening, while the last one is usually reserved for honing purposes. 

The coarseness partly depends on the material used for sharpening, so you’ll have to be mindful of the sharpener you own. A sharpener using diamond-coated slots will be coarser than other alternatives (a ceramic one, for instance). 

Therefore, take the number of passes and the duration of sharpening with a grain of salt. Look at your knife’s blade (the strength of the material and its dullness) and the sharpener to determine how much you need to adjust the sharpening process. 

Aggressive Material Removal

It’s essential to realize that electric knife sharpeners remove far more material off the blade than traditional alternatives like stones. If you recently switched to an electric product from a manual one, try not to sharpen the blade for too long at once. 

This understanding is necessary due to how many people go overboard on their first time and remove too much steel. Doing so might take the knife to the point of no return. 

Steps to Using an Electric Knife Sharpener

With the essentials out of the way, let’s get to using that sharpener of yours. 

Getting the Sharpener and the Knife Ready

Begin by setting the electric sharpener on a flat and stable surface to ensure safety and accessibility.

The knife’s blade should be cleaned before sharpening, as any debris or particles might affect it. 

Now, it’s time to select the sharpening style for the electric sharpener. For instance, some sharpeners just mention different thicknesses of knives for you to choose from. 

Hence, you’d select thin for a Japanese knife, while a standard chef knife would require a medium setting, and so forth. 

It’s crucial to work with the right thickness setting, as it can heavily impact the sharpening performance. 

Secondly, look at how dull the knife is. Since your sharpener has different levels of coarseness, it’s necessary to determine which one the blade requires. 

If the knife is too dull, you should opt for the coarsest option available (in many cases, that’s the diamond wheel). If it has been recently sharpened, a comparatively less coarse slot may suffice. 

Pulling the Knife through The Coarse Slot

Once you’ve determined the ideal slot for your blade, it’s time to begin sharpening. Turn the sharpener on — you should hear a slight whirring noise from it. There are a few intricacies to look at:

First, the amount of time you need to keep the knife inside the slot depends on your blade and the sharpener itself. Manufacturers will usually mention the ideal duration for that. A diamond sharpener would require less time — so would a smaller blade. 

For instance, Wusthof recommends pulling the whole blade through the slot within four to six seconds for a typical eight-inch blade. This assumes you’re using their knives, though — meaning this number varies among manufacturers and knives. 

Furthermore, remember to maintain a constant pulling rate throughout the process. 

This ensures that each portion of the knife gets a similar amount of sharpening, providing a consistent result. Make sure you sharpen both sides of the blade by alternating the sides as well. 

Avoid putting too much pressure on the knife — gently pulling it through should suffice. 

Looking for the Burr

So, how many times should you pull the knife through the electric sharpener? 

At the risk of being chased, I have to say, it depends. If your knife is dull beyond the point of usage, it will require more pulls through the sharpener. A typical knife might suffice with merely 5-6 pulls. The easiest way to determine it is by looking for the burr. 

Once you have pulled the knife through a few times through the first slot, look for a build-up of burrs (the raised edges on the blade created through sharpening). 

Don’t go searching for the burr on the opposite side like with manual sharpeners, though. Electric sharpeners develop the burrs on the same side you’re sharpening. 

Run your finger against the edge, away from it. If there’s a consistent burr all across the blade, we can move on to the second stage. 

Sharpening in the Second Slot 

This is the stage where we get rid of the burr. This is comparatively less coarse than the first slot — you’ll see markings like F (fine) or just 2. Going through this stage shouldn’t take long at all, regardless of how dull your knife initially was. 

In most cases, 4-5 pulls should be sufficient and return a smooth blade. At this stage, we’ll have two options. 

If your sharpener only has two slots, the second slot will be less coarse and accomplish the task of honing too. Hence, check if the knife still has burrs or uneven edges. If so, put it through this slot a few more times until it’s smooth and consistent. 

If the sharpener has a third slot, it’s time to move on to that. 

The Honing Phase

Assuming that your sharpener has a slot for honing, its second stage will be slightly coarser. Once you see a slight burr after pulling the knife through the second slot, we can move on to the third one. 

Pull the knife through it 5-6 times, which should eliminate the burr.

The best way to verify that is by testing the knife. I like to cut a piece of paper with the blade for this. If it cuts through smoothly without creating any jagged edges, give yourself a pat on the back. 

If not, time to make a few more passes to fine-tune the blade. You should then have a smooth blade, free of burrs. However, some people like to go one step further to get rid of the tinier burrs. 

To do that, pull the knife through the honing slot quicker than your usual pace. This should squeeze out that extra bit of sharpness. And there we have it — a sharp and smooth blade! 

Things to Remember When Dealing with an Electric Knife Sharpener

Here are a few things to keep in mind about electric knife sharpeners. 

Sharpening Serrated Knives with Electric Sharpeners

The good news is that many electric sharpeners can sharpen your bread or utility knife. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that yours can as well. 

Refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines to determine whether your sharpener can handle serrated knives. If not, don’t take the risk of trying it out, as it will botch both the blade and the sharpener. 

Looking Out for the Sharpening Angle and Compatibility

The biggest issue with electric sharpeners is their lack of flexibility. They have a somewhat fixed sharpening angle and don’t work with anything that doesn’t abide by it. 

Hence, ensure you’ve read the guidelines before putting your knife through the wringer. An incorrect sharpening angle will change the blade’s grinding angle and affect it in an unpredictable manner. 

For instance, making a softer blade too thin could reduce its edge retention. 

My Last Words!

Electric sharpeners are easy to use and don’t take nearly as much time as manual sharpeners. Despite the potential drawbacks, the accessibility they offer is hard to deny — at least as long as you know how to use an electric sharpener properly. 

The guide above should take care of that as well now!