A PRIMER ON KNIFE SHARPENING - Chapter 5
by Steve Bottorff
CONTENTS
PROFESSIONAL KNIFE SHARPENERS
Although I think the Chef'sChoice 130 is as far upscale as I think any
household would need, here is a listing of the professional knife
sharpeners and their features:
Hantover - really just a grinder with flap wheel sander on one
end and felt honing on the other. Creates convex bevel, requires skill and
safety glasses. $225
Ekland - stainless steel knife guides, slow running wheels to
avoid overheating, single angle, looks like the Chef'sChoice but works
differently. $241
Chef'sChoice 2000 Commercial - this machine produces a double
bevel edge, unlike the triple bevel produced by their home machines.
$340
Hook-Eye Belt grinder - aluminum oxide belt similar to a
knifemaker's belt grinder creates a flat bevel, requires skill and safety
glasses. $429
Tru-Hone - 3" 220 grit counter-rotating wheels create a toothy
hollow grind edge. Adjustable angle allows a three angle bevel that
offsets the fragility of the small wheel hollow grind. $625
Heavy Duty $810
I now have a Tru-Hone, and while I do not like it as a major sharpener
because of the dry grind and the small wheels, it does a great job of
giving a toothy slicing edge to knives that have been sharpened on my
wet grinder.
Friedr. Dick SM-110 - special shaped water cooled wheels, one for
each side, create flat bevel. Variable angles. Counter-rotating honing
wheels to remove burr. $1493 SM-111 adds adjustable honing wheels and a
buffing wheel for a more refined edge. $1624
I have a SM-111, and it is the closest I have ever seen to a complete
sharpening system in one unit - wet grinding, honing and
polishing. It is only for knives - the scissor attachment has
limited use - but can do 400 a day. Great for a big shop or knife
rental service.
Manabo - wet honing on the inside surface of specially shaped
wheels creates a strong convex edge, variable angle, should provide the
best edge holding and knife life. $1965
Let's see, $1965 would buy almost 20 $100 chef's knives. If I
could charge $5 per sharpening I would have to sharpen 393 knives to break
even.... No, I don't think so.
Miscellaneous Technical information
Chef'sChoice
The angles and grits on the Chef'sChoice 110 and 301 machines are as
follows:
Stage 1 20 degrees 100 grit
Stage 2 22.5 degrees 200-300 grit
Stage 3 25 degrees 500-700 grit
Thanks to Sam Weiner of EdgeCraft for information and support.
Some other sharpener angles
Normark 20 degrees
Hunter Honer 21 degrees
Byers #1 20 degrees
| Home | |
Contact | |
About Us |
| LINKS | |Suppliers
| | Photos |
| Sharpening Schools |
Copyright 1996 - 2024 by Steve Bottorff