The 8 Best Electric Knife Sharpeners
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Belt or wheel, 15 or 20 degrees: eight electric knife sharpeners compared on angle, stages, noise, dust and warranty. The Chef'sChoice Trizor XV stays on top. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Check the angle before buying: a 20-degree-only machine regrinds thin Japanese blades to a thicker edge, and a 15-degree one thins Western knives on the first pass. An electric sharpener uses a motor to grind a fresh edge on a dull blade, through guided slots with spinning abrasive wheels or against a moving abrasive belt. Home cooks, hunters and anyone tired of whetstones use them.
Editor's Notes
October 18, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
America's Test Kitchen picked the Chef'sChoice Trizor XV, and ShouldIt's lab called it the easiest to use, so it stays on top. Half of the old list had disappeared since its last update. The Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition, Work Sharp E5, Wusthof PEtec, Chef's Choice 316 and EdgeKeeper Electric are no longer sold, and an independent lab had rated the EdgeKeeper worst of its group anyway. We also dropped the Presto Professional 08810, which adds little over its cheaper sibling, and the Shenzhen Knives 2-Stage, a ceramic-only model with almost nothing written about it beyond its own listing.
The Presto EverSharp 08800 and the Chef'sChoice Hybrid 250 stay too. The Work Sharp Ken Onion Mk.2 takes over from its retired predecessor, and new picks cover two-angle kitchens, compact touch-ups, belt sharpeners for tools and a high-end kit for enthusiasts. The Chef'sChoice 1520 AngleSelect, Work Sharp MK.2 and Chef'sChoice Hybrid 250 have no lab test we could find.
One caution: every powered sharpener here removes steel faster than a stone does. If you own expensive Japanese knives, sharpen them by hand or send them to a professional.
Every pick here has a motor that drives a wheel or a belt. For hand tools, from pull-through sharpeners to guided systems, see our list of knife sharpeners.
November 03, 2020:
There is a popular saying among professional chefs that the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a dull knife. While this may seem counter intuitive, it actually makes a lot of sense when you really think about it. A dull knife requires a lot more pressure to cut through foods, and the more pressure you put behind a blade, the more likely it is to slip and cut something you don't want to, like your finger. Not only is a dull knife more prone to slipping, when that does inevitably happen, there will be a lot more force behind it, which results in a deeper cut that what you probably would get if you slipped using a very sharp knife without a lot of force behind it. Because of this, we recommend keeping your blades in tip top shape using one of the sharpeners on this list.
Not only is the Chef's Choice XV Trizor one of our favorite choices, but it was even named the best electric knife sharpener by America's Test Kitchen. In their tests, they found that it produces a sharper and finer edge than most high-quality knives receive at the factory, so rather than making your favorite chef knife feel like new again, it can make it feel even better. Not far behind the XV Trizor in their tests was the Chef’s Choice 316 Diamond, though it should be noted this only has a two-stage process versus the three stages of the XV Trizor. It should also be noted that both of these will give your blade a 15-degree bevel, so if you don't want this, you should look elsewhere.
The Chef's Choice 250 Hybrid produces a 20-degree bevel, which those used to old European knives may prefer, and it even features a manual stage with an ultra-fine grit to really smooth out the edge of the blade. It is quite reasonably priced too, making it a good choice for those on a tight budget.
When it comes to versatility, the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is a standout model. It allows you to adjust the angle of the bevel from 15 to 30 degrees, making it suitable for pretty much every type of blade out there, from a burly hunting ax to a delicate [pairing knife](knives).
May 17, 2019:
A sharp knife is not just more effective but also safer than a dull one, hands down. Presto makes a couple affordable electric sharpeners that won't be an eyesore in the kitchen, though if you're not concerned about the unit's appearance, but only its functionality, the Chef's Choice 250 Hybrid is probably the top inexpensive choice. If you are into looks, though, the EdgeKeeper is hard to beat, with its retro-futuristic design. The Shenzen is another affordable option, and one of its interesting features is the magnetic particulate collector that will help keep your workspace clean. The Wusthof is the ideal workhorse and can stand up to intense duty cycles, while the top Chef's Choice is the most popular wheel-type model. The Work Sharp E5 is an interesting choice because it's a reasonably priced and sized blade-driven model. Because belts move more slowly than blades, a lot of avid knife users feel that they do less damage to an edge and allow the knife to remain effective for longer. In that same vein, the Ken Onion model (bearing the name of a popular chef who now markets knives and knife-related tools) is an all-around wildly effective choice. Do keep in mind, though, that belt-driven models generally require more attention to detail and more hand control and aren't necessarily the best for novice users.
Finally -- and I can't stress this enough -- after you settle on an electric knife sharpener, head over to our list of honing steels and grab one of those, preferably a smooth stainless model. Honing is the step that's supposed to follow sharpening; after a sharpener removes a bunch of metal and returns a blade to good condition, a honing rod turns micro-serrations and inconsistent finishes into uniform lines and true edges. If you want your knives to stay sharp as long as possible and respond well to maintenance for a long time, there are two rules you must follow: DO NOT oversharpen, and ALWAYS properly hone when you're finished.
Special Honors
Tormek T-1 The Tormek T-1 is a motorized home sharpener of a different kind. A slow 600-grit diamond wheel turns at 150 rpm next to a composite honing wheel, and its guide sets anywhere from 8 to 22 degrees per side, so it stays quiet and keeps the blade cool. It weighs about 12 pounds, and Tormek extends its warranty to eight years for registered home users. Restaurants can look at its commercial sibling, the T-2 Pro. tormek.com
Angle: 15 Degrees, 20 Degrees Or Adjustable
The sharpening angle decides how thin and how durable an edge is.
The sharpening angle decides how thin and how durable an edge is. Most German and American kitchen knives leave the factory near 20 degrees per side, while Japanese and Asian-style knives are usually closer to 15. Chef'sChoice explains the split on its 1520 AngleSelect page, and that model gives each angle its own slot.
A fixed-angle sharpener does one thing well. The Trizor XV grinds everything to 15 degrees, which makes Western knives sharper but thinner, and ShouldIt notes that a fixed 15-degree unit is a poor fit for cleavers and fillet knives. Presto and the Work Sharp E2 stay at 20 degrees, a sturdier edge that suits everyday stainless knives.
Belt sharpeners with an angle guide, like the Ken Onion line, let you match nearly any blade, from 15 to 30 degrees on the Mk.2 and 10 to 35 on the Elite. That range matters if you also sharpen pocket, hunting or outdoor knives, and it means one more setting to get right each time.
Wheels Or Belts: Two Kinds Of Electric Sharpener
Most electric sharpeners are guided pull-through units. Spinning diamond, ceramic or sapphirite wheels sit under fixed or spring-loaded slots, and you draw the blade through each slot in order, coarse to fine. They need little skill, which is why America's Test Kitchen favored a guided electric model over manual and stone methods for most cooks. Their housings also hold in some of the grit.
Belt sharpeners hold the knife against a moving flexible abrasive belt. They're faster on damaged blades, handle tools and scissors, and leave a slightly convex edge, but they're open, so they spray fine metal dust. Outdoor Life warns that belts can round off a knife's tip and that a cheap no-name unit it tried threw sparks and discolored an edge from heat.
In ShouldIt's lab, the guided Trizor XV took longer than the belt-driven Ken Onion to restore a dull knife, but it ran cooler and quieter. Pick a guided unit for kitchen knives and ease, and a belt unit if you sharpen a mix of blades and don't mind the learning curve.
Using One Without Ruining Your Knives
Electric sharpeners take off steel fast, so use them only when a knife is truly dull. For most home cooks that's about once a month, with a honing rod in between to straighten the edge. Clean the blade first, pull it through at about an inch per second, and let the knife's weight do the work instead of pressing down. If the motor gets hot, give it around 15 minutes to cool, then unplug it and wipe out the dust, as ShouldIt advises.
These machines are loud. ShouldIt measured peaks from about 95 decibels on the Trizor XV to nearly 104 on the Ken Onion Edition, well above what makers claim. Ear protection is sensible for long sessions. With belt units, also wear eye protection and a dust mask, work away from food, and keep anything flammable clear of sparks.
We checked every brand on this list with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and found no sharpener recalls.
How we researched this
We compared 23 electric knife sharpeners, including every model from the previous version of this page, read makers' specifications and product pages, lab results from ShouldIt, reviews from America's Test Kitchen and Outdoor Life, and owner feedback, and checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Sources (13)
- America's Test Kitchen: Which knife sharpener is right for you
- ShouldIt: Best electric knife sharpeners
- ShouldIt: Chef's Choice Trizor XV review
- ShouldIt: Work Sharp Ken Onion review
- ShouldIt: Presto EverSharp review
- ShouldIt: Work Sharp Culinary E2 review
- Outdoor Life: Best electric knife sharpeners
- Knivesandtools: Electric sharpening machines tested
- Chef'sChoice: 1520 AngleSelect
- Chef'sChoice: Electric knife sharpeners
- Work Sharp: Knife and Tool Sharpener MK.2
- Tormek: T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener
- CPSC recalls
Frequently asked questions
What is the best knife sharpener for kitchen knives?
For most home cooks, a guided electric sharpener such as the Chef'sChoice Trizor XV is the simplest choice, because its slots hold the angle for you. If your knives mix Western and Japanese styles, a two-angle model like the Chef'sChoice 1520 AngleSelect keeps each at its own angle.
Should I sharpen at 15 or 20 degrees?
Match the knife. Most German and American knives come at about 20 degrees per side, and most Japanese knives at about 15. A 15-degree edge cuts more easily but is thinner and dulls or chips sooner on hard use.
Do electric sharpeners ruin knives?
They can wear a knife down faster, because they remove more steel than a stone or a honing rod. Use light pressure, sharpen only when the knife is dull, and keep expensive or very hard Japanese blades for hand sharpening.
Can an electric sharpener do serrated knives?
Some can touch them up. The stropping stages on the Chef'sChoice Trizor XV and 1520 hone serrated edges, while ShouldIt found the Presto EverSharp 08800 did poorly with them. Belt sharpeners can't reach into fine serrations.
How often should I sharpen my knives?
Home cooks usually need a full sharpening about once a month. Between sharpenings, a few strokes on a honing rod keep the edge straight and save steel.
Are electric knife sharpeners loud?
Yes. Lab measurements put peaks at roughly 95 to 104 decibels, louder than makers state. Sessions are short, but ear protection is sensible if you sharpen many knives at once.
