best knife sharpeners?

[BIG]

....I have a long and narrow 'stainless steel' knife, 16-18 inches long, thats
almost impossible to sharpen. Any electric
sharpeners out there that are good?? thanks.

[Guest]

There are some decent electrics out there, a little spendy, but do a nice job, or condider taking them to a professional sharpening service, and then touching up frequently with a steel or crock sticks, to maintain the edge. I think the electrics go by the name master chef or something like that, and can rival the price of a nice low speed grinder and sharpening jigs. I prefer the "by hand" method, there are some great diamond stones out there that take off metal quickly. Practice on some cheap knives before tackling anything valuable. Take the edge through a series of abrasive sizes, course to fine, and always finish with a steel or crock sticks, and a leather strop for the final bur removal. Once you have the edge, maintain it before each use with a few quick strokes on the crocks or steel. Be careful to maintain the same angle, a "round edge" does not cut as nicely as a sharply angled one. Stainless steel is nice for its rust resistant charictaristics, but is more difficult to set an edge, and does not hold it as long as carbon or other steel alloy blades. one of my filet knives is stainless, I love its flexibility and rust resistance, but it it miserable for holding an edge. Just curious, but is that 16-18" overall or blade length? What do you do with a monster like that?

[BIG]

....The 16"-18" is the overall length...
.....very difficult to sharpen.....it is used for turkey, ham, et al......

[Guest]

Gotcha Big,
Yeah, the longer blades are more difficult to sharpen and maintain the proper angle, and then throw in stainless the the mix, not exactly fun, sounds like a job for the electric. The master chef sharpeners have magnetic guides to maintain the proper grinding angle, and will put a good edge on it in no time. They appear to be a good unit, and should last for many years. I do not yet own one (have a friend who really likes his) but now that you mention it, I think it would be a good investment, a sharp knife saves time and frustration and is actually safer than a dull one. Not to mention, how priceless is a properly carved main course, when presenting it to the table where good friends and family are gathered round? I would still finish off the blade with a few quick passes over the crocks or steel before each use. Good luck!

[Guest]

Big,
Does that 16-18" carving knife have a bevel on one or both sides of the blade edge?

[BIG]

......thanks for the comments 'hottwo'...I'll
have to check the bevel later....let you know - Wednesday....Happy New Year.....

[BIG]

......both sides have a bevel.....

[Guest]

With both sides beveled, the best advice above is to use the butcher's steel or crock stiks frequently. They don't sharpen the knife, but they sure do help hold an edge.

Actually, there is a crock stik in the market with abrasion enough to sharpen. I have used them, but don't own them. Mine are much smoother (similar to butcher's steel) and help me hold the edge.

Another bit of info that may not be too widely known -- Most meat markets or butcher shops will sell used knives periodically. I have purchased some great knives this way for a fraction of what they would cost retail. I especially recommend this for those who fish Lake Michigan (or Superior) and need a good knife for steaking big trout and salmon.

[Guest]

Big
Too bad you don't live a little closer to me or I could put one sweet edge on that for you. I use a Razor's Edge sharpening system at work and it will put an edge on stainless that would cut like you wouldn't believe. I just sharpened up a dozen knives for a friend on Friday and he came to work today with four nice slices in his fingers. Said he didn't feel a thing just saw the blood. I say look in the yellow pages and look for professional sharpening. If you have stainless and you take good care of it, a professional sharpening will last a long time. Well worth the money.

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Black Sunday--February 18th, 2001--The day we lost a Legend.