Choosing your ideal knife sharpener

Yesterday we received a question from a reader in Alabama that asked-

What’s the most important part of the knife to consider when choosing your ideal sharpener?

The two most important factors are the angle of the sharp edge and whether the edge is straight or serrated. Most standard knives have an angle of 34-40 degrees. The angle on Asian or Santoku knives is 22-26. On many of our sharpeners, we have created a fixed angle for the appropriate knife so it is very easy for a consumer to put the right angle on their knife. We have specific products with the correct angle for the Santoku knives. Serrated knives are more difficult to sharpen than straight edge knives. All of our sharpeners can sharpen straight edges. We have a few products with specific sharpening features that are appropriate for sharpening serrated knives such as triangular ceramic stones and tapered diamond sharpening rods.

Both the retractable diamond retractable sharpener and “Pocket Pal” multi-functional knife sharpener feature a tapered diamond coated rod to sharpen serrated knives to perfection.