I literally sliced through this tomato with one hand and took the photo with the other — that's how smoothly the knife went through. (Britt Ross/Yahoo)(Britt Ross/Yahoo)
Ask any culinary pro what their desert-island kitchen tool is, and chances are they'll answer, "a sharp knife." And as a former full-time professional baker, I completely understand the importance of having a sharp blade to prep food with. Not only do dull knives make the slicing and dicing process a total drag, they also make it less safe; after all, if you have to exert more effort while you chop, you're more likely to slip and lose control of your hand, resulting in painful nicks (or worse!).
A few years ago, I noticed my knives were performing less effectively, and while I could have splurged on a whole new set, I decided to try a knife sharpener. The one I purchased — the KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener — cost only $9, so if it didn't work, I wouldn't be out a ton of cash.
It had tens of thousands of five-star ratings from Amazon shoppers, and I liked the fact that it was super compact (my kitchen does not have a ton of storage space). Now that I've used it on practically every knife I own, I feel qualified to share my full review.
This No. 1 bestseller is over 60% off — one of its lowest prices ever — and comes with just about every type of blade a home cook could need. Henckels has been crafting quality knives for over a century, so you can rest assured they know what they're doing.
You can get it in colors like red or green for even less!
To those ladies who believe that plain old rubber gloves will keep their hands protected, we say: "No, woman — NoCry."
As mentioned, what first attracted me to the KitchenIQ was its low price and small size. That said, I was a little skeptical about how well it would be able to hone my knives. With just two slots — one with coarse blades for sharpening dull knives and one with fine blades for polishing and refining sharp knives — it seemed simple enough to use.
I decided to put it to the test on my chef's knife, the tool I reach for most often when slicing fruits and vegetables. It would pay for itself if it could extend the life of that knife alone! Because that knife was very dull, I slid the blade through the coarse setting, ensuring I only moved it in one direction, from the base to the tip. (The tip is thinner, and thus, too much metal can be stripped away if that part touches the sharpener first. You'll also have more control by starting from the base.)
After a few swipes, I wiped the blade off to remove any teeny metal remnants and grabbed a tomato to see how the knife fared — we all know how slippery those fruits can be, and slicing them with a dull knife often squashes them down.
I was pleased to find it was much easier to cut through than it had been before, but I felt it could be a bit better. So I cleaned the blade and ran it through the sharpener a few more times. Now that was more like it — the tomato's flesh yielded to the knife with less effort, and I was able to cut thinner slices with more precision.
Since my first go with the knife sharpener, I've used it to hone nearly every knife I own, and I appreciate the fact that it's compatible with both straight and serrated blades. It's also easy to hold — it has a nonslip grip and base — though I've found it won't actually stick to the counter. That said, it's got a V-shaped groove on the bottom in case you want to position it on the corner of your counter to keep the knife from touching (and scratching) your countertop. This feels a bit precarious to me, so I keep it level on the counter and just try to be careful. I've never had any issues with it moving around or tipping over while in use.
Overall, I think this pint-sized gizmo packs a punch when it comes to quick and easy sharpening with zero guesswork in terms of placing your knife at the correct angle and everything else that a more seasoned sharpener would keep in mind. However, I don't know if I'd trust it with a super expensive, heavy-duty knife — I feel it's better utilized as a quick fix for everyday blades. Unless you're a pro at using rods or stones, you might be better off just taking your pricey knives to an expert and letting them work their magic.
I'm far from being the KitchenIQ's only enthusiast. Want to know how popular this little doodad is? Well, more than 63,000 Amazon customers think it's a cut above.
"I never realized how dull my knives were," shared one reviewer. "This product gave new life to my kitchen drawer knives. Unbelievable how fast you can sharpen your knife, and what a big difference it makes."
"This is so easy to use," raved another. "Totally revitalized all the knives in my kitchen. I have a steel, but am not good at finding correct angle. No need [with] this. I was looking into spending a bunch of money on knife sharpening or expensive knives. No longer, now I just have to watch my fingers."
"I've been trying to learn a whetstone, but all my efforts fail," explained a third. "I am not good at it yet. The KitchenIQ sharpener ... gets me 90% of the way there for 10% of the effort in an idiot-proof way."
"I wish it would work on scissors, but that's my only ding," wrote a generally satisfied shopper. "It's easy to hold and quickly puts a really nice edge on any knife!"
"Love that it's small enough to keep in the drawer," said a final fan. "The only thing is the suction isn't the best, but it's not like it flings off when you sharpen, so it works perfectly for me.
Wait, what's that? You don't own a knife set? You won't do much better than this top-rated collection from Henckels:
And to keep your precious little fingies safe while you engage in kitchen knife activities...
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.