Hot take: I dropped $90 on a knife sharpener and wish I'd just used a brick

Bought one of those electric pull-through sharpeners from a big kitchen supply store about 6 months back. Thought it'd save me time and keep my knives perfect. First week it seemed fine. But after 3 uses I noticed my chef's knife just wasn't biting into onions like before. Like it was pushing through instead of slicing. Checked the edge under a light and saw little micro-chips. Took it to a buddy who's a line cook and he said those things eat metal unevenly. He showed me a wet stone and I grabbed a brick from my driveway to practice on. Actually got a better edge in 20 minutes. Anyone else had that experience or am I way off on this?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinson.paul15d ago

And once you figure out the angle on a brick, it actually forces you to be more careful with your pressure because you can feel the feedback way better than on some motorized thing. Those electric ones just hide all that tactile sense and let you destroy your edge without knowing.

wood.zara15d ago

Right? That brick feedback is unreal, my cheapo sharpener never taught me anything.