A knife sharpener is a handy tool to have in your kitchen. It helps to keep your knife sharp at all times, which makes your cooking experience much more enjoyable and convenient. Dull knife blades only give you frustration and inefficiency.
There are 2 common types of knife sharpeners available on the market: Electric Knife Sharpener Vs Manual. It can be difficult to decide which one is more suitable for your knife and your kitchen needs considering the types, price range, or size.
This article will equip you with all the information about these types of knives to help you decide between the two.
Manual Knife Sharpener
This sharpener allows you to sharpen your knife by hand. A manual knife sharpener is also known as a pull-through sharpener. It usually has two slots: a course grit used for sharpening and a fine grit used for polishing.
All you have to do is to put the blade of the knife on the sharpening grit and pull it through until the knife has the sharpness you desire.
Here is a video showing you how to use a manual sharpener for your further information:
Advantage
- Control over the sharpening process: Manual knife sharpeners give you complete control over the angle you sharpen your knife, which plays an important role in the sharpness of your knife. Depending on the shape and the size of your blade, your knife needs to be sharpened at a different angle for more effectiveness and sharpness. Hence, with a manual sharpener, you can adjust the angle at which your knife is sharpened to optimize the sharpening process.
- Low cost: A manual knife sharpener is much cheaper than its electric counterpart. You can use the manual knife sharpener for all your kitchen knives. Thus, it also lasts for a long time, which makes it a better investment for your kitchen.
- Safety: Since you can control the angle and the speed at which your knife is sharpened, manual knife sharpeners are safe to use.
- Smaller size: Manual sharpeners are more compact and portable than their electric equivalent, which takes up less space in your kitchen.
- Improve your knife sharpening skill: This can be a handy skill to have. It familiarizes you with your knife and allows you to sharpen your knife any time you need. Sometimes you may not have access to an electric sharpener.
Disadvantage
- Effort: This tool will require more effort in the knife sharpening process. Thus, it takes experience to get the sharpening right. Hence, it may not be friendly to beginners.
- Longer time: It takes a long time to sharpen a knife compared to the automated electric sharpener.
- Limitation: Although it has no problems with regular kitchen knives, this tool may not be suitable for waved edge knives.
Electric Knife Sharpener
This device is excellent at sharpening knives. No manual work is required. All you have to do is to place your knife in the sharpening place, activate the sharpener, and the machine will take care of everything. When the process is done, you can pull your sharpened knife out of the machine and get back to your cooking. To get the sharpest knife, you can repeat the process with this machine several times.
Advantage
- Convenience: The machine can sharpen your knife faster compared to using a manual sharpener. It requires no effort during the process. Thus, it is easy and convenient to use.
- Beginner-friendly: Even if you have little experience in the kitchen and with the knife, you can trust an electric sharpener with your knife. Thus, if you are inexperienced, the electric sharpener would be a more effective and less time-consuming way to sharpen your knife.
- No limitation: This machine works well with all the kitchen knives and even wavy-edged ones.
Disadvantage
- No control during the process: Since the electric sharpener does all the work for you, you will not have any control during the process. If you want to improve your knife-sharpening skill, this device may not be an ideal choice for you.
- Higher price: With all the convenience it offers, an electric sharpener comes with a much higher price tag.
FAQs (Electric Knife Sharpener Vs Manual)
Which is better, manual or electric knife sharpener?
It is up to you to decide which sharpener is better. If you enjoy sharpening your knife and want to develop your knife-sharpening skill, a manual one is better. A manual sharpener can also help you understand your knife much better. However, if you think knife sharpening is merely a process that needs to be done and don’t mind the higher price tag, the electric sharpener is much better for you.
Yet, since there is no built-in motor in the manual sharpener, there would be no errors when it comes to this tool. Hence, we would say a manual sharper can last longer.
Do electric knife sharpeners cause my knife to wear out?
If you worry about the automated sharpening process making your knife blade duller over time, you can get rid of this worry because this machine will keep your knives sharp at all times.
If you worry about this machine causing wear to the material of your knife blade, you can also stop worrying. Most re-sharping processes only remove a microscopic amount of metal in your knife, which hardly causes any excessive wear.
Why does my knife get dull so fast?
If your knife blade gets dull fast, it is probably made of harder material compared to regular knives. Thus, improper cleaning can also damage your knife and make it dull much more easily. Hence, make sure to clean your knives properly after each use to protect the sharpness of its blade and extend the life expectancy of your knives.
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Conclusion
Now you have everything you need to know to decide between a manual knife sharpener and an electric knife sharpener. Get the one you prefer to keep your knife sharp and your cooking convenient. A knife sharpener will be an investment that you never regret.
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