Presto 08800 EverSharp electric knife sharpener
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List Price: Our Price: $27.54 You Save: $12.45 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $18.95 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Presto 08800 EverSharp electric knife sharpener
Customer Review: Save your time, your money, and your knives for something that works..
Summary: 1 Stars
I'll keep this short so that I don't waste any more time with this sharpener. This thing is designed to do one thing, and it fails miserably. If I could award it zero stars, that is exactly what I would have done. I have no idea what all these other reviewers call "scary sharp" or "razor sharp", but I'm guessing that a spoon would qualify for these descriptors given the performance of this sharpener.
I read all the glowing reviews of this sharpener and figured that even if it didn't quite live up to the reviews, it would at least be good enough for my machetes and hard use knives. I was totally wrong. The angle of the edge that this sharpener puts on a blade is very steep. That in itself isn't so bad if you don't need a super sharp knife as much as a durable edge. The problem is that both sharpening wheels are far too coarse to EVER get a good edge on ANYTHING. I had several knives that I considered extremely dull, and I thought this would save me a lot of time. After carefully trying the sharpener on several of these knives I found that no matter how lightly and carefully I drew the blades through the grinding wheels, all of them were much duller after running it through the device. The guides also scuffed the finish on the sides of my blades. Not that big a deal to me because I use my knives, not show them under glass, but it doesn't exactly help this crappy product out. This sharpener simply sucks and ruins your knife blades. I guess the only positive it has going for it is that it ruins them very fast, so you won't have to spend a lot of time marring up and dulling your knives if that's what your after. If it wasn't so cheap, I would be raising hell with the maker (which I may still do). Even the fine (but still way too coarse for knife sharpening) stone leaves very crude and coarse marks on the edge of your blade, much like if you sharpened your knife with a cinder block or a very coarse wood rasp. This is probably the most disappointing product that I have ever purchased. Now I wasted my money and my time, scuffed up my knife blades, and have totally ruined their edges. I will have to spend a lot of time with my hand sharpener to get the edges to a usable condition. By hand I can get all my knives razor sharp. You should do the same, or invest in a belt type sharpener. This waste of money would not even give me a suitable edge on my machetes, and I hardly need to split hairs or prepare sushi with them.
Customer Review: Easy to use, works great
Summary: 5 Stars
I was skeptical when I bought this because of the price - compared to other sharpeners. This sharpener is great. It works and is easy to use!!!
There are two types of sharpener on this unit - the left side "V" is a course grinder while the right side is a fine grit sharpener. Both sides employ separate rotating grinding disks. The "V" slots ensure that the blade hits the grinder stone at the right angle.
You first pass the knife on the left side course grinder for 12 seconds (6 seconds for the right side of the blade and then another 6 seconds for the left side). After which you sharpen the blade another 12 seconds on the fine grit sharpener. The whole process takes about 30 seconds. If the blade hasn't been sharpened for a while you will need to do the course grinder 2-3 times first then the fine sharpener about twice. I've had this sharpener for over a year now. In my experience once you've sharpened your knives you'll only need about 2 passes on the fine grit for maintenance (about once a month or two).
This sharpener really works. It took all my dull knives and sharpened them to easily cut tomatoes.
CAVEAT: when sharpening, make sure to draw the knife in a steady continuous motion. Do not apply pressure and press the knife down or let the knife stay at one spot since the grinder will eat a notch into your blade. If you just bought this I suggest trying it out on a cheap knife that you don't mind trashing. It's very easy to use. But you'll need about 6 passes on a blade to get the hang of it.
TIPS: Handwash your knives even if they say dishwasher safe. Harsh detergents interact with the metal of the knives and produce microscopic pitting. They also accelerate rusting (no matter how rust proof a knife is). Don't use hard cutting surfaces such as marble, tile or a glass cutting board. These dull the edges of knives. Store them dry. Store them properly and make sure they don't hit other metal utensils or knives.
Customer Review: Sharper Image
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently ate at a local Japanese Hibachi Bar and I was more amazed by how sharp the knives that the chefs were using than the tricks that they performed as they cooked my meal. I said, man I gotta get a set of knives like that!
A few years ago I bought a new set of knives from Amazon (J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 7-Piece Knife Block Set). The problem with this excellent set of knives is that the sharpener that came with it is one of those steel wands. A Master Chef can clank that wand back and forth against the blades of his knives with great precision to create a razor sharp cutting tool. I, on the other hand, somehow seem to have made the blades of my knife set duller using the dog-gone wand.
So sitting there at the Hibachi bar I had an epiphany! A voice! It called out in my head...."Buy a better knife sharpener."
Where better to look than the place that I bought my knives: Amazon. Type in: Knife sharpener. Lo and behold: dozens of choices of knife sharpeners!!! Woo-hoo! The Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener has a lot of high ratings; it's inexpensive...give it a try.
Try I did, and the knives in my set are now sharper than they were when they arrived new! The Presto Pro is pretty cool: a 4-slot little machine that looks like a mini-toaster. Turn it on. To sharpen: apply very little pressure...run your blade 3 times through both slots on the left side of the toaster...er...I mean...sharpener; to hone: again...not too much pressure...run your blade 3 times through both slots on the right side of the sharpener. And voilà! You're cutting through meat and veggies like a Master Hibachi Chef!
Great little product. Stop reading my goofy review and add it to your cart.
Customer Review: Incredible Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
I previously reviewed the Furi Ozitech Diamond Fingers Pro Knife Sharpener and noted how it seemed to be more of a "finishing sharpener" than one that could resurrect severely dull blades; it will turn already sharp knives into razors, but it makes little impact on dull knives. As I was still looking for a good sharpener, I decided on this product based solely on Amazon customer reviews...they couldn't have been more right!
1) Compact Design: This is not a huge sharpener. I know, I know...this is not part of the product's functionality, but anything that minimizes kitchen drawer clutter is a plus. It also has suction cup feet to protect against slippage. This is a plus when you're dealing with sharp stuff.
2) Two-Stage Sharpener: As you can see from the photo, this sharpener has four sharpening slots. The two on the left are for shaping, while the two on the right are for precision sharpening. You simply drag your knife several times through the shaping slots, rotating back and forth between the two. You then switch to the honing side and, again, drag the knife through several times. In the end, you have razors!
3) Ease of Use: You need not worry about holding the knife at a particular angle or applying any pressure. The sharpener is designed in such a way to ensure an even sharpening by dropping the knife in the slot and dragging.
I had a severely dull set of knives that could not cut a chicken breast without applying a significant amount of pressure to the blade. But after five passes through the shaper and five through the honer, my knives have been brought back to life. Simply put, this product does EXACTLY what it advertises - it turns your knives into razor-sharp culinary weapons!
Customer Review: really surprised by the performance
Summary: 5 Stars
The best sharpener I have ever had, and at a fantastic price. Sharpened every knife that I had with excellent results. You wouldn't want a kitchen knife any sharper than this unit can give. A knife that is razor sharp (I hone my diving knife to this kind of an edge that I can shave with), dulls extremely quick to a "great" edge in no-time.
As someone that is a gadget fanatic and loves sharpening knives to razor sharpness, there are a few secrets to getting a fantastic edge. First of all "take your time". Then let the weight of the knife do the work, and DON'T push down on the blade more than a couple of ounces when sharpening. It will destroy an expensive knife in a heart beat. The weight of the knife will be enough force to sharpen it against the stone unless it is a small paring knife. IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE LONGER. If you are pushing down on the blade with enough force to stop the motor, you are tearing the edge apart. This will cause nicks, gouges and overheat the blade.
My wife bought this beautiful stainless steel "designer" knife that was so dull that you couldn't cut anything with it. I couldn't even sharpen it on a stone because of the hardness of the metal. It sat in the drawer for the last two years. And it was big bucks too.
After 10 minutes with this sharpener, taking my time, it now has a fantastic edge. Both sides of the blade are tapered perfectly without any nicks or gouges. It takes about ten seconds to touch it up when needed.
Just remember to let the sharpener to the work, and DON'T be in a hurry. The LIGHT strokes will give you an extremely sharp knife.