Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Sharp Duo Knife Sharpener
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List Price: Our Price: $16.99 You Save: $23.01 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Sharp Duo Knife Sharpener
Customer Review: Finally a sharpener that works
Summary: 5 Stars
I am the proud owner of 25 Henckels knives, largely due to a consolidation of two households. I was never able to get a truly sharp edge on these knives, regardless of the sharpeners used and I tried many different gizmos using different sharpening techniques. The latest was the motorized "Chef's Choice" using diamond encrusted wheels and magnetized knife guides for the proper sharpening angle. Doing 25 knives took about two hours at least and the result was usually unremarkable. Actually, the knives remained remarkably dull regardless of the effort expended with this noisy gadget. And then I stumbled across the Twin Sharp Duo Knife Sharpener. Somewhat encouraged by the largely positive customer feedback, I bought one and have never looked back. The process is silent, it takes less than one third of the time compared with the "Chef's Choice" and the results are remarkable. The knives slice through the edge of a sheet of paper with no difficulty, tomato skin is no longer a challenge and carving a side of beef or a turkey is a joy. Pulling the knives through the sharpening ports of the Sharpener at first seems to yield nothing, but after the third or fourth pass the steel or ceramic plates engage the knife and impart an amazing edge. Maybe I am over-reacting because all my previous efforts with other sharpeners were overly time consuming and did not yield good results. This one, however, is different. It actually works! Some have said that the gadget does not impart the same edge as a professional sharpening would and that may be true. However, I don't intend to shave with my knives and for demanding kitchen work they are about as sharp as one would need. I think Henckels has done it this time. This is a great sharpener!Customer Review: Good maintenance sharpener
Summary: 4 Stars
This product allows almost anybody to greatly improve the condition of their knives. Used regularly, it greatly lengthens the interval between real sharpenings. And if your knives have been used against glass "cutting" boards or counter tops, then you can get some edge back with a bit of work.
There are two sets of of overlapping discs, through which the knife blade is pulled. This process actually deforms the cutting edge and raises a burr that becomes the new cutting edge. After the steel has done the deformation, a couple of passes through the ceramic set cleans up the edge and gives a very useful edge for many types of cutting. Things that are difficult to slice, such as tomatoes and bread are readily cut by the newly formed edge. If you use this device gently every couple of times you use the knive, you can maintain a very good cutting edge for a long time.
This product does not repair badly damaged cutting edges. For that you need to grind off a good bit more metal, and at the proper angle. Unless you have the proper equipment or a lot of practice with a stone, then such work is better left to a professional knive sharpening serve.
This product also does not produce a polished cutting edge that you can get with water stones or diamond hones. The edge is often ragged where small chips of the burr have broken off. But that is really okay for most kitchen work, as it takes some of the cutting features of the serrated knives. The little discontinuities actually help rupture the tomato skin or bread crust when used with a slicing motion.
Actually, for the price and purpose, it probably should get 5 stars. It is the best maintenance sharpener I have run across.
Customer Review: Have reasonable expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
I own a set of Henckels knives that are several years old. They are used every day and despite regular honing they were becoming dull. Keeping knives razor sharp is a skill that requires some practice and the right kind of sharpener, and so I was skeptical that one of these quick sharpeners would do a good job at sharpening them, but I decided to give it a try. Does the sharpener make dull knives sharper? It certainly does, in just a few minutes. Does it make them sharp enough for routine use? I would say yes; I am not a professional chef, but I find that I am much happier with the performance of my knives after sharpening. Does it return them to their factory degree of razor sharpness? Unfortunatley, no. I think there is no question that my knives were sharper out of the box than I can achieve with this hand sharpener. But that does not mean that this was a bad purchase. It has restored my knives from being a bit dull to being perfectly adequate for the use they get in my kitchen.
If you want to achieve like-brand-new razor sharpness, this sharpener will not do that for you. If you want to bring your dull knives back to a degree of sharpness that will be adequate for 99% of home cooks, this would be a good item to have.
Customer Review: Good little sharpener!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was poised to purchase an electric knife sharpener. I'm glad I didn't. I think this knife sharpener is just fine for the everyday "Mom" kind of cook. I'm not boning chicken or chopping cups upon cups of veggies every day. I doubt this is for the very serious cook, but that type cook should probably know to hone a knife properly with a stone or a steel.
I used the 2nd slot for a newer top of the line J A Henckels chef knife, and both slots for dull Pampered Chef, Anolon and Martha Stewart knives. I did the paper test after, and all of the knives easily cut the paper at a 45 degree angle.
This sharpener looks great and doesn't take up much space on the counter if you like to hone your knives before each use. Otherwise it fits fine into my knife drawer that is 3 1/2" deep.
I have not used the knives after sharpening - I only did the paper test. I will still probably take the Henckels knife in for professional sharpening when it needs it, but I'll continue to use the 2nd slot to hone it up after every few uses.
Well worth it for $19, but I would hesitate to pay the $40 retail price.
Customer Review: Brought some old dull knives back to life
Summary: 4 Stars
I have some Flint Vanadium knives (almost 40 years old) and some Henckels Gourmet knives (20 years old) that were just not sharp enough anymore. Using a steel on a knife can only do so much for the knife - a steel is really not a true sharpening tool. After considering how much it would cost to replace those knives, I decided to give this little tool a try. It works! Are the knives razor sharp? No. I really don't care to have knives that are sharp enough to do an appendectomy, however. I like having intact fingertips and such.
I started out with one of the duller knives. It took waaaay more than five pulls through the sharpener, but I was indeed able to achieve an edge sharp enough to cut paper, just like it says in the directions. I am impressed!
I can't imagine how someone could chew up the edges of their knives with this sharpener, unless there was something wrong with the knives to begin with. It's not for serrated blades, so don't even try it.
Highly recommended.