Member Comments

Come on Consumer - you should have done more research, and spoken to more people who sharpen knives for a hobby or a living.

None of these products will give a really sharp edge.

The best way to sharpen a good quality kitchen knife (eg Global) is to hand sharpen on proper Japanese waterstones - 1000 Grit, then finish off with 6000 Grit. The 6000 grit waterstone will, with careful technique, give a razor sharp edge (about 1 micron diameter). These stones are available from quailty knife retailers.
Advice on how to do the sharpening is available from many tutorials on the net,rg egullet.
Use of steels ws not mentioned. The only good steels are smooth steels. Those grroved ones that come with every knife set are rubbish, and will only ever wreck a good knife edge. Once again, a little net research works wonders.

Here is the response to my enquiry re purchase from House of Knives. 'The Chef's Choice 450 model is only available in Australia, not NZ. We
stock the 440 model, which is identical except it doesn't have the
non-removable cosmetic cover. This is on special for our birthday
sale. It is down from $38.50 to $27.50 each until this Saturday. To
courier this to Christchurch the freight would be $4.50.'

I've found that Table Pride in Tauranga has been able to get most items and at good prices. They have sourced the Cuisinart sharpener for me for the Consumer price of $215 (including delivery to Wellington). When I enquired I didn't ask what price it would be, simply noted that I was wondering if they could beat the Homestore's web price of $259. They're worth checking out: www.tablepride.co.nz

I have used the accusharp at home and in business for more than 10 years and can not fault it.Easy to use,very good result and best of all replacement tungsten carbide blades are available after the originals have been rotated. D

Does nobody use a steel any more? (Or the diamond equivalent.) My old faithful Tramontina steel gives an excellent edge but skill is needed to use it. Ahhh, perhaps I've answered my own question.

Replete in Taupo has the Minosharp which is recommended by the distributor of Global knives.

Nobody seems to sell the listed models at the price in the report. Are these Australian prices?

One test consumer did not do was how long or how many times the sharpener will work well for. Diamond sharpeners wear out with use.

It would be good if Consumer would add some comments on the requirements and/or availability of spare parts. If an object functions well now, then that's great. But how is it expected to function after a few years of use. Is it just another one of these toss-away items or is it a serviceable investment?