3 Stage Knife Sharpener, Coarse, Medium and Fine Pull-Through (4-Stage Also Sold)

The 3-Stage is $29.99 and the 4-Stage is $34.99. Shipping is free on both. You get one sharpener in the version you choose; knives shown in the photos are not part of the order.

Coarse repairs an edge that is chipped or completely dull. Medium does routine sharpening on a knife that has lost its bite. Fine polishes the edge and removes the burr so the sharpness lasts. You use them in that order, starting at the stage your knife needs.

No. Most weekly sessions are medium followed by fine. Coarse is only for damage, such as a chip or an edge that medium no longer fixes. Skipping coarse when you do not need it keeps you from removing metal for no reason.

Skip coarse whenever the knife still cuts, even if it feels a bit tired. A few pulls in medium and then fine will bring it back. Coarse is for visible chips, flat spots or edges that slide off a tomato skin after a medium session.

A three stage knife sharpener adds a medium step between coarse and fine. That middle step lets you sharpen routinely without the heavy metal removal of coarse, and it means the fine slot only has to polish instead of doing real work. We only sell the 3-Stage and 4-Stage, not a two-stage model.

Straight-edge, double-bevel kitchen knives: chef, paring, utility, santoku and similar blades. It does not handle serrated knives, single-bevel Japanese knives such as yanagiba, deba or usuba, or scissors. If your knife has teeth or is ground on one side only, it needs a different tool.

Used as intended, no. Coarse removes more metal than the other slots, which is why it is limited to two or three light pulls when the edge is actually damaged. Pressing hard or using coarse every week wears the blade down faster than it needs to.

Two or three pulls in coarse, and only if the edge is damaged. Several pulls in medium. Then three to five light pulls in fine. Draw the knife from heel to tip with light, even pressure each time, then wipe the edge on a folded cloth.

Usually well under a minute: several pulls through medium, a few light pulls through fine, a wipe on a cloth and a quick slice of copy paper to check. A repair session that starts in coarse takes a little longer because it adds a few pulls and a second check.

Tap the metal filings out over the trash and wipe the body dry. Do not rinse it in the sink or put it in the dishwasher. The body and handle are plastic and the sharpening inserts sit in a stainless steel housing.

For chopping, dicing and weekly touch-ups, the 3-Stage covers everything a straight edge needs. The 4-Stage adds a second finishing pass for people who want an extra polish for thin slicing. Both use the same coarse, medium and fine stages and the same preset angles.

One where you never have to hold an angle. Each slot here has a fixed preset angle, so a beginner only has to pull the knife straight, heel to tip, with light pressure. The tradeoff is that you cannot change the angle, and the degrees are not published.

It includes coarse and fine, plus a medium slot between them. That middle stage handles regular sharpening, so coarse can stay reserved for repairs and fine only has to polish. Going straight from coarse to fine tends to leave a rougher edge.

It polishes. The fine slot refines the edge that medium created and clears away the burr, the thin ridge of metal that sharpening raises. It is not meant to fix a dull knife on its own, though a recently sharpened knife can go straight to fine for a quick refresh.

Usually the burr was left on. If you stop at medium, that thin ridge folds over during the first few cuts and the edge feels dull. Finish with three to five light pulls in fine and wipe the blade on a folded cloth.

Yes. If several pulls in medium do not bring the edge back, drop to coarse for two or three light pulls, then return to medium and finish in fine. That is the repair routine, and it is the only time coarse should come out.

No. All three stages are used dry. There is no power, no batteries, no water and no oil involved. Keep the counter dry too, because the non-slip base grips best on a dry surface.

Each slot has its own fixed preset angle, and you never set or hold it. The supplier does not publish the angles in degrees, so we do not list a number for any stage.

No. It is a manual pull-through sharpener, not an electric one. You hold the long handle with one hand and draw the knife through with the other, so there is no cord, motor or battery.

Hold a sheet of copy paper by one corner and slice down through it. A sharp edge cuts cleanly without tearing. If it snags, give it a few more pulls in medium and fine, then test again.

No. A serrated knife is not a match for any of the three stages, the fine slot included, because its scalloped teeth need a tool made for that shape. Use this sharpener only on straight-edge, double-bevel blades.

Black and red. Both colors have the same plastic body and handle, the same stainless steel housing for the sharpening inserts and the same three stages on the 3-Stage version.

It is compact enough to keep in a utensil drawer. The exact dimensions and weight are not published, so we cannot give you measurements. Set it on a dry counter to use it and put it away afterward.

Medium and fine get used every week or two, depending on how much you cook. Fine alone can refresh an edge between sessions. Coarse might come out only a few times a year, whenever a knife is chipped or badly neglected.