4 Stage Knife Sharpener, Extra Finishing Pass (3-Stage Version Also Available)

The 4-Stage costs $34.99, five dollars more than the 3-Stage at $29.99. Shipping is free on both. The order contains one sharpener in the version you pick, and the knives in the photos are not included.

It is if you slice thin and often, such as tomatoes, cucumbers or cooked roasts, or if you want the smoothest finish you can get from a pull-through tool. If you mostly chop and dice, the 3-Stage does the same repair and sharpening work for less.

It is a second finishing pass. After the fine slot polishes the edge and clears the burr, the last stage polishes it again with a light touch. It refines the edge rather than sharpening a dull one, so it is always the last step.

Both have coarse, medium and fine slots with fixed preset angles, a non-slip base and a stainless steel housing for the inserts. The 4 stage knife sharpener adds a second finishing pass after fine. Everything else, including the knives they suit, is the same.

Straight-edge, double-bevel kitchen knives: chef, paring, utility, santoku and similar blades. It is not for serrated knives, single-bevel Japanese knives such as yanagiba, deba or usuba, or scissors. The extra finishing stage does not widen that list.

No. Coarse is only for chips or badly neglected edges. A regular session is medium, fine and the final finishing pass. Between sessions, a few light pulls through the two finishing stages can freshen an edge that is still mostly sharp.

Not if you use them properly. The two finishing stages remove very little metal. What wears a blade is using coarse when it is not needed or pressing hard. Use light pressure, and reserve coarse for real damage.

About a minute for a knife that only needs sharpening: several pulls in medium, three to five in fine, a few in the final slot, a wipe and a paper test. Add a little time if the edge needs a couple of pulls in coarse first.

It has four sharpening stages in one body: coarse, medium, fine and a second finishing pass. Some sellers call that format 4-in-1. It is only a knife sharpener, though, with no scissor slot or other tools attached.

Tap the metal filings out of the slots over the trash and wipe the body dry with a cloth. Keep it out of the sink and do not put it in the dishwasher. The body and handle are plastic, and the inserts sit in a stainless steel housing.

Most people who slice tomatoes often do notice it. A more polished edge tends to bite into the skin right away instead of pressing it down first. On firm vegetables like carrots or onions, the difference is much harder to feel.

Cooks who chop more than they slice, who touch up their knife every week or two, and who are happy with an edge that cuts copy paper cleanly. The 3-Stage has the same coarse, medium and fine stages, and that covers everyday kitchen work.

No. Chips are handled by the coarse slot, followed by medium and fine. The fourth stage only refines the edge at the end. If you skip the earlier stages on a damaged knife, the final pass cannot make up for it.

No, lighter. The finishing stages polish, and extra pressure works against that. Use your lightest touch in the last two slots and keep the same steady speed from heel to tip.

It suits someone who cares about a smooth slicing edge and uses straight-edge, double-bevel knives. It is less useful if their main knives are serrated or single-bevel Japanese blades, since it does not handle those.

Yes. If the knife still cuts but feels slightly less crisp, a few light pulls through fine and then the final finishing slot will often bring it back. If that stops working, go back to a full session starting in medium.

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

Each slot has a fixed preset angle that you never hold or adjust. The supplier does not publish the angles in degrees, so we do not give a number for any stage.

No. All four stages work dry, so there is no water, oil, power or battery involved. Keep the counter dry as well, because the non-slip base grips a dry surface and can slide on a wet one.

Wipe the edge on a folded cloth, then slice down through a sheet of copy paper held by one corner. A clean cut with no snagging means it is ready. If it tears, repeat medium, fine and the final pass.

Black and red. Color does not change anything about how it works: both have the same plastic body and handle, the same stainless steel housing and the same four stages.

The 4-Stage carries one more slot than the 3-Stage, and both are compact enough for a utensil drawer. Exact dimensions and weight are not published for either version, so we cannot give measurements.

Not if they are single-bevel. Traditional sushi knives such as a yanagiba are ground on one side, and this sharpener is made for double-bevel blades only. A double-bevel santoku or chef knife used for fish is fine.

Think about your cutting. If thin slicing and a very smooth edge matter to you, take the 4-Stage. If you mainly chop and want a reliable working edge, the 3-Stage covers it. Both repair, sharpen and polish.