Pull Through Knife Sharpener, 3-Stage and 4-Stage V-Slot for Straight Kitchen Knives

The 3-Stage version is $29.99 and the 4-Stage version is $34.99, and shipping is free on both. Each order contains one sharpener in the version you chose. The knives in the product photos are not included, so the price covers the sharpener alone.

Not when they are used lightly and in the right order. Damage comes from pressing hard or running a healthy edge through the coarse slot every day, which removes steel the knife did not need to lose. Keep coarse for chips or a dead edge, do routine work in medium, and always finish in fine.

Each slot holds two abrasive faces meeting in a V at a preset angle. When you draw the blade through, both sides of the edge touch the abrasive together and a thin layer comes off each face. Coarse rebuilds the edge, medium sharpens it, and fine polishes it and clears the burr.

Rest it on a dry counter, hold the handle with your free hand, and pull the knife from heel to tip in one smooth motion. Use coarse only for damage, then several pulls in medium, then three to five light pulls in fine. Wipe the edge on a folded cloth and test it on copy paper.

Coarse gets two or three pulls, and only when the edge is chipped or completely dead. Medium gets several pulls for routine sharpening. Fine gets three to five light pulls to polish the faces and remove the burr. On the 4-Stage, give the second finishing slot a few light passes as well.

Straight-edge, double-bevel kitchen knives: chef, paring, utility, santoku and other blades ground evenly on both sides. It is not meant for serrated knives, single-bevel Japanese knives such as a yanagiba, deba or usuba, or scissors, because the V slot grinds two flat faces and those tools have a different shape.

No. The V slot can only grind a flat bevel on each side, and the teeth and scallops of a bread or steak knife sit where the abrasive cannot reach. Pulling one through would flatten the tips of the teeth rather than sharpen the gullets, so keep that knife out of it.

Only a short while. A dull but undamaged knife needs several pulls in medium and three to five in fine, then a wipe on a cloth, so the whole routine is quick. A chipped edge adds two or three coarse pulls at the start. There is no soaking, setup or cleanup beyond tapping out filings.

It adds a second finishing pass after the fine slot. The first three stages are the same on both versions: coarse to repair, medium to sharpen, fine to polish. The 4-Stage costs $34.99 against $29.99 for the 3-Stage, and suits cooks who want one more refining step before wiping the edge.

Tap it over the trash to shake out the metal filings, then wipe the body dry. Keep it out of the sink and out of the dishwasher. The sharpening inserts sit in a stainless steel housing, but the body and handle are plastic, and standing water is not good for either part.

One direction gives every part of the edge the same contact with the abrasive. Pulling from heel to tip in a single smooth line keeps pressure even from the bolster to the point. Sawing back and forth concentrates grinding in some spots and can leave a dip in the edge over time.

A burr is a thin wire of loose metal that forms along the edge while it is being ground. It feels sharp at first but folds over after a few cuts, which makes a just-sharpened knife seem dull again. Three to five light pulls in the fine slot, plus a wipe on a cloth, remove it.

The abrasive is designed to do the cutting, so pressing down only makes it bite deeper. Extra pressure takes more steel off on every pass and shortens the working life of the blade without making the edge any sharper. Let the weight of your hand and a smooth pull do the work.

More than the other slots, which is why it is a repair stage. It grinds fresh metal on both faces until they meet again, so it can fix a chipped or rounded edge. Two or three pulls are enough. Running a sound edge through coarse every time wears the knife down for no gain.

The slots use a fixed preset angle, but the maker does not publish the number, so we will not state one. What matters in use is that you never hold or judge an angle yourself. You keep the blade upright, pull from heel to tip, and the slot sets the geometry for you.

No, and it is not trying to be. A stone lets a skilled hand choose and change the angle, while this sharpener uses a fixed preset angle that you cannot adjust. In exchange there is no technique to learn, no water to soak and no angle to hold, which is why many home cooks prefer it.

No. A yanagiba, deba or usuba is ground on one side only, and this sharpener grinds both sides of the edge at once. Running one through would change its geometry. Those knives need a tool made for one-sided edges. This one is for double-bevel, straight-edge kitchen knives.

Most often the burr was left on the edge. It folds over after a few cuts and the knife feels blunt even though it was just ground. Finish with three to five light pulls in the fine slot, wipe the edge on a folded cloth, and check it by slicing a sheet of copy paper.

No. It works dry, with no water, oil, power or batteries. Set it on a dry counter, which is also what the non-slip base is made for, and start pulling. After use, tap the filings out and wipe the body dry rather than rinsing it under a tap.

It suits a beginner because the angle is fixed and the stages are labeled by job: coarse for repair, medium for sharpening, fine for polish. There is nothing to calibrate. Whether it is best for you depends on your knives: it works only on straight, double-bevel blades, not serrated or single-bevel ones.

Yes, on a dry counter. The non-slip base is made to grip a dry surface while one hand holds the long handle and the other draws the knife. If the counter is wet or oily, wipe it first, because a slick surface lets the base slide mid-pull.

Yes, that is what the coarse slot is for. Give the damaged knife two or three pulls in coarse to grind fresh metal past the chip, then several pulls in medium and three to five light pulls in fine. Wipe it and test it on copy paper before putting it back to work.

The sharpening inserts sit in a stainless steel housing, and the body and handle are plastic. It comes in black or red. The exact abrasive material, dimensions and weight are not published, so we keep to what is confirmed rather than guessing at specifications.

In a utensil drawer. It is compact enough to fit alongside other tools, though exact dimensions are not published. Tap out the filings and wipe it dry before putting it away, so loose metal does not end up in the drawer or on your other utensils.