There are thousands of different knife sharpeners on the market. From electric grinders to honing stones, to pull through guided sharpeners—the options are endless. One of the hardest parts about learning to sharpen a knife properly is getting the angle and sharpening motion right. Guided sharpeners can take the guesswork out of sharpening and help you develop the skills to sharpen properly. At $45, the Lansky Deluxe Guided Sharpening System is a great value and will put a very respectable edge on just about any knife you own.
It includes a Metal knife clamp, five hones with guide rods (from extra coarse to ultra-fine), a bottle of honing oil, and a plastic case to store everything. Using it is as simple as it gets. You clamp your knife into the knife clamp and secure it with a thumbscrew. Next, you attach a guide rod to the hone you will be using and stick the rod through one of the corresponding angle slots which range from 17 degrees to 30 degrees. Then, you simply move the hone back and forth and grind the edge. The hones have comfortable plastic grips on them with ergonomic finger grooves.
The beauty of the Lansky system is in its simplicity. It is almost impossible to screw up sharpening as long as you set the knife clamp level on the blade and keep the guide rod inside the angle guide. Working up from coarse to fine, you will put a razor’s edge on all your knives in no time. It works so well, that you may soon find yourself offering to sharpen knives for friends and family alike.
If you are new to sharpening blades or are just looking for a quality guided system, the Lansky Deluxe Sharpening System is a no brainer at under $50. You can add on other hones later such as a leather stropping hone or diamond hones. If you need a sharpener, start here—you won’t be disappointed.
