Last Updated On December 27th, 2021
Since a knife is arguably the most useful kitchen tool, the blade must be sharp. Cooking becomes more dangerous when the knife is blunt, so you have little leverage and are more prone to see the knife slip off the food.
Even if you’ve bought a chef’s knife for preparing delicious meals for your family every day, you don’t have to stop there. Cooking would be smoother – and let’s face it – more enjoyable if the knife’s edge is sharp. Maintaining the sharpness of the knife, regardless of how much you spent acquiring it, is critical.
But don’t worry – it’s not quite as difficult as it seems. The secret is finding a knife sharpener that best suits your needs. In this article, we review the best knife sharpener in the UK so that you don’t have to buy new knives every time yours become dull.
Best Knife Sharpener Reviews – Top 7 Picks
1. SHAN ZU Stone 2 Side Grit (Editor’s Choice)
You can use a whetstone for almost any kind of knife, making them an excellent alternative if you have a huge collection. The SHAN ZU knife sharpening stone use corundum, a natural mineral valued for its hard quality. This sharpener is one of the best whetstone options the UK stores have to offer. It can be used for a wide variety of knife shapes and sizes.
Features
With a 1000-grit coarse side for sharpening and a 6000-grit finer side for polishing, you have the ideal tool for mastering the art of honing. And once you get the hang of using this whetstone, it will be well worth it.
We consider this the best sharpening stone as it comes with a 15-degree angle guide that suits any knife and assists you in maintaining the proper angle. It has a silicon frame with a bamboo base. The anti-skid silica gel frame holds the sharpener in place, preventing accidents during the sharpening process.
- The stone has two sides for sharpening and polishing
- It comes with an angle guide
- Bamboo and silica gel non-slip base for safety
- High-quality and environment-friendly materials
- Might be time-consuming
- May be less coarser for some
2. Minosharp Plus 3 Ceramic 550 (Luxury Choice)
The Minosharp Plus 3 knife sharpener is a uniquely designed 3-stage sharpener. Its innovative ceramic wheels guarantee that your knife is sharpened at the right angle.
Features
This pull-through knife sharpener consists of three colour-coded sharpening wheels: super-fine yellow ceramic wheels, a medium brown wheel, and a coarse blue wheel. These three abrasives allow you to choose depending on your blade’s condition.
To effectively sharpen your knives, you need to add water to the sharpener to prevent overheating and friction during the sharpening. After adding water, run your knives through each of the three brilliantly crafted sharpening abrasives. Although they work best on global knives, you can sharpen any other type with it and get excellent results.
Adding water will not only make the whole process easier but will also result in a smooth finish by removing any residue from your knife.
- Features three different abrasives
- Innovative and ergonomic design
- Easy to use and store
- Water use makes the process more reliable
- It may be difficult to maintain and could rust easily
3. AnySharp Powergrip (Best Value)
AnySharp knife sharpener is a one-size-fits-all option. It sharpens on both sides, making it more suitable for double-edged knives. You can also use it on single-sided ones if you don’t mind converting your single-edge knife into a double-edged blade.
Features
This sharpener is a 60 x 60mm tool with a handle for convenient usage. It fits in your kitchen cabinet conveniently.
What’s more, the PowerGrip design means you can sharpen your knife on any surface without the worry of it slipping. For instance, you can even grip it to a fridge or a tiled wall. A suction cup is located on the bottom of the sharpener. When it’s placed against a rough surface, you only have to press the handle down with a little force, and the sharpener will be secured in position for one-handed usage. This way, you’re less likely to injure yourself.
The company claims that the system can generate over 12kg of downforce, which isn’t poor for a 60g device. Therefore, once secure, your knife should be smoothly sharpened after about three pulls.
- Suction cup and polymer protector included
- With a fast result that requires light pressure
- Perfect for double-edged knives
- Amazingly compact
- It can only be used on a completely flat surface
4. Wusthof Hanging 26cm (Best Steel)
Wusthof Hanging Steel sharpener is best suited for knives with 26cm blades or shorter. It is made of alloy steel and is designed for frequent use. The sharpener’s surface is coarse enough to make sharpening effortless, and the handle is solid, preventing your hand from slipping while in use.
Features
You can use this hanging steel tool to sharpen or hone almost all kinds of knives. This steel sharpener is surprisingly easy to master. Therefore, you will be able to benefit from perfectly honed knives in no time.
Weighing just 300g, you won’t get tired out quickly when using this sharpener, so you can work with it for an extended period and get all of your knives in order in one sitting.
- Compatible with most knife types
- Great for frequent use
- Easy to master
- Good grip
- It may not be suitable for longer blades
- The engraved logo on the steel near the handle may be inconvenient for some
5. KUNQUN Premium Dual Grit Stone (Best Whetstone)
Kunqun whetstone knife sharpener is made from durable and abrasive material, specifically corundum. This sharpening stone can meet all your knife sharpening requirements. It is suitable for different knives such as kitchen, outdoor, and hunting knives.
Features
Knife sharpeners that move around while in use pose great danger to the user. Because of this, the manufacturers included a non-slip silicone base to keep the whetstone in place. They also added an angle guide to help you maintain an optimal slant and shield your fingers from injury.
The sharpener has dual grits. To fix your knife with accuracy and precision, you can use the coarse 400 grit side. To achieve a razor-sharp and finished blade, use the 1000 finer grit side.
- The sharpener includes an angle guide and non-slip base
- Superior double-sided 400/1000 whetstone
- Suitable for sharpening various knives and tools
- Durable abrasive material
- It may not be suitable for ceramic and serrated blades
6. Fiskars XSharp 1000601 (Best Lightweight)
The Fiskars Xsharp is a handy tool made from stainless steel with optimised sharpening angles for both knives and axes. The manufacturers clearly labelled the sharpening grooves for either knives or axes sharpening. Run the blade through the appropriate groove a few times to get an optimal result.
Features
You can easily adjust the sharpener to get the best angle for both knives and axes by pressing inside the cutting grove. Its special ceramic grindstone system provides automatic blade guidance that makes it easy to use by sliding back and forth on the sharpener.
The sharpener has a fibreglass-reinforced plastic body and a ceramic sharpening system that gives the product long life. It is also easy to clean and, whether you’re left-handed or right-handed, you can conveniently use this knife sharpener.
- With easy adjustment that works well with axes and knives
- Durable and stable
- Suitable for both right and left-handed users
- It might take some getting used to
- Instruction manual may be difficult to follow
7. Pro Sharpener A Professional Choice 2-Stage (Best with Handle)
Made from high-quality stainless steel, this Pro Sharpener is a great option if you need to sharpen your knives fast. Just a few pulls in the designated slots, and it will bring your dull blades back to life.
Features
It is designed with a handle to steady yourself and the sharpener whilst in use for your safety, comfort, and maximum results. This sharpener features two slots; one with tungsten carbide for knives and a ceramic slot for the regular touch-ups. These slots are also designed to straighten any minor defects in your knife, so there’s no need to worry about inconsistent results.
What’s more, this tool is not only made for straight blades but can be used for wide-toothed serrated knives as well. So you can even sharpen your bread knife when it starts to dull.
- Suitable for both straight and serrated blades
- Straightens and sharpens at the same time
- Designed with a handle for your comfort
- May move a little on smooth surfaces
What to Look For in a Knife Sharpener
Choosing the right knife sharpening tool can be difficult, particularly if you’ve never purchased one before.
Manual sharpeners, electric sharpeners, and whetstones all have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. But it’s just a matter of figuring out what you need and then choosing which option is better for you. There are some essential factors you must consider to help narrow down your choices.
Style
Whether you are looking for the best electric knife sharpener in the UK or something more manual, you should consider if you have time to learn a technique before buying anything. Using a whetstone may require some practice before being able to sharpen your knives to a high quality. In comparison, electric sharpeners or those with designated ‘slots’ are a lot easier to use and gain great results.
Usage
Most knife sharpeners have a multipurpose function. However, some were designed for use on specific types of knives. Many are not suitable for serrated knives or may be recommended for blades of a certain length.
If you have a double-sided knife, you’ll want to buy a sharpener that can work with both edges of the knife at once. There’s no need to buy a double-sided knife sharpener if your knife has only one sharp side.
As a general rule of thumb, refrain from using pull-through knife sharpeners for Japanese knives or those with brittle blades like ceramic. Instead, use a whetstone sharpener since they are suitable for both Japanese and Western-style blades. Using other sharpeners can damage the knife edges.
It would be best if you also consider the bluntness of the knives you want to sharpen and the frequency of usage before purchasing a knife sharpener.
Material
The material used in the production of knife sharpeners will help distinguish it from the rest of the pack. Diamond is the hardest and most durable material, and sharpeners with diamond cutting edges are known to be of superior quality.
Size
While the size of a sharpener has no bearing on its sharpening efficiency, it is a vital factor to consider when purchasing one. It’s better to buy a sharpener that is efficient enough to sharpen your blunt knives and, at the same time, can fit in your kitchen cabinet conveniently.
Generally, manual and stone knife sharpeners don’t take up a lot of room to store. They are portable and only use up a small portion of your kitchen cabinet. Whetstones with small sizes are also easier to move around than bench stones. However, it is difficult to maintain a consistent angle and pressure when sharpening large blades on them.
Try to get an estimate of how much space you can spare when choosing your knife sharpener. You could also read the description to determine its dimension before making the purchase.
Making a Choice
Our top pick for these knife sharpener reviews is the SHAN ZU Knife Sharpening Stone. Its 1000-grit coarse side makes it an excellent tool for sharpening just about any knife you need to work on. It also has a handy side for polishing your knives.
The 15-degree angle guide makes sharpening your cutting tools much easier. Although it takes some getting used to, it is definitely worth the effort. Whether you have a hardened knife like the Sabatier or a serrated one, it will sharpen the knife with diamond precision.
What type of knife sharpener are you looking for? Do you have any knife-sharpening hacks you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments.