The sharpeners we’ve recommended here all come with clear instructions and were praised by testers for their ease of use. That said, don’t be discouraged if it takes a moment or two to determine which angle and pressure to apply to best sharpen each blade. If your sharpener has more than one setting, select 'coarse' for very blunt knives. The fine or honing setting is for everyday knife maintenance. FYI: It's possible to sharpen German knives, which tend to have an edge that is closer to 20 degrees, with a 15 degree sharpener. They will just require more frequent sharpening as they can't maintain that thinner edge for as long as a Japanese knife. If your knife sharpener has a fine or honing setting, run it through that once or twice after the coarse setting. Do this in the same way, but with less force. To keep your knife sharp, use the fine setting once after every couple of hours' use.

Versatility: Most home cooks will have a chef’s knife, a boning knife, a carving knife and a paring knife. The ideal knife sharpener should work well on all of them. Some sharpeners are also suitable for scissors and garden tools. A sharp knife blade is achieved and maintained by combining two different processes, honing and sharpening. Pull the knife blade along the sharpening steel towards you, with enough gentle force that you can hear a grinding noise. Transparency is really important to us, and that's why we're always upfront about where we find our recommendations. We write about products we feel offer the best value to most parents – the ones our users recommend to their friends and family. Sharpening or honing?: Sharpening | Holding method: Handheld and non-slip base | Type: Manual What we like

The Longzon Four-Stage Manual Knife and Scissor Sharpener is an excellent price considering its versatility. It is ergonomically designed for simple and comfortable use and has a protective glove for extra safety. Smith's 50185 Jiffy-Pro is easily the most well-balanced item in this review. Don't get us wrong, we really liked the first two sharpeners, but they're massive tools compared to this one.

Keep knives in a covered, safe environment when not in use," says Hartley. "Do a weekly light hone with steel or stone, always wiping away particles with a clean dry towel. Don't feel like you have to work fast—with a process like this, form is everything. Work out the proper form first, and then the speed will come." Can you sharpen kitchen shears with a knife sharpener?

Featuring 5.88 x 2.56 x 0.69 inches in overall dimensions and about 2.4 ounces in weight, the model isn't smallest nor the most lightweight sharpener on the market today but it is definitely up there. Plus, one thing we can say about this tool that we can't say about most of its competition is that the product in question sharpens left and right-handed scissors equally well. Not the most difficult of contraptions to figure out, is it? Oddly enough, a scissors sharpener is a sharpening tool that will help you keep your scissors (and, oftentimes, knives as well) nice and sharp. Even the least expensive and impressive examples of these tools are far more practical and efficient than those handheld grinding stones. Plus, even the most expensive models don't really cost all that much, so it is a cost-effective substitution too.

Finish with a honing steel for best results. Rinse and dry the knife. You may also need to clean up the area around the whetstone.Honing is what you will do most often; it maintains a blade that is already sharp by polishing the rough edge. If you do this regularly, the need to sharpen will be minimised to once or twice a year.