I was very suspicious of this guy, but having actually used it I can only recommend it.
We've had one in my house for quite some time. My mother bought it because she is not interested in learning the ins and outs of knife maintenance and read several great reviews of the 120.
I was suspicious, mainly from bad experience with cheezy knife sharpening gadgets, but also because my mom's knives, which had been through the Chef's Choice, always had crappy edges. I had made something of a habit of looking sideways at the Chef's Choice 120 on our kitchen counter.
I finally read one too many good reviews of this product (when I wasn't even looking for them, they just seem to pop up here and there if you read enough about cooking and cutlery), I decided to give it a shot on a Henckel's 5-star Santoku that had lost it's edge. I love the size and shape of a santoku, but it had gotten dull and was superceded by a Kasumi chef's knife I received as a gift. I figured the worst thing that could happen was that a knife I wasn't using would remain unusable.
First off, I Read The Freakin Manual. Do not underestimate the importance of this step. If I had just bought it based on good reviews and ripped open the box, I might have done this, but since I was already suspicious of it, I read through every word of their instructions. If you don't read the manual, the way you assume it works may be wrong (the big mistake might actually be overusing it). More on that later.
Next, before I turned it on, I did a few practice pulls with the power off. Get a feel for pulling the knife through smoothly and evenly. Make sure you keep the knife blade properly aligned with the wheel (i.e. if the knife you're sharpening has a curve, pull in a curve to keep proper contact with the sharpening wheels). Look at a clock, and make sure you're pulling at roughly the speed recommended for your knife's length.
Once I thought I knew how to use it, I made one pull through each side of stage 1. Felt the blade, as per the manual, and I had the burr they said I should feel for. Cool, it seemed to be working. I would recommend doing the burr check, because it does tell you that things are going according to plan. The same test is performed when knife sharpening is done by hand with a stone. After that, one pull on each side in the number 2 slot. Again, I had a burr, things seemed to be going well. Then I made 3 pairs of passes through stage 3, doing the left then right side, as recommended in the manual. Did a cutting test on some veggies. Wow, that thing was SHARP. Definately a better edge than you get from the factory on say, Henckle's or Wusthof's knives. I think my Shun and Kasumi knives were as sharp or sharper from the factory, but this was a nice, sharp, effortless, smooth-cutting edge, and it was equally sharp along the whole length. It's theoretically possible to get a sharper edge, but practically there is nothing left to desire from the edges I get from the Chef's choice, and I will happily be putting that knife back to regular use.
I asked my mom to have a go with the knife, and she was amazed at the edge I got from the same device she'd been using on her knives. It turns out she wasn't using it as recommended by the instructions. For example, she was making multiple pulls on the same side of the knife (you're supposed to alternate, left and then right side), and probably making too many passes. I redid the edges on all our knives, and now they are just awesome. I do feel like I got slightly better results the second and third time I used the machine. Splitting hairs, but it's safe to say it gets better as you get the hang of it. As other reviewers have said, the best thing would be to practice on something inexpensive or throw-away to be absolutely safe. I didn't really have anything that fit that bill, so I just jumped in with a good knife.
So, bottom line is this sharpener can do a very good job, but it's a tool. Like any tool, it needs to be used properly. It may be electric, and it may be a lot easier and faster than a whetstone, but it doesn't have a brain. That's what you're for, so read the manual, make some practice pulls with the power off, sharpen a cheap knife first if you can, and then enjoy. Don't worry about a reviewer who says the thing jams if you try to push the knife against the wheels and thus doesn't sharpen the knife. The manual says not to do that, just use enough pressure to make contact with the wheels.
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Chef's Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife SharpenerProduct Description: Chef's choice diamond hone plus edgeselect knife sharpener model 120: the lightening fast professional home sharpener uses completely new technology to create, in seconds, the trizor-plus edge which can be customized to suit each cutting task. Sharpens straight edge and serrated knives, the chef's choice edgeselect has twice the power of any other home sharpener. Extremely easy to use, anyone can put astonishingly sharp long lasting edges on knives in seconds. You can select extremely sharp hair splitting edges that slide smoothly and effortlessly through delicate foods like smoked salmon and prosciutto or alternately, edges carrying amounts of, bite for more demanding jobs, like cutting tough fibrous foods and meats. 100-Percent fine diamond coated conical disks in Stage 1 and Stage 2 form the first and second bevels of a durable, arch shaped edge. In stage 3, a revolutionary flexible stropping disk creates an ultra sharp polished third bevel and cutting tip while polishing the first two bevels to form sharp cutting flutes that enhance the cutting action on both sides of the edge. Built- in high precision elastomeric angle guides eliminate guesswork, ensure hair splitting sharpness time after time. The 120 is so ruggedly built that it is backed by a limited 3- year warranty. The unit is compact, the resilient elastomer feet hold the unit securely to work surface. The chef's choice diamond hone model 120 requires no sharpening oils or liquids. Made in the USA.
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Cooks Illustrated gave this sharpener a very strong review (their best-of-class as I recall) and I reluctantly laid down my trusty sharpeningsteel to give it a try.Once I got this special 3-beveled edge on ourknives I never regretted the decision to switch.What's particularly niceis that the edge returns so easily with a quick touch-up on the finestsetting.
