Electric and manual knife sharpeners both have their benefits. You might be wondering which is the best option for you to use in your kitchen or your home.
The answer might depend on a variety of considerations. If you have been feeling like you are not sure how to make this decision, there are some key factors that you will need to consider before you commit to buying one or the other of these products.
Having sharp kitchen knives to work with when you are preparing food is a must, and being able to keep your cutting tools sharp and ready for each task is very helpful.
If you are tired of dull kitchen knives, here are the things that you need to know before you pick an electric or a manual knife sharpener. Manual and electric knife sharpeners offer different benefits.
If you have been wondering which one should I use, then you will need to learn more! If you have been thinking about getting an electric or manual sharpener and are ready to learn more, read on!
Table of Contents
What Are the Benefits of an Electric Knife Sharpener?
An electric knife sharpener takes the guesswork out of sharpening your knives. You simply let the tool handle the heavy lifting for you as you sharpen your knives.
You will also not have to make your hands or wrists tired by stropping the knife up and down a manual sharpener. This can be a big help if you have carpal tunnel or other kinds of neuropathy and hand weakness to contend with.
Electric knife sharpeners are also what many manufacturers use to sharpen and prepare your knife before they send it to you.
This means that you will already have the same edge on your knife from the factory, which will make it easy to sharpen your knife at home with this tool.
One of the other benefits of an electric knife sharpener is that you do not need any skills to use them. You will not have to assess if the blade is correctly shaped or not. The knife sharpener will take care of this for you and take the guesswork out of the process.
What Are the Benefits of a Manual Knife Sharpener?
Manual knife sharpeners are much safer than electric knife sharpeners. Manual knife sharpeners also give you more control than an electric sharpener.
You will be able to sharpen as well as smooth the edges of your knife with a manual sharpener while also correcting the blade’s shape if necessary.
One of the other major benefits of a manual knife sharpener is that it does not need to be plugged in. This means that you can use your manual sharpener anywhere and at any time.
Manual sharpeners offer superior control as well as being flexible to use.
Manual knife sharpeners also come in many different styles and you can get a different result from a whetstone as from a different style of handheld sharpener.
There is an art to sharpening knives and once you learn the skill set, you will enjoy sharpening your knives yourself.
What Are the Cons of Both of These Sharpeners?
There are cons to both kinds of sharpener. You will have to assess these cons as well as the pros of each type of sharpener before you buy your new knife sharpener for your home or kitchen.
Making an informed decision before you buy will make sure that you end up with the right knife sharpener for your needs.
Cons of Manual Sharpeners
- Requires skill to use
- Can sharpen the blade too much
- You might ruin your knife through a lack of skill
Cons of Electric Sharpeners
- Will not allow you to restore the blade
- More expensive than most manual sharpeners
- Bulky to store
- Requires power to use
How to Decide Which Kind of Knife Sharpener is for Me?
You will need to ask yourself some questions before you commit to buying one kind of knife sharpener over another.
You will need to consider your skill at knife sharpening as well as some other factors before you invest in your knife sharpener. All of these factors are important if you want to make sure that you do not get the wrong knife sharpener for your needs.
Skill
Can you sharpen your knife by hand? Do you know the techniques?
If you are skilled at sharpening knives, then a manual sharpener will probably be a much better fit for your needs.
If you are not sure that you can sharpen your knives by hand, then a manual knife sharpener is a much better choice than a manual sharpener.
Cost
How much do you have to invest in your knife sharpener?
A manual knife sharpener will always be much more affordable than an electric one. If you do not want to spend a lot of money on your knife sharpener, you should invest in a manual one.
You can still get a very expensive manual sharpener, but introductory manual sharpeners are not usually very expensive.
Storage
Do you have room to store a large knife sharpener?
If you do, then you can safely invest in an electrical knife sharpener. If you only have a small drawer to store your knife sharpener in, then you will probably need to get a manual sharpener.
Manual knife sharpeners are bigger than many people realize, and they can take up quite a bit of space.
A Manual Sharpener or an Electric Sharpener Might be the Right Choice for You
Depending on your skill level and your situation in your kitchen, either of these knife sharpeners might work for your needs. An electrics manual knife sharpener might be the right choice for your needs depending on these factors.
They will both take care of your knife sharpening needs in different ways quite adequately. You will not be disappointed in either of these kinds of sharpeners if you do your homework first.
Take your time to consider all of the features of manual and electric knife sharpeners before you buy, and you will end up with the right knife sharpener for your home and kitchen needs.
Brianna is a self-published author with a passion for sharing her knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics with people who are looking to find the perfect items for their needs. She loves making sure that the right kind of informative content is available to people looking for quality products of all kinds. She is an avid horseback rider and reader when she is not writing.
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