It is essential to have adequately sharpened knives in any kitchen. Sharpening is an easy, accessible, and not-time consuming process that can significantly boost the cook’s productivity. People can spend less time and effort cutting food by using an adequately maintained blade. For this essay, I have watched the video “Which Knife Sharpener is Best? Let’s find out!” by Todd Osgood to understand which brand of sharpeners I should use to maintain blade sharpness efficiently.
In this video, Osgood analyzes several sharpeners, both mechanical and electric, in order to demonstrate the quality of these products. He used a standardized procedure to dull previously unused blades with a baseline sharpness of 265 grams of pressure required to sever a testing piece of material. Osgood used six different sharpeners, including four mechanical and two electric ones, with their prices ranging from $11 to $67.4. From the cheapest to the most expensive, the brands of sharpeners that were shown in this video are Accusharp, Sunrisepro, Kitchellence, Bavarian Edge, Presto, and Work Sharp, where two last ones being electric. After extensive testing, the results have shown that the least expensive – Accusharp – took the least amount of time to fully sharpen a dulled blade, bringing it back to 190 grams of pressure (Osgood, 2020). Sunrisepro, Presto, and Kitchellence have shown average results while having more specialized options for sharpening that should be taken into consideration. Work Sharp and Bavarian Edge were able to keep the blade sharp for longer after the second dulling.
In conclusion, the cheapest mechanical sharpeners have shown to be more efficient in most categories but one. Accusharp, which costs only $11, can achieve better results quicker, despite being the cheapest sharpener. Bavarian Edge is able to maintain blade sharpness easily, but it struggles to restore a wholly dulled blade. Work Sharp provides the most durable sharp edge, although it costs $67.4.
Reference
Osgood, T. (2020). Which Knife Sharpener is Best? Let’s find out! [Video]. YouTube.