Chef’sChoice Professional Manual Knife Sharpeners Pronto Hone for 15-Degree Straight-Edge and Serrated Knives with Precise Angle Control & Compact Footprint, 2 Stage, Black

As a huge fan of Shun Cutlery knives, I was looking for a way to maintain their razor-sharpness at home between trips to the Shun factory sharpening service. Many sharpening methods can be risky, so I wanted a user-friendly sharpener that wouldn't damage my blades. After using the Chef'sChoice 463 Pronto Hone for two years, here's my honest review:Sharpening Made Easy:This sharpener is incredibly easy to use, especially for beginners. There's no need for downward pressure; instead, you simply guide the knife through the slots with gentle pulls. This approach helps prevent accidental damage to the blade.Effective for Asian Knives:The Chef'sChoice 463 Pronto Hone is designed for 15-degree angled knives, which is perfect for many Asian-style blades. I've found it effective at restoring sharpness and removing minimal material when used correctly. It's important to follow the light, pulling motion to avoid removing too much metal, which can weaken the knife over time.Keep Your Favorite Pocket Steak Knives Sharp:The Chef'sChoice 463 Pronto Hone can help maintain the sharpness of your steak knives. Just remember that steak knives often have a slightly different sharpening angle (around 17-20 degrees) than this sharpener (15 degrees). With proper technique, you can still achieve a good level of sharpness for everyday use.User-Friendly Design:The handle is comfortable to grip, and the rubber feet keep the sharpener secure on your countertop while you work. These small details make the sharpening process even smoother.Made in the USA:For those who value American-made products, it's worth noting that the Chef'sChoice 463 Pronto Hone is manufactured in the USA.Things to Keep in Mind:Technique Matters: As mentioned earlier, using the correct pulling motion is crucial to avoid damaging your knives. Take your time and follow the instructions carefully.May Not Be for All Knives: This sharpener is best suited for 15-degree angled knives. If you have a different style of knife, you might need a different sharpening system. German blades, sharpened at 20-22 degrees, offer a super-durable edge that tackles chopping and prep with ease. The trade-off? Slightly less precision for fancy slicing.Overall:The Chef'sChoice 463 Pronto Hone is a great option for anyone who wants a user-friendly and effective way to sharpen their Asian-style knives. The easy pull-through motion, design features, and American-made quality make it a solid choice. Just remember to use proper technique to avoid damaging your knives.

I have a couple of Shun knives as well as a Wusthof santoku knife. I've been using a DMT sharpening stone with an alignment system to sharpen these knives. I'm usually pretty good with things that require patience and precision like knife sharpening, but while I could get my knives reasonably sharp, I couldn't really get a great edge. Frustrated, I bought the Chef's Choice.First of all, the packaging is frustration free. I didn't require a sharp or dull knife to open it. Bonus. The instructions were clear enough, though they do indicate that you are to hold this with your left hand and draw the knife through it with your right. As I'm a lefty, the first time I used it was rather awkward. However, since you're instructed to draw the blade through the sharpener in both directions, I threw caution to the wind and spun the sharpener around and did it the comfy way for me. Worked great! The sharpener is slightly asymmetrical, in that the entry on the 'correct' side is slightly rounded. That just doesn't seem to matter.I was able to put a great edge on all my knives. In fact, they seemed almost too sharp on the first use as the blade would 'bite' the cutting board a little too aggressively. I actually used a leather strop to smooth this out but it isn't necessary. So now each couple of uses, I just draw the blade through the fine side a couple of times and I'm good to go.So, nice, quick, sturdy, and more than adequate for most people. Just remember that unless you want to put an entirely new edge on a western knife (20-25 degree blade angle), keep this away from those. That being said, there's nothing wrong with taking those knives down to 15 degrees. However, those knives may not hold that edge well depending on a number of factors.

I like that it sharpens for my needs. I'm not a chef so I can't say overall the quality or standards required by most. However, for my needs such as cutting vegetables and meat it works perfectly. I don't have top of line quality knives either. Good buy for what I need.