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wrote:

> A stone and a sharpening steel are the best, but Ikea makes a decent
> knife sharpener that costs about $5. Home Depot also has one that costs
> about $7.
>
> They both have preset grooves that you just draw your knife through.
> They wear out out after a couple of years, but you you can't find
> anything better for the price.
>
> UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use an ELECTRIC KNIFE.SHARPENER!
> They grind away the edge and can ruin a fine knife after just a few
> uses.

Let's rephrase that, "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use an ELECTRIC
KNIFE.SHARPENER!" to include the advice not to use one with rotating
grinding wheels. Chef's Choice makes sharpeners that work on a different
principle. Google. They're wonderful. I give them as gifts to my
knifishly-challenged friends.

And a diamond steel (looks like a steel but is a true sharpener that
removes metal) is a good deterrent to needing to use a stone. Use it
like a steel maybe every tenth time you use the knife. Between times,
use a steel or a ceramic steel (not a steel at all, it's also a
sharpener, but removes much less metal) to buff the edge.

Pastorio