I am a professional knife sharpener, and I make my living repairing
knives that have been sharpened with the slot type or pull through
sharpeners that others are recommending. Avoid them. The CC 120 can be
okay if you take it easy with the first stage like they recommend. My
recommendations follow, but it sounds like you are a candidate for the
Sharpmaker. Best price I have found is on http://tradingpostsupply.com/



The best sharpening system for you depends on your working style.
Following are some recommendations, sorted by price with comments on
each model:
For under $20:
A good bench stone and time to develop sharpening skills. Not as
good as a guided system, but definitely the lowest price.

For about $50:
Spyderco SharpMaker - quick and easy, but bevels are not pretty.
Handy for the kitchen, and recommended for people who don't want a lot
of work, but don't want to spend the money for an electric machine.

Lansky/GATCO/DMT rod-guided system - not as fast to use as the
SharpMaker, but nice clean bevels. For the craftsman.

For around $100
Chef'sChoice 320 ($90) - electric machine, sharpens and strops to a
shaving edge. This or the following CC model is a perfect, no-skills
solution for those willing to spend the money.

Chef'sChoice 120 ($120) - adds a coarser "pre-sharpening" stage,
needed for really dull knives and/or thick blades.

EdgePro Apex ($125) - the perfectionist's rod-guided system. The
Pro model ($295) accepts attachments for scissor and chisel sharpening.

Paper Wheels ($30 for the wheels, plus $70 for a bench grinder).
Requires a little skill; angle control is manual, but it is the fastest
way I have found to sharpen a knife.

For around $350:
Chef'sChoice 2000 commercial sharpener. This machine
produces a double bevel edge, unlike the triple bevel produced by their
home machines. The sharpening unit is removable so it can be cleaned in
a dishwasher, and be replaced when it wears out. Life expectancy is
about 3000 knives. About $350 for the base unit, $379 for a setup with
signs, etc.

For around $600:
Tormek - power wet grinder with fixtures available for
everything including scissors and woodworking tools. Angles are well
controlled and bevels are clean. Can also be used freehand. $400 for
basic machine plus $200 for jigs for knives and scissors. Buy the stone
grader and stone truing tool. It is a travesty that they sell it
without them.

For around $2000
The F. Dick sharpening machines, SM-110 and SM-111, are the
ultimate tools for someone setting up a sharpening business.

Steve

--
Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged Tools
Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com



James Egan wrote:
> I'm looking for a non-electric knife sharpener,
> simple to use knife sharpener. Something that
> I can keep in the drawer. I'm not into culinary
> arts or anything, and just want to sharpen my
> knives on occasion. I certainly don't want to
> take them to a knife sharpener.
>
> -Thanks
>