Which Knife Sharpener Brand Wins?
We compared 8 knife sharpener options head to head. Wicked Edge Gen 3 Pro came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Wicked Edge Gen 3 Pro
Price shown in test: $900
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Lansky
Price shown in test: $67.44
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Rada
Price shown in test: $8.65, the least expensive sharpener tested
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Sharpness after sharpening (grams of force, lower is sharper) | Edge retention after 30 passes on an ironwood cutting board | Bonus test on a cheap steak knife | Bonus test on a butter knife |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wicked Edge Gen 3 Pro$900 | 100, the sharpest of all eight sharpeners tested | 140, remained the sharpest of all eight after the durability test | brought a knife that measured 1,390 (very dull) down to 85, described as extremely sharp | not tested |
| 2Lansky Deluxe Diamond controlled angle sharpening system$67.44 | 110, second sharpest, very close behind the Wicked Edge | 185, third best in this test, behind the Wicked Edge and the whetstone | not tested | not tested |
| 3Whetstone 400/1,000 grit combination stone$16.28 | 120, third sharpest despite the host describing himself as inexperienced with whetstone sharpening | 150, second best of all eight, just behind the Wicked Edge | not tested | not tested |
| 4Edge Pro Apex 4$255 | 170, tied with the Spyderco | 220, did very well | not tested | not tested |
| 5Chef's Choice Trizor Edge Model 15$112.45 | 190, good but not the best | 225, did a great job | not tested | took about 30 minutes to put an edge on a butter knife, resulting in a sharpness reading of 160, described as incredibly sharp for a butter knife |
| 6Fiskars Essential Roll-Sharp$12.44 | 230, tied with the Rada | 280, slightly better than the Rada at retaining its edge | not tested | not tested |
| 7Rada$8.65, the least expensive sharpener tested | 230, tied with the Fiskars | 290 | not tested | not tested |
| 8Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker$73.50 | 170, tied with the Edge Pro Apex 4 | over 500, by far the worst edge retention of all eight sharpeners tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- baseline and post sharpening sharpness measured in grams of force with a certified sharpness tester
- standardized dulling of each knife by sliding it across an aluminum pipe five times under 2.5 lb of pressure
- edge retention test making 30 back and forth passes across an ironwood cutting board after sharpening
- bonus test sharpening a cheap steak knife with the Wicked Edge
- bonus test sharpening a butter knife with the Chef's Choice
“the $900 wicked edge came out on top, but not by much as a very affordable $67 lansky came in second and the wet stone third”