How to Get Next-Level Edges with Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener

Your cutting tools won’t stay sharp forever. That’s the truth.

Despite advertisements saying that your tools will remain sharp for a lifetime, they won’t, especially if you don’t take proper care of them. Many factors in your household and outdoors can dull that edge.

We know it’s another thing to add to your list of responsibilities, but we will introduce a better way to sharpen your tools in which you won't have to break a sweat as you take their edge to the next level.

But first, let’s find out why edges dull over time.

Why Edges Dull

The most common reason why tools’ edges dull is indifference. Take, for example, an ordinary, stainless steel kitchen knife. You subject this knife to a multitude of activities that punishes its edge. Not using the correct chopping block, soaking the knife in water, and placing it on a dishwasher are only some of the things people do that make the edge of their knife dull. The worst part is that they do little to no upkeep to retain the edge, and later on, it ends up in the trash bin.

Your cutting tools don’t have to suffer this way. Knowing why you should sharpen your tools and regularly checking their edges will prolong their usefulness.

Why Sharpen Your Tools

The edges of your tools are the most vulnerable part of your cutting equipment, be it knives, axes, swords, or shears. The reason is that the edge is the thinnest section of your tool. The thinner the metal, the more susceptible it is to a chemical reaction, corrosion, and dulling. Thus, sharpening your tools is one of the most important upkeep you can do to extend their life and prevent injuries caused by a blunt edge.

Regularly checking your cutting equipment’s edge will allow you to find out many things. You can know if your tool is rusting on the edge, if it has oxidized, or if the edge has sustained damage.

Sharpening your cutting tool’s edge will bring it back to its optimum state—free of rust, safe from chemical reactions, and, most importantly, razor-sharp.

Checking for Edge’s Sharpness

There are many ways to check the sharpness of your tool’s edge. Here are a few practical ones you can easily do to know if your tool is ready to hit the sharpener.

Inspection

Initial visual inspection, particularly for tools such as knives, is the easiest way to go.

Hold out the blade with its edge facing upwards and with a light source coming from above or behind. Then, move the blade around. You should focus your eyes on the edge of the blade and check if its edge reflects the light. If it does, you have to sharpen the blade.

You can improve this visual inspection further with the use of a magnifying glass. Look closely if the edge is a little too thick and jagged. If it is, it’s time to grind it. Note, however, that no blade edge looks like a flawless straight line when put under the lens.

Tomato Test

This test is ideal for kitchen knives. Just get a tender piece of tomato and place it on a cutting board. Take out your knife, but be sure the knife you’re using is for slicing food items.

Gently place the edge of the knife on the surface of the tomato. Do not apply force. Allow the knife’s weight and gravity to drive the knife downward and slice through the tomato naturally. If it doesn’t slice through the tomato, you can sharpen your knife.

Paper Test

This sharpness test is ideal for non-kitchen cutting tools such as swords, hunting knives, and hatchets.

Take out a piece of bond paper and hold it out in front of you. Bring out the cutting tool you want to test for sharpness and slice the paper downward. Ideally, you want it to cut the paper into two pieces in a clean, straight line. If the cutting tool gets stuck on the paper midway or if the paper looks torn instead of cut, you know what you need to do.

Recommended Equipment: The Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener

The thing about sharpening your cutting tools is that it’s a dragging process. If you’re like most people, you probably only know the basics of how to use the sharpening steel you keep inside your kitchen drawers. It is great for a quick edge polish, but if you’re looking for some serious edge performance, you’ll need a better sharpening tool.

We recommend you get the Work Sharp knife and cutting tool sharpener. It is a small electric-powered equipment that can sharpen any cutting equipment in just a few minutes.

The Work Sharp machine has dual functions, which we will discuss below.

The Work Sharp Tool Sharpener Function

You can easily set up the machine’s tool sharpener function. Just install the green abrasive belt on the sharpening machine’s cassette and adjust it horizontally (the grinding position).

This setting will enable you to sharpen tools such as wire cutters, axes, and swords.

The Work Sharp Knife Sharpener Function

You can set up the knife sharpener function by installing different guides and belts according to your knife type. For kitchen knives, you should insert the red abrasive belt into the cassette and install the indoor knife guide. If you’re going to sharpen outdoor cutting tools such as hunting knives, scissors, and serrated knives, you must insert the gray abrasive belt and install the outdoor guide.

You can also get the Work Sharp knife sharpener for a quick polish of your kitchen knives before you use them.

Overview: Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener

Here’s what’s included in the Work Sharp package:

• The Work Sharp Unit
• Kitchen Knives Sharpening Guide (40-Degree Angle Casing)
• Outdoor Knives Sharpening Guide (50-Degree Angle Casing)
• Scissors Sharpening Guide (65-Degree Angle Casing)
• Course Abrasive Belts (2 Pieces, P80)
• Medium Abrasive Belts (2 Pieces, P220)
• Extra-Fine Abrasive Belts (2 Pieces, 6000)
• Work Sharp User’s Manual

Here are the machine’s notable features:

• Flexible abrasive belts to sharpen any form of edge
• Can sharpen any other common tools like scissors, hatchets, and mower blades
• Angle guides you can install to ensure you get the best sharpness in each tool
• Different abrasive belts for different tools (coarse, medium, and fine)

Next-Level Knife and Tool Upkeep

Your cutting equipment requires a cutting-edge sharpening machine to stay sharp. The Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener is a machine that does that. It will take your knife and tool care and maintenance to the next level and will make your tools last for generations to come.