Minosharp Shinkansen Knife Sharpener, Manual, Black, Two Stage Sharpening and Honing, Uses Water to Improve Sharpening and Prevent Scratching, Ergonomic Design for Safe Operation, C822

Really happy with this! I usually sharpen my Global knives on a whetstone, but this takes a lot of time and attention which due to the arrival of sprog 2 I wasn't able to keep on top of knife maintenance. This gets me to a sharp edge that is 90% as good as with whetstones but I can do 5 or 6 knives in the time it takes me to get a sharp edge with whetstones. The knife does need a quick strop after (you can just do this on a wood ebay chopping board) but the convenience and quality makes up for this.

I've been using one of these for what must be getting on for ten years now, and I really rate it. It keeps my Global knives amazingly sharp. It's a neat little device, and I like it so much that I'm actually here to buy another one as a gift. Given that I think it's so good I was quite surprised to see a bunch of one-star reviews, so thought I'd add my thoughts to help out potential purchasers.1. Robustness: Falling apart. It's plastic, other than the ceramic wheels, so if you treat it roughly then it's easy to imagine that it's probably not going to respond well. I keep mine in its box rather than tossing it in a drawer, which brings me to:2. Robustness 2: Breaking Wheels. The box tells you in capital letters that NO HEAVY PRESSURE IS REQUIRED, and then in case you're still not convinced tells you again in red lettering that you should use light pressure and shouldn't press hard because you might damage the wheels. And in fact, to get a good result you really don't need to press hard at all - in fact I generally let the knives run pretty much under their own weight and it's enough. But maybe that's because I use:3. Global knives: It's really intended for knives like Global, and consequently the sharpening angle is set at a much steeper angle than a lot of knives would like. If you're going to use one of these other knives, you're going to be standing for a long time while you grind them down to the new angle. I can't help but wonder if some of the people who break the wheels have been frustrated because their knives aren't getting any sharper, and think that pressing harder is the way to make it work faster.One possible reason why my experience is different to some of the others here is that mine is 10 years old, and the build quality has changed. If I get a report that the new one has fallen apart, I'll update this review. But in the meantime, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these. In fact, I just did!

Compact and easy to use, this will keep your knives good and sharp. rubber on the handle and on the under side at the 'heel' and toe help it to stay put when in use. It is not very big and easily fits in my kitchen pretty standard kitchen draws.I have used this to sharpen different knives, including a Global, having previously used a whetstone, this is much easier! Although there is something enjoyable about sharpening a knife on a whetstone.However, I also bought a brand new Global knife and compared the sharpness of my Minosharp sharpened Global to the brand new one. The brand new on was a lot sharper (my test being can I shave the back of my hand with the knife). I expect this is because the ceramic stones inside are the course and medium stones, as opposed to the 3 stone version which also has the fine stones. If the stones break int he future I will probably try to replace them with the medium and fine stones - not sure if that will work but worth a go i reckon.

I have a prized Japanese folded knife that hadn't been sharpened since I owned it. I was a bit sceptical about using anything other than a wet stone, but also had no idea how to use a stone.The Minosharp was very easy to use, didn't feel like it was 'grinding' the blade and left my knife able to slice through paper, and more useful stuff like meat and veg, with ease.I can't comment on longevity, but as I'll not need to use it much it is definitely up to the job.

We were lucky enough to have received some Global knives when we got married in 2013. After almost a year of daily use, the blades were still sharp, but not as sharp as they once were. After some research looking at recommendations of whet stones, I decided to purchase this.Problem with whetstones is that you need to hold the knife at a 10-15 degree angle - which Im sure is really difficult to maintain. If you dont sharpen at that angle, you are more than likely going to damage the blade, which when you consider that you wont be sharpening the knives that often & when you consider how much Global knives cost, not something you want to do.The Global knives website recommends the Minosharp for home use.Simply pop open the plastic casing, fill the container with water & pop the lid back onRun your knife forwards and backwards a few times - you DONT need to use excessive force to get your knives back to an excellent condition. The shape of the ceramic stones & the slots in the plastic cover ensure that you maintain that 10-15 degree angle that is so important not to damage your knives.The rubber grip on the handle makes it easier to hold.Sure - the Minosharp might not look as pretty as the Global branded ceramic whetstone (do a google search - it looks like a gold bar & has an RRP of almost £165!!!) but its going to be left in a kitchen drawer until you need it.A really good purchase for the price - can thoroughly recommend to keep your expensive knives in tip top condition.

Global knife sharpening. Simple Easy to use.

After passing the knives through the 2 stage sharpener as per instructions, I have to finish the sharpening off by the Global sharpening steel to notice any difference. To be fair, I'm sure it's the steel that's doing the job so it's a bit of a waste of time and money. No impressed with it.

I like these knife sharpeners. They are easy to use, safe and effective. Unfortunately the ceramic discs don't last for very long.