Knives are one of the most commonly used pieces of kitchen kit, but you won’t get very far with one if it’s blunt. The best knife sharpeners can make a top chopper out of even the cheapest of blades, and a dull, unsharpened knife is actually less safe to use than a sharp one – some professional chefs will even sharpen their knives daily.
While lots of chefs swear by rod-shaped steel sharpeners or whetstones, abrasive hand-held block sharpeners are a good option for household kitchens as they’re so easy to use – the wheel action is intuitive and safe. For that reason, we reviewed these types of sharpeners only.
Read on to discover our recommendations of the best knife sharpeners to buy, then head to our guides to the best knife sets to best chopping boards to expand your kit further and learn how to take care of it properly.
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Best knife sharpeners at a glance
- Best knife sharpener: Horl 3 knife sharpener, £169
- Best budget knife sharpener: AnySharp knife sharper, £10.99
- Best knife sharpener for Japanese knives: Zwilling V Edge knife sharpener, £69.95
- Best knife block with sharpener: Ninja Foodi StaySharp knife block with integrated sharpener, £149.99
- Best pull-through knife sharpener: ProCook twin wheel knife sharpener, £29
- Best ergonomic knife sharpener: Robert Welch Signature handheld knife sharpener, £27.99
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How we tested knife sharpeners
- Ease of use and comfort: We looked for sharpeners that can be used by people of all skill levels.
- Sturdiness and steadiness: A sharpener that feels robust and is steady both in the hand and on the work surface.
- Safety: A top priority – waving sharp pieces of metal around is no trifling kitchen matter! We looked for sharpeners
- with safety functions and guards to protect against nasty accidents.
- Sharpness: The ultimate test. We looked for sharpeners that quickly and efficiently grind a knife to optimum sharpness – a freshly honed knife should be able to cut through a piece of paper.
- Groundness of blade: We marked down sharpeners that left blades with rough edges.
Best knife sharpeners to buy in 2026
Horl 3 knife sharpener
Available from Horl (£169), Borough Kitchen (£169)
Best knife sharpener
Pros:
- Excellent sharpening
- Easy to use
- Small footprint
Cons:
- Anti-slip feet could be better
Star rating: 5/5
Made by German brand Horl, this sharpener is by far the most unique and innovative on this list. It’s made up of two parts: a double-sided cylindrical rolling block, which has a diamond grinding disc on one side and a ceramic honing disc on the other, and a magnetic sharpening block angled at 20 and 15 degrees on each end.
Its compact size makes it ultra-convenient for a small kitchen, not to mention it looks the part, too. To use it, simply attach the blade to the magnet and run the rolling block along the full length of the knife – first with the diamond disc, then with the ceramic disc. You’ll also need to flip the knife round so each side is sharpened.
While the magnet on the sharpening block was powerful, we noted that the anti-slip feet didn’t have quite as much resistance as we’d like, and we had to secure it with a little more effort than expected while rolling the cylindrical block back and forth. Still, the motion felt smooth and seamless, and after each use all our knives were impressively sharp.
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AnySharp knife sharpener
Available from Amazon (£10.99)
Best budget knife sharpener
Pros:
- Suitable for straight and serrated blades
- Budget price
- Effective suction base – can sharpen with just one hand
Cons:
Star rating: 5/5
This diminutive gadget is a seriously smart invention. The smallest sharpener we tried, it takes up barely any kitchen space, and the lever secures the suction base to the surface incredibly firmly – so much so, you could sharpen using just one hand. It feels safe, it’s intuitive to use, and after three pulls, our blunt knife was very sharp.
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Zwilling V Edge knife sharpener
Available from Zwilling (£69.95)
Best knife sharpener for Japanese knives
Pros:
- Dedicated slots for Japanese and European knives
- Easy to use
- Little effort required
Cons:
Star rating: 4.5/5
This knife sharpener from Zwilling seems to have it all: from sharpening rods of different grades, to angle inserts for European and Japanese knives.
As such, it’s a large piece of kit that demands a lot of space on the countertop, sitting upright rather than lying on the surface. However, we saw such impressive results that we think it’s worth making room for.
It works much like a standard handheld knife sharpener, but mitigates the need for lots of pressure to get a good result – a light press is that’s needed as you pull the blade towards you. A few controlled swipes later and you’ll find, as we did, that your knives are razor-sharp and safe to use.
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Ninja Foodi StaySharp knife block with integrated sharpener
Available from Amazon (£149.99)
Best knife block with sharpener
Pros:
- Ergonomic design
- Effective sharpener
- 10-year guarantee
- Recyclable packaging
Cons:
- Large countertop footprint
Star rating: 4.5/5
If you want a knife set with a sharpener built in, the Foodi StaySharp block from Ninja is a fail-safe choice. It includes five knives in total – an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch bread knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 5-inch utility knife, and a 3.5-inch paring knife – each of which has a heft that denotes quality without feeling too heavy.
Positioned to the right is the sharpener, which is controlled via a lever that you slide up and down when there’s a knife inside the slot.
Using it felt seamless and controlled, and we found three strokes were more than sufficient for producing super-sharp blades that cut cleanly. The block as a whole is bulky, but we found it undeniably useful and easy to use.
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ProCook twin wheel knife sharpener
Available from ProCook (£29)
Best pull-through knife sharpener
Pros:
- Solid sharpening stone
- Safe-to-use handle
- Compact design
Cons:
- Not as steady on the worktop as other sharpeners
Star rating: 4/5
This offering from ProCook comes with some clever features, like a handle that ensures your hand stays a safe distance away from the blade area. There are also two grinding wheels, under which there’s a chamber that water can be added to – this helps to lubricate the wheels, which we found worked a treat.
The plastic feet on the underside didn’t anchor it as well as we’d hoped, and our knives – though sufficiently sharp – weren’t as finely honed as others in our test. For a quick touch-up before you slice a joint of meat or start a big chopping session, though, this is a sharpener well worth keeping around.
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Robert Welch Signature hand-held knife sharpener
Available from Lakeland (£27.99)
Best ergonomic knife sharpener
Pros:
- Super-comfortable handle
- Sturdy feel
- Built with a thumb guard
Cons:
- Less versatile than other knife sharpeners
This sturdy sharpener has only one setting, but still sharpens well. The handle is comfy and easy to hold, and the thumb guard makes it feel extra safe.
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How to choose a knife sharpener
Lots of knife enthusiasts swear by a traditional steel for sharpening, but in actual fact, this metal rod ‘hones’ a knife, which essentially means it realigns the blade – this, strictly speaking, doesn’t sharpen it.
Our knife skills video shows you how to use a steel. Whetstones usually come as a flat block of stone, and while they’re very efficient, require a certain amount of skill to use them properly.
Hand-held sharpeners are usually small, compact and the best choice for home cooks or beginners – they often come with a safety guard and the wheel action is very intuitive to use. For that reason, we tested hand-held sharpeners only.
How to use a knife sharpener
To use a handheld knife sharpener, place the heel of the knife in the groove. Apply light pressure, then pull the knife towards you from heel to tip in a firm steady stroke.
Repeat four or five times until the knife is sharp again. Some sharpeners have two grooves with the first being for sharpening the blade and the second, to hone it.
Once the knife is sharp don’t be tempted to carry on as it could make the knife blunt again. Serrated knives can be sharpened in the same way, but while the blade sharpens, its teeth will be gradually worn down.
More buyers’ advice
Best knife sets
Best chopping boards
Best mini choppers
Best food processors
Best saucepans
Best pan sets
Best non-stick frying pans
Best woks
Best cast-iron cookware
Best whisks
Lead image: miniseries / Getty Images
If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
