The Best Chef’s Knives for $75 or Less
Equipment Review
Is it worth spending almost as much for replacement blades as you would for a brand new sharpener?
Published Mar. 1, 2010.
The hand-held AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener ($10) has been a go-to tool in the test kitchen since 2006, when it performed nearly as well as our favorite electric sharpener, at a fraction of the price. Now, AccuSharp sells a pair of replacements ($7.95) for its tungsten carbide blades, which naturally wear down over time. (While these cost almost as much as the tool itself, conservation-minded users will appreciate being able to reuse, rather than toss, a perfectly serviceable plastic instrument.) We dulled chef’s knives, then resharpened them with fresh blades in our old AccuSharp sharpener, and got very good results, slicing through paper (a standard test for gauging sharpness), tomatoes, and onions with ease. With a few twists of a screwdriver, our favorite sharpener was as good as new.
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