Wirecutter - An easy way to get razor-sharp knives

Michael Murtaugh

Tim Heffernan

In our many years of testing, the ChefsChoice Trizor XV has proved to be the absolute best tool we’ve ever found for keeping kitchen knives in their ideal state: razor-sharp.

I did not expect to ever like an electric knife sharpener, let alone recommend one to our readers. I’ve always sharpened knives by hand, starting when I was a kid with my dad’s set of natural Arkansas stones, moving on to commercial oilstones in college, and then to a set of Japanese waterstones after graduating. I still sharpen my main knife, a santoku, with those waterstones—and an old razor hone I picked up years ago on eBay, for the final polish. No machine can create quite as perfect an edge as hand-sharpening on stones will.

But it takes a fair bit of practice—and usually some real failures—to become proficient at manual knife-sharpening. It’s a time-consuming process, even once you’ve got the hang of it. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the electric Trizor XV does a really impressive job of sharpening kitchen knives—and very quickly. We’ve tested it against 10 other competitors, and none of them really came close.

Using sandpaper, we thoroughly dulled and chipped the blades of two brand-new chef’s knives, resharpened them, and compared their ability to cleanly slice tomatoes with the factory edge and the Trizor-resharpened one. Even on the Mac Mighty MTH-80, a high-quality Japanese chef’s knife known for its incredible keenness out of the box, the Trizor held its own. We noticed no diminution of the Mac’s cutting ability after dulling and resharpening with the Trizor XV.

Even better, taking these horribly dulled knives back to tomato-slaying sharpness took less than four minutes and zero skill on our part. Built-in guides set the blade at the correct angle, and rotating stones rapidly cut the new edge, refined it, and honed it. Even first-time users find the Trizor intuitive and easy to use.

So, although I still use waterstones a few times a year on my santoku, all of my other knives go through the Trizor XV. The cheap “Little Vicky” Victorinox paring knives that we love aren’t worth the hassle of manual sharpening. And the same goes for my inexpensive boning knife and my heavy-duty German chef’s knife, which I use for chopping bones and hard vegetables. The Trizor keeps them more than sharp enough for anything I ask them to do.

After testing 11 knife sharpeners over several years, the ChefsChoice Trizor XV remains our clear favorite.

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• It has been a Wirecutter pick for going on five years.

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• It’s exceptionally good at quickly producing sharp blades on many types of knives (serrated being the only real exception), and it does so without a learning curve.

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• It’s sturdily constructed; our test units have endured years of use without a hiccup.

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Read more in our guide to the best knife sharpeners.

The Trizor XV has rarely gone on sale since 2020. Previously, early spring was a good time to pick one up, along with Prime Day and Black Friday.

The Trizor XV needs little maintenance. A small tray on the back of the machine should be emptied once in a while—it’s where the metal shavings collect. Frustratingly, replacement sharpening wheels are not available. But it’s unlikely you’ll wear out the original ones, unless you’re running a commercial kitchen.

ChefsChoice says its sharpeners are expected to last six to eight years in a typical home. Yet well into year five with our original test model, it’s showing no indications of diminished performance—even after heavy use. Additionally, using a manual honing rod—like the ceramic Idahone that we recommend—will keep your knives keen between sharpenings, saving wear and tear on the Trizor.