Smith's 2-Step Knife Sharpener

This 2-step knife sharpener is easy to use and delivers excellent results. The preset angle guides make it simple to get a consistent edge every time, even if you’re not experienced with sharpening. The coarse stage quickly restores dull blades, and the fine stage polishes them to a smooth, sharp finish. The yellow design is bright and easy to spot in the kitchen. It’s compact, sturdy, and works well for most standard knives. A reliable tool for keeping your knives razor-sharp with minimal effort.

I own several of these, so that already tells you what I really think about them. They are inexpensive, portable and easy to use. They handle curved blades easily, even a reverse curve blade which is challenging to sharpen with a stone. This is not meant to be a replacement for a sophisticated sharpening system, but it's quick, requires no setup or waiting for stones to absorb water and does the job well enough. I use it for kitchen knives, as a quick touch up of the edge, using the ceramic side, and also for outdoors knives. Again, I use the ceramic side mostly, as I don't wait for the edge to get too blunt before sharpening. The carbide side works well on very dulled edges, but all carbide sharpeners remove a good amount of steel from the knife edge, so I try to use sparingly. Cons: A few minor limitations that I am willing to live with include: - Because of the compact size (which is a plus, in my mind) the handle is small and you can only use 2 fingers to hold it in place. - Edge angle is fixed and cannot be changed or effectively controlled. - The ceramic rods are hard to reach for cleaning purposes, so they do accumulate steel residue from the knife edge. I am not sure how much of a problem this is in reducing the effectiveness of the sharpener over time. I will try some other methods of cleaning them and I'll update this review. Overall, it does what it's designed to do with no fuss and meets my everyday needs quite well especially in a portable situation. For me, it's also one tool among several that I use, depending on what I want to achieve. I have other, more sophisticated (and much larger, heavier and/or more delicate/breakable) sharpeners, if I want to spend more time and give that "special" blade more attention or if I just want to control edge angle.

This knife sharpener is pretty easy to use and it works. When I say it works, dont expect it to get your knifes razor sharp like a stone can but expect it to be sharp enough to cut what you need, in a fraction of the time. Nice thing is you can cut and you can sharpen it again right after your done since its so small and convenient. I used this on my kitchen knives and my pocket knives, both with no problem. If you just need to make a already edged but dull blade sharp then use the ceramic only. If you do need to create a edge or remove nicks and spurs in your blade then use the carbide side first about 20 to 40 strokes then flip and use ceramic side 10 to 20 stokes. The worse the condition of your blade the more stokes it'll take (get your mind out of the gutter lol).

After using the Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener on a set of dull kitchen knives, I’ve found it to be a valuable tool with its own set of strengths and limitations. Pros: Efficiency in Sharpening: The sharpener effectively revitalizes dull blades. The coarse slot brings dull edges back to life, while the fine slot hones and polishes, resulting in remarkably sharp knives. Ease of Use: Its straightforward design makes it user-friendly. Even those new to knife sharpening will find the process simple and hassle-free. Compact and Practical Design: The size is ideal for kitchen storage, fitting easily into a drawer. The non-slip base adds stability and safety during use. Great Value: For its price, the performance of this sharpener is impressive. It offers an excellent balance of quality and affordability, making it accessible for most budgets. Cons: Limited Versatility: While it works wonderfully for standard kitchen knives, it may not be suitable for more specialized or premium knives. Not Instantaneous: There’s a slight learning curve, and it takes a bit of time to achieve the desired sharpness, especially for very dull knives. Build Quality: While adequate for the price, the build doesn’t feel particularly premium. Long-term durability might be a concern for heavy users. Manual Operation: Some might find the manual sharpening process less convenient compared to electric sharpeners, especially for sharpening multiple knives. In conclusion, the Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener is a fantastic option for those seeking an easy, effective, and budget-friendly solution for maintaining their kitchen knives. It strikes a solid balance between functionality and cost, making it a worthwhile investment for casual cooks and culinary enthusiasts looking for a quick and simple way to keep their blades in top condition.

Works as should,,nice little sharpener great quality, price, fast shipping, the no -slip pads are nice makes a sharp knife sharper! ,just post office screwed up by 3 days again,, after useing it I can cut paper for sharpness test . awesome.

Works ok, but does not make the knife very sharp. But it is a good cheap alternative if you do not have anything else.

> The most convenient, compact, knife sharpener that I've found. > I use the ceramic side (with the little white cylinders) for sharpening kitchen knives (and my pocket knives). I hold the knives edge-up under running water in my sink with my left hand, and lightly move the sharpener with my right hand along the blade. About 10 very light strokes is usually enough to touch up an already fairly sharp knife. > I've nicked and scratched my kitchen countertop trying to sharpen long chef's knives using sharpeners that I have to place on a countertop and drag knives through. I appreciate that I don't have to set the Smith's sharpener on a countertop. > A few other reviewers claim that the ceramic rods broke when they were trying to sharpen knives --- if so, they were using WAY too much pressure. Use only a very light touch. > Generally speaking the carbide (metal) side should NEVER be used on chef's knives or other fine blades. The carbide takes off too much metal. In quality knives, only the very edge is treated to be hard enough to hold a very sharp edge --- grind that off (or scrape it off with a carbide sharpener), and all the sharpening in the world is a waste of time. Don't misunderstand, you can sharpen such a blade to razor sharpness --- but the blade will not hold the edge, it will quickly dull. A couple of other reviewers claim that the carbide chips fine blades -- in which case the blades are permanently ruined. > Use the carbide side for axes, machetes, and other utility blades made of comparatively softer steel. But even a utility blade can be damaged by using too much pressure with a carbide sharpener --- the edge of the blade becomes wavy and irregular. > You can touch up a utility blade, (that is, make it a little sharper) using the ceramic edge afterward --- but that extra step is usually a waste of time for utility blades, which will dull quickly in use anyway. > Maybe "medium quality" blades (such as an average quality hunting knife) might benefit from carbide followed by ceramic, but try the ceramic only, first. If, say 30, swipes with the ceramic side does not adequately sharpen the knife, then try 5 light swipes with the carbide sharpener, followed by 20 light swipes with the ceramic, and so on. > There is another option for truly fine blades -- a honer. If you see a chef "wiping" two chef's knives against each other, that's what he/she is doing -- honing. But it is better to use a honing rod (and follow the instructions which come with it, or watch a U-tube video). Honing straightens up microscopically bent or folded portions of the edge, and can dramatically "sharpen" a knife without removing any metal. If you use a honer, maybe once in 5 or 10 times that you hone the knife, you'll probably need to sharpen it with a ceramic sharpener -- albeit only a few strokes, 10 at most. > Caution, large rod-like ceramic sharpeners are sometimes described as (or sold as) "honers" -- maybe they hone and sharpen at the same time, but, if so, they are removing metal from your blade. The purpose of a honer (or a leather barber's strop) is to sharpen without removing metal. I recommend using a metal honer, followed (if necessary) by minimal sharpening with a ceramic sharpener. > How can you tell when a chef's knife is sharp? If (with a light sawing motion) the blade can cut a ripe tomato without depressing the skin, then it is sharp. I recommend that you forget about trying to sharpen blades sharp enough to shave the hair off your arms -- in the real world, there is no use for chef's knives, table knives, hunting knives, or pocket knives that sharp, and the weakened blade edges are more likely to chip, and will lose the 'edge' (become dull) much faster. I doubt that you could get a knife that sharp with a Smith CKK sharpener, anyway. That's not criticizing the Smith CKK sharpener -- it does what it needs to do quickly and easily. > Do NOT use on scissors, bypass garden shears, or grafting blades, or any other blades that are sharpened on only one side. Doing so will permanently ruin the blades.

I bought this to sharpen 2 blades on my Victorinox Swiss Army pocket knife, and 3 German kitchen knives. The kitchen knives over the years had gotten to where they were sharp enough once you got them slicing, but couldn't do things like just pull it through the plastic covering on frozen pizzas without it often snagging and tearing instead of cutting. When pulling them through the carbide sharpeners, it was obvious that some small dings and snags in the knife had developed, not really visible but easy to feel. Once they were gone, I then finished the job on the ceramic sharpeners. Very sharp, like new,though I then intentionally slightly dulled them on the ceramic to make a light tap on skin not draw blood. On the pocket knife, they were more dinged up, but sharpened well after a bit more work, still easy. I slightly dulled the smaller blade that I use for cutting wire, etc. I didn't dull the bigger blade that I use on food and rope. I should have. I accidentally bumped it very lightly with a knuckle a few days later, and immediately felt it cut me. Great sharpener for the price, just be careful about how sharp you decide to make a blade.