I figured this was as good of place as any to ask this. Since all good cooks start with a good sharp knife.
Now I' ll be honest, I really suck at sharpening knives, all I seem to do is make them duller no matter what I try[X(]. I saw some electric sharpeners in bass pro and cabelas. I' ve forgotten the names of them right now, but I think they run about $75-$100 bucks.
Has anyone tried these out? Or have any other suggestions. I' m wanting one that an idiot can operate and get a razor sharp blade. Do they make a miracle sharpener out there? I would like to not go much over this price range also.
Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.
Micah

I' ve used a few electric sharpeners before, but I really don' t like them. They seem to grind an edge that doesn' t always match the blade. I have been using a " lansky sharpener" for the last 3 or so years. It has a metal clip that you secure to the blade and then put the stone onto a metal peice that fits into the clip so that you will always keep the same angle on the blade. The one that I bought is the cheaper model with 3 different stones (course, med. fine) but they sell them with 5 stones in them, but 3 certainly works good for me. I' m pretty sure that I got mine for about $20 or so.

Normally I will just sit down infront of the TV and sharpen my knives and it really doesn' t take that long to get a really good edge on them.

The Edgemaker pro is a hand held sharpner that does one hell of a job sharping knifes of all kinds. It comes with 3 sharpners, one for the real dull knives,one that sharpens the not so dull,this is the one I use the most on my hunting knives and fillet knives and mom,s kitchen knives. Then the 3rd one is for honing,to razor sharp,never have used this one. Its pretty much idiot proof,so you can' t go wrong. Zeak

Firestone- they make several models that use " discs" .

Just go buy a medium stone and a fine stone. Use the medium (with some oil) to get the edge started, and then fine-tune it on the fine stone (also with oil).

You can buy them for about $20, and they last forever.

The important thing is to have a quality steel to straighten the edge after you sharpen them on the stone.

Thanks for the input, I' m going to shop around and see what I come up with.

I use a belt sander mounted in a vise,,,followed by a few strokes on a sharpening " steel" ...It sounds dumber than heck...but it works.

The ChefChoice was reccomended to me by the teaching staff at the Culinary Institute in Napa California...its great, works, and doesnt care if you think you know how to sharpen!

go to cabela' s or bass pro shops, or other sporting goods sites, or catalogs, and get a lansky sharpening system, or similar product. they come with 3 stones and work great

I am a professional chef with over 24 years experience.
I would never consider an electrical sharpener of any kind. They produce way too much friction/heat which in turn takes the temper out of the edge of the knife. The blade get dull quicker and then you have to repeat the cycle.
Rather do what Pro-Line has suggested but replace the oil with a solution of dish soap and water. First soak the stones in this solution for 5-10 minutes. Place the stone on your work surface on top of a folded wet paper towel. (This help prevent the stone from slipping.)
I generally start with the stone perpendicular from me. Hold the knife by the handle and lay your other hand mid-way up the blade to kepp even pressure on the blade as you begin to strok the blade against the stone. Make 20-25 strokes on one side of the blade, keeping your desired angle constant. Turn the blade over and repeat the process.
Move to the next finer grit and repaet this process again.

As your stone dries out from the sharpening process, drizzle the stone with the soapy water solution to keep a " slurry" of grit moving off the stone and on to the paper towel. Using this solution will extend the life of your stone because you are not forcing the filings down into the pores of the stone.

Finish with a few strokes on a butcher/honing steel

p.s. I use Japanese water stones for finishing my blades available at:
www.jbprince.com