Chef's Choice 120 3-Stage Diamond Knife Sharpener

Chef's Choice is known for their many different knife sharpeners, both electric and manual several of which have been recommended by Cook's Illustrated. We decided to look at one of their better sharpeners, the Chef's Choice 120 3-Stage Diamond Knife Sharpener, and see how it performs.

How the Chef's Choice 120 Sharpener Works

There are 3 different stages on the Chef's Choice 120 so you can sharpen your knife at the resolution you want. You simply draw your knife several times through the stage you want, then moving to the next stage and repeating. The first stage is really only used on extremely dull knives and is very coarse. The second and third stages are used much more often. The second stage has finer grit diamonds to help create a nice bevel and the third stage polishes the blade, creating a micro-bevel to make a super-sharp edge.

What the Chef's Choice 120 Sharpens

The Chef's Choice can be used very effectively on hunting knives, standard kitchen knives, professional knives, butcher style knives, and it even works decently well on many serrated blades.

Chef's Choice 120 Sharpener Operating Tips

Remember that with any knife sharpener the more you use it the better you will get at it. Keep practicing with the Chef's Choice 120 and your knives should continue to get sharper. A good idea is to initially practice sharpening a knife you normally don't use, that will allow you to get your technique down before moving onto a higher quality knife.

You should also read the directions for the Chef's Choice 120 and follow them closely. There are several small techniques that the directions will point out that will make your knives much sharper, and make them sharpen in a shorter amount of time.

When you are pulling the knife through the stage make sure to keep the knife properly aligned with the wheel on the Chef's Choice. Also be sure to pull it through in a curve if your knife has a curve in it. You shouldn't have to press down hard and you should pull through at a consistent speed.

Cautions for the Chef's Choice 120 Knife Sharpener

One note on the Chef's Choice 120, the angle of the sharpeners is set for the traditional American and German blades, so it will not work with Santoku knives or other knives with different angles.

Some people have also reported that the Chef's Choice 120 can leave scratches along the knife blade. We didn't run into this but it is something to be aware of if you are very particular about the look of your knife blades.

Chef's Choice 120 Specifications

• A diamond abrasive that will never detemper the blades
• Each stage uses precision angle guides to create a unique Trizor-Plus edge provides greater sharpness and durability
• Three-year household warranty
• Stage 1 Sharpening Angle: 20 degrees.
• Stage 2 Sharpening Angle: 22.5 degrees
• Stage 3 Sharpening Angle: 25 degrees
• Magnetic pad collects residue so the machine is easy to clean and maintain.
• Measures 9-3/4 inches by 4 inches by 4-1/4 inches

Chef's Choice 120 Knife Sharpeners are available from many outlets include Amazon.com and Sur La Table.

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