Limited Edition Tormek T-1 Florentine Vibrant Kitchen Knife Sharpener

£370.00

Tormek has taken everything we loved about the Carbon Black T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener and delivered a new vibrant colour way in collaboration with Florentine Kitchen Knives. The resulting limited edition knife sharpener features a beautiful contrast handle that mirrors the funky designs you can see across Florentine Kitchen Knives’ range. With each handle, assembled from a shared colour palette, it means that no two handle designs are the same. This means that each knife sharpener is its own unique unit, making it great as a gift idea or for adding a little personal flair to your kitchen. 

Having a sharp knife is an essential tool in the kitchen, but for many of us knowing how to sharpen a knife or what to use is a confusing and potentially dangerous job altogether. This is where the Tormek has our backs with the T-1 Florentine Vibrant Kitchen Knife Sharpener. The unit is the first premium kitchen knife sharpener for the home, and with its function much like the original, you are always sure to get a perfectly sharp knife with ease.

Straight out of the box I was surprised with just how large and sturdy the knife sharpener machine was, with a firm colourful striped handle attached to the silver metal unit. The sturdy feeling makes it feel more solid and supported so you have even better control of your knife through the sharpening process. This is a nice change compared to simpler sharpeners or honing steels which can feel more complicated or flimsy, whilst only targeting the very edge of the knife.

So how do you sharpen your knife with the Tormek T-1 Florentine Vibrant Kitchen Knife Sharpener? The first step of the process is to set the unit's patented angle guide to the necessary angle. For many blades, a 17° angle is recommended on each side, but I found with a quick Google of my various knives I could find the recommended angle and set the machine to this. Once you’ve chosen your angle and adjusted the knife clip, you then switch on the machine and gently place the knife into the clip positioning the whole blade in with the clip by the base of the blade near the handle.

With slow and gentle pressure, you just press the knife down a little and gently guide the knife backwards and forwards against the diamond grinding wheel. With each pass-through, the fine-graded diamond sharpening wheel grinds against the blade producing burr. Burr is the rough edge that the sharpener produces along the knife as it takes very small part shavings off the blade. I loved that these shavings are captured by the inbuilt magnet, to help prevent excessive from the process. Once you’ve reached your desired sharpening, you turn the machine and repeat the same on the other side of the knife.

You then are ready to hone the blade for that perfect super-sharp knife edge. In a similar way to the sharpening wheel, you just have to go slow and steady, allowing the honing wheel with integrated polish agents to help define the sharp edge of the blade. This process is meant to polish off the burr and reveal a super sharp edge ready for cutting even the most difficult ingredients.

I found with a little practice the whole process is pretty easy to do, but if you’ve never used a sharpener of this type, it can take a little getting used. I did find it took a minute to find the perfect angle and the number of passes and pressure needed to sharper my knives efficiently. Plus, some of my more worn-out knives took a few more passes through as they were quite far off from their recommended angle. However, with a little patience, I was able to return even some of my oldest knives into useful sharp tools ready for dinner prep - that I’d no longer fear cutting myself due to the blunt edge slipping!

Overall, the Tormek T-1 Florentine Vibrant Knife sharpener provides a useful, sturdy and easy way to sharpen your knives in your own home. Much like the original Tormek T-1, every aspect of the unit has been carefully crafted with durability in mind. However, the new vibrant colourful handle adds just a little bit of extra flair to your kitchen that can turn an otherwise ignored appliance into a fun art piece you want to show off in your kitchen.

As we approach Father’s Day, the Tormek T-1 Florentine Vibrant Knife Sharpener would make the perfect gift – especially for dads who love to cook up a storm in the kitchen. Ultimately, whether as a gift for your parent or even for yourself, the Tormek T-1 Florentine Vibrant Kitchen Knife sharpener provides premium quality knife sharpening to help maintain your knives in the long run, all from the comfort of your own home.   

Pros:

• Three-layer sharpening tool which helps to get a perfectly sharp knife every time
• Sturdy and heavyweight design for greater stability and ease of use
• Focuses on the whole bevel of a knife instead of just the edge for better sharpening
• Beautiful colourful handle that is unique to each unit and adds a little flair to your kitchen

Cons:

• High price point for a knife sharpener, but if you’re passionate about cooking and want to increase the longevity of your knives it’s a long-term investment that will hopefully be cost-effective over time with maintaining your knives instead of needing replacements