Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener – Carbon Black

£335.00

If you’ve ever used a blunt knife before, you know the pain of trying to make dinner whilst your knife struggles to cut through even the softest of foods. For me, the worst is when trying to cut an onion, and a blunt knife then comes as a big hazard as it slips across the onion instead of cutting it – an easy way, I’ve found, to accidentally cut yourself!

Therefore, having a sharp knife is an essential tool in the kitchen, but for many of us, especially those who have taken up cooking as part of our New Year’s resolution, knowing how to sharpen a knife or what to use is a confusing and potentially dangerous job altogether. This is where the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener comes in, the first premium kitchen knife sharpener for the home.

The Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener has been designed by the Swedish brand Tormek, who have 50 years of expertise in tool sharpening for woodworkers and over 35 years in knife sharpening for commercial kitchens. Tormek introduced the T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener which is the first of its kind that sharpens the entire bevel of the knife to be razor sharp for easier and safer chopping for every meal.

Straight out of the box I was surprised with just how large and sturdy the knife sharper machine was, with a firm oak handle attached to the 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 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 burr, 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 amount 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!

My overall impression of the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is that it provides a sturdy, secure and easy way to sharpen your knives backed by the years of expertise Tormek has within the professional kitchen industry. Every aspect is top quality, and this gives great comfort when using the unit as you know it’s designed to deliver results. I can already tell that just from using the unit a few times on various different knives this is going to be a vital gadget in my kitchen ready to ensure every knife is sharp and safe. Whilst the initial price is quite significant, especially compared to other knife edge sharpers or honing steels, the durability and maintenance it will provide for your knives is sure to save you money in the long run. You’ll no longer need to replace your knives as often when they are past the point of sharpening, instead, you’ll be able to maintain your knives to last longer and deliver great sharpening for many years to come.

If you’re an experienced home cook, or even someone getting into the world of cooking, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife sharpener is going to change the game and provide premium quality knife sharpening all from the comfort of your own home. This will help maintain your knives in the long run, without needing to send them off to be sharpened regularly. Therefore, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is a great knife sharpener choice providing you with everything you need to sharpen your knives in your own home and make every cooking experience a joy.  

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

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 longterm investment that will hopefully be cost-effective over time with maintaining your knives instead of needing replacements