KA Stand Mixer Knife Sharpener Attachment

[rp2813]

I'm bidding on one of these.  It has been a long time since they became NLA.

 

If anyone has experience with this attachment, I'd be interested in any information you can share.

 

 

 

 

 

[sudsmaster]

No, I don't have one, but the instructions on the package seem to be fairly complete and simple. I doubt that this knife sharpener would put an edge on a chef's knives that he would be satisfied with, but it could be a start for a badly worn blade.

I like the Chef's Choice electric knife sharpeners. I use a three-position one with gives a "tri-edge" sharpening that works extremely well for kitchen knives. For really nicked edges I sometimes have to do a rough sharpening on the open wheel grinder in the workshop. I would imagine that the Hobart knife sharpener would be on a par with those little rolling sharpeners that you could get at the grocery store or the local hardware store. Maybe they are still available, I but I have never liked them much - the center wheel (which is the aluminum oxide abrasive wheel) tends to work itself loose after not too long, which renders the sharpener useless.

 

[rp2813]

Yeah, the main thing about this attachment is that it would be fun -- and a cinch -- to use, and provide me with the incentive to actually sharpen knives once in a while.  Right now I have a cumbersome manual one with a pair of ceramic (?) wheels and the long sharpening rod that came with the set of knives, which is a hit and miss endeavor unless you do it regularly to get the hang of it.

 

The Hobart attachment has a spring that keeps the wheels pressed together, so they shouldn't work themselves loose. 

 

Bottom line is that I need to do something, because all of our knives are embarrassingly dull.  I know I'd use the KA attachment regularly, and that it would sharpen the knives well enough for my purposes.   They seem to be in demand.  My research showed them going for anywhere from $25 to over $50.

 

[danemodsandy]

Nice Collectible, But.....

....You wouldn't want to use it on good knives you really care about. This kind of sharpener removes a lot - a LOT - of metal from the edge with each sharpening. It doesn't take too long before your knives become really worn down, with the shape of the blade substantially changed, from this kind of sharpener. All sharpening removes metal, but for the sake of your knives' longevity, you want to minimize the problem to the extent possible.

The Chef's Choice 3-stage sharpener (Model 110) is a really good unit that doesn't remove more metal than it needs to. There is a 2-stage Chef's Choice unit, but it's more for maintaining an edge; the 3-stage model can bring back a really dull edge. The diamond honing "stones" in a Chef's Choice oscillate back-and-forth instead of grinding in a rotary motion. You don't need to use all 3 sharpening stages on the Chef's Choice every time; you only use the first stage when a knife is really dull. Stages 2 and 3 are the ones to use for maintenance.

My suggestion would be to buy the KitchenAid unit as a neat collectible, but to have a Chef's Choice sharpener for the real work of sharpening your knives. [this post was last edited: 12/6/2012-10:22]

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the additional advice.  The knives are Henkels and we've had them for at least 10 years.  They're probably MOL and certainly not the best Henkel has to offer.  If and when they are replaced, I would be sure to invest in a top quality sharpener.

 

We left this set of Henkels with a sharpening guy at a farmers' market quite a while back and when we got them home, there was zero improvement.  I don't know what he did to them, but I suspect even a high end sharpener wouldn't bring them back to their full potential.  Hence the "fun" sharpener in the interim.  I'm sure it will give them an edge that they don't have now, even if it's not perfect, and I can use it for the cheaper bar knives that cut lemons, etc.

 

My counter space is so limited that I was hoping to avoid adding another appliance for now.

[this post was last edited: 12/6/2012-12:13]

 

[danemodsandy]

Ralph:

You would be absolutely amazed at what a 3-stage Chef's Choice can do.

You would also be amazed at how many "professional" knife sharpening people don't have a clue in Hell what they're doing. When I was in the housewares biz in the '80s, I did sharpening (Tru-Hone system), and I cannot tell you how many "no improvement" situations I saw with other peoples' work, and how much serious damage I saw from the same source.

A Chef's Choice machine puts a triple-bevel edge called a "Trizor" edge on a knife, honing it to a sharp, stable, maintainable edge. It's a little work at first, but then things settle down to cutting Nirvana.

 

[rp2813]

OK Sandy, I'm going to look into the Chef's Choice.

 

[countryguy]

I bought the Chef's Choice 3-stage sharpener a few months ago and it does indeed work wonders!  It is easy to use also. 

 

Gary

 

[danemodsandy]

Linky:

Here's the Chef's Choice website for anyone interested:

http://www.chefschoice.com/index.html

 

[mixfinder]

Merry Christmas

I have an extra Chef's Choice I'm happy to send you. Buy the attachment. If nothing else you can use it on calloused. Sometimes "just for the fun of it" is hard to grasp.

 

[rp2813]

Well, I was out-bid and the out-bidder got sniped.  People apparently really want this attachment!  Two of them went like that within a couple of hours of each other.

 

Kelly, that is a wonderful offer, but there is no need to go to the trouble.  I'll use the sharpener that came with the Henkels until I decide to replace the set.  At that point, I'll pursue a good sharpener such as the Chef's Choice.