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3 Best Ceramic Knife Sharpener of 2024 (To Keep Your Knives Sharp)

Who needs a ceramic knife sharpener?

Even the best knives need you to take care about them. Without sharpening, they’ll quickly become dull and won’t be cut as smoothly as they used to when you first got them.

While there are different sharpening tools that you could get, my favorite (and, in my opinion, unbeatable) are ceramic knife sharpeners.

How come ceramic is able to sharpen a steel knife? 

Especially considering that we usually associate it with something fragile that’s easy to break?

Best Ceramic Knife Sharpeners

Almost as Hard as a Diamond

Contrary to popular belief the absolute hardness of ceramic is just slightly lower than that of diamonds (which are used to create even better, but more expensive, sharpening tools). Of course, while hard, it’s also very sensitive to any shocks or sudden damage – that’s why hitting a ceramic rod with a knife at the wrong angle or dropping it on the floor could break it. 

If you have a ceramic knife, you'd want to consider using a diamond knife sharpener. This way, it will give your ceramic knife edge the sharpening it needs.

Ceramic Knife Sharpeners

Naturally, I’m assuming that you are a caring person. If you are, you can get a tool that will keep sharpening your knives for years to come.

To help you make the right choice, in this article, I’ll focus on reviewing three of them – each of them being slightly different than the other. But first, let’s look at the most popular types of sharpeners.

Different Types of Ceramic Knife Sharpeners – Which One Is Best for You?

Just like those made of other materials, ceramic knife sharpeners come in different shapes and sizes. Usually, they are made of alumina ceramic – which is slightly different than the ceramic used in a typical teapot. The most popular ceramic knife sharpeners are rods and V sharpeners.

So what are their benefits and the differences between them?

V-Sharpeners

V-Sharpeners

A V-sharpener is probably a much more common knife sharpening tool – one that’s preferred by many especially for its ease of use. In fact, non-professional pull-through sharpeners can often be found as part of a kitchen knife set.

However, I’d advise against using them, as they can do more harm than good. Especially if you don’t know how to use one properly. 

The key to using a V-sharpener effectively is to control the pressure. Putting uneven pressure on the knife when you pull it through the sharpener can damage it – especially if you’re trying to repair an already damaged knife. 

To reduce the risk of doing so, always put the sharpener on a firm surface and use light pressure when pulling the knife through it. There’s no point in trying to speed things up – the tool makes sharpening quick and easy already anyway!

Benefits

  • Require very little skill to be used effectively
  • Can be carried around
  • Some V-sharpeners can be used to repair a chipped knife
  • The most affordable type of ceramic knife sharpeners
  • The fastest way to sharpen a knife

Drawbacks

  • It’s very easy to damage the knife if you don’t apply the pressure properly.
  • Can make the knife uneven, eating too much of the blade in one round

The obvious advantage of V-sharpeners is their size and ease of use. They are the fastest ceramic knife sharpeners out there, and, considering their great portability, can be used to give a quick polish to your knives anywhere you are.

Ceramic Rods

Those usually come as a single rod or in a set of two. Usually, the former ones are handheld, while the set consists of two rods which are using a single base and are set at around 30 – 40 degrees. They all come in different shapes and sizes – as long as you can sharpen a knife using them, they can be round, square, or even triangular.

Even though they don’t look like a typical V-sharpener you’re probably used to, they can be almost just as quick and easy to use. The key is to hold the knife at the right angle.

Ceramic Rods Sharpener

Benefits of Ceramic Rods:

  • Effective once you learn how to use them – can make your knife extra sharp very quickly
  • Low-maintenance. Require little work to keep them in a good shape
  • Can sharpen blades of unusual shapes and sizes

Drawbacks of Ceramic Rods:

  • Can’t be used to repair damaged knives
  • Can break into pieces if dropped
  • Sometimes, you can’t adjust their angle (applies to sets)

Regardless of which one you choose – a V-Sharpener or a ceramic rod – the key is to pick a high-quality one. That way you can polish your skills (while polishing and sharpening your blade) and take a true care of your kitchen knives set. What are some of the best models to choose from?

Best Ceramic Knife Sharpeners Reviews – Top 3

Having a sharp knife is key to go in your kitchen. There's nothing like trying to get ready to cook up an omlette in your non stick frying pan, then trying to cut a tomato with a dull knife. 

But you know better now. 

Now that you know all the benefits of a ceramic knife sharpener, as well as its different types and how to choose one, let’s briefly go over my three top picks. 

While each of these sharpeners works in a different way, they all have a common goal – to make your knives sharp, and your life easier.

Keep in mind, that if you would like to go straight to the product page of a given sharpener, simply click the Buy on Amazon link.

Image

Name

Best For (Category)

Rating

Material Used

Price

Zulay Manual Stainless Steel Knife Sharpener

Under $15

Tungstel carbide and ceramic

Cooks Standard Professional Ceramic Rod Knife Sharpening Steel

Mid-Range

Ceramic Alumina

Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener

High-End

Alumina ceramic stones, medium-grit stones, and fine stones.

Zulay Manual Stainless Steel Knife Sharpener

Let’s start with a knife sharpener for any budget. Of course, it’s possible to get one even cheaper and still sharpen a knife using it. I’m sure you can find one for a buck or two at a local supermarket. But, the goal of this review is not to find the cheapest sharpener, but the best one in its respective category. And, when it comes to affordable ceramic knife sharpeners, Zulay Manual Knife Sharpener takes the lead easily.

Inexpensive Yet Effective

At first glance, it looks like a typical cheap manual sharpener.

But what differs it from its cheapest equivalents is its effectiveness.

Thanks to two different slots, it can both revive the blade as well as sharpen and polish it. And it does so very well.

Zulay Manual Stainless Steel Knife Sharpener

What I Like about this Knife Sharpener?

  • Saves you money twice. How come? It’s simple. First, you save some cash by choosing this product over many more expensive ceramic knife sharpeners, which aren’t always more effective anyway. Second, you don’t have to buy any new knives, what can save even more money. On top of that, it can save you a lot of time, as it works so fast, you can revive your old knives in the blink of an eye. And, as we all know, time is money 😊
  • Convenient. It’s small and compact. This makes it a very convenient choice even for someone who is about to sharpen their very first knife. And, once you’re done, it’s very easy to just put it in a drawer or wherever you see fit.
  • You don’t need any skills to use it. It’s simple, it’s manual, and it works. Just put the knife in one of the slots and start sharpening. You can increase sharpness significantly in just a few moves.
  • Works even with serrated knives. Unlike many similar knife sharpeners of similar design, this one is capable of sharpening serrated knives – which is a great benefit, considering that we usually have both straight-edge and serrated kitchen knives.

And What I Don’t Like?

  • Won’t reach a fully professional level. It’s easy to use, it puts a nice sharp edge on the blade, but it can’t take the knife’s sharpness to a level required by professionals. However, it works perfectly fine in a home kitchen, where you just want a sharp knife to slice the food faster.
  • Not all knives and scissors fit easily. The slots are quite narrow, which means that some blades might be problematic. On top of that, you need to be very careful when sharpening long blades not to damage the countertop. Usually, it’s best to sharpen your knives while keeping this ceramic knife sharpener on a towel or a cutting board.
  • No clear info on which slots to pick. While there are two slots, and each of them is responsible for a different function, it’s not that obvious which one to choose. And the poor instructions aren’t helpful at all.

You can’t expect a product for less than $15 to be able to sharpen knives to a level required at five-star restaurants.

But, if that’s not your goal, and you’re looking for an affordable ceramic knife sharpener to use at your house, you can’t go wrong with this product.

Hit the below button to learn about its details and read other reviews of its users.

Zulay Manual Stainless Steel Knife Sharpener
Cooks Standard Professional Ceramic Rod Knife Sharpening Steel

Ceramic knife sharpeners, like the aforementioned Zulay’s are great for sharpening standard kitchen knives. Sadly, it won’t work with all the knives, and it’s very easy to damage the tip of the knife if you don’t do the sharpening and polishing correctly. Thankfully, you don’t have to pay much more to get a professional ceramic rod, which is an excellent alternative to manual ceramic knife sharpeners.

Big or Small, Recurve or Not

What knife do you use?

Big, small, straight-edge, recurved?

When working with the Cooks Standard Ceramic rod, you can use any knife you want. It works great even with recurve knives, which are impossible to sharpen in standard manual ceramic knife sharpeners.

Cooks Standard Professional Ceramic Rod Knife Sharpening Steel

What I Like about This Knife Sharpener?

  • Great handle. It’s very convenient and your hands don’t get tired. Moreover, the hand itself is a solid protection from any damage done by a slipping knife. Naturally, you still need to be careful – but it’s good to know that the product is designed with your safety in mind.
  • Works great with recurve or big knives, as well as scissors. As I mentioned above, it doesn’t really matter what knife you want to sharpen with it. As there is no “slot” to put the knife in, you are limited only by your sharpening skills (does not work with serrated knives, though).
  • Easier to learn than you think. Even though its instructions are written in poor English, and the product is not a typical manual sharpener, it’s quite easy to get started with it.
  • Very solid product. Unlike many low-end models, this ceramic knife sharpener feels like a really high-quality product from the moment you take it into your hands. Of course, it still made of ceramic, so you should be careful not to break it.

And What I Don’t Like?

  • Easy to break. As I just said, ceramic is a hard material but if you drop it on a hard surface, it’s highly likely that it will break. That’s why you should always put it back once you finish using it, to avoid accidentally damaging it.
  • Takes some practice to master. It’s not a typical sharpener where you can just put the knife in, make a few quick moves, and enjoy the results. But once you learn how to work with it properly, the results easily exceed any achievable by a manual slot ceramic knife sharpener.

It won’t Repair the Knife.

It’s impossible to reprofile your blade or fix any chips - at least not to a level which you could find satisfactory. This ceramic knife sharpener is great if you want to sharpen or polish your blade, but it’s been not designed for anything beyond that.

If you work with knives of different shapes and sizes, you will love Cooks Standard Professional Ceramic Rod. While it’s fragile and takes some time to master, you don’t need much practice to start using it effectively. 

This, together with its potential, make it a very high-quality product, which is worth recommending to anyone who wants to keep the knives sharp. To learn more about it, hit the button – you will be taken to the official Amazon product page:

Cooks Standard Professional Ceramic Rod Knife Sharpening Steel
Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener

Have you’ve ever watched a cooking show only to wonder how the hell do those cooks slice and chop everything so fast? The secret is in the knives – and, more specifically, in their sharpening and polishing process.

Professional-Grade Sharpening and Polishing

Naturally, the quality of the knife and the material used to produce one matter too. But you need to make its sharpness A+ to be able to play with it the way professionals do. That’s where a ceramic knife sharpener such as Triangle Sharpmaker can help you.

Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener

What I Like about This Knife Sharpener?

  • Takes the sharpness of your knives to the next level. Once you get the hang of it, it’s possible to get the knife to a point where it easily cuts through a piece of paper (or even a toilet paper or a napkin – without tearing).
  • Can be taken anywhere. Should you ever need it on the road, it’s very easy to just pack all its parts to its self-contained ABS plastic base.
  • Or bolted to the table or countertop. Of course, if you want to make it fully stable, you can bolt it to the table or countertop. There is an instructional leaflet and a DVD included, explaining how to do that properly so that you don’t damage your knives and stay safe during sharpening.
  • Possibility to get new rods. It’s possible to get better rods than what’s included, what is the key to improving your skills and taking the sharpening and polishing process to a whole new level.
  • Great price for an excellent sharpening system. Triangle Sharpmaker has been frequently named as one of the best ceramic knife sharpeners and a system comparable in effectiveness to using Lansky stones or wicked edge.
  • Easy to use once you get it. Naturally, to reap the full benefits, you need to understand how to work with the tool first. The key is to focus on simplicity and not overdo it. The key is to start slow and keep the knife at the right angle.

And What I Don’t Like?

  • Hard not to buy the new rods. Even though it’s not a necessity, the best rods don’t come with the set and you need to get them separately. While they won’t be enough to substitute hours of practice on their own, they make a difference between getting a very sharp and the super sharp knife.
  • Requires a lot of practice. Sharpening with the use of rods requires consistency. What do I mean by that? If you want to achieve the best results, you need to keep working on how you hold the knife during the sharpening process. It’s easy to just sharpen a knife – but it’s hard to use the system to get the most out of it.
  • Possible problems with quality control. Some of its buyers reported having purchased a few of these, only to find some of them broken or of unnaturally low quality. This could indicate some small problems with quality control. Nothing major, at least not as long as you don’t receive one of the defective products.
  • Plastic base. The product is really high-quality – and the base doesn’t really fit the rest of it. Of course, it’s not like it’s going to break after a day, but still almost any other material would make it look much more durable and trustworthy. And the latter is important, especially that you’re playing with sharp knives.

If you don’t mind paying the extra price for this ceramic knife sharpener, and can spend some time learning the system, it’s hard to find a better product. Especially considering that you can “upgrade it”, what could take the results of your knife sharpening to a whole new level. To read more about the product, and see why others love the system so much, hit the button and visit the official product page:

The choice of a ceramic knife sharpener will inevitably come down to how sharp you want your knives to be. If you just want them to work, and value efficiency, a V-sharpener is the way to go. On the other hand, if you are a passionate cook, need sharp knives to make a living (not assuming anything here 😊 ), consider getting ceramic rod or a complete set.

That way you can become better with each sharpening, what will result in super-sharp knives that’ll last you a lifetime. Still not sure which product to choose? Scroll back to the table and click one of the links to see more details on its product page.

About the author 

Nate Lau

Nate is an aspiring chef, and father of two. He is always on the lookout to try new healthy recipes and kitchen gadgets. He has a passion for cooking delicious miso black cod and enjoys a nice sip of pinot on occasion.

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