# Help please, my Wusthof sharpener is making my Global knives blunter



## halasz (Jan 21, 2013)

Please excuse me if my terms are somewhat non technical, it is my first post.

I bought a set of Global knives a few years back and was very happy with them.  The Global sharpener (not a steel, just the easy one you push the knife up and down in) kept them perfectly sharp.  Eventually the ceramic disks fell off so on the recommendation of my local shop (in France where I live) I bought a Wusthof Icon sharpener which was pretty expensive.

My problem is that when I use it it makes the knives blunter than they were before.

Did I get the wrong thing here?  Apart from my fish knife which I have not touched with it they are all appalling now.

It should not be complex I think - course then smooth.  Did I get the wrong sharpener?  Should I give up with it and get steels and stones?  That seems a bit complex to me as I am only a home cook. 

If anyone has some advice I would really appreciate it as the knives were great and now they are, well, not.

Thanks


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

It depends on the angle the sharpener is set for.  Global knives are 15 degree I'm not sure what Wusthof Icons are.  Can you take that sharpener back?  The Minosharp 3 is not that much money.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

> It depends on the angle the sharpener is set for. Global knives are 15 degree I'm not sure what Wusthof Icons are.


Yes and no, but no... not in this case.

Wusthof Ikons are 14*, which is plenty close enough to work for a 15* Global. For this type of thing, one degree differences are meaningless. I can't tell you why you're having a problem other than to say that manual pull-through sharpeners are notoriously inconsistent -- and not just from brand to brand but within any given brand.

If you've tried the Wusthof pull-through more than a few times, chances are the angles are it has already ruined the edges on your knives and won't be easy to repair using a manual pull through of any brand without enormous effort or causing more damage. Try and find someone local who can competently sharpen Japanese knives.

If you liked your old Global sharpener, buy a few more -- so you'll have replacements when they fall apart. The best manual pull-through for your knives is almost certainly the Minosharp Plus3. I can't tell you where to get one in the EU, but Minosharp is owned by Yoshikin, the same company which makes Global knives. Retailers who sell Global usually sell Minosharp.

Speaking of stones... You CAN get a better edge on good stones than you can with a pull through. Truly sharp knives are not just for professionals. The make cooking less of a burden for pros, yes; but make it more fun for home cooks.

_Et voila!_

BDL


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## halasz (Jan 21, 2013)

Thanks both.  I guess I was unlucky and it should have worked.

When you say I can't fix it without "enormous effort" what does that mean?  I don't mind sharpening for an hour if it would work but not if it may irrevocably break the knife.

Can one blunt a knife so badly that it can not be sharpened again even by a professional?

I will look at stones though incidentally for the future.  At least one can see what is happening.


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## hpross (Feb 5, 2013)

Alot of Global knives are also 70/30 sharpened. Wustofs would be 50/50. 

The best thing to do would be to find someone who hand sharpens to "reset" you knife. Also tell them how you plan to keep it sharp, so they wont 70/30 grind the knife again. The "enormous effort" thing is that you might do it for 2 hours and its likely that the knife a) wont be sharp, or b) still need a new grind put on it. 

There is no substitute for water stones, and the skill to use them. 

HP


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## eiron (Nov 29, 2012)

halasz said:


> Thanks both. I guess I was unlucky and it should have worked.
> 
> When you say I can't fix it without "enormous effort" what does that mean? I don't mind sharpening for an hour if it would work but not if it may irrevocably break the knife.
> 
> ...


I really can't tell from any online info, but I'm not convinced that the Ikon sharpener is designed for the low angles of Ikon edges. (It almost appears to be named for its Ikon styling rather than its sharpening angle.) My preference would be to use one of Wusthof's 'Asian Edge' sharpeners, since they're promoted as being set for the "special angle of Asian knife blades." (A descriptor noticeably absent from the Ikon sharpener.)

No, you can't blunt an edge so badly that it can't be repaired. I'll try to attach some pics of repairs I've done for restaurants.

My suggestion would be to have it professionally resharpened to 15° per side & use the Wusthof 'Asian Edge' sharpener after that. (Ideally, you would start hand sharpening on waterstones, but I realize that not everyone is interested in investing the time to learn &, subsequently, maintain their edges to that degree. Especially if there's a decent alternative.)





  








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