A sharp knife is the most important tool in your kitchen. Many chefs insist that the only tool they need is their chef’s knife. Many home cooks have also invested in a big selection of knives. Finding a sharp one can sometimes be a challenge. Even the very best knives need continual honing and sharpening. The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener was developed to meet this kitchen challenge with an affordable tool that is easy to use.
Knives are not easy to use until you learn proper use and have practiced correct cutting and chopping techniques. Knife care must be learned as well. Knives can represent a significant investment, and yet they aren’t worth anything once the owner lets them become dull. Many good quality knife sets include a honing steel. People often mistake this for a sharpener, but sharpeners are for occasional use, while honing steel should be used after every use of the knife.
There are many options for sharpening knives at home, from hand-held stones to electric sharpeners. The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener is a mechanical sharpener designed to handle all kinds of knife sharpening at a very affordable price.
What Is the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener?
The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener is a unique sharpener that has been made famous through TV infomercials. This device has been portrayed as turning old dull knives into ones so sharp they can cut through shoe leather. Its two-arm upright design distinguishes this sharpener from the hand-held sharpener styles or the horizontal counter-top styles.
Product Specs
The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener can be used to sharpen almost any kind of metal knife of any blade length. It can sharpen knives with standard, serrated, and beveled edges. (It is not recommended for use on ceramic blades, however.) The sharpener’s two independent spring-action arms give the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener its distinctive upright design. These arms act as the sharpener. Made of tungsten carbide, they are able to flex and contour around any blade at any angle for efficient sharpening.
This sharpener has quick action. You run the blade of the knife you are sharpening through the slot in the sharpener and it crosses over the spring action arms. The Bavarian Edge can also be used for honing and polishing as well sharpening. It even can be used to sharpen Japanese single beveled blades by holding the knife at a 35 degree angle when pulling it through the arms of the sharpener. This is a compact device that doesn’t take up much space on the counter or can easily be stored in a cupboard or drawer.
Pricing
Knife sharpeners on the market range from under $20 to as much as $200. The sharpeners in this review range from around $13 to around $60. The price ratings are based on the relative prices of the knife sharpeners featured in this review. All are available at Amazon.com.
How the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener Compares to other Models
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare with the Bavarian Edge. These include another low-priced model and two priced at around $40 to $60.
- Brod & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener
- Priority Chef Knife Sharpener
- Warthog V-Sharp Xtreme Edge Black
Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener
Sale 
Official As Seen On TV Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener by…
- Bavarian Edge kitchen knife sharpener sharpens ALL your dull knives in seconds, unlike an electric knife sharpener or…
- Features two independent spring-action arms made of tungsten carbide that contour to your knife’s edge better than a…
- Sharpens, hones, and polishes your old knives – give your chef knife and butcher knife a makeover
Ease of Use: 4 stars
We give the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener four out of five stars for its ease of use. It stands upright when it’s in position to be used. Knife blades are run through the two arms. There are manual adjustments to be made and techniques to learn to use the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener effectively and to best advantage. Video demonstrations and the instructions included with the device will help you to get started.
Performance: 3 stars
We give the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener four out of five stars for its ease of use. It stands upright when it’s in position to be used. Knife blades are run through the two arms. There are manual adjustments to be made and techniques to learn to use the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener effectively and to best advantage. Video demonstrations and the instructions included with the device will help you to get started.
Design Quality: 4 stars
The design of the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener sets it apart from hand-held tools and electric sharpeners. The two-arm design is engineered to handle knives of all sizes and styles. It is compact and can fit in a drawer or cupboard.
Warranty: 3 stars
The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener rates three out of five stars for its warranty. It has a lifetime warranty for refund or replacement of the sharpener but doesn’t include shipping, which would eat up a good portion of a refund. Shipping the knife back and forth would probably be almost as expensive as buying a new one.
Brod & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener
Brod & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener Dual-Action Austrian Tungsten…
- FASTEST AND EASIEST WAY TO SHARPEN ANY KNIFE WITH SUPERIOR USA PATENTED TECHNOLOGY. Radically new pocket knife…
- PROPRIETARY AUSTRIAN TUNGSTEN CARBIDE SHARPENERS AUTO-ADJUST TO BLADE ANGLE (12-20 DEG). Forget cheap grinding…
- DUAL-ACTION SHARPENERS KEEP KNIVES SHARP WITHOUT REMOVING METAL. Professionals use a chef’s steel to realign…
This Brod & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener is a portable knife sharpener that folds easily to fit into a tackle box, back pack or jacket pocket. Its dual-action Austrian tungsten carbide sharpeners sharpen knives without removing metal. It takes just seconds to sharpen a knife. This sharpener can handle both straight and serrated knives.
It has an auto-adjust feature to allow the user to adjust the blade angle in a range from 12 to 20 degrees. One direction cuts a bevel and the other direction polishes and aligns the edge. Press lightly to sharpen a fine slicing blade and use more pressure when sharpening a sturdier chopping blade.
Ease of Use: 5 stars
The Brod & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener gets five out of five stars for ease of use. It is portable to take out in the field and packs easily in small spaces. It stores easily in a drawer to be handy for home kitchen use. It comes with clear directions, important for successful use of any sharpening tool.
Performance: 5 stars
We give the Broad & Taylor Pocket Knife five out of five stars for performance. This sharpener is made of high quality tungsten carbide. It is suitable for use with all kinds of knives but small enough to pack for use in outdoor settings.
Design Quality: 5 stars
The Broad & Taylor Pocket Knife Sharpener rates five out of five stars for its unique, portable design and its innovative sharpening technology. It is made with high-quality materials and engineered to produce sharp knives at home or in the field.
PriorityChef Knife Sharpener
PriorityChef Knife Sharpener for Straight and Serrated Knives, 2-Stage…
- THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF’S PREFERRED CHOICE. Forget the other sharpeners. If you’re looking for a high-quality,…
- STYLISH, ERGONOMIC DESIGN AND DURABLE CONSTRUCTION. With its 2-stage sharpening system, you can polish your blades to…
- SAFE, VERSATILE, AND EASY-TO-USE. This product is easy to use. Simply position the dull blade on the sharpening slot and…
The PriorityChef Knife Sharpener for Straight and Serrated Knives has a two-stage wheel system with one diamond-coated wheel and one ceramic coated wheel. Its non-slip base and ergonomic handle make it easy to handle this sharpener. The diamond wheel sharpens straight blades and the ceramic wheel hones straight blades and can be used for sharpening serrated knives. This sharpener is very reasonably priced.
Ease of Use: 4 stars
The PriorityChef Knife Sharpener rates four out of five stars for ease of use. Its two-stage system may take a little practice to learn how to use. The PriorityChef website has a video on how to use this sharpener, and there are excellent printed instructions that come with the sharpener.
Performance: 5 stars
The PriorityChef Knife Sharpener rates five out of five stars for performance. Owners of this sharpener are almost unanimous in their enthusiasm for its effective sharpening. The manufacturer recommends ten passes through the wheels for best results. Users who ignore this suggestion may be disappointed with their results.
Design Quality: 5 stars
We give the PriorityChef Knife Sharpener five out of five stars. Its two-stage sharpening system both sharpens and hones straight blades, and stage 2 can be used to sharpen serrated knives.
Warranty: 3 stars
We give the Priority Chef Sharpener three out of five stars for its 60-day, 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.
Warthog V-Sharp Xtreme Edge
The Warthog V-Sharp Xtreme Edge Knife Sharpener is an all-purpose knife sharpener that is lightweight and waterproof, making it well-suited for taking on a boat or in the field on a camping or hunting trip. The frame is made of high-impact ABS plastic with a rubber non-slip base. It uses two 325 grit natural diamond honing rods and has an adjustable blade guide and four snap-in rods for quick angle changes to 17, 20, 25 or 30 degrees.
This sharpener can sharpen both sides of a blade at the same time and holds knives at a consistent angle based on the setting selected. Finishing steels are included. Warthog sharpeners are made in South Africa.
Ease of Use: 3 stars
We give the Warthog V-Sharp X-treme Edge Knife Sharpener three out of five stars for ease of use. It comes with an instructional DVD, but user comments indicate that the initial set-up can be a challenge. It may take some practice to decide on the angle setting you want.
Performance: 5 stars
We give this Warthog Sharpener five out of five stars for performance. Users like this sharpener for everything from pocket knives to hunting knives and kitchen knives.
Design Quality: 4 stars
We give this sharpener four out of five stars for its design. Its light weight is a plus for portability to outdoor sites, but its plastic construction has been criticized by some users.
Warranty: 5 stars
Warthog USA offers a three-year limited warranty against defects in workmanship and breakage from normal use. If your Warthog Sharpener fails during this time, Warthog will repair or replace it free of charge. The customer pays shipping to and from the service center.
Conclusion
The Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener created a spot in the market with its unique design and affordable purchase price. The excitement generated for this product by the infomercial approach that introduced it probably accounts for the pricing of competitive models vying for the Bavarian Edge’s market share.
How the Competition Compares
The PriorityChef Knife Sharpener is priced even lower than the Bavarian Edge and generates more favorable comments from its owners. The Brod & Taylor model fits an interesting niche with its emphasis on portability for use by fishermen, campers and hunters as well as home cooks. The Warthog V-Sharp Xtreme Edge sharpener is the most expensive in this comparison but still is a reasonably priced model. People who have made significant investments in kitchen knives or sporting knives will not flinch at paying somewhat more for a sharpener that is just right.
Getting Off to a Good Start
The information materials that accompany a sharpener or that are available on-line will make a big difference to the user. Many people berate equipment performance when they haven’t taken the time to read the manual and learn exactly how it works. Trial and error works for some things, but knife sharpeners may not fall into that category. You can damage an expensive knife by improper use of a sharpener. The sharpeners in this review provide good information on how the products should be used, especially through videos viewable online.
We give the Bavarian Edge Knife Sharpener 4 out of 5 stars for its innovative design and low price. Its high visibility, thanks to its infomercial and other helpful materials, has created awareness of the availability and importance of home knife sharpening devices. Thanks to Bavarian Edge, many people will take better care of their knives with good results in their kitchens or campsite.