Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I cannot see how anyone could give this a negative review if they use just some basic common sense and follow the instructions. I think it's all about having correct expectations. If you're expecting this sharpener to give you the same edge that a professional can give you, or if you're expecting the same edge that you can get with 30 minutes on multiple stones, then you might not be super happy with this. With just a little bit of practice though, you can get a really nice edge on your knives in less than three minutes. That's what this was about for me, time. I had five kitchen knives, and about a dozen pocket knives in a box that were virtually unusable. They had been sitting in a box (except the chef knife which I used regularly) that I'd toss them in with the "I'll sharpen them later" mentality. I started working my way through them all this weekend and by the time I made it to the end of them, I'd gotten pretty good with this tool. I can't get the 25 degree edge I'd like quite yet, but when using the 20 degree guide I can spend three minutes and get a usable, paper cutting edge pretty easily.