Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After reading countless reviews and product information on electric knife sharpeners I settled on this one. After all, should I be displeased with the purchase, Amazon does accept returns, right? As suggested by previous reviewers to start with a scrap knife, I dropped in the local Goodwill store and picked up a very, very dull, cheap knife to practice. I started with stage 1, then progressed through stages 2 and 3. Wow, the knife was razor sharp in very little time. Save stage 1 for knives that need a new edge. For most knives, stages 2 and 3 will give you an impressive edge. The key is not to use ANY downward pressure and to draw the knife SLOWLY and evenly through the slots. The included manual suggests 1 second for every inch of knife. So, for an 8-inch chef's knife, it should take about 8 seconds for ONE pass. I can't stress enough - DO NOT push down on the knife. My entire knife block, including serrated blades are now sharper than the day I bought them. If your knife only needs some fine honing similar to what would be done with a sharpening steel, then a couple of passes through stage 3 is all that's needed. I enjoy using this sharpener so much I am offering to sharpen for friends and family