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Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition

Based on 113 comments across 4 communities
TL;DR
Owners consistently call this one of the fastest ways to get a knife razor sharp, taking a dull or even damaged blade to a shaving edge in just a few minutes with little skill required. The belt system puts on a durable convex edge and handles everything from kitchen knives to axes. The trade-off is that it removes metal aggressively and can overheat, scratch, or round tips, so most owners stress using slow speeds and practicing before trusting it on a favorite blade.

76% of 113 verified owners recommend the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition.

What 113 owners say
476 comments reviewed · scored on the 113 clearest verdicts
76%
Recommend
86 owners
13%
Neutral
15 owners
11%
Don't recommend
12 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
78%
106
Other forums
50%
6
Independent blogsino affiliate links
0%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
1

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 76%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, and blogs with no affiliate links. YouTube and affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Gets knives razor/shaving sharp · 34 · 30%
  • Sharpens very fast, often in just a few minutes · 18 · 16%
  • Easy and nearly idiot-proof for beginners · 10 · 9%
  • Brings dull, damaged, or chipped edges back to life · 8 · 7%
  • Versatile across knives, tools, axes, and convex edges · 8 · 7%
What owners flag
  • Removes too much steel and can eat blades if you're not careful · 9 · 8%
  • Guide attachment tends to round off blade tips · 6 · 5%
  • Can overheat and burn edges if run too fast · 6 · 5%
  • Real learning curve to use it well · 6 · 5%
  • Can scratch blades during sharpening · 4 · 4%

Top quotes, sourced

476 reviewed · 114 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
Reddit▼ don’t recommend

It overheats edges which drastically reduce edge life, and it removes way more material than neccesary which reduce the life of the knife by a lot too.

Reddit▲ recommend

I use it with the grinder attachment and think it's great.

Reddit— neutral

have to be REAL careful with the more course bands because even at slow speed they take a lot of material off 8cr

Reddit— neutral

Without the Blade Grinder Attachment, the guided knife apparatus has a tendency to scratch the edges of blades & if your not careful, will round off tips.

Reddit▲ recommend

The blade grinding attachment I've found works incredibly well with the finish work for axes

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

It works but the steel is just poor quality and they don't hold a edge.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I ran my Kerduaw through it at the time, and the sucker came out looking like a kukri with the amount I took right off the belly

Reddit— neutral

when I first used it I had it set to fastest instead of slowest speed aaaaaaaand I wore down a part of the blade near the handle

Reddit⚠ product link▲ recommend

which I love …. And does a ridiculous job of creating an edge

BladeForums▼ don’t recommend

waste of money for me. mines just collecting dust. only convex edges and it can scratch your blades up bad and round the tip if you dont know what youre doing.

Reddit— neutral

It works great, and comes with very high grit belts. However, I don't want a convex edge on my kitchen knives. I also don't want metal shavings flying all over my kitchen.

Reddit▲ recommend

All on a work sharp Ken onion edition.

Reddit▲ recommend

I use a whetstone kit from Amazon, Work Sharp Ken & Onion edition (I have 3x now)

Reddit— neutral

it's going to remove more steel than necessary from the blade. For someone in love with their blades, removing more steel than necessary is unthinkable.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Don’t buy a worksharp, invest in this instead. It’s a bit more, but it won’t destroy your knives

BladeForums▼ don’t recommend

It's not for me. Removes too much too fast and I just prefer stones for more control.

Reddit— neutral

it doesn't get a good working edge on a big knife in 30 seconds. Have to be careful not to take to much material off at once though.

Reddit▲ recommend

I like the Work Sharp Ken onion edition knife sharpener.

Reddit— neutral

I definitely shredded a couple knives the first year I had my sharpener. I actually lost more edge using a stone though.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I can't remember but I think one of the sides has a serious clearance issue.

Reddit— neutral

I do it very fast with the work sharp, otherwise it gets very hot and takes off too much material.

Reddit▲ recommend

razor sharp and better then new

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I collect sharpeners and I wouldn’t even think to buy this!

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