11% of 111 verified Work Sharp Ken Onion Editionowners don't recommend it — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
For balance: 78% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score
“Of coarse nothing is compatible with the old one.”— @dlrmon1 on YouTube
“Design flaw for non kitchen knifes- leather pad on the guide has to be a solid piece covering the ENTIRE guide surface”— @igorgoga7985 on YouTube
“Sorry they are not worth the money. There is way better sharpeners on the market”— @sirwallygator565 on YouTube
“Had it, hated it, top idler bearing burned out after a few uses and I tossed it in the trash”— @The_RC_Guru on YouTube
“he noticed less edge retention with the Work Sharp compared to sharpening with stones”— @johnarnold8468 on YouTube
“It works but the steel is just poor quality and they don't hold a edge.”— creamersrealm on Reddit
“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.”— Vaugith on Reddit
“I have gone through two Motors they do not stand out in Canada.”— @ronbyer7483 on YouTube
“there WILL be a tiny piece of the heel that wont be sharpened”— @De4dPoo1 on YouTube
“The tips can't possibly have an even grind as it is. The tips become rounded with an obvious transition point”— @AgoristsAxioms on YouTube
“Keeping a consistent 30 degree edge on a plane blade doesn’t seem possible. The ‘hold it flat’ seems like a hope.”— @rpclance on YouTube
“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”— CreepyPoet500 on Reddit
Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.
“have to be REAL careful with the more course bands because even at slow speed they take a lot of material off 8cr”— Faloopa on Reddit
“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.”— Aromatic-Wealth-3211 on Reddit
“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.”— Shaken-babytini on Reddit
“I do it very fast with the work sharp, otherwise it gets very hot and takes off too much material.”— PapaSyntax on Reddit
“It took me about a week to get good with it.. and yes, if your sharpening cheap steel they WILL eat the the steels if your not careful”— chrisr089 on Reddit
“You can burn your edges even with moderate speeds and you have to be careful not to round the tip of the knife.”— toker on BladeForums