Real owners lean toward the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition: 78% of 111 owners recommend it, vs 69% of 13 for the Work Sharp MK2.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
“I have the Ken Onion version. At $140, it's great and a better value than the Mk.2.”— @jonfeuerborn5859 on YouTube
“If you get one of these don’t tell anyone. I made that mistake and now sharpen all the knives for all my coworkers and family.”— @shakeandbaked1 on YouTube
“Of coarse nothing is compatible with the old one.”— @dlrmon1 on YouTube
“Worked great, time saver and simple to use. Would highly recommend.”— @masterxiong7368 on YouTube
“I'm really pleased with this! It works like a charm”— @brucefleming3309 on YouTube
“It's easy to say don't turn on the machine when you aren't left handed and have to use the entire machine backwards.”— @CJTheReal on YouTube
Real owners lean toward the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition: 78% of 111 owners recommend it, vs 69% of 13 for the Work Sharp MK2.
Owners point the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition at home cooks wanting razor-sharp kitchen knives fast, and beginners seeking great results with little skill.
Owners point the Work Sharp MK2 at beginners wanting fast, simple sharpening results, and home cooks touching up kitchen knives.
The most-cited downside of the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition is removes too much steel and can eat blades if you're not careful. For the Work Sharp MK2, it's steep learning curve where owners report ruining, unevenly grinding, or rounding the tips of blades while learning, with some restricting it to cheap kitchen knives only after damaging good ones.