What’s the Best Way to Sharpen a Knife?

What’s the Best Way to Sharpen a Knife?

By Gregg Kielma Tactical K Training and Firearms

10/3/2026

I get asked this a lot, should I use an electric sharpener or a stone, I always start with the same point: your sharpening method decides how long your knife will live. Not just how sharp it gets today.

Electric Sharpeners

Electric sharpeners are fast, easy, and require almost no skill. You pull the blade through, the machine sets the angle, and you get a usable edge in a couple minutes. But convenience comes with a cost.

They remove more metal than necessary, shortening the lifespan of your knife. They produce fair to good edges, but rarely excellent ones. The fixed angle doesn’t match every knife, especially Japanese blades, which can lead to long‑term geometry damage.

Electric sharpeners are fine for cheap knives, fishing knives, or anything you don’t care about preserving. But for quality blades, they’re a compromise.

Whetstones

A whetstone is slower and requires practice but it’s the gold standard. You control the angle, pressure, and precision. Whetstones remove minimal metal, preserving the blade’s life. They produce excellent edge quality, better than any consumer electric sharpener. Professionals overwhelmingly prefer stones for high‑quality knives.

Yes, there’s a learning curve. But once you get it, you’ll never go back. A stone gives you a sharper edge, a longer‑lasting knife, and full control over your tools.

Kielma's Bottom Line

If you’re sharpening a $20 grocery‑store knife, use whatever is easiest. But if you’re sharpening a knife, you actually care about something you want to keep for years a whetstone is the right answer every time.

Electric sharpeners are fast.
Whetstones are correct.

And as someone who teaches people how to handle tools safely and effectively, I’ll always choose the method that preserves skill, control, and the life of the blade.