Hot take: I bought a $300 electric knife sharpener that ruined my boning knife
It overheated and took the temper right out of the steel, leaving a soft spot about two inches long. Anyone have a reliable manual system they swear by for keeping an edge on curved blades?
My grandpa had this old butcher shop in Cleveland that closed in the 90s. He used the same manual sharpening steel for forty years, just a few swipes before each shift. I still have it, and the edge it puts on a curved blade is unreal. It's all about the angle and a consistent hand, something a machine just can't feel. I tried a fancy electric once and it ground the profile off my favorite paring knife. Never again.
Ugh, that's brutal. I read a whole article about how those fast electric ones can wreck a blade's heat treat. They said if you see any blue or rainbow colors on the metal while sharpening, it's already too late and the steel is ruined. A good whetstone is slower but way safer.