Comparison Risam RE005 vs Xiaomi HU0045

- Stone. It is also a “sharpening stone” or “touchstone”. The simplest type of sharpener, used since prehistoric times: a block of abrasive material, along which a knife applied at the desired angle is passed during the sharpening process. Modern stone sharpeners can be equipped with various additional devices: stands, protective covers for storage and transportation, compartments for auxiliary accessories, etc. However, sharpening on such devices is carried out strictly by hand, and the angle usually also has to be controlled “by eye”. This, on the one hand, requires certain skills, on the other hand, it allows you to choose the angle at your discretion, which can be especially useful for some non-standard types of sharpening. In addition, due to their simplicity, stones are inexpensive, and due to their large sizes, they last quite a long time.

— Manual sharpener. Devices for sharpening knives, held in the hands while working (however, there are models with stands that allow you to place them on a table or other suitable surface). A distinctive feature of many manual sharpeners is the characteristic groove into which the knife is inserted when sharpening. Inside the groove there is a pair of abrasive pads located at an angle optimal for sharpening. Thus, the user only needs to move the knife in the groove several times, holding the blade vertically - the desired cutting angle will be provided by...the design of the sharpener itself. Many models of this type have several grooves that differ in roughness and other processing features. There are other options - for example, with the Lansky sharpening system (see “System”). Be that as it may, a manual sharpener will be the best choice for infrequent household use - for example, periodic sharpening of kitchen knives.

— Pocket sharpener. In accordance with the name, pocket sharpeners are small in size, allowing you to easily carry such a product with you. Some of them are also equipped with additional devices for ease of carrying - for example, a chain for hanging as a keychain. But the design of pocket models may be different. For example, some of them have grooves for sharpening, similar to manual sharpeners (see above); others open like a butterfly knife, only instead of a blade, a small sharpening stone comes out of the handle; still others have a “dog bone” type design, in the form of a rod made of abrasive material with protective and decorative linings at the ends, etc. In any case, a pocket model will be indispensable if you often have to be away from home and need to have a sharpener at hand - for example, on a camping trip or fishing (many models are suitable for sharpening hooks, see below). Of course, the capabilities of such products are noticeably more modest than those of larger analogues, and the quality of work is lower; but for express sharpening in the field this is quite enough.

— Power machine. An advanced type of modern electric sharpeners: functional designs that allow you to configure many additional sharpening parameters and/or significantly speed up the process. However, the main distinguishing feature of the machine is the presence of a base for installation on a horizontal surface - such devices are not suitable for holding in the hands. Power machines, as a rule, use replaceable sharpening stones, have adjustable sharpening angles, and sometimes have special operating modes.

— Stone for the sharpening system. Granular abrasive bars used as replacement attachments in certain sharpening systems such as Lansky or Apex (see “System”). Sharpening stones come in different types and grits. Typically, coarser stones have larger abrasive particles - they are designed to remove significant defects and restore sharpness. Fine abrasive stones are used for finishing sharpening of products and creating a finer edge.

— Professional sharpening machine. Specialized equipment designed for sharpening cutting tools. Professional-class models provide increased sharpening accuracy, provide a variety of flexible settings, and use various types of abrasive materials. Some professional machines may be automated and have control programs to provide more accurate results. Such models are not cheap, so for ordinary home use it hardly makes sense to purchase them. But if you have to sharpen often, in large quantities, and different types of blades (for example, in a tool sharpening workshop), such a device will be the best choice.

— Musat. Strictly speaking, musat is not a sharpener in the full sense. Its purpose is not so much to remove material from the edge of the knife, but to straighten it - to eliminate irregularities and burrs. This procedure does not replace full sharpening, but it still allows you to keep the cutting edge in working condition longer: the quality of work often deteriorates not so much because of the dullness of the knife, but because of deformations of the blade. And the musats still have some abrasive effect, slowing down the dullness. Externally, musat looks like a file with a round or oval shaft that tapers from the handle to the end; When working with such a rod, pass along the cutting edge several times. Note that the grinders are intended mainly for steel in the hardness range of 50 – 60 HRC: too much material will be removed from a softer blade (it’s easier to sharpen it in the usual way), and the grinder simply won’t work on a harder blade.

Drive power installed in an electric grinding machine. The indicator is expressed in watts. The larger and harder the tool being processed, the more powerful the electric sharpener is needed. However, for sharpening knives at home, a power level of up to about 450 W, or even less, is quite sufficient.

Number of levels of sharpening and/or grinding of knives. In basic models there are often few of them - rough sharpening, grinding and polishing, nothing more. Sharpeners with a large number of levels are less common and often cover the advanced or professional segment.

The smallest grit provided in the design of the sharpener or among the complete replacement whetstones. It also indicates the standard grain size for models that have only one type of abrasive surface.

The universal unit for grit is GRIT. Simplified, GRIT grit can be described as the smallest number of holes per square inch of a sieve, at which individual abrasive grains can no longer wake up through this sieve. Accordingly, the higher the GRIT number, the finer the grain will be and the lower the granularity will be.

The purity and intensity of sharpening directly depends on this indicator. The finer the grit, the finer the finish and the lower the abrasive performance, and vice versa, coarser surfaces are well suited for initial sharpening, roughing and/or removing large amounts of material.

Here is a rough table of recommendations for optimal GRIT grit for different applications:

80 – 600 — peeling work (for example, correcting the thickness or geometry of the cutting edge or the entire blade).
600 – 3000 – preparatory work (elimination of traces of peeling), initial sharpening.
3000 – 6000 – semi-finish and fine sharpening.
More than 6000 – final finishing, polishing, straightening of the cutting edge.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that the processing features also depend on the material of the abrasive (see above). For example, ceramic surfaces with...the same grain size work more delicately and more slowly than diamond ones. More detailed recommendations on optimal grit values and the specifics of various materials can be found in special sources.

The largest grain size of the abrasive surface provided in the design of the sharpener (or among the replaceable whetstones supplied as standard).

See “Min. graininess" above. This parameter is indicated only if the sharpener has several abrasive surfaces with different grain sizes. The greater the difference between the minimum and maximum graininess, the more universal this model is, usually, the more options it offers in terms of processing intensity. On the other hand, a wide variety of abrasive surfaces has a corresponding effect on the cost.