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If you’re like me, you’ve likely acquired quite a collection of knives over the years. You name it: hunting knives, fillet knives, fixed blades, and EDC pocket knives. I have a little bit of everything these days. And those knives come in various blade shapes, sizes, and steel configurations. That can make maintaining them all quite a challenge.
Enter the Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener. I’ve been using this system for about six months to maintain blades of all sizes, both expensive and cheap. It has allowed me to test every stone and accessory this sharpener includes. After all that testing and sharpening, I’m finally ready to give my verdict on the knife sharpener. Although it may have the word “professional” in its name, I wanted to determine its usefulness for everyday outdoor enthusiasts—and it surpassed my expectations.
Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener
Quick Overview
Specs
Weight: 7.5 pounds
Included Stones: Seven 6” abrasives
Edge Angles: 15 to 30 degrees
Pros
Takes the guesswork out of angles
Sharpens almost any blade size and type, even serrations
Heavy, rugged construction
Tons of accessories
Cons
Expensive
Some play/movement in lockdown mechanisms
Testing Results & Analysis
Features
The Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust is an angle sharpener that works on both serrated and plain edge knives. The idea is to lock the knife down and pull the abrasive stone over the edge at the same angle every time. This sharpener uses 6-inch stones that lock onto the arm via rare earth magnets. It’s a clever design that makes it easy to switch stone grits quickly. Work Sharp includes seven abrasives, ranging from 200 to 800 grit diamond to start. There is also a ceramic honing stone and a leather strop for removing the burr.
Also included in the package is a digital angle indicator that magnetizes to the sharpening rod. Place it on the rod and then turn the angle knob on top of the sharpener to adjust between 15 and 30 degrees. The indicator displays in quarter-degree increments for knives with an odd angle. There’s a visual indicator on the sharpener's main chassis, but the digital indicator is a must to ensure precision. It’s a nice bit of added value.
Quality and Construction
Everything about this sharpener feels well-made. Work Sharp used mostly metal parts for the chassis, rod, and clamp. The clamp is a neat feature of this sharpener. It creates a vice grip on the knife's spine, holding it perfectly horizontal. Once you’ve finished one side, depress the release button and turn it over to hit the other.
Sharpening Capabilities
One of the most challenging aspects of knife sharpening is simply holding a consistent angle. Admittedly, I struggle with this part of the process myself. Subsequently, I was thrilled at how easy this sharpener makes applying a consistent stroke. The hardest part is figuring out the angle of the blade you’re sharpening and what stones to select. Fortunately, Work Sharp has excellent instructions and videos to help answer these questions.
While Work Sharp touts this system for professionals, I don’t think it should intimidate newbies. If anything, it’s an excellent option for a novice sharpener since it eliminates so much of the guesswork. Once you raise a burr on one side of the knife, pull back on a lever on the top of the chassis to angle it. From there, rotate the clamp to the other side. You can then easily lower the chassis and sharpen the other side.
Using this system, I resharpened knives in as little as 15 minutes in most cases. Some harder steels, like S30V, obviously require more effort, but that’s the case with any sharpener. Lower-grade steels like 8Cr13MoV quickly returned to a razor’s edge.
In short, it was easy to maintain every knife that I own. This system offers a ton of versatility and can handle almost any blade shape. Even serrations were easy to sharpen using the narrow honing rod on the back of the abrasive handle. I own several other types of sharpeners, but this is the only one that can handle everything I own.
Versatility
This sharpener works as well for smaller knives as it does for larger ones. For the former, Work Sharp includes an insert they call the “small knife table.” It’s a block that slots into a holder to sharpen smaller knives. This accessory can maintain blades as short as an inch. It utilizes magnets rather than a clamp to hold the blade in place.
For the latter (like fillet knives or longer fixed blade knives), Work Sharp later introduced a plastic support that slots under the clamp. This feature is meant to support large knives, but I liked the feel of it, so I ended up using it all the time. Once that support is in place, the clamp on the sharpener is solid. Work Sharp also changed how the sharpening arm attaches to the chassis, which appears to have stabilized it better. Depending on the knife being sharpened, there is a minuscule amount of extra movement in the arm and clamp. However, for 95 percent of users, it shouldn’t be an issue. Only the most jaded of knife snobs will likely obsess over it.
Price
Work Sharp lists this sharpener on their website for $300, but I found it on Amazon for $250. Either way, this sharpener is an investment. However, for anyone who’s a serious knife buff, you probably already own blades that are more expensive than that. Several knives I tested with this system were in the $350 to $400 range.
Sure, there are angle sharpeners that may offer a more rock-solid grip. But those systems often cost $500 or more. Based on everything included in this kit, I think it’s worth the price tag, even if it doesn’t initially seem that way. If you already own expensive knives, it doesn’t make sense to maintain them with a cheap, subpar tool. This sharpener is built ruggedly for years of use.
Add-Ons and Upgrades
Work Sharp offers an upgrade kit for this sharpener that I did not test. However, it should make it easier to hone a polished mirror edge. It’s expensive, but includes 1200, 2000, and 3000 grit diamond plate stones and a leather strop. This upgrade is also offered as part of the Professional Precision Adjust Elite kit with a heavy-duty carrying case.
Verdict
As the owner of several knife sharpeners, this one is my favorite. One thing I neglected to mention is that this is a dry system. There is no messy water or oil on the whetstones to clean up later. Lock the blade down, set the angle, and get to work. It’s as easy as that. If you follow Work Sharp’s instructions, messing up a sharpening job is nearly impossible. It’s also not likely to damage a blade like an electric or pull-through sharpener. Overall, I love this thing. Maintaining your blades for the average hunter, angler, or outdoor enthusiast makes this sharpener a worthwhile investment.
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