Chef'sChoice Diamond Hone Sharpener 110: A Detailed Review
The Chef'sChoice 110 is one of the most recommended home knife sharpeners on the market, and has been for decades. If you're trying to decide whether it's worth the $130-160 price tag or whether a cheaper alternative will do the job just as well, this review covers the 110's actual performance, how it compares to similar sharpeners, and who gets the most value from it.
The short answer: the Chef'sChoice 110 produces an excellent edge on most Western kitchen knives and is worth the investment if you have a collection of quality knives that you want to maintain properly.
What the Chef'sChoice 110 Is and How It Works
The Chef'sChoice 110 is a three-stage electric knife sharpener. Each stage uses diamond abrasive wheels spinning at high speed. The stages are:
Stage 1 (Sharpening): 100% diamond abrasive wheels at 20 degrees per side. This stage removes metal and creates a new edge. It's the stage you use when a knife is genuinely dull.
Stage 2 (Sharpening/Honing): Finer diamond abrasives that refine the edge created in Stage 1.
Stage 3 (Stropping/Polishing): Flexible stropping disks that polish and align the final edge, similar to a leather strop.
The three-stage process produces what Chef'sChoice calls a "Trizor edge," which is a slightly convex micro-bevel that's both sharp and durable. The result is noticeable. Knives coming off the 110 have a polished, keen edge that performs noticeably better than pull-through sharpeners can achieve.
What Makes the 110 Different from Cheaper Sharpeners
The difference between a $15 pull-through sharpener and the Chef'sChoice 110 comes down to two things: the quality of the abrasive and the precision of the angle.
Cheap pull-through sharpeners use carbide or ceramic abrasives that remove metal aggressively and leave a rough edge. They work in the short term but remove too much material with each use, shortening knife life significantly. The angle guides are often imprecise.
The Chef'sChoice 110 uses diamond abrasives that cut efficiently without excessive material removal. The spring-loaded guides maintain consistent 20-degree angles. The three-stage process creates a genuinely sharp, polished edge rather than just a functional rough one.
The Edge Quality Difference
If you've been using cheap pull-through sharpeners and switch to the Chef'sChoice 110, the difference in the resulting edge is immediately obvious. Slicing tomatoes, cutting through meat, fine herb work: everything feels noticeably more controlled and effortless with an edge from the 110.
Performance on Different Knives
The 110 is optimized for knives with 20-degree edges per side, which is the standard for most Western kitchen knives (German brands like Wusthof, Henckels, and their equivalents).
German knives: Excellent results. The 110 is practically purpose-built for Wusthof, Henckels, and similar European-style knives. These knives were designed for 20-degree edges and the 110 maintains and restores that geometry precisely.
Western-style stainless knives: Works well for most home kitchen knives in this category.
Japanese knives (double-bevel): The 110 can sharpen Japanese knives, but many Japanese knives have 15-degree edges rather than 20 degrees. The 110 will put a 20-degree edge on a knife designed for 15 degrees, which works but isn't ideal for performance. If you have high-end Japanese knives, a whetstone is more appropriate.
Single-bevel Japanese knives: Not designed for single-bevel knives. Use a whetstone.
Serrated knives: The 110 does not sharpen serrated knives effectively. You need a dedicated serrated sharpener for those.
The Chef'sChoice 110 vs. The 130 and Other Models
Chef'sChoice makes several related models worth comparing:
Chef'sChoice 130: The professional version with slightly different abrasive configuration. Better for high-volume use, not meaningfully better for home kitchens.
Chef'sChoice 4643: A three-stage electric sharpener at a lower price point. Gets good reviews but doesn't produce quite the same edge quality as the 110.
Chef'sChoice 320: A two-stage electric for Japanese knives at 15 degrees. If you have a Japanese knife collection, this is more appropriate than the 110.
Chef'sChoice Manual: Several manual diamond hone models exist at lower price points. They work, but require more skill and consistent technique to produce the same results as the electric version.
For context on how sharpeners relate to the knives they're meant to maintain, the Best Knife Set roundup covers quality knife collections that benefit most from proper sharpening equipment.
Practical Considerations
Noise: The 110 is not silent. The motor and diamond wheels produce noticeable noise during sharpening. It's not ear-splitting, but it's not quiet either. Sharpening a knife takes 30-60 seconds, so it's brief.
Metal removal: The 110 removes more metal per pass than a whetstone. This is fine for home use where you sharpen occasionally. Don't run a knife through Stage 1 every time you use it, or you'll shorten the knife's lifespan. Stage 1 is for genuinely dull knives. Stage 3 alone is appropriate for light touch-up maintenance.
Learning curve: Minimal. Pull the knife through each stage slowly with light pressure. There's no technique to master beyond "go slowly."
Countertop footprint: The 110 measures about 9 inches long and requires a power outlet. It's not huge, but it needs a dedicated counter spot.
Who Should Buy the Chef'sChoice 110
The 110 makes sense for:
- Someone who owns good German-style kitchen knives and wants to maintain them at home without learning whetstone technique
- A household where knives get used frequently and maintaining sharpness matters
- Someone who has ruined knives with cheap pull-through sharpeners and wants to stop doing that
- A gift for a serious home cook who would actually use it
It's not the right choice for:
- Someone who primarily uses Japanese knives with 15-degree edges
- A minimal user who just wants something quick for occasional sharpening (a honing rod plus occasional whetstone is cheaper)
- Someone who wants to learn proper whetstone technique
The Best Rated Knife Sets guide covers quality knives that pair well with the investment in a quality sharpener like the 110.
FAQ
Can the Chef'sChoice 110 sharpen Japanese knives? It can, but it will set a 20-degree edge on knives designed for 15 degrees. This works functionally but isn't ideal. For Japanese knives, the Chef'sChoice 320 or a whetstone is the right tool.
How often should you use the Chef'sChoice 110 on kitchen knives? Stage 3 (stropping) can be used regularly for maintenance. Stage 1 (sharpening) should only be used when the knife is genuinely dull, not as routine maintenance. Overusing Stage 1 removes unnecessary metal.
Does the Chef'sChoice 110 work on scissors? Not effectively. The fixed slots are designed for knives. Scissors have a different blade geometry and require a dedicated scissors sharpener.
Is the Chef'sChoice 110 worth it compared to a whetstone? For German knives and Western-style kitchen knives in a home setting, yes. The 110 is consistent, fast, and produces excellent results without requiring skill development. Whetstones give more control and better results on Japanese knives, but have a steeper learning curve.
The Bottom Line
The Chef'sChoice Diamond Hone 110 is the sharpener to buy if you want to maintain German-style kitchen knives at home without becoming a sharpening expert. The three-stage diamond process produces edges that noticeably outperform cheap pull-through sharpener results. The price is real, but so is the quality difference. If your household uses quality knives daily, the 110 pays for itself in prolonged knife life and better cutting performance within the first year.