Farberware Knife Sharpener: What It Does and Whether It's Worth It

If you're looking at a Farberware knife sharpener, you're probably trying to figure out whether it can actually restore an edge or whether it'll just chew up your blades. The short answer: Farberware electric and manual sharpeners work fine for everyday stainless steel kitchen knives, especially in the $20 to $40 price range where they mostly live. They won't perform miracles on badly damaged knives, but for regular maintenance they get the job done.

Here's what you need to know about how Farberware sharpeners work, where they perform well, where they fall short, and how to use them correctly so you don't shorten your knives' lifespan unnecessarily.

What Farberware Knife Sharpeners Are

Farberware sells a range of kitchen tools at budget-friendly prices, and their knife sharpeners are no different. Most are either two- or three-stage electric sharpeners, or simple pull-through manual sharpeners with carbide or ceramic slots.

Electric Models

The Farberware electric sharpeners use abrasive wheels that spin when you pull the knife through a guide slot. The coarser first stage grinds away metal to reset the edge, while the finer second or third stage polishes and refines it. The guides hold the knife at a fixed angle, usually around 20 degrees, which is appropriate for most Western-style kitchen knives.

These typically run between $25 and $45 on Amazon and are compact enough to store in a drawer.

Manual Pull-Through Models

The manual versions use either carbide blades or ceramic rods set at a fixed angle. You draw the knife toward you with light pressure a few times and the abrasive material removes a small amount of steel to re-establish the edge.

Manual pull-throughs are faster than electric for quick touch-ups but less effective for restoring a seriously dull blade. They're also less consistent since your pulling speed and pressure affect the result more than with electric models.

Where Farberware Sharpeners Perform Well

Farberware sharpeners are a solid fit for a specific type of user: someone who owns a mid-range knife set, uses it daily for normal cooking tasks, and wants to keep the knives reasonably sharp without spending a lot of time on maintenance.

If your knives are already fairly sharp and you're just trying to maintain the edge, the carbide pre-sharpener stage followed by the ceramic honing stage gives you a workable result in under a minute. Many cooks find that 3 to 5 pulls through a good electric sharpener every few weeks keeps their knives cutting cleanly.

They also work well for stainless steel knives in the $30 to $100 range. Brands like Cuisinart, Chicago Cutlery, and Farberware's own knife sets are all good candidates.

Where They Fall Short

There are a few situations where Farberware sharpeners aren't the right tool.

High-end or hard Japanese knives shouldn't go through a Farberware pull-through. Japanese knives are often ground at 15 degrees or less, and sharpening them at 20 degrees rounds off the geometry you paid for. They're also usually harder steel (60+ on the Rockwell scale) and the abrasives in budget sharpeners can cause microchipping rather than a clean edge.

Severely damaged edges with chips or rolled steel need a coarser approach than most pull-through sharpeners offer. A professional sharpening service, a bench stone, or an electric sharpener with a dedicated repair slot is more appropriate.

Single-bevel knives like Japanese yanagiba or deba should never go through a V-style pull-through sharpener. Those knives are sharpened on one side only.

If you're investing in better knives and want to maintain them properly, check out our Best Kitchen Knives guide. Knowing what you own informs what sharpening approach makes sense.

How to Use a Farberware Sharpener Correctly

Getting a decent result from a pull-through sharpener comes down to consistency and not overdoing it.

For Electric Models

1. Place the sharpener on a stable surface with the base flat
2. Start in the coarsest slot only if the knife is noticeably dull, not for routine maintenance
3. For regular touch-ups, start in the medium or fine slot
4. Pull the knife through using light, steady downward pressure, drawing from heel to tip in one smooth motion
5. Alternate sides if it's a two-step process, or let the machine do it for you if slots are paired
6. Rinse and dry the blade after sharpening to remove metal dust

For Manual Pull-Throughs

The same principles apply. Consistent pressure and a smooth pull matter more than speed. Three to five passes through each stage is typically enough. More passes remove more metal without necessarily improving sharpness, so there's no benefit to running the knife through 20 times.

How It Compares to Other Sharpening Methods

Pull-through sharpeners are the most convenient option but not the most precise. Here's how Farberware models stack up against alternatives:

For most home cooks using a standard stainless steel set, a Farberware electric sharpener is a reasonable low-effort maintenance solution. For serious cooks with expensive knives, it's a tool to avoid.

Our Top Kitchen Knives guide also covers how different blade types respond to different sharpening approaches, which is worth a read before committing to a method.

FAQ

Will a Farberware sharpener work on serrated knives?

Some Farberware models include a serrated knife slot that sharpens only one side of the blade. It's a basic maintenance approach, not a true serration resharpening. It's fine for keeping bread knives usable but won't restore badly worn serrations.

How often should I sharpen my knives with a Farberware sharpener?

Most home cooks benefit from a quick pass through a fine slot every two to four weeks depending on how often they cook. If you're cutting a lot of hard vegetables or tough meat, more frequent touch-ups help. If the knife still feels sharp after a honing steel pass, skip the sharpener.

Does using a pull-through sharpener shorten knife lifespan?

Yes, every pass removes a small amount of steel. Pull-through sharpeners remove more metal per pass than whetstones, so over years of frequent use the blade gets shorter and eventually unusable. The fix is simple: use the coarse slot sparingly and rely on the fine slot for most maintenance.

Can I sharpen my Farberware knives with a different brand's sharpener?

Absolutely. A knife sharpener doesn't need to match the knife brand. What matters is the angle the sharpener uses versus the angle ground into your knife. Most Farberware knives are 20-degree Western-style, so any Western-angle pull-through will work.

Conclusion

A Farberware sharpener is a practical choice if you own mid-range stainless steel kitchen knives and want a low-effort way to keep them sharp. The electric models are more consistent than the manual pull-throughs and worth the extra few dollars if you'll be sharpening regularly. Skip the coarse stage unless the blade is genuinely dull, and you'll get a decent edge without removing more steel than necessary. For high-carbon or Japanese knives, look at whetstones or a professional sharpening service instead.