Chef's Choice Electric 130 Knife Sharpener Manual

INTRODUCTION

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO ACHIEVE OPTIMUM RESULTS.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be followed including the following:

1. Read all instructions.
2. To protect against electrical hazards, do not immerse the Chef'sChoice® in water or other liquid.
3. Make sure that only clean knife blades are inserted in the Chef'sChoice®.
4. Unplug from outlet when not in use, before putting on or taking off parts and before cleaning.
5. Avoid contacting moving parts.
6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug or after the appliance malfunctions, or is dropped or damaged in any manner.
   U.S. customers: You may return your sharpener to EdgeCraft's factory for service where the cost of repair or electrical or mechanical adjustment can be estimated. If the electrical cord on this appliance is damaged, it must be replaced by the Chef'sChoice distributor or other qualified service to avoid the danger of electrical shock.
   Outside U.S.: Please return your sharpener to your local distributor where the cost of repair or electrical or mechanical adjustment can be estimated. If the supply cord of this appliance is damaged, it must be replaced by a repair facility appointed by the manufacturer because special tools are required. Please consult your Chef'sChoice distributor.
7. 
   This appliance may be fitted with a polarized plug (one blade is wider than the other). To reduce the risk of electric shock, this plug will fit in a polarized outlet only one way. If the plug does not fit fully in the outlet, reverse the plug. If it still does not fit, contact a qualified electrician. Do not modify the plug in anyway.
8. The use of attachments not recommended or sold by EdgeCraft Corporation may cause fire, electric shock, or injury.
9. The Chef'sChoice® Model 130 is designed to sharpen kitchen knives, pocket knives and most sport knives. Do not attempt to sharpen scissors, ax blades or any blade that does not fit freely in the slots.
10. Do not let the cord hang over edge of table or counter or touch hot surfaces.
11. When in the "ON" position (Red color on switch is exposed when "on") the Chef'sChoice® should always be on a stable countertop or table.
12. 
    KNIVES PROPERLY SHARPENED ON YOUR Chef'sChoice® WILL BE SHARPER THAN YOU EXPECT. TO AVOID INJURY USE AND HANDLE THEM WITH EXTREME CARE. DO NOT CUT TOWARD ANY PART OF YOUR FINGERS, HAND OR BODY. DO NOT RUN FINGER ALONG EDGE. STORE IN A SAFE MANNER.
13. Do not use outdoors.
14. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near children.
15. Do not use honing oils, water, or any other lubricant with the Chef'sChoice® sharpener.
16. For household use only.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

UNDERSTANDING THE VERSATILE

CHEF'SCHOICE® PROFESSIONAL SHARPENING STATION® MODEL 130
The unique Chef'sChoice® Sharpening Station Model 130 is designed to sharpen each knife according to your intended use, whether it be gourmet food preparation, butchering, dressing of game or filleting of fish. You can sharpen knives made with either straight or serrated edges. This novel three (3) Stage Sharpening Station® has a precision conical disk sharpening-stage with fine 100% diamond abrasives, a revolutionary precision steeling stage and a precise polishing/stropping stage, which uses proprietary flexible abrasive disks. These stages can be used in different sequences to give you either astonishingly sharp, smooth faceted edges for effortless cutting and presentations or edges with a selected amount of "bite" along the facets. You will find that such "bite" can aid substantially in the difficult chores of cutting fibrous foods, meats, stalky vegetables, dressing of game or household chores such as cutting cardboard, leather, carpet, etc.
The following sections describe the general procedures for optimal sharpening in each stage and suggest how you can optimize the knife edge for your intended uses.
Unless you do a lot of heavy duty cutting you will need to use Stage 1 only infrequently.
One of the important advantages of using the Chef'sChoice® Professional Sharpening Station® is that you can steel and polish your knives to razor sharp edges as often as needed and yet experience little knife wear compared to older sharpening methods.
Because the Professional Sharpening Station® is extremely versatile, you will quickly find the perfect edge for each use. The Model 130 is, however, designed to easily create three of the most popular but different edges as follows:

THE ULTIMATE FINE EDGE

To create an astonishingly sharp and durable edge – better than the conventional "factory-edge" – you need use only Stage 1 and Stage 3. In this two step process the edge is first sharpened with 100% diamonds and then gently stropped and polished with ultrafine abrasives to hair-splitting sharpness, perfect for preparing decorative platters and for precision slicing of more delicate foods.

PROFESSIONALLY STEELED EDGE

The Sharpening Station incorporates the latest breakthrough from Chef'sChoice® – an easy and precise method to steel the sharpened edge to a better than professional level. The edge is first sharpened in Stage 1 and then steeled in Stage 2 at a highly precise and controlled angle to create an exceptionally effective microscopically serrated (steeled) edge, the type preferred by professionals for the more fibrous foods.

STEELED AND POLISHED EDGE

For those who prefer the ultimate steeled edge, the steeled edge prepared in Stages 1 and 2 can be given one quick pass on each side of the edge through Stage 3 to refine and further enhance the sharpness of the steeled edge.
The Professional Sharpening Station is equipped with a manually activated diamond dressing pad that can be used, if necessary, to clean any accumulated food or sharpening debris from the ultrafine abrasive surface of the Stage 3 polishing/stropping disks.
We strongly urge that you always thoroughly clean your knives before sharpening them. You should go months or even a year or more before you need to dress these disks. Only if you sense a distinct decrease in polishing efficiency in Stage 3 will there be any need to use this convenient feature described further in a subsequent section.

The Sharpening Station (Figure 1) is equipped with flexible guide springs that are positioned over each stage to provide a spring action that holds the face of your knife securely against precision angled guide planes in the right and left slots of each stage.

Figure 1. Model 130 Professional Sharpening Station^® .

Unless you have special blades designed to be sharpened primarily on one side of the edge (such as Japanese Kataba blades), you will want to sharpen equally and alternately in the right and left slots of each stage that you use. This will insure that the facets on each side of the edge are of equal size and that the edge will cut straight at all times. When sharpening in any stage the knife should, on sequential strokes, be pulled alternately through the left slot and the right slot of that stage. Always operate the sharpener from the front side (the power switch facing you). Hold the blade horizontal and level, slide it down between the plastic spring and the guide plane and pull it toward you at a uniform rate as it contacts the sharpening, steeling or stropping members. You will be able to feel and hear the contact as it is made. Always keep the blade moving uniformly through each stage; do not stop your pull in mid stroke. A consistent pull speed of about 6 seconds per stroke for an eight (8) inch blade is recommended. The time can be less for shorter blades and more for longer blades.
Never operate the sharpener from the back side.
Use just enough pressure when sharpening or steeling to insure uniform and consistent contact of the blade with the abrasive disks or miniature steel on each stroke. Additional pressure is unnecessary and will not speed the sharpening process. Avoid cutting into the plastic enclosure. However, accidental cutting into the enclosure will not functionally impact operations of the sharpener or damage the edge. Figure 1 identifies each of the three stages as described further in the following sections.

Figure 2. Typical kitchen knife.

INSTRUCTIONS

READ THIS BEFORE YOU START TO SHARPEN
The Chef'sChoice® Professional Sharpening Station® is designed to sharpen either Fine-edge or Serrated edge blades and to steel Fine-edge blades.

Note: Sharpen Serrated Blades Only in Stage 3. See Section titled Procedure for Sharpening Serrated Blades for more details.

PROCEDURE FOR CREATING THE ULTIMATE EDGE ON STRAIGHT EDGE BLADES

SHARPENING FOR THE FIRST TIME
Before you turn on the power, remove the cover positioned over Stage 1 and slip a knife blade smoothly into the slot between the left angle guide of Stage 1 and the flexible spring. Do not twist the knife (See Figure 3).

Figure 3. Stage 1. Inserting blade in slot between guide and flexible spring. Alternate individual pulls in right and left slots.

Move the blade down in the slot until you feel it contact the diamond disk. Pull it towards you lifting the handle slightly as you approach the tip. This will give you a feel for the spring tension.
Remove the knife and press the Power Switch. A red "indicator" on the switch appears when this switch is turned "ON".

Stage 1:
Start in Stage 1. Pull the knife once through the left slot of Stage 1 (Figure 3) by slipping the blade between the left angle guide and the polymeric spring while pulling the blade toward you and simultaneously moving the blade downward in the slot until it engages the diamond coated disk. You will hear it make contact with the disk. Insert the blade as close as possible to its bolster or handle and pull it at a steady rate until it exits the slot. If the blade is curved, lift the handle slightly as you sharpen near the tip of the knife, keeping the blade edge approximately parallel to the table. Sharpen the entire blade length. For an eight (8) inch blade each pull should take about 6 seconds. Pull shorter blades through in 2-3 seconds and longer blades in 8 seconds. Next, repeat with one full length pull in the right slot of Stage 1.
Note: Each time you insert the blade you should simultaneously pull the blade toward you. Never push the blade away from you. Apply just enough downward pressure to make contact with the disk – added pressure does not modify or speed the sharpening process. Make an equal number of pulls alternating in the left and right slots in order to keep the edge facets symmetrical.

Except when you are sharpening for the first time in Stage 1 or if the blade is very dull, you will find that one or two pairs of alternating pulls are adequate. Then after checking for a burr on the edge as described below proceed to Stage 3. Stage 1 sharpening is considered complete when a burr exists along one side of the edge.

Checking for the Burr
After completing stage 1 you should confirm that a burr (see Figure 4) exists along one side of the edge. To check for the burr, move your forefinger carefully across and away from the edge as shown in the Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4. Develop a distinct burr along knife edge before stropping in Stage 3.


Figure 5. Burr can be detected by sliding fingers across and away from the edge. Caution! See text.

(Do not move your finger along the edge – to avoid cutting your finger). If the last pull was in the right slot of Stage 1, the burr will appear only on the right side of the blade (as you hold it) and vise versa. The burr, when present, feels like a rough and bent extension of the edge; the opposite side of the edge feels very smooth by comparison. If a burr exists, proceed to Stage 3.

If no burr exists, make one (1) additional pull in the left and right slots of Stage 1 before proceeding to Stage 3. Slower pulls will help develop the burr. Confirm the presence of the burr and only then proceed to Stage 3.

Stage 3: In general only two pairs of pulls in Stage 3 will be necessary to obtain a razor sharp edge. As in Stage 1, make alternate pulls in the left (Figure 6) and right slots, pulling the knife through the slots at the same speed used in Stage 1.

Figure 6. Inserting blade in left slot of Stage 3. Alternate left and right slots.

More pulls in Stage 3 will refine the edge further, creating an edge particularly desirable for gourmet preparations. Fewer pulls in Stage 3 may be preferable if you will be cutting fibrous foods.

Resharpening: Resharpen straight edge knives whenever practical using only Stage 3. When that fails to quickly resharpen, return to Stage 1 and make one or two pairs of alternating pulls. Then return to Stage 3 where generally only two alternating pairs of pulls will be adequate to put a new razor-like edge on the knife. You will find it unnecessary to use Stage 1 as a first step in resharpening unless the knife has been dulled excessively.

DRESSING OF STROPPING/POLISHING DISKS – STAGE 3

The Chef'sChoice® Professional Sharpening Station® is equipped with a built-in accessory to manually clean/dress the stropping/ polishing disks in Stage 3. In the event these disks become glazed with grease, food or sharpening debris, they can be cleaned and reshaped by actuating the manual lever on the rear of the sharpener. This lever is located within a recess as shown in Figure 7 on the lower left corner as you face the rear of the Sharpening Station.

Figure 7. Stage 3 disks can be cleaned if necessary. Use infrequently. (See instructions).

To actuate the cleaning/ dressing tool, make sure the power is on and simply press the small lever in the recess to the right or left and hold for 3 seconds. When the lever is moved in one direction, the dressing tool cleans and reshapes the active surface of one stropping/ polishing disk. By next moving in the opposite direction you clean the other disk.
Use this clean/dress accessory only if and when Stage 3 no longer appears to be stropping/polishing well or when it takes too many pulls to obtain a razor sharp edge. Using this tool removes material from the surface of the Stage 3 disks and hence, if used excessively, it will unnecessarily remove too much of the abrasive surface – wearing the disks out prematurely. If that should occur, factory replacement of the disks will become necessary. If you clean your knives regularly before sharpening you should need to clean or dress the Stage 3 disks only about once a year or less frequently.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROFESSIONAL STEELED EDGE

With the Chef'sChoice^® Professional Sharpening Station^® you will for the first time be able to experience the pleasure of cutting and slicing with perfectly steeled edges. You can in just seconds create steeled edges with that extra "bite" and sharpness unmatched by even the most experienced professionals.
The steeling Stage 2 contains a unique miniature steel made of a special high carbon steel hardened to about Rockwell C-65 which is much harder than any commercially available cutlery. Consequently this special rod will show very little wear from repeated contact with the edge as you steel your finest and hardest knives.
Precision knife guides in Stage 2 control and precisely align the face of the knife as the blade is inserted into the slot between the guide and the blade retention spring (See figure 8).

Figure 8. Blade should be Steeled alternately in left and right slots of Stage 2.

To use, insert the blade alternately into the left and then the right slots and pull forward so that the knife is held securely and the edge slides along the surface of the hardened miniature steel. When steeling, it is not necessary to turn on the electrical power, however power is always needed when using Stages 1 and 3.
The steel rod is supported by flexible materials that allow the rod to deflect when excessive force is applied to the blade. This feature and the ultra-precise and consistent angular contact maintained stroke after stroke between the knife edge and the hardened steel rods are key to optimizing the edge structure. Viewed under a microscope, the edge created by steeling in Stage 2 presents a uniform formation of exceedingly fine and supersharp micro-serrations. Even after many uses and steeling of the knife edge, the original edge geometry is maintained and the edge does not round-off like it would using a conventional manual steel, which has no angle control.
Because of the consistent and precise angular control, Stage 2 maintains a shaving sharp edge while it creates the uniform row of microscopic serrations along the knife edge. If the edge is damaged when used for cutting, the Steeling Station will restore the edge micro-serrations while maintaining the sharpness of the edge. This type of edge conditioning is unique to the Sharpening Station.
At the top of the miniature steel rod is a slotted cap that accepts a coin or other tool so you can rotate the steel rod slightly (one "click") to expose a fresh area of the steel rod surface (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Rotating the steel with coin in slot.

This is necessary only if the rod becomes sufficiently worn locally that the edge conditioning process slows significantly. When the rod is rotated, fresh surfaces of the steel are made available in both the left and right slots. A spring finger extends from the end of the knife retention spring and clicks into a shallow groove in the cap on top of the steel rod. When a new surface on the steel becomes necessary, rotate the slot counter-clockwise one click. By this means, approximately 28 pairs of "steeling" areas are available over the lifetime of the rod. Because the knife edge can be pulled over a given pair of areas on the rods several thousand times before the wear affects the rate or precision of the edge formation, the rods will not need to be rotated very often and they can last a lifetime with normal household use. Replacement rods are, however, available from the EdgeCraft Corporation.

CREATING THE PROFESSIONAL STEELED EDGE

The steeled edge is created simply by first sharpening the blade normally in Stage 1 and then steeling in Stage 2. The highly accurate angle guides in Stage 1 and Stage 2 are set at precisely the optimum angles to insure rapid and full development of the steeled edge. Fine microscopic serrations are consequently created in Stage 2 while maintaining the geometry and sharpness created in the Stage 1 sharpening step.

Step 1. Sharpen the blade fully in Stage 1 as described in the preceding section and summarized below:

1. Pull the blade slowly through the left slot of stage 1. Repeat by pulling the blade through the right slot of Stage 1.
2. Repeat (a) above by pulling the knife again through the left and right slots of Stage 1. Check the blade edge to insure a burr has been fully formed along the entire edge (See figures 4 and 5). Then proceed to Step 2.

Step 2. Steel the edge in Stage 2.
Move the blade forward over the left slot of Stage 2 and insert it between the guide plane and the blade retaining spring (See Figure 8) as close as possible to the bolster or handle. The face of the blade should be in intimate contact with the guide plane. Pull the blade toward you as you press down lightly on the blade so the edge makes good contact with the steel rod (NOTE: The miniature steel rod is stationary and not powered). Make sure the edge maintains steady contact with the steel rod from the handle to the tip of the blade. Repeat this procedure making a full stroke in the opposite right slot between that guide and the spring. You should repeat this motion making alternating pairs of pulls until the edge is fully conditioned.
You need make only about 10 pairs of alternating pulls to develop a good edge. Making another 10 pairs of alternating pulls will further refine the edge and remove virtually all remnants of the burr left from pre-sharpening. You will now find the knife cuts exceedingly well.

RESHARPENING THE STEELED EDGE

Whenever your knives appear to lose their "bite" or to be slightly dull, you can recondition the edge to its prior performance with only about 10 pairs of alternating pulls in Stage 2. You will need more pulls than that only if you have used the knife heavily for an extended time. Resharpen the edge in Stage 1 when you feel it is taking too long (too many strokes) to recondition the edge in Stage 2 to its initial performance.
Because you can reestablish the microstructure along the steeled edge of your knives so easily and so many times before it will be necessary to resharpen the edge, you will find your knives last longer. Conventional steels lacking angle control will, in most hands, create a rounded and dull the edge after steeling the edge only a few times, making it necessary to resharpen the edge frequently, thus reducing the useful life of the knife. The Professional Sharpening Station® is not designed to steel the edge of serrated blades. You can steel the single beveled Japanese Kataba type knives. However, because the edge on one side of these knives is not beveled, you will optimize your results by applying slightly less pressure when that side of the edge is being conditioned.

PROCEDURE FOR POLISHED STEELED EDGE

While the professional steeled edge prepared in Stages 1 and 2 as described above is very sharp, it is possible to further enhance the edge sharpness with one very fast pull through the stropping disks of Stage 3. Because the sharpening angles of Stages 2 and 3 are very close, the microserrations can be slightly polished in Stage 3 without removing the serrations. However the stropping action of Stage 3 will remove the microserrrations if the contact time in Stage 3 is too great. By making one fast (2 seconds) pull thru the left slot followed by one fast (2 seconds) pull thru the right slot in Stage 3 you can simply enhance or "polish" the steeled edge.

If you make slower or more pulls thru Stage 3 you will remove completely the microscopic serrations developed during steeling in Stage 2. In that event, resharpen again in Stage 1 to develop a full burr along the edge and repeat the steeling steps in Stage 2.

Resharpening the Steeled and Polished Edge: Steel in stage 2 with 10 pairs of alternating pulls. Every second or third time you find it necessary to steel your knives, follow the steeling with one (1) very fast pair of alternating pulls in Stage 3.

PROCEDURE FOR SHARPENING SERRATED BLADES

Serrated blades are similar to small saw blades with scalloped depressions and a series of pointed teeth. In normal use the pointed teeth do most of the cutting.
Serrated blades of all types can be sharpened in the Chef'sChoice® Model 130. However, use only Stage 3 (Figure 10), which will straighten, realign and sharpen the teeth of the serrations and develop microblades along the edge of these teeth. Generally five (5) to ten (10) pairs of alternating pulls in Stage 3 will be adequate. If the knife is very dull more pulls will be needed.

Figure 10. Sharpen serrated blades only in Stage 3. (See instructions).

Because serrated blades are saw-like structures, the edges will never appear to be as "sharp" as the edge on a straight edge knife. However, their tooth-like structure will help break the skin on hard crusty foods and penetrate other materials such as cardboard.

TEST FOR EDGE SHARPNESS

To test periodically for sharpness and cutting ability of your fine edge or steeled edge hold a sheet of paper by the edge and carefully cut the sheet a small (but safe) distance from your finger. A sharp edge will cut smoothly without tearing the paper.
Alternatively try cutting a tomato. The knife should pierce through the skin of the tomato and cut through it on the first pull without significant force applied to the knife. This is also a good test for serrated blades.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Always clean all food, fat and foreign materials from knife before sharpening or resharpening. If soiled, wash the blade before sharpening.
2. Use only light downward pressure when sharpening – just enough to establish secure contact with the abrasive disk.
3. Always pull the blade at the recommended speed and at a constant rate over length of blade. Never interrupt or stop the motion of the blade when in contact with the abrasive disks.
4. Always alternate pulls in right and left slots (of any stage used). Specialized Japanese blades are an exception and are sharpened primarily on one side (beveled side) of the blade.
5. The edge of the knife blade, while sharpening, should be held in a level position relative to the top of the counter or table. To sharpen the blade near the tip of a curved blade, lift the handle up slightly as you approach the tip so that the edge, as it is being sharpened, is maintained "level" to the table.
6. Used correctly, you will find you can sharpen the entire blade to within 1/8" of the bolster or the sharpener handle. This is a major advantage of the Chef'sChoice® Model 130 compared to other sharpening methods – especially important when sharpening chef's knives where you need to sharpen the entire blade length in order to maintain the curvature of the edge line. If your chef's knives have a heavy bolster near the handle extending to the edge, a commercial grinder can modify or remove the lower portion of the bolster so that it will not interfere with the sharpening action, allowing you to sharpen the entire blade length.
7. To increase your proficiency with the Chef'sChoice® Model 130, learn how to detect a burr along the edge (as described previously). While you may be able to sharpen well without using this technique, it is the best and fastest way to determine when you have sharpened sufficiently in Stage 1. This will help you avoid over-sharpening and insure incredibly sharp edges every time. Cutting a tomato or a piece of paper is a convenient way of checking for blade sharpness.
8. Do not attempt to use the Professional Sharpening Station® to sharpen or steel either ceramic knives or scissors.
9. You will find that you can sharpen to better than factory sharpness or put a steeled edge on a variety of your metal knives regardless of brand including, Wüsthof, Henckels, Sabatier, Chicago Cutlery, Lamson and Goodnow, Global, Russel Harrington, Forshner, Chef'sChoice, Messermeister, Mundial, Viking, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid and many, many more.
10. Keep your fingers clear of the blade edge at all times.

NORMAL MAINTENANCE

NO lubrication is required for any moving parts, motor, bearings or sharpening surfaces. There is no need for water on abrasives. The exterior of the sharpener may be cleaned by carefully wiping it with a soft, damp cloth. Do not use detergents or abrasives.
Once a year or so as needed, you can remove metal dust that will accumulate inside the sharpener from repeated sharpenings. Remove the small rectangular clean-out cover that covers an opening on the underside of the sharpener. (SeeFigure 11).

Figure 11. Сlean-out cover.

You will find metal particles adhered to a magnet attached to the inside of that cover. Simply rub off or brush off accumulated filings from the magnet with a paper towel or tooth brush and reinsert the cover in the opening. If larger amounts of metal dust have been created or if the Stage 3 disk has been cleaned (using the cleaning/dressing tool) you can shake out any remaining dust through the bottom opening when the cover is removed. After cleaning, replace the cover securely with its magnet in place.

SERVICE

In the event post-warranty service is needed, return your sharpener to the EdgeCraft factory where the cost of repair can be estimated before the repair is undertaken. Outside the USA, contact your retailer or national distributor.
Please include your return address, daytime telephone number and a brief description of the problem or damage on a separate sheet inside the box. Retain a shipping receipt as evidence of shipment and as your protection against loss in shipment.

The Legacy Companies
825 Southwood Road, Avondale, PA 19311 U.S.A.
Consumer Support 1-800-342-3255
Assembled in the U.S.A.
chefschoice.com

This product may be covered by one or more EdgeCraft patents and/or patents pending as marked on the product. Chef'sChoice®, EdgeCraft®, Diamond Hone®, EdgeSelect® and the overall design of this product are registered trademarks of the EdgeCraft Corporation.
Conforms to UL Std. 982
Certified to CAN/CSA Std. C22.2 No. 64
Certified to EN 60335-1, EN 60335-2, EN 55014-1+A1, EN 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3

Documents / Resources

References

• Chef's Choice by EdgeCraft

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