Chef's Choice Pronto Diamond Hone 464 - Knife Sharpener Manual

INTRODUCTION

The Pronto^® Diamond Hone^® manufactured by Chef'sChoice^®, the worlds leader in cutting edge technology, is an exceedingly fast manual sharpener that will create an exceptionally effective cutting edge on all of your conventional household cutlery. The cutting edge is finely honed to extreme sharpness but retains strong microscopic teeth that gives it a highly effective bite for all your food prep needs and especially for fibrous materials. The edge is surprisingly durable yet can be resharpened quickly whenever necessary.
You will be pleased to see how easy the Pronto^® is to use and how well your knives perform. Read and follow the instructions carefully. Keep the sharpener close at hand so that you can enjoy the pleasure of sharp knives every day.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRONTO^®

You will appreciate that the soft touch ergonomical handle of the Pronto^® is extremely comfortable providing a secure grip. There are two slots, the first (#1) uses fine diamond abrasives to create and hone a sharp primary edge and a second slot (#2) where that edge is ultrahoned at a slightly larger angle with micron size diamonds to its final sharpness.
In each, the first and second stage, both sides of the edge are sharpened simultaneously by two precision diamond coated conical honing disks. The orientation of the disks is such that by sharpening in both stages the entire length of the edge is sharpened.
Small rubber feet secure the Pronto^® to any dry clean surface. The soft touch handle further reduces the opportunity for slippage while sharpening.

USING PRONTO^®

Note:
Always clean your knife before sharpening in the Pronto^®!

You will find that the Pronto^® can create and maintain an exceedingly sharp and effective edge on all your conventional fine edge and serrated cutlery. The primary edge facets are each formed in Stage 1 at a nominal 20 degrees which results in a total primary edge of 40 degrees. Stage 2 creates a second bevel at a slightly larger angle leaving a strong double beveled edge structure that will stay sharp longer.
Always use the sharpener with the stage numbers 1 and 2, facing you.

Safety:
Keep your fingers clear of the blade edge at all times. Hold the handle with your left hand making certain that all your fingers and thumb remain safely behind the partition wall where the handle attaches to the sharpening stage.

STAGE 1

To sharpen, hold the sharpener on the table with your left hand. Insert the knife blade into the slot of Stage 1. Press down to bring the knife edge into firm sustained contact with both of the two internal diamond coated disks and slide the blade back and forth in a sawing-like motion. For optimum results center the blade left to right in the slot and avoid rubbing against the walls of the slot. Apply a downward force of about 4-5* pounds as you move the blade. Listen carefully to the disks to insure they are rotating when you move the blade. Sharpening will not be as effective if you press too lightly while sharpening.
If your knife, before sharpening, is not very dull you may find that only about 10 or less back and forth stroke pairs in Stage 1 (with recommended downward pressure) will be sufficient to put a keen edge on the blade. However, if the knife starts out very dull you may find that 20 or more back and forth paired strokes will be needed the first time as you reshape and sharpen the old edge. Before leaving Stage 1 check the edge for sharpness by slicing a piece of paper. It should cut paper readily with only a slight roughness to the cutting action.

* 4 to 5 pounds is about the weight of a 2 inch thick telephone book

Figure 1. Knife in Stage 1. Use back and forth sharpening strokes with modest downward pressure (see text.)

STAGE 2

If the knife is correctly sharpened in Stage 1 only 2-3 back and forth stroke pairs in Stage 2 will complete the small second bevel and the edge will be very sharp and effective. It should cut paper smoothly allowing you to make straight or curved cuts easily.
For optimum results center the blade (left and right) within the slot and keep the length of the blade aligned with the center line of the slot as you sharpen. Apply about 4-5 pounds downward force in Stage 1 and a little less – about 3-4 pounds pressure on the blade in Stage 2. Make smooth consistent strokes while maintaining recommended downward pressure and make certain the disks are turning.

Figure 2. Knife in Stage 2.

RESHARPENING THE KNIFE EDGE

Follow the procedure for Stage 2 described above for "Using Pronto^®", making two to three (2-3) pairs of strokes while maintaining recommended downward pressure. Listen to confirm the sharpening disks are turning. Test edge for sharpness and if necessary make four (4) back and forth pairs of strokes in Stage 1 followed by two to three (2-3) pairs in Stage 2.
Generally you should be able to resharpen several times using only Stage 2.

SERRATED BLADES

Serrated blades can be sharpened in Stage 2. Center the blade in the slot of Stage 2 and make five (5) forward and back stroke pairs. Examine the edge and if necessary make another 5 full strokes. Examine blade. If the blade to be sharpened is very dull, first make two full strokes (forward and back pairs) in Stage 1 and then make five (5) paired strokes in Stage 2. Because of its nature, a serrated knife will never appear as sharp or cut as smoothly as a straight edged blade. Caution: Do not make many strokes in Stage 1, which can quickly remove metal from a serrated edge.

ASIAN BLADES

The Pronto^® which sharpens at a primary angle of 20 degrees, can sharpen double faceted Asian blades such as the Santoku which is traditionally sharpened at 15º. However, for optimum results we recommend a 15º sharpener such as the Chef'sChoice^® Electric Models 15XV or 1520 as the preferred choice for all Asian style blades.
Do not sharpen in the Pronto^® any single sided, single faceted Asian Kataba knives, such as the traditional sashimi styled blade that is commonly used to prepare ultra thin sashimi. The Pronto^® sharpens simultaneously both sides of the cutting edge while the sashimi knives are designed to be sharpened only on one side of the blade. The previously mentioned Chef'sChoice electric sharpeners will also correctly sharpen these single sided knives.

Figure 3. Serrated knife in Stage 2.

CERAMIC KNIVES

The Pronto^® is not recommended for ceramic knives.

SCISSORS

Do not attempt to use the Pronto^® to sharpen scissors. EdgeCraft does manufacture both electric and manual scissor sharpeners.

BRANDS OF KNIVES

The Pronto^® will put an excellent edge on all of conventional metal Euro/American and Santoku style knives regardless of brands, including Henckels, Wüsthof, Sabatier, Lamson and Goodnow, Russell Harrington, Chef'sChoice, Global, Messermeisser, Forshner, Mundial, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, Shun and many, many more.

TEST FOR SHARPNESS

To test for sharpness and cutting ability of your knife, hold a sheet of paper vertically by its upper edge and carefully cut down through the sheet a small (but safe) distance from your fingers. A sharp edge (on a straight edge blade) will cut smoothly without tearing the paper.
Alternatively try cutting a tomato. The knife should penetrate the skin of the tomato and cut through it on the first pull without applying significant force to the knife.

MAINTENANCE

• The exterior can be cleaned with a damp soft cloth
• Periodically shake out and dispose of the metal sharpening dust by inverting the sharpener and lightly tapping it onto a newspaper, paper towel, or other paper sheet
• No oils or other lubricating liquids are necessary with this sharpener.

Documents / Resources

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