Sharpening utensils come in many shapes and sizes for the wide range of tools that need to be sharpened. If you're in need of industrial strength sharpening or mass sharpening capacity, a commercial grade electric knife sharpener or a sharpening wheel using diamond, steel or ceramic materials is what you're looking for.

For home or small-scale use, a manual knife sharpener will do the trick. Steel knife sharpeners and ceramic knife sharpeners are both good for manual sharpening, and some multipurpose tools will include both, and sharpen other utensils such as scissors and shears.

When shopping for sharpening utensils, consider the following options:

1. Browse electric and manual varieties of knife sharpening tools;

2. Check out commercial knife sharpeners for industrial strength;

3. Get portability and multipurpose use out of a manual knife sharpener.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Browse electric and manual knife sharpeners for small-scale use

If you're looking for a basic kitchen knife sharpener to use in your small business, there are a number of electric and manual options from which to choose. Electric kitchen knife sharpeners are quicker to use, but manual sharpeners may offer more precision when sharpening smaller tools and knives.

I recommend: Cabela's sells a selection of both electric and manual sharpeners at good kitchen knife sharpener prices. Chef's Choice also is a well-known retailer of small manual sharpeners of any type, and if you're looking for precision sharpening instruments, try the selection of sharpeners and filing boards available from Electron Microscopy Sciences.

Shop electric knife sharpeners for commercial grade sharpening

Electric knife sharpeners are available for both small-scale and large-scale use. The size of electric knife sharpening machines can vary greatly, as will the cost and maintenance involved, but if you are involved in commercial sharpening bigger electric wheels are typically better.

I recommend: Chef's Choice also offers specifications online for a range of electric diamond sharpeners, and will direct you to a retailer. Tru Hone is another big manufacturer of commercial grade electric sharpeners, selling commercial sharpening machinery as well as sharpening services.

Get portable features from pocket-sized sharpening utensils

If you're looking for manual sharpening utensils to slip in your pocket and take to a special occasion or catered event, shop with a camping outfitter to find a sharpener designed for portable use. Portable knife sharpeners typically have several functions and features for sharpening both serrated and flat edges and are a great small-scale sharpening tool for shopping on a budget and sharpening on-the-go while catering or serving.

I recommend: Campmor sells Gatco pocket and travel knife sharpeners, and Eline Merchandising sells the well-known Meyerco Sharpen-It sharpener. The Meyerco Sharpen-It has separate discs for sharpening edges with steel and polishing with ceramic, so you can sharpen and polish knives quickly and easily in any location.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're shopping for a basic kitchen knife sharpener, whether it's electric or manual, check the product specifications to find out how much metal is removed from the blade when you sharpen. Different products sharpen differently, and the sharpening process can drastically change the life of your knives and other blades, depending on how often you sharpen and how much material is removed in the process.