Chef’sChoice 15XV EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener
IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS
When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be followed, including the following:
- Read all instructions. Every user should read this manual.
- To protect against electrical hazards, do not immerse the Chef’sChoice® Model 15 in water or other liquids.
- Make sure that only clean knife blades are inserted in the Chef’sChoice® Model 15.
- Unplug from the outlet when not in use, before putting on or taking off parts, and before cleaning.
- Avoid contacting moving parts.
- 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 can return your sharpener to EdgeCraft’s factory for service, where the cost of repair or electrical, or mechanical adjustment can be estimated. When 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 is damaged, it must be replaced by the manufacturer, its service agent, or similarly qualified persons in order to avoid a hazard.
- The use of attachments not recommended or sold by EdgeCraft Corporation may cause fire, electric shock, or injury.
- The Chef’sChoice® Model 15 is designed to sharpen knives. Do not attempt to sharpen scissors, an ax blade, or any blade that does not fit freely in the slots.
- Do not let the cord hang over the edge of the table or counter, or touch hot surfaces.
- When in the “ON” position (Red flash on switch is exposed when “ON”), the Chef’sChoice® sharpener should always be on a stable countertop or table.
- WARNING: KNIVES PROPERLY SHARPENED ON YOUR Trizor XV® Model 15 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.
- Do not use outdoors.
- Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near children. Children should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the appliance.
- Do not use honing oils, water, or any other lubricant with the Chef’sChoice® Model 15.
- For household use only.
- This appliance is not intended for use by persons (including children) with reduced physical, sensory, or mental capabilities, or a lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or instruction concerning use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHEF’SCHOICE® MODEL 15
The Chef’sChoice® Model 15 (see Figure 1) is a three-stage sharpener with 100% diamond abrasives in the first two stages to sharpen and hone the edge, followed in Stage 3 with the Chef’sChoice® proprietary stropping/polishing disks to create an astonishingly sharp edge.
You will find it easy to convert any of your household knives can be restored to factory-new condition in just minutes. All traditional single-beveled knives, such as sashimi knives, require special care and must be sharpened primarily on one side of the edge. You will find you can also sharpen your serrated blades with the Chef’sChoice® Model 15 by following the special instructions included on page 10.
The Chef’sChoice® Model 15 retains the popular EdgeSelect® feature, introduced by Chef’sChoice®, which allows you to sharpen each knife according to your intended use, such as gourmet food preparation, butchering, dressing of game, or of fish. The three stages can be used in different sequences, for example, to give you either an astonishingly sharp, smooth, faceted edge for effortless cutting or one with a selected amount of residual “bite” – ideal for cutting fibrous food, meats, stalky vegetables, or dressing of game. This feature is described in detail in the following section. Chef’sChoice® Model 15 is equipped with a manually actuated diamond dressing system that can be used, when necessary, to clean any accumulated food or sharpening debris from the surface of the ultrafine abrasive Stage 3 polishing/stropping disks. We strongly urge that you always thoroughly clean your knives before sharpening them. Unless you are a heavy user of the sharpener, you will be able to sharpen for months or even a year or more before you need to dress the stropping/polishing disks. Only if you sense a distinct decrease in polishing efficiency in Stage 3 is there any need to use this convenient feature described on page 10.
Never operate the sharpener from the back side. Use just enough downward pressure when sharpening to ensure uniform and consistent contact of the blade edge with the abrasive disks on each stroke. (See Suggestion 5, page 11). Additional pressure is unnecessary and will not speed the sharpening process. Avoid excessive cutting into the plastic enclosure. Accidental cutting into the enclosure, however, will not functionally impact operations of the sharpener or damage the edge.
Try a practice pull through the sharpener before you turn on the power. Slip the knife blade smoothly into the left slot between the left angle guide of Stage 1 and the plastic knife holding spring. Do not twist the knife. 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 practice pull will give you a feel for the spring tension. Remove the knife and read the following instructions specific to the type of knife you will be sharpening.
HOW TO CREATE THE TRIZOR EDGE ON EURO/AMERICAN AND CONTEMPORARY ASIAN BLADES
START IN SHARPENING STAGE 1
Turn ON the power and pull the length of the blade through the left slot (Figure 4) and then through the right slot of Stage 1, using the left and right slots on alternate pulls. (Take about 3-4 seconds for each pull of a 5” long blade). The first time you sharpen a European or American knife, it may take up to 20 pairs of pulls to fully re-angle the edge of a thin blade. Thicker blades will require more pulls. Check for a burr as described below and continue to make more pulls if necessary to create a small burr along the entire length of the blade.
If you are sharpening a contemporary Asian blade (which probably has been sharpened previously at 15 degrees) you will find that only a few (1-2) pairs of alternating pulls (alternating left and right slots) will be needed to develop a burr. Do not over-sharpen. When you have developed a burr along the full blade length proceed to Stage 2.
DETECTING THE BURR
To confirm the presence of a burr (see Figure 4) move your forefinger carefully across the edge in the direction shown. Do not move your finger along the edge to avoid cutting your finger. If the last pull was in the right slot, the burr will appear only on the right side of the blade as you normally hold it and vice 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 there is no burr continue sharpening in Stage 1, alternating left and right slots until a full burr develops. When a burr is present along the entire blade length proceed as below to Stage 2.
HONING IN STAGE 2
Make about 1 or 2 pairs of pulls through Stage 2 (Figure 5), alternating each pull in the left and right slots. Take about 3 seconds for each pull on a 5-inch (12 cm) long blade. Check for a burr before proceeding to Stage 3. If necessary make additional pairs of pulls to develop a burr along the entire length of blade before proceeding to Stage 3.
STROPPING/POLISHING THE EDGE IN STAGE 3
Pull the blade through the left slot of Stage 3 (see Figure 6) and then through the right slot of Stage 3. Make 3 pairs of pulls, alternating each pull in the left and right slots. You should take about 3 to 4 seconds for each pull for a 5-inch (12 cm) long blade.
Then make 2 pairs of alternating faster pulls in this Stage, about 1 second per pull for a 5-inch (12 cm) blade to put a final polish on the edge. Check the blade for sharpness. For a sharper edge, make a few more pairs of fast pulls and check for sharpness.
SHARPENING THE TRADITIONAL (SINGLE BEVEL) JAPANESE BLADE
Traditional Japanese knives, such as the sashimi blade shown here, are single-sided and have a large factory bevel on the front side of the blade. There are a large number of manufacturers of knives of this type, widely used to prepare sashimi. The factory bevel (Bevel A) is commonly ground at about 10 degrees, but there are exceptions, and that angle is not standardized at the factories. Designs of the traditional Japanese knives and the detailed structure of the cutting edges likewise vary widely from one manufacturer to the next, however, there are some similarities. The cutting edge consists of a small primary facet on the front face of the blade below the large bevel and a much smaller secondary microfacet along the back face. Commonly, the backside microfacet can be easily seen only with a hand magnifier. The back face is ground flat at the factory, or more commonly, it is slightly hollow ground to ensure that an effective microfacet can be formed there as part of the cutting edge. Because of the lack of standardization, the manual approach used to sharpen these knives in Asia has proven difficult, laborious, and time-consuming.
The Chef’sChoice® Model 15 is designed to sharpen all traditional Asian blades and to create a factory-quality edge. Before you start to sharpen a traditional blade, examine it carefully in order to confirm that you have the traditional single-bevel blade and to determine whether you have a right or left-handed type. You must follow carefully the sharpening procedure and sequence as described below in order to achieve the optimum edge on your traditional blade.
Again, confirm which side of the blade has the large factory Bevel A. Hold the blade in your hand (as when you are cutting), and if the large factory bevel is on the right side of the blade, the blade is right-handed. For the right-handed blades, start sharpening in the left slot of Stage 2 so that only the beveled side (right side) of the edge will contact the honing wheel.
STEP 1
START HONING TRADITIONAL JAPANESE KNIVES IN STAGE 2 (RIGHT-HANDED BLADES)
In this example, which assumes your traditional blade is right-handed, you must hone only in the left slot of Stage 2 (see Figure 7). The number of pulls that you need to make depends on the factory angle of Bevel A and how dull your blade may be.
Make five (5) to ten (10) pulls in only the left slot of Stage 2 and then check for a burr along the back side of the blade edge. (The burr created in Stage 2 will be small but easily felt as shown in Figure 4. Make certain the burr is present along the entire length of the edge. If there is no burr or only a partial burr, continue to make additional pulls all in the left slot about five (5) at a time and check for a burr after each group of five (5) pulls. In general 20-30 total pulls in the left slot will be adequate to raise a burr; it is unlikely to take more than 50 left slot pulls to create the burr. When a burr is confirmed, proceed to Step 2.
STEP 2
STROPPING/POLISHING THE FINAL EDGE ON TRADITIONAL JAPANESE BLADE IN STAGE 3 (RIGHT HANDED BLADE)
- Make five (5) regular pulls 3-4 seconds each only in the left slot of Stage 3 (Figure 8) and then proceed to remove any burr as follows:
- Make one (1) regular pull in the right slot of Stage 3 along the back side of the edge.
- Make several fast pulls (one [1] second each) in the left slot of Stage 3.
- Make one (1) fast pull in the right slot of Stage 3.
Check the blade carefully for sharpness using a thin sheet of paper. The blade should be razor sharp. If not razor sharp, repeat 3c and 3d above and retest the blade for sharpness.
NOTE: If your traditional blade is excessively worn or if the edge is chipped and irregular, you can use the left slot of Stage 1 to recondition the edge. Use the left slot only (for right-handed blades). Make as many pulls as necessary to reestablish a smooth,h uniform edge line. Use a black felt pen to mark the facet and follow the progress of sharpening along the edge until the edge line is restored. Then proceed in Stages 2 and 3 as described on page 8 and the same page above.
RESHARPENING THE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE BLADE (RIGHT HANDED)
In general, you will be able to resharpen quickly by following the sequence a through d of Step 2 in the preceding section. Repeat this if necessary to obtain a razor-sharp edge.
When resharpening only in Stage 3 fails to develop a sharp edge, or if the edge has been substantially dulled, you will need to rehone the edge in Stage 2. Use only the left slot of Stage 2. Generally, you will find that about five (5) re-honing pulls will be sufficient in Stage 2. In any event develop a burr before moving back to Stage 3. Finish the edge in Stage 3 following Step 3a, b, c, and d.
SHARPENING LEFT-HANDED TRADITIONAL BLADES
The procedure you must use with left-handed blades is similar to that procedure for right-handed blades as detailed above, except, in all cases, the slots you must use are reversed. Where the sharpening procedure for right-handed blades calls for use of just the left slot, you must use only the right slot when sharpening a left-handed blade. Likewise, use the left slot where the right-handed instructions call for using the right slot.
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 with a soft, damp cloth. Do not use detergents or abrasives.
Once a year or so, as needed, you should remove metal dust that will accumulate inside the sharpener from repeated sharpenings. Remove the small rectangular clean-out cover (Figure 14) that covers an opening on the underside of the sharpener. 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 toothbrush and reinsert the cover in the opening. If larger amounts of metal or other dust have been created, 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.
For more Manuals by Chef’sChoice, visit ManualsLibraryy