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Gorilla Grip vs KitchenIQ 50009 Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)6.5/10
- Design (15%)8.8/10
- Ease of Use (35%)8.3/10
- Performance (50%)4.3/10
- Design (15%)8.1/10
- Ease of Use (35%)8.2/10
The Gorilla Grip definitely gets the edge over the KitchenIQ 50009. It not only takes a much shorter time to sharpen a blunt knife but the level of keenness you can reach is greater, too. Granted, it is more aggressive against the edge but we’d take that over spending an excessive amount of time for rather mediocre sharpness, which is the case with the KitchenIQ.
We could give credit to the KitchenIQ for its solid construction and the versatility of the ‘edge grip’ base. However, its compact size is awkward to use. The Gorilla Grip will not only fit better in your hand, it also offers more space between the grip and the working section and that means extra safety when sharpening.
Gorilla Grip Kitchen Knife Sharpener’s Performance
- Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon (35%)7.6/10
- Maximum Sharpness Achieved (20%)8.0/10
- Edge Smoothness (20%)5.0/10
- Material Retention (25%)5.0/10
- Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon (35%)1.0/10
- Maximum Sharpness Achieved (20%)6.0/10
- Edge Smoothness (20%)6.5/10
- Material Retention (25%)6.0/10
Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon
- Sharpening Time: 1 minute 30 seconds
- Cutting Feel: Swift and smooth
We spent 15 seconds on the Prepare slot, 1 minute on the Sharpen slot, plus 15 seconds on the Polish slot. The dull test knife came out keen enough to slice through the lemon without us applying significant force.
If you’re in a hurry, five or six swipes on the second slot should be enough to bring a regular chef’s knife to serviceable sharpness.
- Sharpening Time: 3 minutes 35 seconds
- Cutting Feel: Swift and smooth
The KitchenIQ took 215 seconds, or more than 3 minutes to sharpen a knife to the point where it could cut through a big lemon in one single swipe. This may not sound like a terribly long time, but we generally expect faster results from handheld sharpeners. In fact, similar one-stage or two-stage devices take less than half that time to get to the same level. For example, it was 105 seconds for the Sharpal, and 65 seconds for the SunrisePro.
Maximum Sharpness Achieved
- Sharpening Time: 6 minutes
- Sharpness Level: 8 (chicken breast with skin, 1 swipe)
We spent a total of 5 minutes on the tungsten carbide blades and 30 seconds on each of the remaining stages.
The Gorilla Grip sliced through ripe tomatoes and chicken breasts with skin with minimal resistance, though the slippery chicken skin did slow it down a bit. It took two to three rather heavy swipes to sever a piece of beef tendon. However, at this sharpness level, your knives shouldn’t have a problem performing most cutting tasks.
- Sharpening Time: 6 minutes
- Sharpness Level: 7 (ripe tomatoes, 1 swipe)
An additional 3 minutes on the KitchenIQ took the test knife from the lemon to the ripe tomato level, and that was its peak sharpness with this device.
Though this is below what most sharpeners can achieve, at this level, the knife’s still capable of most cutting tasks, save for perhaps precision cutting and thin slicing.
We conducted this test several times over the span of six months and used the device in our kitchen throughout that time. The results were consistent, so at least we can conclude that its abrasives will take a long time to wear down.
Edge Smoothness
Despite their substantial size, the ceramic rods in the Polish slot did not seem to help with smoothening and polishing the knife edge.
The aggressive removal of steel is evident on the knife’s edge — the tungsten carbide blades created small but deep waves along it. These waves should not have any negative effect on your cutting experience, but they are unsightly and will bother you if you’re a knife connoisseur.
Also, if your knife is made of a particularly hard steel, the uneven thickness of the edge may make it more prone to chipping.
The KitchenIQ produces an ok edge with no major chips or burrs. The primary edge looks narrow, with visible horizontal grooves and tiny metal grains and fragments. The ceramic rods seem to do their job of refining the edge, making for better results compared to the Smith’s or SunrisePro.
Material Retention
- Sharpening Time: 1 minute
- Target Sharpness:
The Gorilla Grip is aggressive: It removed a great amount of metal off the blade during the one minute we sharpened the knife with it. The Prepare slot doesn’t seem to do too much to minimize the peeling during the next stage.
Given how quickly the device sharpens, we don’t recommend more than a few swipes on the Sharpen slot unless your knife is really dull.
- Sharpening Time: 1 minute
- Target Sharpness:
Since its tungsten carbide blades do most of the sharpening, the KitchenIQ peels off more steel from the blade than do most other multi-stage sharpeners. It produces more dust than coarse swarf, suggesting that it acts more like a grinder rather than a serious peeler. This suspicion is confirmed by the relatively fine edges it creates. This was true even when we deliberately applied more force while pulling the knife through.
Unfortunately, the extra pressure didn’t help much with improving the knife’s sharpness.
Gorilla Grip’s Design
- Build Quality (75%)8.5/10
- Grip (25%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (75%)8.7/10
- Grip (25%)6.5/10
What’s in the Box With the Gorilla Grip Kitchen Knife Sharpener
- Gorilla Grip sharpener
- Care and use instructions
The Gorilla Grip sharpener comes in a neat cardboard box with detailed instructions on how to use and maintain it. The Amazon photos really don’t do it justice: The actual device looks much sleeker, and the almond color is lighter too. It’s also easy to find your favorite color among its nine color options.
- The KitchenIQ 50009 edge grip knife sharpener
The device comes in a simple clamshell package. It has four color options. Interestingly, each color is sold at a different price, though they’re all affordable.
Dimensions
- Length:7.9" (20.1 cm)
- Width:1.9" (4.8 cm)
- Height:3.0" (7.6 cm)
- Weight:6.6 oz (187 g)
- Length:3.7" (9.4 cm)
- Width:2.0" (5.1 cm)
- Height:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Weight:2.0 oz (57 g)
Build Quality
The Gorilla Grip has a better build than what its price suggests: It’s neat, weighted, and substantial, with parts fitting together firmly and seamlessly. Although the working section is removable, it feels like one piece with the rest of the device.
The minus points are due to its bumpy base and rubber pads, which could use better fitting and gluing. Also, the device’s exterior doesn’t feel as soft and comfy as those of its brethrens, the Kitchellence and the Amesser, but this aspect is negligible. The lack of a name or logo is surprising but doesn’t affect the overall quality in any way.
The KitchenIQ deserves a shoutout for its excellent build quality despite its cheap price. The whole sharpener is solid and sturdy. Its parts all fit together seamlessly, leaving no unexpected gaps. We actually dropped it from our countertop a couple times, and it took it well. Even afterward, we didn’t observe any rattling or loose components.
The silicone grip cover was nice to the touch and comfortable to hold throughout the sharpening session.
Gorilla Grip Manual Knife Sharpener’s Working Section
- Levels of Sharpening:Prep, Sharpen, Polish
- Abrasive:Diamond rods, tungsten carbide blades, ceramic rods
- Mechanism:Pull through
- Sharpening Angle:20 degrees
The working section of the Gorilla Grip features three sharpening slots that repair, sharpen, and polish your blade. Its sharpening rods are larger than those on other devices, such as the Cubikook or the Wamery. The working section sits securely on a rather tall, but heavy, heel and enjoys reasonable stability.
This part is removable and replaceable in theory, though we couldn’t find a place that sells it separately online.
- Levels of Sharpening:Coarse, Fine
- Abrasive:Tungsten carbide blades, ceramic rods
- Mechanism:Pull through
- Sharpening Angle:20 degrees
The KitchenIQ offers two levels of sharpening. While the slots themselves are more or less the same size as those on other devices, the whole working section is rather small and doesn’t work well with larger and thicker knives.
Grip
- Material:Thermoplastic rubber
The grip of this device is very comfortable, thanks to its decent size, ergonomic shape, and quality material. Though not a closed loop, the handle forms a hook so that you can hang it near your countertop for quick retrieving.
There’s little to complain about the grip, though we thought a bigger foot would be better for stability.
- Material:Silicone
We really like the feel of the grip — it’s soft but offers good friction. It has an ergonomic shape and is connected directly to the base, thus offering great stability. Its tiny size, however, feels awkward in even smaller hands. Users with large hands will have problems finding a safe place for their fingers.
Base
- Material:rubber
- Feet Type:non-slip pad
The Gorilla Grip has textured rubber pads underneath it to enhance friction against the countertop. The pads don’t fit into their designated slots very well, though we think that’s more a problem of aesthetics than functionality.
The real problem is that when standing, only a part of the bigger pad is in contact with the countertop, which means it’s not completely flat. We’re not sure if it’s the pad, the base, or the glue that attaches them that has uneven thickness, but this factor noticeably reduces the device’s stability.
- Material:Silicone
- Feet Type:Edge gripper
Not only is the layout of its working section different from most other devices, the KitchenIQ’s base is special too. It’s a thick silicone pad that covers the grip and extends all the way to the base, creating lots of friction with any flat surface. The cutout in the middle of the base forms an edge grip, allowing you to attach it to the countertop or table edge (as long as that edge is 90 degrees).
Gorilla Grip Manual Knife Sharpener Review
- Slot Arrangement (10%)10/10
- Insertion (20%)9.0/10
- Pulling Through (10%)8.5/10
- Stability on a Clean Surface (40%)8.0/10
- Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface (20%)7.0/10
- Slot Arrangement (10%)7.0/10
- Insertion (20%)7.0/10
- Pulling Through (10%)7.0/10
- Stability on a Clean Surface (40%)10/10
- Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface (20%)7.0/10
Slot Arrangement
With three working slots progressing from left to right, the Gorilla Grip doesn’t require a good memory or logical skills to work with. The function of each of the slots is also engraved right next to it, so even first-time users should have no problem working out the order.
The KitchenIQ employs a different slot layout than most others of its type: The coarse slot is placed further from the grip than the fine one. If you’ve used other pull-through sharpeners before, this layout will take some time to get used to. Otherwise, it’s not a problem: The slot names (Coarse and Fine) are printed on both sides of the working section, so pay a little attention and you’ll do it right. This also makes the device south-paw friendly.
Insertion
Its slot openings are wide and at a reasonable distance from each other, so it was easy to place the knife in the right slot with the Gorilla Grip.
You may notice that the tungsten blades in the Coarse slot have distinct corners that protrude from the plastic frame. If you use too much force or are too fast with insertion, your delicate knife edge may end up raking across one of those surfaces and risk chipping or deforming.
Also, the tiny size of the KitchenIQ means the slots are jammed together and are very close to the grip. There’s a real danger of cutting yourself if you’re not mindful while sharpening your knives.
All that being said, insertion was not challenging. We measured the actual openings and found to our surprise that they’re some of the widest among all the devices we tested (6mm).
Pulling Through
Similar to the Kitchellence and the Amesser, the Gorilla Grip’s solid body structure makes pulling the knife through its slots a breeze: It was easy for us to apply a steady force from the knife’s heel to its top. The friction was just right at every point along the blade. The knife did cut into the plastic parts of the sharpener at times, but it happened less often than with other devices.
The KitchenIQ’s sturdy working section and strong base allows for steady operation. Pulling through was effortless, though it’s easy to cut into the plastic frame underneath the sharpening panels if you go too fast.
We noticed that the ‘brace’ is rather loose on this device — the sharpening rods don’t seem to grip to the blade very tightly. This contributes to the rather mediocre sharpening performance.
Stability on a Clean Surface
The Gorilla Grip’s base isn’t completely flat, so it wobbled as we pushed it lightly while it was placed on a table. It also has a high center of gravity and a tapered heel — big no-nos — but to some extent, the heavy weight makes up for that.
With a grip and base made from one solid piece of tough silicone, the KitchenIQ stood perfectly still on a clean countertop as we pulled a knife through it. It has a low center of gravity, so regardless of the force used, the device didn’t wobble one bit.
We tried it on the countertop edge, too, which it’s designed to work on, and were happy with how well it gripped the edge.
Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface
The slippery cooking oil and salt on the countertop didn’t seem to affect the device’s stability to a great extent. Neither did the salt pose much of a challenge to the textured rubber feet.
Like most other devices, the KitchenIQ’s silicone base couldn’t keep it in place on a dirty countertop. To its credit, the device slid but did not shake or wobble like the taller units we tested. Still, given how its grip is so close to the sharpening slots, you run the risk of cutting yourself if things slip.
The same was observed on a wet and slippery edge: no wobbling, but the silicone foot doesn’t help much in keeping it from gliding along the edge.