Kitchellence 3-stage vs Smith's 50264 Sharpener Side-by-Side Comparison
The Kitchellence 3-stage sharpener enjoys a better rating vs. the Smith's 50264 despite being less effective. Read our comparison to find out why.
Specifications
Design
We fell in love with the Kitchellence the moment we had it in our hands: It’s neat, simple, and strikes an excellent balance between aesthetics and functionality. We could tell the maker of it paid attention to every detail.
The Smith’s Pull Thru sharpener is made with decent materials and enjoys a nice fit and finish. Unfortunately, it suffers from poor design, in particular an elevated working section and a long and narrow base.
Usability
Its weight and design makes the Kitchellence a breeze to use: if you know how to use a knife, you will have no problem working with this device. The only mild problem is when you try to sharpen on a wet surface — but hey, it’s not hard to give your countertop a quick wipe, right?
On the whole, the Smith’s Pull-Thru was one of the most versatile and convenient handheld sharpeners we’d experimented with so far. However, it was due to two major flaws that some points were docked away: the odd sharpening order and the feeling of unsteadiness.
Performance
The Kitchellence could bring the knife to a serviceable keenness level without peeling a bunch of swarfs off the blade. However, it was slow to sharpen, which defeats the purpose of a ‘convenient sharpener’.
The Smith’s Pull-Thru pulled off good grades when it came to sharpening time and maximal keenness. However, it failed to replicate the same success for other aspects.
Overall Scores
Pros & Cons
- Easy to use, intuitive design
- Soft, comfortable finish
- Extra weight near the base for stability
- Affordable price
- Included glove for added safety
- Angle-adjustable sharpening
- Sharpening slot for serrated blades included
- Wide slot inserts
- Replaceable abrasives (sold separately)
- Tapered base
- Awkward base pad
- Shears off a considerable amount of metal
- Awkward slot structure
- Long, narrow base
Conclusion
If sharpness is your only priority, go with the Smith’s. If you also care about safety and the integrity of your knife edge, however, the Kitchellence is the superior choice.
In our tests for sharpening time and sharpness level, the Smith’s had the upper hand. The Smith’s also offers more choices of sharpening angle, which few others of its type do, including the Kitchellence. Unfortunately, it lacks stability — an important criteria when working with blades. The device also peeled off way too much metal from the blade for our tolerance.
The Kitchellence takes significantly longer to sharpen, and the maximum sharpness level you can reach with it is lower than that offered by the Smith’s. It’s also gentler on the knife edge, more intuitive to use, more stable during operation, and has a much, much stronger and sturdier build.
Behind the Comparison
Anh Ngo is a writer with 9 years experience at different media outlets, covering from public news and events to product testing and analysis. At HealthyKitchen101, she works across different departments, communicating closely with its network of writers, editors, and health, tech, and search engine experts to provide a meaningful and pleasant reading experience for visitors.
Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.
