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KitchenIQ 50009 Manual vs Kitchellence 3-Stage Manual Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)4.3/10
- Design (15%)8.1/10
- Ease of Use (35%)8.2/10
- Performance (50%)6.9/10
- Design (15%)9.2/10
- Ease of Use (35%)9.8/10
It may cost a few dollars more, but we’d pick the Kitchellence over the KitchenIQ every time.
The KitchenIQ is made with durable materials giving it a strong build. Its ability to stay on an edge also garners extra points. However, its performance was far behind the Kitchellence’s and below average in all aspects. Its small size, while appealing as an on-the-go sharpener, also makes it a little awkward and potentially dangerous to use.
The Kitchellence, on the other hand, scores well on size, design, and build quality. It takes its time to do the business, but in the end, offers decent sharpness and a smooth edge. The device also removes much less material from the knife edge compared to the KitchenIQ.
KitchenIQ 50009 Knife Sharpener’s Performance
- 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 (35%)4.8/10
- Maximum Sharpness Achieved (20%)7.0/10
- Edge Smoothness (20%)7.7/10
- Material Retention (25%)9.0/10
Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon
- 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.
- Sharpening Time: 2m 05s
- Cutting Feel: Swift and smooth
We spent 125 seconds with the Kitchellence to bring a knife from uselessly dull to cutting through a lemon in one single draw. The cut was effortless and did not require significant hand pressure.
The sharpening time is rather slow; but note that we blunted the knife to an extreme degree for the test. Most cooks wouldn’t wait until their knives become so dull. If you maintain your blades properly, you should be able to make them serviceable after about one minute on this device.
Maximum Sharpness Achieved
- 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.
- Sharpening Time: 6 minutes
- Sharpness Level: 8
After sharpening on the Kitchellence for 6 minutes, the knife slid through a ripe tomato effortlessly, so we went on to try it on raw chicken breast with skin. It went through the chicken breast in two slices.
This isn’t an exceptional result, but the knife was only at Level 8 when brand new, so it’s safe to say the Kitchellence almost brought it back to its factory level.
Material Retention
- 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.
- Sharpening Time: 1 minute
- Target Sharpness:
The Kitchellence’s substantial sharpening rods and blades are braced tightly together so they sharpen very well, but don’t remove much material from the knife edge at a time. The ‘swarf’ is more fine dust than chips, hinting at a fine edge.
This is mostly thanks to the design of the tungsten carbide blades themselves. However, the Kitchellence is also one of the rare cases where the bulky diamond rods really work to ‘prepare’ the edge for the peeler slot.
Edge Smoothness
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.
The Kitchellence produces some of the smoothest edges among pull-through devices we tested. Thanks to its stability and the thickness of the sharpening rods, it was easier to maintain a consistent pull force through each draw. As a result, the edge came out smooth and even from tip to heel.
We could find no remaining burrs or metal flakes on the edge. The ceramic rods in the final stage did a good job straightening the edge and removing little burrs.
KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-stage Knife Sharpener’s Design
- Build Quality (75%)8.7/10
- Grip (25%)6.5/10
- Build Quality (75%)9.3/10
- Grip (25%)9.0/10
What’s in the Box With the KitchenIQ 50009 Knife Sharpener
- 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.
- The Kitchellence sharpener
- 1 x user’s guide
- 1 x safety glove
The Kitchellence comes in one piece, with a solid ABS plastic body. It has a distinctive matte finish that’s very soft and comfortable to touch.
The package includes a glove and a user’s manual that offers instructions on how to sharpen metal and ceramic blades.
Dimensions
- Length:3.7" (9.4 cm)
- Width:2.0" (5.1 cm)
- Height:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Weight:2.0 oz (57 g)
- Length:8.1" (20.6 cm)
- Width:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Height:3.0" (7.6 cm)
- Weight:6.4 oz (181 g)
Build Quality
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.
We’ve had our hands on a few others that look very similar to the Kitchellence, and they were all lightweight and shoddy. So it was a nice surprise how well-built the Kitchellence is.
The device is made of high-quality ABS with a nice finish. It’s solid, sturdy, weighted, and every part fits together tightly and seamlessly. It didn’t create the rattling sound heard on many others as we shook it or used excessive force to sharpen.
The only thing we didn’t like about the build is the tiny and somewhat flimsy silicone pad underneath the grip.
Grip
- 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.
- Material:ABS plastic
Among all the devices we tested, the Kitchellence offers the best grip. It has an ergonomic handle with finger nubs. The cover is a special kind of ABS plastic that feels like a matte silicone — it’s so comfortable on the skin a lot of the time we just skipped using the glove altogether.
Working Section
- 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.
- Levels of Sharpening:Coarse, Medium, Fine
- Abrasive:Diamond rods, tungsten carbide blades, ceramic rods
- Mechanism:Pull-through
- Sharpening Angle:20 degrees
The Kitchellence sports three stages of sharpening, marked with the numbers 1, 2, and 3. The Coarse slot (1) removes small imperfections and preps the edge, the Medium slot (2) removes more material and sharpens the edge, and the Fine ceramic rods (3) offer a final polish.
Though the working section is easily removable, replacements are not sold separately. So once the rods have worn out and the tungsten blades are no longer keen, the whole device will just end up in the trash bin. That being said, with its thick rods and quality build, we suspect it will last for years.
Those larger, more robust sharpening rods separate the Kitchellence from other pull-through sharpeners such as the Cubikook or Wamery. They feel firmer and more sturdy, and the larger size also means they may last longer.
KitchenIQ 50009 Edge Grip 2-stage Knife Sharpener
- 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).
- Material:ABS plastic
- Feet Type:non-slip rubber base
The device tapers at the base and has a patterned pad underneath it. The pad is soft, thin, and doesn’t help much with keeping the device stable.
KitchenIQ Sharpener Review
- 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 (20%)10/10
- Insertion (20%)9.0/10
- Pulling Through (10%)9.5/10
- Stability on a Clean Surface (40%)9.0/10
- Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface (20%)7.5/10
Slot Arrangement
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.
The Kitchellence has a very intuitive design, with the slots arranged in a progressive order. There are numbers engraved on the stainless steel cover on each slot, and on both sides too, so it’s more difficult to get it wrong than right. You won’t need other visual cues or instructions.
Insertion
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).
The slot openings are not the widest among those we tested, but they have reasonable width and depth. Insertion was effortless and didn’t require much anticipation or forethought.
Pulling Through
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.
We like that the sharpening rods are larger on this device than most others of its type. They created a firmer, touter brace of the knife edge as we pulled the knife through. Unlike some other devices, this brace hasn’t loosen up after six months of heavy-duty use.
The U-shaped holder stays clear of the working section, so we never once cut into it even when we deliberately increased speed and lowered the knife tip at the end.
Stability on a Clean Surface
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.
Despite its small and tapered base, the Kitchellence is stable when working on a clean surface. This is thanks to its solid structure and an additional piece of metal placed underneath the working section for increased weight and a lower center of gravity.
Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface
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.
Facing the slippery countertop challenge, the thin and small rubber feet showed their weaknesses. The working section’s location high above the base didn’t help either. As a result, the device slid and wobbled a little.
The solution is easy: keep your countertop clean and the device will be safe to use. If you have shaky hands and want to be extra safe, however, the Cubikook may be a better choice.