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KitchenIQ 50009 Manual vs Wamery 4-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%)8.1/10
- Design (15%)6.8/10
- Ease of Use (35%)7.5/10
The KitchenIQ and the Wamery look nothing like each other, but they enjoy rather similar scores in terms of ease of use and sharpening performance.
Neither of the devices are particularly challenging to work with. We are more comfortable with the Wamery’s larger size, but also appreciate the versatility offered by the KitchenIQ’s edge grip.
The KitchenIQ enjoys a slightly better rating for its strong, sturdy build. It’s also the faster one, but that’s only because the Wamery takes some of the longest times we’ve experienced to sharpen a dull knife to serviceable levels. Both devices will bring some improvement to a blunt blade, but neither to a significant extent.
If you’re looking for a handheld sharpener, we’d say there are better options out there.
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%)9.2/10
- Maximum Sharpness Achieved (20%)6.0/10
- Edge Smoothness (20%)7.3/10
- 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: 1 minute 10 seconds
- Cutting Feel: Light and smooth
For this test, we blunted a knife with sandpaper and ran it through the Wamery. It took 70 seconds for the knife to get to the sharpness level where it can halve a lemon in one go. This effectively places the Wamery among the top group of sharpeners in terms of speed.
However, the results had not always been so satisfactory. The Wamery took significantly longer (almost 10 minutes) in our previous attempts to restore the knife’s sharpness. We found that sharpening with the knife tip pointing slightly downward helped.
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: 7 (ripe tomatoes, 1 swipe)
As fast as it was to bring the knife to the lemon-cutting level, it didn’t go very far after that. The knife only reached Sharpness Level 7 after 6 minutes of sharpening.
You may struggle a bit with precision cutting and thin slicing, but at this level, your knife’s good for most other food prep tasks.
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 coarse stage does take its toll on the knife’s edge, but the metal swarf that we collected after sharpening was rather minimal.
Among the handheld sharpeners we put to the test, this is among the ones that yielded the smallest amount of metal residue.
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.
When put under the examination of our magnifying lens, the knife’s edge looked straight. There are tiny shavings alongside and the grooves are noticeable but evenly distributed along the edge. This suggests that the honing stages did do their job, though not meticulously, to smoothen the edge.
KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2-stage Knife Sharpener’s Design
- Build Quality (75%)8.7/10
- Grip (25%)6.5/10
- Build Quality (75%)6.6/10
- Grip (25%)7.5/10
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.
- Wamery 4-slot pull through sharpener
The sharpener comes in a cardboard package with the instruction manual printed on the back. All additional information (return address & warranty policy) can be found on the official website.
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:9.1" (23.1 cm)
- Width:2.3" (5.8 cm)
- Height:3.3" (8.4 cm)
- Weight:8.9 oz (252 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.
The build of the Wamery suggests everything but top-notch craftsmanship. The sharpener is bulky but hollow and rackety. Its abrasives are a hit or miss and seem to wear out more quickly than the other devices we’ve tested. While it does look cute, the sharpener isn’t meant or built to last.
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:Rubber
The handle is spacious, which is a good thing with these sharpeners as you don’t want your gripping hand too close to where the blade goes. That being said, we think Wamery can cut back on the height while widening the base of the handle to improve balance.
The top part of the grip is covered in a soft, comfortable rubber padding, while the sides and underneath weren’t graced with the same material.
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:Tungsten carbide blades, diamond rods, ceramic rods
- Mechanism:Pull-through
- Sharpening Angle:Not mentioned
The Wamery’s working section features a slot for shears and scissors and three for kitchen knives. For knives, you start on the tungsten carbide blades, then proceed to the diamond coated rods and ceramic rods. Without a ‘prep’ slot, we’d expected the sharpener to be harsh on the knife edge; however, that wasn’t the case.
While Wamery claims that the sharpener was designed for a wide variety of knives, it failed to mention the slots’ exact angle. We tried to reach out to the brand but so far have received no response. Certain knives have unconventional sharpening angles, so putting all of them through the same slots doesn’t seem like a good idea.
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:Synthetic silicone
- Feet Type:Slip-proof padding x 2
The Wamery has a wide base, which partly makes up for its excessive height to maintain its balance. The pads underneath are soft and thin, and look cheaply made, but they do well enough to prevent the sharpener from slipping across the countertop during sharpening.
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 (10%)9.0/10
- Insertion (20%)8.0/10
- Pulling Through (10%)6.0/10
- Stability on Clean Surface (40%)7.5/10
- Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface (20%)7.0/10
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 Wamery has four slots, marked with numbers from 1 to 4 embossed on its stainless steel casing. Slot 1 is reserved for shears and scissors, while the rest sharpens kitchen knives.
The knife slots progress rightward with increasing grit fineness, so it’s natural to follow through with the intended order. Our only complaint is with the lack of adequate space between the slots.
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).
During the course of our experiment, there were times when the blade wouldn’t position itself properly in the slots. When you look at the size of the entire sharpener, Wamery has been rather economical with its abrasives slots. They were a little too shallow and narrow to accommodate the entire blade’s length comfortably.
To avoid mishaps, we had to take things slowly and re-calibrate our aim before drawing the knife through the slot. But other than that, we proceeded as normal without much to complain about.
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.
The sharpening rods were solid and secure. However, the knife glided through the slots, especially the tungsten bars, at times without the slightest hint of resistance. That, of course, means the abrasives haven’t got in adequate contact with the edge to sharpen it.
A trick we learned after multiple failures is to sharpen with the tip of the knife pointing about 20 degrees downward. Then, a frictious brace can be felt as you pull the knife through. This doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it helped enough to sharpen the knife within a reasonable time frame.
Note that the knife will cut into the plastic frame on both sides when applying this trick, but that’s better than the abrasives not working.
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.
Sharpeners with an elevated design are prone to rocking back and forth, even with reinforced pressure on the handle. However, the Wamery’s underside spreads over a wide surface area, which allows it to stand this test despite its rather flimsy anti-slip pads.
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.
When placed on the slippery countertop, the sharpener managed to hold itself quite well. However, be advised that there was only so much that the slip-proof pads could do. Every once in a while, the sharpener inched back and forth, albeit that was something to be expected.