SunrisePro Supreme vs. Mueller 4-Stage Manual Sharpener Side-by-Side Comparison

The SunrisePro has only one sharpening section with two tungsten carbide blades. It’s placed on top of the device, with two plastic supporters right behind to stabilize it. There’s an arrow and the words ‘Draw this way’ engraved on the working section, so it’s almost impossible to get it wrong.

Unlike many other sharpeners where the diamond rods serve as a “prep” stage, on the Mueller, you start sharpening your knife with the tungsten carbide blades (Slot 2), then move on to the diamond rods (Slot 3) and finish on the ceramic rods (Slot 4). Interestingly, in the Amazon product description, slots 2 and 3 are swapped. 

The tungsten carbide blades remove the most material from the knife, so it makes sense that they’re the ‘coarsest’ stage. However, we found that the diamond and ceramic rods may sometimes dullen a keen edge, especially when you use both of them to ‘polish’ it. As a result, we prefer the more common setting of starting with the diamond rods for the straightening effect.

On other devices where the working section consists of slots, there are wider openings that guide your blade to the V shape blades down below. The SunrisePro’s protruding sharpening blades that look like a bird’s beak are not supported by those ‘guides’, so knife insertion is slightly more difficult. Our advice is to take your time to place your knife into the middle of the slot. Do not rush or you’ll cut into the plastic frame or risk damaging the delicate edge by knocking it against the tungsten blades.

With a long grip and a wide working section, blade insertion into the sharpening slots was effortless and didn’t require much caution. If you’ve been sharpening with mini-size devices such as the KitchenIQ, where you’re gripping right next to the sharpening slot, you will likely notice the lack of stress when working with the Mueller.

The amount of resistance depends on how much force you assert, but generally, you’ll have to apply quite a bit while sharpening with the SunrisePro. We tried sharpening using only the weight of the test chef’s knife and the movement was so effortless we didn’t feel the device was working.

On the other hand, use too much force and it’ll return almost a serrated edge. Also, the amount of metal you’d see left behind in the working section would be devastating.

The test knife went through the last two sharpening slots with little problem. However, our experience with the coarse slot seemed to be hit-and-miss:  Sometimes, the tungsten carbide blades were almost slippery with no friction or pressure felt, which means they weren’t doing their job. Other times, they were tight and ended up removing too much material from the knife.

The SunrisePro comes with a silicone suction cup serving as a base and a locking arm to secure it. It’s awesome while it works; on the right surface, the suction cup sticksto the extent that it feels like it’s an extension of the surface. 

The tricky part is that it requires a completely flat and smooth surface, such as a spotless glass or marble countertop. Also, the suction wears out after a few minutes. That can be frustrating if you’re binge sharpening your knives, but if you’re only randomly working on one, it’s not going to be a huge problem.

The Muller keeps its balance well on a dry and clean wooden table or marble countertop. It’s taller than most devices, but thanks to the flat and frictious base, we never had to use excessive force to keep it in place during our multiple tests.

The SunrisePro’s suction cup is useless on a countertop sprayed with oil and salt. We did give it a 5 because it can be held without wobbling — the cylinder shape and its short figure help. It being very small, however, means that you have to be extra careful not to misplace your knife and cut yourself while sharpening with it.

We had to be a little more cautious on a messy slippery countertop, but as long as you don’t work too fast, balance and stability won’t be an issue.