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SunrisePro Supreme Manual vs Kitchellence 3-Stage Manual Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)7.5/10
- Design (15%)8.0/10
- Ease of Use (35%)6.3/10
- Performance (50%)6.9/10
- Design (15%)9.2/10
- Ease of Use (35%)9.8/10
The SunrisePro Supreme sharpener certainly gets the primary job done, but if you want sharpness with a smooth edge and consistent performance too, go with the Kitchellence.
The SunrisePro, despite having only one sharpening slot, does the job faster and more effectively than most devices we’ve tested. It also features a strong, sturdy build, and while we find the small size awkward, some may appreciate its compactness. Its problem is with the small edge it creates, which is sharp but blunts quickly. Also, its suction base, while strong on some surfaces, is useless on others.
The Kitchellence takes longer to sharpen your knives, and the sharpness level is also lower than what the SunrisePro can offer. But it’s still among the better performers in that respect. It’s also much more gentle to the edge than the SunrisePro. As a plus, it’s stable, natural to use, and comes in a size that we find more appropriate for kitchen knives.
SunrisePro Supreme Knife Sharpener’s Performance
- Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon (35%)9.6/10
- Maximum Sharpness Achieved (20%)8.0/10
- Edge Smoothness (20%)5.0/10
- 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: 1 minute 5 seconds
- Cutting Feel: Swift and smooth
The SunrisePro was one of the quickest handheld sharpeners to bring a knife from dullness to a lemon-slicing level of sharpness. It took it only 65 seconds in our tests.
In fact, merely a few swipes on the device were enough for the test knife to become serviceable. That’s 10 - 20 seconds max. Include the time to get this device out of the drawer and set it up, and your whole sharpening session would still take less than 3 minutes. If you’re in a hurry or simply detest spending time doing tedious work, the SunrisePro is no doubt one of your best bets.
- 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: 8 (Chicken breast with skin, 1 swipe)
This device sharpens more quickly than most others, but its sharpness plateaued at the same point: the chicken breasts. The cut was not completely effortless; however, in an older version of the test, the knife repeatedly achieved this level with ease. Taking both into account, we gave the device full marks for Level 8.
- 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:
The SunrisePro will shave off steel from your blade and you will see lots of swarf on the device after a heavy sharpening session. That can be disheartening, especially if yours is an expensive knife. The blade aficionados in our team almost fainted at how it completely replaced the knife’s original edge after a few months of use.
However, be gentle, don’t apply too much force, and perhaps you’ll be able to reduce unnecessary loss or at least slow down the process.
- 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
With only tungsten blades, it’s no surprise that the SunrisePro doesn’t create the finest edge. The edge is narrow, rough, and toothy, with deep grooves and visible chips. All this suggests sub-par retention, meaning you’ll have to sharpen your knife more often with this device. But given that it takes a little more than a minute to get it sharp, that may not be such a problem.
Also, some users suggest using a honing strop, which we think is a great idea. Of course, that’d increase the costs.
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.
SunrisePro Knife Sharpener’s Design
- Build Quality (75%)8.0/10
- Grip (25%)8.0/10
- Build Quality (75%)9.3/10
- Grip (25%)9.0/10
What’s in the Box With the SunrisePro Supreme Knife Sharpener
- The SunrisePro sharpener
The SunrisePro comes by itself in a simple clamshell package. The instructions are printed on the package.
- 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:2.3" (5.8 cm)
- Width:2.3" (5.8 cm)
- Height:2.6" (6.6 cm)
- Weight:2.3 oz (65 g)
At the size of a beef tomato, the SunrisePro would make a perfect on-the-go sharpener. That is if you can find a flat surface for it to stay on.
- 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 SunrisePro is a well-built device, even though its affordable price may suggest otherwise. It has a dense, weighty body: the only thing left to be desired is probably the size. Its suction base is also thick and solid — definitely not the flimsy type we see on cheap household appliances.
Not a decorative piece, but it has a nice fit and finish, and is easy on the eye.
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:ABS plastic
The Sunrise Pro doesn’t have a traditional grip. The locking arm, when pushed down, triggers the suction force at the base, which keeps the device in place while you sharpen your knives. The arm is well-built, though we imagine a bigger one would be more natural to use.
- 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
- Abrasive:Metal blades
- Mechanism:Pull through
- Sharpening Angle:20 degrees
The Sunrise Pro has the most simple working section among all the devices we tested. It has only one sharpening slot consisting of two metal blades forming a V, attached to a V-shaped plastic supporter.
- 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.
SunrisePro Manual Knife Sharpener’s Base
- Material:Silicone
- Feet Type:Suction cup
We have mixed feelings about the base. It’s shockingly good when it works — the silicone absorbs some of the downward pressure from your sharpening, keeping the force steady while also suctioning hard onto the countertop, preventing shaking or slipping. However, it’s rather picky when it comes to the type of surfaces it sticks to.
Tip: If it’s a spotless surface and the suction cup is not working, spreading some water underneath it may sometimes help. We found through testing, however, that this tip can be a little hit or miss.
- 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.
SunrisePro Supreme Knife Sharpener Review
- Slot Arrangement (10%)10/10
- Insertion (20%)7.5/10
- Pulling Through (10%)6.0/10
- Stability on a Clean Surface (40%)6.5/10
- Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface (20%)3.0/10
- 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 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.
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
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.