Amesser A-65 Manual Knife Sharpener In-depth Review

The Amesser A-65 sharpener is a new device that’s quickly gaining popularity among home cooks. Interestingly, it looks identical to the Kitchellence—another sharpener that received a decent rating in our tests. As such, we just had to test this one out and see how it compared.

As a quick summary: This handheld sharpener took a bit longer than average to produce a serviceable edge from complete dullness, but it also created a smoother edge than most other devices of its type. Design-wise, the Amesser A-65 possesses great overall ergonomics: it’s convenient to use and comfortable to hold for an extended period of time.

Key Specs

Where to Buy Price at publication $16.60

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Compared to Other Manual Knife Sharpeners

6.3 Performance

The Amesser A-65 will certainly make a dull edge keener, though admittedly not to a remarkable level, and leave a nice, smooth edge. On the other hand, it does shear off more metal from the blade than you would expect given the achieved sharpness.

5.2 Sharpening Time to Cut a Lemon

The Amesser clocked 120 seconds to restore a blunted blade back to use on a lemon. 

This is double the ideal time (60 seconds), but is still within acceptable ranges. It’s actually a few seconds faster than its identical cousin, the Kitchellence. If your kitchen knives are regularly maintained, you should be able to get them ready for a cooking session within 30 - 60 seconds on this sharpener.

7.0 Maximum Sharpness Achieved

On a ripe tomato, there was no need to apply any extra effort. The tomato split cleanly without leaving behind any trace on the chopping block.

The next checkpoint—chicken breast with skin—was a slight challenge. The test knife did well on a small piece, as indicated in the video. However, on a larger piece of breast, it failed to sever the tough skin and slippery fat in one go, hence our final score of 7.0.

7.7 Edge Smoothness

Here are the magnified shots of the test knife after sharpening with the Amesser A-65.

The edge came out straight and well polished with minimal signs of chips, burrs, or other defects. In comparison to the other handheld sharpeners we’ve experimented with so far, this sharpener did a good job of straightening and restoring the edge. And it’s no surprise that the result is almost a mirror image of what the Kitchellence produced.

6.0 Material Retention

You can bet that all knife sharpeners grind away a certain amount of material from the blade to reform the edge: the only difference is the length they go to. In just one minute, the Amesser A-65 took a heavy toll on the knife’s edge, as evident by the pictures here.

We were rather astonished how this tri-stage sharpener managed to shear off almost as much metal as ones with fewer stages. Indeed, the quantity of swarf collected was somewhat similar to that produced by the Sunrise Pro and KitchenIQ.

So, if you do purchase the Amesser A-65, it’d be a good idea to use the second stage only on really dull knives. For milder cases, the ceramic rods in the third stage would suffice.

9.3 Design

While the Amesser A-65 isn’t among our best performing sharpeners, it’s certainly one of the best built. The unit feels solid and sturdy from start to finish. The parts fit well together and the grip is only half a point shy of the perfect mark.

In the Box

• Amesser sharpener
• Instruction manual
• Protection glove
• Thank-you note

The cardboard package includes the sharpener, a cut-resistant glove, a user’s guide, and an appreciation card from the manufacturer. This product is under warranty for up to 18 months.

Dimensions

9.2 Build Quality

This sharpener is well put together and feels sturdy. Shake as hard as you might, and everything stays perfectly intact as if the whole thing is made of one solid block.

At one point, we plucked off the working section and took a quick peek inside the base. It has a metal piece attached underneath and weighs 6.44 ounces, accounting for the majority of the sharpener’s total weight.

The working section has several contact points that lock into the base and click when assembled correctly. Sadly, this part isn’t available for purchase or replacement. Once it breaks, you’ll have to toss the whole thing in the trash and get a brand-new unit.

9.5 Grip

In general, the Amesser’s handle offers a great sense of comfort and safety. You can skip using the glove if you want to: the handle’s material feels soft and grippy, while the size is just about perfect for a good, strong grasp. The icing on the cake is a series of finger nubs running along the handle’s length.

Working Section

Each stage of the working section features ordinal numbering and some visual cues that display the slot’s material and function. 

The sharpening process begins with the Prep stage whose main purpose is to straighten the knife’s edge. Following that is the middle stage, used to sharpen the edge. Meanwhile, the final stage is meant for honing or giving a slightly blunt knife some light touch-ups every once in a while. 

On the whole, the Amesser A-65 should handle most types of kitchen knives.

Base

The Amesser’s base is a checker-patterned pad that gradually tapers toward the direction of the handle. The pattern helps with creating friction and thus preventing the device from sliding across the countertop during sharpening; however, it does pick up residue and specks of dirt.

9.1 Ease of Use

The Amesser A-65 is straightforward to use since it doesn’t have any quirky features to be wary of. With the sharpening order progressing in a natural flow, you should have no trouble following the steps. And while the result didn’t turn out particularly well for the slippery countertop test, it represented more of a slight drawback that many people could see coming rather than a serious dealbreaker.

10 Slot Arrangement

Like the majority of handheld sharpeners, the slot structure advances from left to right. Each slot has some handy visual cues as a brief introduction to help cooks identify its function and feature. These fine prints are easy to read and they eliminate any unnecessary guesswork that may arise in the process.

9.0 Insertion

The entries into the sharpening slots are just wide and deep enough to accommodate the blade properly but not comfortably. During the course of the test, there were occasional bumps here and there when positioning the knife into the slots.

We also noticed some wiggle room between the abrasives, resulting in the knife leaning and jigging sideways. This was also the reason why we sometimes had trouble keeping our draw straight, as you can see from these overhead shots.

9.5 Pulling Through

On the whole, the abrasives were tight and solid. The first two stages actually felt a little heavy at times due to the nature of the material. 

It’s unlikely that you’ll overshoot the blade and cut into parts of the device by mistake—the plastic frame is far enough below the abrasives to prevent that.

9.0 Stability on a Clean Surface

Save for some slight backward tilts, the Amesser barely moved at all. Thanks to its well-proportioned body, this sharpener was firm, steady, and stable. For the most part, you shouldn’t encounter any discernible problem with the device’s stability on a clean surface.

7.5 Stability on a Wet and Dirty Surface

Prior to this test, we splashed a spoonful of oil and salt on the countertop surface to create an exaggerated mimicry of a real-life messy cooking area. The sharpener lost its footing, slipping and inching away from the original spot after just a few pulls.