Newly married I had decided to purchase a Chef's Choice elecric knife shapener as I knew I'd be doing more cooking than I had done when I was single, unfortunately each time I tried using the Chef's Choice sharpener my knives seemed more dull than when I had started.  I read & then re-read the manual to make sure that I was using it correctly, I even had my husband try to no avail.  Frustrated with my now dangerously dull knives I set out to find the best knife shapener I could find.   
     I read many cooking magazine reviews most of which rated many of their expensive, electric knife shapeners 4 out of 5 stars, but I wasn't willing to settle and kept looking.  Then I found a series of consumer reviews for this manual knife shapener that only cost $10, what intrigued me was the number of consumers who rated this item 5 out of 5 stars.  For $10 and desperately in need of sharp knives in my kitchen I purchased the Accusharp from Amazon.   After receiving the Accusharp I was skeptical, but remembering the consumer reviews remained hopeful. 
      Using the product couldn't be simpler, laying it flat on a countertop hanging slightly over the edge with a waste basket underneath you slide the knife through the guide and down towards yourself.  (Used by an adult who is paying attention this isn't a big deal, but the fact that you draw the knife down towards yourself I wouldn't recommend letting a child do this.)  I could immediately see where the Accusharp was honing away bits of steel.  The knife that I had chosen to sharpen first was the dullest knife I could find.  Before using the accusharp I couldn't even slice through the skin of a bell pepper without using quite a bit of pressure.  After using the Accusharp I was able to take this same knife and slice through a paper towel I was holding in the air.  Encouraged I sharpened all of my knives without issue, all with the same result, sharper knives.  
     Later I went to a public restaraunt supply company to purchase some pizza pans and saw the Accusharp being sold & asked the attendant if they had received any feedback on the Accusharp, he said he had gotten several and absolutely loves his.  Apparently, he purchased three one to keep in the kitchen, one to keep in his garage, and one to keep in his office.  He told me that the one he keeps in his garage he uses to sharpen his gardening tools like his spade etc.  Curious as to what he used the one in the office for he said that Accusharp specifically states that it does not sharpen scissors, but he uses his Accusharp in the office specifically for that task and has never had an issue.  
      After pondering how the attendant used this little gem I know that I'll be purchasing a few more Accusharp particularly when it's time to tend to my garden again this summer.  
     If you're in need of a knife shapener or are frustrated with one that you currently own, I highly recommend purchasing this product, it definitely rates 5 out of 5 stars. 

Recommended: Yes