Customer Reviews

Yoshikin 220/GB MinoSharp Water Sharpener

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a great aid to sharpen Global knives. I disagree with the review that said it dulled the knives. The tool has ceramic wheels set at the proper angles to get the correct Japanese set to these knives, which have different angles to each side of the blade. After 8-9 passes - with no pressure on the knife - through the rougher and then the finer wheels, the knife is ALMOST back to factory condition. Then, it is necessary to use a fine DIAMOND hone to get that last degree of razor sharpness. And make no mistake, a properly sharpened Global knife is that sharp, and this tool makes it easy to keep them razor sharp. Instead of a diamond hone, you can also use a very fine waterstone to hone them, but trust me, the diamond hone is easiest, although it does not leave the edge quite as polished as the finest waterstones. This tool and a diamond hone let me return my Global knives to scary sharp in less than 5 minutes each. They are so sharp that whenever I sharpen them, I warn my wife that they are super sharp (as opposed to very sharp!), just to make sure that she is extra-careful when she uses them.

Now, having said that, the package states that it is recommended for Global knives, and no one should use this tool on anything other than Global knives, or similar Japanese-style knives. It is not meant for European-style knives, whose blades have a different set.

I'm not sure how people are banging up their knives using this simple, effective sharpener. Slow down, folks. Take your time.

I own a number of Global knives, and sharpen them all using the MinoSharp with tremendous success. I've even had luck sharpening Henckel and Wusthof knives with this. I enjoy using it, and when I'm done, my knives are like new.

Produces an OK edge, faster than and sharper than the similar Chef's Choice, but the knife still needs a few quick swipes with a steel to be really sharp, at least for me. Works for both Global and non-Global knives.

Before you buy the Shinkansen Sharpener for your Global knives you must understand that it doesn't return the blades to their factory sharpness.

When I first bought my Globals I was warry of using my old ceramic stone on their extremely acute edge, so I bought the Shinkansen Sharpener to go with them. When they arrived, the knives' sharpness lived up to everything that's said about them, but after I ran the chef's knife through both slots several times... the knife got DULLER! Repeated use did not do any more harm to the blade, but it never improved either.

It seems that, because of it's simplicity, the Shinkansen Sharpener is best for returning very dull blades back to a servicable edge, but it will never get them really sharp.

I picked this up as a quick and easy knife sharpener for work. It managed to scratch up the side of the blade of one of my Global knives with the plastic guide.

the slots/guide to run your knife blade through are narrow, some larger knives may not fit into it if the blade is thick.

after about 1 year one of the stones broke, however you can buy replacements.

For the home user, this will suffice. If you use your knife all day long like I do, I recommend the good old tri stone instead. Ok to have as an emergency knife sharpener in your knife bag.

I was never was able to get a good enough edge with this product to do fine chiffonade and other cuts that require good knife skills.

This is a great aid to sharpen Global knives. I disagree with the review that said it dulled the knives. The tool has ceramic wheels set at the proper angles to get the correct Japanese set to these knives, which have different angles to each side of the blade. After 8-9 passes - with no pressure on the knife - through the rougher and then the finer wheels, the knife is ALMOST back to factory condition. Then, it is necessary to use a fine DIAMOND hone to get that last degree of razor sharpness. And make no mistake, a properly sharpened Global knife is that sharp, and this tool makes it easy to keep them razor sharp. Instead of a diamond hone, you can also use a very fine waterstone to hone them, but trust me, the diamond hone is easiest, although it does not leave the edge quite as polished as the finest waterstones. This tool and a diamond hone let me return my Global knives to scary sharp in less than 5 minutes each. They are so sharp that whenever I sharpen them, I warn my wife that they are super sharp (as opposed to very sharp!), just to make sure that she is extra-careful when she uses them.

Now, having said that, the package states that it is recommended for Global knives, and no one should use this tool on anything other than Global knives, or similar Japanese-style knives. It is not meant for European-style knives, whose blades have a different set.

I had my globals for approx. 2 months. They were beginning to really show signs of dullness, and I was a bit hesitant to use my traditional steel.

The Shinkansen water sharpener returned the knives to factory sharpness within minutes. It's such a huge difference, I can't believe I went without it for so long. It's foolproof to use too... just a few passes through each sharpening wheel set.

Great product!

I've use the Minosharp on my Global and Henkel 5-Stars on a weekly basis for the last 2 months and am very satisfied with it's performance. Like someone here wrote, not factory sharp, but pretty darn close.

The sharpening process is extremely simple (I can't see myself using the traditional wet stone). The Henkels take about twice as many swipes as my Global to get as sharp. I have not had any problems with the plastic cover coming off or marring my knives as other reviewers have mentioned and the unit is sturdy enough to me -- makes me think that some people are using too much force.

I bought this to sharpen several Global knives after comparing it to the confusing and expensive arrays of sharpening stones out there. The sharpener is easy to use and made of high quality materials. To operate Simply fill the small tray with water and run the knife thru the offset grooves over a course and fine ceramic wheel. After a minute i was done with several knives. Comparing the globals afterward I had mixed feelings because the knives were already pretty sharp to begin with. The revelation though was how well it worked on my Wusthof Grand Prix Knives. In fact they restored them to better than new as i was always dissatisfied with them because they were never very sharp which led me to Globals to begin with. Now the Wusthof's are of comparable sharpness. This is a great item and well worth the price.

It's easy to use and it does a great job with my Global knives. But it also works with other brands of knives if the blades are thin enough to fit into the slots. I regularly use this sharpener on paring knives. I find it is easier to set up and use than my expensive, electric knife sharpener.