Best Rolling Knife Sharpener? Horl 2 vs. Tumbler vs. Work Sharp

[@PrudentReviews]

Read the full comparison for more details: prudentreviews.com/horl-2-vs-tumbler-vs-work-sharp/ Want to know when these rolling sharpeners go on sale? Join our free newsletter to get deal alerts: prudentreviews.com/newsletter/

[@niklasenbom6353]

As mentioned the testing methodology is flawed here by using different knives. It's not the steel hardness that's the main factor but the edge angle. When you sharpen a knife to a steeper (lower degree number) edge than the existing bevel angle you have to do much more grinding before you even start touching the apex area. That's why Cangshan (factory 16 degrees sharpened to 15) needs much more work than the Wusthof (factory 14 degrees sharpened to 15). And no, the dulling doesn't remove the bevel completely, it only rounds the apex of the bevel.

[@earthling_parth]

Excellent video but I'm curious as to why you didn't use the same knives for testing all three?

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you. Ideally, I would have used 6 of the same knives. But even then, the dulling process is not exact - it's very difficult to get the same initial sharpness score. Also, I didn't repeat the tests with the same knives on each sharpener because the first time you use one of these rolling sharpeners, it sets the edge. The second and third time you use it is much easier/takes fewer passes, even if you dull the blade. So either way, the tests are not perfect. My goal was to show directionally which sharpener performs the best within the constraints of 100 and 300 passes per side. All three sharpeners get the job done with enough time. Appreciate the feedback - I'm always trying to make the testing process better.

[@earthling_parth]

@@PrudentReviews thank you. I realized it's not as simple as I thought. Appreciate all your hard work!

[@PrudentReviews]

@@earthling_parth Some products are more straightforward to test than others. But this won't be my last sharpener test, so we'll be evolving our methods. Thank you for watching!

[@blairhoughton7918]

I think that may have invalidated the results. The blade shapes are slightly different, but the hardness of the steel could be significantly different. Doing 200 passes on a softer steel could bevel it all the way through, and doing 200 on the other side would just reverse the bevel the other way, creating essentially a single-bevel blade. On a harder steel it might not get either side to bevel to the middle, leaving the knife with a flat edge instead of an apex. Bottom line is that two different knives are likely to behave very different, swamping differences in the sharpeners. There really isn't a good algorithm for getting a centered apex other than alternating strokes on the coarse grit and inspecting with a magnifier to see when the bevels meet in the middle (ie, when they're the same height).

[@BigBusaBob]

To make the results more valid, you would need to have used 3 identical knives and devised a way to standardize the dulling process like Priject Farm does

[@shawnrhode]

I am curious if you first ground all the knives to 15 degrees before dulling them? If you didn’t and the knives weren’t previously ground and sharpened at 15 degrees, that could skew the results. Many knife manufacturers will sharpen to 20 or 25 degrees because the edge will last longer. If that was the situation, then cases where you saw little to no improvement after 100 passes but much better improvement after 300 could be because you were redoing the angle completely, which takes a while. If you were going from 15 to 20 or 25 it wouldn’t be as obvious because the edge would be the first part contacted. However, going from greater than 15 to 15 has the sharpening surface first grind down the side of the blade before you get to the edge. If you didn’t account for that, you might want to redo the testing so it is fair. If you know for a fact that all six knives were previously fully sharpened at 15 degrees, you can ignore my comment.

[@hucz]

they were all dulled equally.

[@VaeVeritas]

@@huczdulled equally tells nothing about what angle they were originally ground to.

[@Zeboath]

The fact reviewers have massive varying results on the magnet of the Tumbler (And how freely it glides), tells you something about their quality control.

[@Lionpigster]

Not only that, some other video had problems with the rolling... In the end the black rubber part stained his cutting board, because it wasn't rolling anymore. Just getting the original german one (Horl) is the best idea. They also have a more cheaper one.

[@WheeledHamster]

@@Lionpigster yep

[@GameFuMaster]

@@Lionpigster yeah, if I'm getting a rolling sharpener, it's going to be Horl, it maybe a bit expensive for my liking but the quality is just incomparable

[@TrustinChrist-truthseeker]

I greatly appreciate you using the tester correctly! It has become far to normal to use that incorrectly and use other not very good sharpness tests to become trendy and make knives or their sharpening look better than they actually are. There are some that use that to promote their sharpener, especially like with Rui knives to promote his pull though sharpener. He especially markets it for cheap knives, but doesn't bother to do edge retention tests or show how much steel it shaves off. A decent or even good cheap knife can last a lifetime and cut extremely well, but you have to treat it like a more expensive knife. Some knives will act like a cheap knife, but others when taken properly can be a very solid tool that will take and hold a sharp edge, and especially if you properly apex, refine, and deburr the knife and find the best edge angle to maximise cutting performance and edge retention. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, JS

[@stevenfiske971]

Yeah, I didn't make these knives myself so how would I know whether I needed to use the 15° or 20° option???

[@PrudentReviews]

The factory angles are usually listed online. Choose the angle closest to that.

[@13579_dg]

Why didn't you use 6 identical knives so you had consistent blade steels?

[@MrNoClueAtAll]

1:21

[@MikelangeloPhoto]

The issue I'm wondering... the angle of the bevel on the blades may not have been the same as the sharpeners provided... using the same knives (or at least knife brand) in the testings would have been valuable...

[@mmin298]

Thank you for validating my purchase I made when horl 2 came out. I saw this video and was like I hope I got a good one.

[@PrudentReviews]

Great choice. How do you like it so far?

[@mmin298]

Oh it's great. No reference for other products like this. But for me it works well on all my knives. Whatever if I have to add hight. I get lots of engineering in a great package with awesome results. It even works on my 400$ knives from blue paper steel to powdered high carbon steel. And you can always buy extra angles from other companies. So I got the tumbler extra angle one but the roller on the horl 2 is just hands down the best if your saying that the others roll not as well. I love it's feel and don't want a gritty non smooth roll.

[@mmin298]

I would normally not recommend high end knives for products like these. Only whet stones. But if your carful and use the finer grits to get that great edge it works great. Though I would say still start off with a whet stone for your major tear aways on the steel. So like 400 grit I would use a whet stone. It also depends on thickness of edge. As long as people are carful it puts a wonderful edge on all knives. But chips are still possible.

[@erichoehn8262]

Very informative. Do you prefer this style of sharpeners to others?

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you. There are pros and cons to all of them but based on my experience, rolling sharpeners work significantly better than most pull through sharpeners, and they are easier to use than a whetstone because you don’t need to worry about getting the angle right.

[@laurentweisgerber3846]

I have still the first gen of the block from kickstarter. they have issues in gas grills or lidded kettle grills as it is a farday cage. however pans are no issue at all. and they are usually spot on

[@nostrx450]

Based on other reviews and info I’ve read, the tumbler stops working after just a few knives. Horl seems to be the only brand to even consider. One question: why did you use the 15 degree angle? Isn’t that for specific knives? The 20 degree angle is more universal, right?

[@rogerthedodger5788]

Brilliant magnet test! Pure genius 😂

[@lettucebowler1366]

why did you use different knives for each block? the results are less comparable because of it.

[@PrudentReviews]

Ideally, I would have used 6 of the same knives. But even then, the dulling process is not exact - it's very difficult to get the same initial sharpness score. My tests are not perfect but they show directionally which sharpener performs the best within the constraints of 100 and 300 passes per side. Appreciate the feedback - I'm always trying to make the testing process better.

[@leoz6338]

I think the cost and amount of work necessary to sharpen a bunch of knives at once is a downside. I love my chef's choice electric sharpener. Have had it for 20 years. Works great. No problems.

[@PrudentReviews]

The 1st time on each knife takes the longest. But after the edge is set, it only takes a couple minutes per side. Electric sharpeners will almost always be faster, but these are a convenient alternative.

[@lisaboban]

@@leoz6338 I have a Chef's Choice as well. Its a workhorse for sure. But these are interesting and anything that gets folks to sharpen their knives is a good thing!

[@ohauss]

Horl also offers the Horl2 Pro which has a planetary gearbox inside, leading to the sharpening disks rotating much faster than the roller overall, which shortens sharpening time.

[@danielleavey9810]

The motor on mine slowed to a crawl after 2 years.

[@link5688]

This is such an excellent review! I was just looking at getting one of these sharpeners. Thank you for such awesome content!

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you so much! I hope it helped you narrow down the choices

[@downsouthlouisiana]

You used different knives. Also the curve on the Work Sharpe helps with the edge of the blade. Makes it so much easier than the other two.

[@mitchell9937]

Also user error if he wasn't able to get a sharp edge using the work sharp. There's nothing wrong with the discs.

[@lisaboban]

I am SO excited to see this. I've been curious about this. I already own a good electric sharpener. But this form factor is intriguing. And it was fun to learn about how sharpness can be tested. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy any of these, but this review was fascinating. How about a link to that sharpness tester?

[@PrudentReviews]

These sharpeners aren’t for everyone but they’re perfect for people who want something better than a pull through sharpener but don’t want to learn how to use a whetstone. They are pretty fun to use too. Here’s the sharpness tester I used. There are a couple other less expensive versions but this one is the most accurate. www.sharpeningsupplies.com/collections/edge-on-up/products/edge-on-up-industrial-edge-tester

[@lisaboban]

@@PrudentReviews Thank you!! They sell a home version which isn't all that expensive. And it beats the "slice paper" or "feel it with your thumb" options.

[@PrudentReviews]

@@lisaboban Absolutely!

[@theredbar-cross8515]

EXCELLENT TESTING! Wow, a lot of work! This is truly high quality content. The main issue I have with all of them is that they can't go steeper than 15 degrees. Nearly all higher end Japanese knives are 12 degrees or less. So if you sharpen then with these rollers, then you're essentially reprofiling the edge, and it's never good to go from a steeper angle to a less steep one (going the other way is OK). There are some rollers on Amazon that offer 12 degrees, but they're really dodgy looking.

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you so much! This one took a while :) Totally agree - they should at least have a 12-degree angle. There are lots of knockoffs online so you need to be careful and read lots of reviews.

[@theredbar-cross8515]

@@PrudentReviews One other important point about the Tumbler is that there's a huge difference between good and bad quality diamond stones. The lesser quality ones wear out quickly, and if you can't replace them on the roller, then it's a bust. Sharpton makes the best diamond stones btw. I wish they'd make a roller.

[@PrudentReviews]

⁠@@theredbar-cross8515very good point - I’ll have to do an update down the road to see which discs are wearing down.

[@mpjdrizzt]

FYI - Wusthof knives are 14 degrees and require a specific guide block when sharpening on a stone. . This could explain some of the "extra" required sharpening using a 15 degrees sharpening tool.

[@blairhoughton7918]

It wouldn't matter after scraping the old edge down to a nub. Resharpening on a 15 degree angle should create a new apex.

[@mpjdrizzt]

@@blairhoughton7918 That's what I was referencing: changing the edge required the "extra" in the initial sharpening.

[@StephenSmith304]

It would be interesting to see an evaluation of pull through sharpeners that use rolling discs. The ones with just a V shape that you pull the knife through get rightly shit on, but it seems like the ones with a canted "hourglass" roller should operate on a similar principle as these. When the hourglass shape is rotated slightly, it causes the knife edge to contact either side of the sideways hourglass shape before it can bottom out in the middle point of the hourglass shape. Its a really interesting design - I have one that works well but im curious to know whether upgrading to these would be a significant upgrade or not since the contact motion should be similar.

[@Kueh44]

Unless I missed it, you did not pre-sharpen all the knife edges to the same angle. Ideally, you would test all the sharpeners on each knife, one at a tiime.

[@blairhoughton7918]

Knives get thicker as you grind away their edge. I'd get three dollar store chef knives.

[@cptwhitebeard1880]

From what ive read the horl is the original

[@troystallard6895]

I'd have trusted your results more, had you used identical sets of knives on each sharpener. The ones you used may have had softer or harder steel. Also the original angles may have been different, needing more work to reshape them to 15 or 20 degrees.

[@dominikhren5251]

make a comparison with a böker knife

[@arturv9644]

200 times each side with the tumbler?? And another guy says that the idea is only 20 in each side

[@Sgt.Leonardo]

I just followed the instructions that said for at least 5 min. I still don't know how long to hone.

[@Conservator.]

To compare the three sharpeners you should’ve used the same 2 knives on each. It’s such a shame that you used 6 different knives.

[@GlennC789]

At $189 the profit margin on the Horl must be enormous. I can see it's a well made piece of hardware but it rates in the offensive part of the spectrum on my value-for-money meter. At half the price I'd probably get one and I'm sure they'd still make a nice profit.

[@PrudentReviews]

There are dozens of cheaper options - some way cheaper. But read the reviews carefully, many of them have weak magnets, poor bearings, and discs that don't last.

[@TotalTimoTime]

They are made in Germany and you are not just paying for the matter but also for the engineering behind it. R&D is anything but cheap.

[@ThePandafriend]

It might surprise you, but no. The main factors are R&D and wages, the latter are comparatively high and on top of that there are additional costs for the employer. It's far from overpriced. Their high end model probably is, but that's normal when it comes to luxury products. Is it cheap? No. They still have a decent margin, but for example the margin of the Chinese sharpener is far higher.

[@TTH991]

The Tumblr diamond disc will lose almost all of its grit after sharpening just a few knives. that's why it barely got a knife from 1.1k to just over 500 Bess score. -> super cheap diamonds, if you can even call them diamonds. They have bad cquality controle, as seen in TriggTube's recent video compaing the Horl and Tumblr, it flat out stoped rolling. The Horl's diamond disc, as per Horl's website, lasts "forever". Also, they have much better quality controle.

[@lordgarth1]

Given the materials and build quality of the knock offs I’d say they are probably the ones with the enormous profit margins.

[@Caxel108]

There is another.. the Hone.

[@Sgt.Leonardo]

I just bought the Tumbler (before I saw this video) and I'm still not sure how long or how many strokes I should Hone for exactly.

[@midegola5623]

i find it crazy that all of these cost more then the work sharp knife sharpening system.

[@petercofrancesco9812]

I understand why these over priced sharpeners exist because normal consumers are afraid of a traditional Japanese stone that does a better but you must hold the knife at a consistent angle.

[@timj5031]

Guys please keep your money and learn how to sharpen on a stone

[@Grayson_Baker]

These are great for beginners and better than pull through sharpeners. Whet stones are great however they take time and practice.

[@webcrawler3332]

200 passes to get a sharp knife? Hmmmm? I’ll keep looking at sharpeners

[@sudokillall]

Is it laziness or you want magic?

[@da900smoove1]

The amount of passes/strokes is rather high for a manual sharpener 100-200 & the costs are in the Higher End Electric Motor Sharpener Range (Chef's Choice)....

[@theredbar-cross8515]

You have to remember that he dulled the knives to an unrealistic extent for the purposes of testing. 1 kg to cut the wire is DULL. Most people sharpen well before that point (as they should).

[@da900smoove1]

@@theredbar-cross8515 honestly all it takes to dull any chef knife is 5 full strokes across a red brick....Even using a cheap $25 wet stone would not require 100 strokes to regain an edge or using chef's choice manual knife sharpener 4360 that costs $18 might take 10 strokes. These products are over $100 each. Make it make sense that they are a good value

[@blairhoughton7918]

​@@da900smoove1They're much easier to use than a stone, especially in terms of holding a consistent angle, which is one of the most important things to get right. So for someone who does this rarely, these will be more convenient and do a better job, if they still understand how to properly apex and hone a blade. A Chef's Choice will be slightly less convenient (just setting it up) but faster, and will hold a consistent angle, but costs more, and while it seems foolproof you still have to be aware of how apexing works so you can get it done evenly and not all wonky.

[@da900smoove1]

@@blairhoughton7918 uuummmmm let me get this straight....spend over $100 for a manual knife sharpener and get results as if you used a simple ez to use small $20 manual knife sharpener or spend $150 for 3 stage electric knife sharpener that is bulky but gives you excellent results like using Wet Stones only in scant few minutes ???

[@donfanto1]

If you have money to burn then buy Horl. But for the same money you can buy a better sharpener.

[@daddyo1952]

What about cheaper knife results? There is a big difference.

[@mynameissang]

As soon as I saw these type of sharpeners, my immediate skepticism came with the fact that there is no way to adjust for the primary and secondary bevel angle (i.e., what the angle of the part of the knife that attaches to the magnet is), and the fact that it is practically impossible to apply meaningful force against the edge with the sharpening media. The part that concerns me about your test is that you used different knife models for every single sample, meaning that the secondary bevel angle of the knives pretty much became a wild card throughout your test.

[@blairhoughton7918]

The steel hardness is going to be the biggest hidden variable.

[@poorfatman5317]

Different knives make Different results

[@grancho4352]

Maybe you should try to cut, not to press down on the cucumber, you expert, you!!

[@roberttaylor9259]

They're too expensive. You can get professional quality sharpeners for literally $20-30 more. Ken onion worksharp is $122 right now the mark 2 is $170 and it takes a few minutes to achieve proper sharp.

[@PrudentReviews]

Sounds like I'll need to test those against these rolling sharpeners...

[@richardmather1906]

@@PrudentReviews Its really apples to oranges. These rolling sharpeners are of the "give to your mother or mother in law" type equipment. Anybody can learn to use them relatively quickly. The Worksharps are "prosumer" type equipment. The are fast, and they use belts that come in different grits and they can easily be replace. You could do a couple dozen knives in an afternoon. But you need a bit of practice to use them. They are a bit too industrial for my tastes. Learning to use diamond stones is more enjoyable, IMO.

[@father042]

Horl is ridiculously overpriced

[@blairhoughton7918]

What if it came with the Tumbler so you could use the better magnet block?

[@dhc1802]

Diamond stones have a break in period where they cut super aggressively at first but then not so well. A KZbin channel that focuses on knife sharpening found that the tumbler couldn’t sharpen anything after that break in period. Would love to see a follow up after some time in use.

[@PrudentReviews]

I plan to do a follow up in 6-12 months

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

Don't think 259-269 is considered "razor sharp."

[@SliceydiceyCookingNicey]

I'm nor trying to be rude, but You did not use the worksharp correctly in any way, hence your poor results..... the turning you complained about? It's designed to do that . That turning allows it to follow the edge of the blade as it curves and maintain contact across the flat of the disk for proper sharpening. The horl stays straight as the blade curves thus you are sharpening on the edge of the disc, which is not conducive to proper sharpening. Also, misen knives are notorious for uneven grinds , so i am curious if you used a different knife for each sharpener or the same knife. If the grind was wonky, you wouldnt even apex the edge, so you wouldnt get a sharp knife. As far as sharpening technique goes, the big lie in these is that you just run it back and forth and its sharp.... that is incorrect. you still have to apex the edge on each side and deburr properly, the same as you would on any other sharpening system. I assure you, the worksharp gives me similar results as japanese water stones when used correctly.

[@PrudentReviews]

I totally hear your point. But the workshop felt like it was pulling away from the blade and was more difficult to control.

[@Marlonbc90]

They are all overpriced honestly. For € 60ish you can get one decent diamond stone it will be good enough for german style kitchen knives. If you want to splurge you can get two Atoma, 400 grit and 1200 grit for around €80 each, but the 400 is already enough. Not gimmicky, they will give you great results in less time.

[@blairhoughton7918]

Much higher learning curve, and until you've practiced a lot you won't be holding the angle at all consistently. With these you just have to learn how to get a symmetrical apex.

[@mdbizzarri]

A non-powered knife sharpener is more expensive than a powered one? I am call B.S. on this. It's a piece of wood, with a bearing, rubber o ring, magnet, and a piece of metal along with sharpening stones. Not complicated compared to the electric sharpeners. It's an overpriced, but nifty gadget for people with more money than sense.

[@tpaul340]

You need to redo the test sharpening the same knife. This video might as well be comparing different apple types to each other. Consistency yields consistency. You did anything but...🤷‍♂️

[@AirforcLuckyThirteen]

At these prices you're better off learning to sharpen with a stone.

[@PrudentReviews]

I agree but these are made for people who don’t have the time/interest in learning how to use a stone.

[@madthumbs1564]

No human can maintain an angle near as well, and there are so many issues that can pop up like dishing, burs, slurry, etc. Most people aren't going to learn all they should to sharpen manually (reference Cliff Stamp's videos).

[@richardmather1906]

Yeah, but that would be true even if these were free. Learning to use a stone is a skill for life. But in my experience getting better than "OK" at it takes a fair amount of practice. After a dozen sharpenings or so, I am at the point where I can get all our knives sharp enough for kitchen use. But they are nowhere near "hair-whittling" sharp like some of these guys are able to get, and quite quickly, too.

[@Ruthless9187]

Dam this guys talks a lot .

[@DamienDrake2389]

To save you some time, none of them are worth your money because rolling sharpeners are a gimmick.

[@ManuelPerez-vy9xj]

Not a fair test. All knives should have been test on each sharpener. Your testing method was flawed. Therefore your results are flawed.

[@PrudentReviews]

Ideally, I would have used 6 of the same knives. But even then, the dulling process is not exact - it's very difficult to get the same initial sharpness score. Also, I didn't repeat the tests with the same knives on each sharpener because the first time you use one of these rolling sharpeners, it sets the edge. The second and third time you use it is much easier/takes fewer passes, even if you dull the blade. So either way, the tests are not perfect. My goal was to show directionally which sharpener performs the best within the constraints of 100 and 300 passes per side. All three sharpeners get the job done with enough time. Appreciate the feedback - I'm always trying to make the testing process better.

[@ntorres1966]

I dont feel that you sharpened the knives right. I believe that all the knives still have a burr. No mention of removing the burr by stropping.

[@PrudentReviews]

I used the strop after each sharpening session (before measuring). I didn't show that part to keep the video more concise.

[@madthumbs1564]

Burrless sharpening (the way he dulled the knives removed the fatigued steel that would turn into bur). Burrless sharpening is far superior.

[@blairhoughton7918]

​@@madthumbs1564The burr forms at the apex because of sharpening. It's a thin foil that bends away from the sharpener instead of getting scraped off by it. Stropping with a flexible material removes it entirely by basically ripping it off in pieces, then lapping the hard edge. After that there's no foil to bend over the apex in normal use. It will dull by getting little chips and dents and wiggly deformations, some of which you can correct with a honing steel. Hard chopping on a hard cutting surface can mash it. Metal fatigue isn't a major contributor.

[@madthumbs1564]

@@blairhoughton7918 Sorry, I'm gonna stick to learning from Cliff Stamp who had a PhD in nuclear physics, an obsession with blades and metallurgy, a status on knife forums of being previously banned for admins and mods being ignorant (and now his info is stickied) before some random commentor on youtube.

[@blairhoughton7918]

@@madthumbs1564 Cool story. Look up argumentum ad verecundiam. Then ask your PhD balloon why every hole a machinist makes is liable to need deburring. Let us know if he invokes flat earth theory in his answer.

[@redfish-vg9dj]

Gotta say, this did not seem like a NEUTRAL, comparison test.