How to Use a Wusthof Knife Sharpener: Pull Through, Steel, and Electric

A Wusthof knife sharpener is one of three different tools sold under one name. The two stage and four stage hand held units are pull throughs with fixed carbide and ceramic slots. The honing steel is a rod that straightens the edge, and the Easy Edge is a belt driven electric that grinds it.

The short answer on how to use Wusthof knife sharpener slots is simple. Hold the blade straight up and down. Pull heel to tip with no added pressure, use the coarse slot only when the knife is truly dull, and finish every session in the fine slot.

This page covers each tool step by step: which slot, how many passes, how hard to press, and how often. Still deciding which unit to buy? Our rundown of every Wusthof sharpening tool handles that instead.

First, know which Wusthof sharpener you have

The angle is the whole point. Wusthof grinds its current forged knives with a PEtec edge. The company’s own pages put that edge at 14 to 14.5 degrees per side, and both pull throughs are cut to match.

Older two stage units are different. The printed manual from earlier versions lists a 34 degree total angle, which is 17 per side. If your sharpener is several years old, expect it to leave a slightly thicker edge on a modern PEtec knife.

Two rules apply to all of them. Never run a serrated bread knife through a slot. Never use the standard slot on a single bevel Japanese blade.

How to use Wusthof knife sharpener slots: the two stage unit

Set the sharpener on a flat counter, not a board that can rock. Grip the E-Z handle with your weak hand and the knife with your strong hand. Insert the blade fully so the heel sits between the rods, with the knife at 90 degrees to the sharpener.

Step 1: Coarse slot, only if the knife is dull

The coarse slot holds two carbide blades that shave steel. Pull the knife from heel to tip in one smooth motion, lift it out, and repeat. The printed manual calls for three to five pulls, and you should stop as soon as the edge bites paper.

Use only the weight of the knife. Pressing down is the most common mistake with a carbide pull through. It is why owner reports so often describe a rough, almost serrated feeling edge afterward.

Wusthof’s own guidance is that the coarse slot should see use about once a year, twice at most. Every unneeded carbide pass shortens the life of the blade.

Step 2: Fine slot, every time

The fine slot holds ceramic rods that polish rather than cut. Make the same heel to tip pull with even less pressure, again three to five times. This smooths the carbide scratch pattern and knocks off the burr.

The fine slot is also the one to use alone for routine touch ups. Wipe the blade with a damp cloth when you finish, since the process leaves metal dust on the edge.

The Universal four stage: pick the correct pair of slots

The Universal is two sharpeners in one body. One pair of slots is cut at 14.5 degrees per side for standard forged Wusthof knives. The other pair is cut at 10 degrees per side for the Asian style lines.

Using the wrong pair grinds a second bevel your knife never had. Once you have the right pair, the motion is identical to the two stage. Carbide if dull, ceramic always, heel to tip, knife weight only, and three to five pulls since Wusthof publishes no count for this unit.

Not sure which bevel your knife carries? Our primer on reading a kitchen knife’s bevel shows how to tell a German grind from an Asian grind by eye. You can also plug your knife’s numbers into our angle calculator to be certain.

How to use the Wusthof honing steel

The steel is the tool you will reach for most, and the one most people use wrong. It does not sharpen. It bends the fatigued edge back into line, which is why a dull knife stays dull no matter how many strokes it gets.

Stand the steel point down on a folded towel or a non slip mat. Set the heel of the knife against the top of the rod at about 14.5 degrees, or 10 degrees for an Asian style Wusthof. Draw the blade down and toward you from heel to tip, then switch to the other side of the rod.

Wusthof calls for six to eight strokes total, alternating sides. Light pressure is enough. If results are inconsistent, the angle is drifting stroke to stroke, and our full honing rod method with angle checks shows how to lock it in.

The Wusthof Easy Edge electric

The Easy Edge is a belt sharpener, not a slot sharpener. It runs a motorized abrasive belt behind a guide, and Wusthof sells the belts as a replacement kit. A belt removes steel fast and rounds the tip if you dawdle.

Wusthof’s US sharpening lineup no longer lists the Easy Edge, and its German product page could not be reached for this guide. Treat it like any belt machine. Light touch, keep the blade moving, let the guide set the angle, and stop when the edge is back, because the recurring owner complaint with belt machines is a rounded tip.

If you want an electric that holds the angle in slots instead, the guided three stage electric below is the standard choice for German knives. Our pass by pass instructions for that electric cover the process. Note that it converts the edge to 15 degrees rather than Wusthof’s 14.5.

How often to use each one

• Honing steel: before most cooking sessions, six to eight light strokes.
• Fine ceramic slot: every few weeks, or when the steel stops bringing the edge back.
• Coarse carbide slot: once or twice a year, only when the fine slot no longer helps.
• Electric or belt: a few times a year, only for knives that have gone genuinely dull.

The list runs from gentlest to harshest. Each step up removes more steel, and steel cannot be put back.

Mistakes that ruin a Wusthof edge

Pressing down in the carbide slot is mistake number one. One long time cooking community contributor calls the carbide stage a ripper. It makes the blade chatter and leaves an edge that looks serrated under magnification.

That matches the recurring owner complaint, and it goes away when pressure drops to the weight of the knife.

Starting in the coarse slot by habit is mistake number two. Most knives that feel dull only need the fine slot or the steel. Mistake three is tilting the knife inside the slot, which grinds one side and skips the other.

Finally, no pull through matches a stone or a guided system. When a knife is chipped or badly rolled, follow the manual method for bringing a kitchen knife back from dull instead. Or compare pull through slots against stones and guided rigs before settling on one style.

FAQ

Which slot do I use first on a Wusthof sharpener?

Coarse carbide first if the knife is dull, then the fine ceramic slot. If the knife is only slightly off, skip the coarse slot and use ceramic alone.

How many passes should I make?

Three to five pulls per slot with no added pressure is the core of how to use Wusthof knife sharpener slots. Test on paper after each set and stop when it slices cleanly.

Can I use a Wusthof sharpener on other brands?

Yes, if the knife has a double bevel near 14 to 15 degrees per side, which covers most German and American kitchen knives. Use the 10 degree slots on the Universal for thinner Japanese style blades. Keep serrated and single bevel knives out of it.

Why does my knife feel rough after the coarse slot?

Carbide leaves a toothy scratch pattern, and pressure makes it worse. Finish with several very light passes in the ceramic slot and the roughness should disappear.

Is the honing steel a sharpener?

No. It realigns the edge and removes essentially no steel, which is why it is safe daily. When the steel stops helping, the knife needs the ceramic slot or a proper sharpening.