The chef’s knife is skating off a tomato skin again. Next to the register at the grocery store sits a black plastic Farberware knife sharpener for ten dollars. It promises two slots, a nonslip base, and a sharp knife in a few pulls.
Here is the straight answer. A Farberware sharpener will make a dull, cheap knife cut again in under a minute. It does that by scraping steel off the edge with a carbide slot, and the edge it leaves is coarse and short lived.
For a $20 knife block, that trade is fine. For anything you care about, it is the wrong tool, and the peers at the same price are only a step sideways.
The four things Farberware calls a knife sharpener
Farberware, a division of Lifetime Brands, sells several different products under the sharpener label. Retail listings blur them together. They are not the same tool.
- Tabletop EdgeKeeper sharpener (SKU FULST11). The manufacturer lists it at $9.99 with ceramic rods, dual slots, a nonslip base, and a 7.5 inch footprint. Hand wash only.
- Two stage EdgeKeeper. Brand store and dealer copy describe tungsten and ceramic slots. One version adds a serrated slot.
- SmartSharp two stage. Same slot layout with a color changing LED indicator. What the light actually measures is not documented anywhere we could verify.
- Electric EdgeKeeper. Spinning abrasive wheels behind a guide, coarse stage then fine stage. No wattage, wheel material, or angle is published.
There is also the EdgeKeeper self sharpening knife set, covered below. One discrepancy worth flagging: the $9.99 tabletop page says ceramic rods only, while the two stage copy says tungsten plus ceramic. Treat them as different SKUs, ceramic only on the cheapest unit and carbide plus ceramic on the two stage models.
What the slots actually do to an edge
A carbide slot is two hardened blocks set in a V. Dragging a knife through them shaves a curl of steel off each side of the edge. That is why the knife feels sharp at once, and why owners say it eats metal.
The ceramic slot is gentler. It burnishes the fresh edge and knocks down the burr the carbide left behind. It removes little steel, so the ceramic only tabletop unit is closer to a hone than a sharpener.
The result on any two stage Farberware knife sharpener is a coarse, toothy edge. It bites a tomato today and dulls within days, the most repeated retailer complaint. Our page on what a carbide V does to steel compared with a stone goes deeper.
How to use it without wrecking the knife
Farberware’s instructions say to insert the blade at a 90 degree angle to the slot. That confuses people. It does not mean a 90 degree edge; it means hold the blade vertical, straight up and down in the slot, not tilted left or right.
The slot sets the edge angle for you, and Farberware publishes no number for it. Use moderate pressure and pull from heel to tip toward you. Three or four pulls in the coarse slot is plenty; more just removes more steel.
Finish with a few light pulls in the ceramic slot, then wipe the blade. Our page on when the coarse slot is the wrong choice explains the split.
The self sharpening sheath sets: maintenance, not sharpening
The EdgeKeeper sets put a ceramic strip inside each sheath or block slot. Every time you draw or return the knife, the strip hones the edge. Independent owner write ups describe it as working within limits.
The limit is simple. Honing realigns and polishes an edge that still exists. It cannot rebuild an edge that is gone, so once the knife is truly dull, the sheath stops helping and you need a real sharpener.
The electric one
The electric EdgeKeeper uses spinning abrasive wheels behind a guide, coarse then fine. On paper that is the layout of a $150 electric. In practice it is a different class of machine.
The recurring owner report is blunt: a unit quit after a few days, it removed a lot of steel, and the abrasive felt subpar. There is no heat control and no published angle. It is mediocre, and the same money buys a better manual peer.
Who it suits and who should skip it
Buy it if your knives cost less than the sharpener and you do not care about edge life. The nonslip base and enclosed slots feel safe for a nervous first timer. That is a fair use.
Skip it if you own a forged German or Japanese knife, a thin slicer, or anything you plan to keep. Skip it for bread knives too unless you have the serrated slot model. Our guide to the pull through units that do the least damage explains where the line sits.
The real upgrade is not another slot tool. It is a stone or a guided system, and our ranked list of sharpeners that keep a good knife good starts there, or four quick questions can match your knives to a sharpener.
Three alternatives at the same money
None of these beat a Farberware knife sharpener by a wide margin. They are the same carbide and ceramic concept with better details. If you want a Farberware unit anyway, it is not a disaster for cheap knives.
| Model | Type | Best for | Price band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farberware two stage | Carbide + ceramic slots | Cheap knives, fast fix | $ | |
| Sharpal 101N 6-in-1 | Slots + diamond rod | Serrated and mixed drawers | $ | |
| KitchenIQ 50009 | Carbide + ceramic, edge grip | Small counters | $ | Price |
| AccuSharp 001C | Handheld carbide | Garage and camp knives | $ | Price |
Sharpal 101N 6-in-1
Best Value
Carbide and ceramic slots | tapered diamond rod | under $25
The Sharpal adds a diamond rod to the usual two slots. That rod reaches into serrations that no Farberware slot can touch. For a drawer with a bread knife and a steak set, it covers more knives for the same money.
The slots still scrape like any other pull through, so the edge life caveat stands. Owner reviews repeatedly mention the versatility, not edge quality. It is a better bargain tool, not a stone.
Pros
- Diamond rod handles serrated edges
- Same price band as Farberware
- Multiple tools in one housing
Cons
- Slots leave the same coarse edge
- Not for hard, thin knives
KitchenIQ 50009 Edge Grip
Fair Peer
Two stage carbide and ceramic | counter edge grip | around $10
This is the closest direct peer to the two stage Farberware. Same carbide coarse slot, same ceramic fine slot, same price. The edge grip base hooks over the counter, which owners like on a crowded worktop.
Expect the same trade: a fast, toothy edge that fades in days. Buy it over Farberware for the grip, not for the edge.
Pros
- Counter edge grip steadies the tool
- Compact and cheap
Cons
- Identical carbide scraping action
- No serrated option
AccuSharp 001C
Handheld carbide blades | full length finger guard | around $12
The AccuSharp runs the same carbide scraping idea in a handheld body with a well known blade guard. You draw the tool along the knife instead of the knife through the tool. That suits long garage and camp blades.
It is a step sideways from Farberware, not up. Owner reports praise the speed and the guard, then repeat the metal removal complaint.
Pros
- Guard keeps fingers clear
- Works on long and odd shaped blades
Cons
- Aggressive steel removal
- Single coarse stage only
Mistakes that turn a cheap fix into a ruined knife
- Ten pulls when three would do. Every extra pass removes steel for no gain.
- Tilting the blade in the slot. That is the 90 degree instruction: keep it vertical.
- Running serrated knives through plain slots. The teeth get flattened and the scallops stay dull.
- Using it on a $100 knife. The chips owners report are the cost of a ten dollar habit.
The bottom line: A Farberware knife sharpener is a fast, cheap fix for fast, cheap knives, and the electric model is mediocre. At the same money the Sharpal 101N adds a diamond rod for serrated blades, which makes it the smarter bargain. Anyone with a knife worth keeping should move to a stone or guided system instead.
Farberware knife sharpener FAQ
Does the Farberware sharpener work on serrated knives?
Only the EdgeKeeper model with a serrated slot does anything for scallops. The standard two slot units flatten the teeth.
What does the 90 degree angle instruction mean?
It means hold the blade straight up and down in the slot. The slot itself sets the edge angle, and Farberware does not publish that number.
Will it ruin a good knife?
Repeated carbide pulls remove a lot of steel and can chip harder blades. Keep quality knives out of it.
Is the electric Farberware sharpener worth it?
Owner reports describe heavy steel removal, weak abrasive, and at least one unit failing within days. A manual two stage unit at half the price does the same job with less risk.
Do the EdgeKeeper self sharpening sheaths really sharpen?
They hone with a ceramic strip on every draw, which keeps a working edge aligned. They cannot restore an edge that has gone dull.
What should I buy instead for the same money?
The Sharpal 101N adds a diamond rod for serrations. It leaves the same coarse edge, so a stone is the real upgrade.
Sources
- Farberware: Tabletop Edgekeeper Knife Sharpener, product page and use instructions. https://farberwarekitchen.com/products/farberware-tabletop-knife-sharpener-black-7-5-inch