Verdict
A powerful and flexible tool, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener has an adjustable knife holder so you can get the perfect angle for all types of blades. Simple and quick to use, I found that this sharpener delivered professional results quickly, helping keep my knives in their best condition. It’s not cheap, but this is a brilliant tool if you’re serious about maintaining your kitchen knives.
Pros
- Easy to adjust
- Replaceable parts
- Excellent performance
-
Works with almost all knivesCan take knives of unlimited length, with blades between 12mm and 60mm tall, and up to 5mm thick.
Introduction
Never underestimate the importance of sharp kitchen knives. From more control to better presentation, a sharp knife is essential for home cooks. Getting the perfect edge can be hard, unless you have the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener.
Built to deliver professional results in the easiest way possible, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener isn’t cheap, but works brilliantly. If you want the best out of your knives, particularly if you have an expensive set, then this is an excellent choice.
Design and features
- Fully replaceable components
- Very easy to use
- Hones and sharpens
Tormek is known for its T-2 professional knife sharpening tool. Similar in appearance, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is built for home use, is slightly more compact than the T-2 and has a finer grit diamond wheel.
The issue with many knife sharpeners is that they’re either designed to achieve a single angle of sharpening, or you have to adjust the angle manually. In reality, different types of blade need to be sharpened at different angles.
A Japanese santoku knife, for example, should have a sharp blade and is designed for precision cutting and thin cuts; a German-style chef’s knife needs a wider angle, as they’re heavier and more hard-wearing, designed for dealing with tougher ingredients.
With the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener, adjusting the angle is easy. On the side of the device, there’s a thumbscrew that lets the knife guide move along a rail to take into account the design of different knives so you can sharpen the entire blade.
Tormeks says that the T-1 can take knives of unlimited length, with blades between 12mm and 60mm tall, and up to 5mm thick.
Loosening the thumbscrew also lets you adjust the angle, with 1° marks ranging from 8° to 22°C: the finer the angle, the sharper the blade. Tormek gives some suggested angles in its manual, but check with your knife manufacturer if there’s a recommendation. For example, my Robert Welch santoku knife comes out of the factory sharpened to 15°.
Once the angle is set up, using the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is easy. Turn on the power switch to start the motor going, and then slide your knife into the knife guide.
Applying a bit of pressure (similar to cutting a tomato), you slide the knife backwards and forwards across the conical diamond wheel one way. Once a burr has formed, you rotate the knife and sharpen from the other direction. Well, unless your knife only requires sharpening one side, that is.
Using a 600-grit wheel, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener only removes a small amount of metal at a time, making it easy to sharpen without risk of damaging your knife. Rated to last for a thousand plus sharpenings, new wheels can be bought for £114 each.
There’s a magnet on top of the knife guide, which catches the metal shavings. Or, at least most of them, as some dropped to the counter. Once you’ve finished sharpening, the magnet can slide out of its holder and wiped clean with a bit of paper towel.
Once the knife is sharpened, the burr needs to be removed by using the conical composite honing wheel, which is on the opposite side to the knife sharpener. It’s important to place the knife at a relatively flat angle on the honing wheel, making sure that the wheel rotates away from the edge.
Place the knife the wrong way around, and it can cut into the wheel and injure you. And, if you have too steep an angle, you risk rounding off the blade and dulling it.
Tormek recommends wetting the wheel with a sponge or damp paper towel to make the job easier, and says that honing the knife a couple of times per side is usually enough. If the wheel gets damaged, replacements are available for £79.
Tormek also sells replacement felt for the knife holder (you also get a spare set in the box), and cardboard knife covers (two come in the box), so you can store your blades in a drawer with a measure of protection.
That’s it. Once you’re done, you can either sharpen another knife to the same angle or adjust for a different type.
Performance
- Sharpens beautifully
- Very quiet
Before I started testing the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener, I made sure that I had two knives in dire need of sharpening: a Robert Welch santoku, which I use for a lot of cooking, and a general-purpose ProCook chef’s knife, which I only use for cutting through harder vegetables, where I don’t want to damage my more expensive knives, such as Zwilling chef’s knife.
For the santoku knife, I set the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener to 15°C, which is how it comes from the factory. As I generally look after this knife well and use a manual sharpener and honing steel, it didn’t take very long to sharpen both sides.
I found the sharpening action to be as easy as gently pushing the knife down onto the wheel and sliding the blade backwards and forwards. At no point did the knife slip, with the guide holding it at the perfect angle. Once done, I used the honing wheel (wetted), to finish the job.
I found the T-1 very quiet in operation: there’s a gentle hum as the motor spins and just a little more noise while the knife is pressed against the wheel.
To see what a difference this made, I tried cutting a grape both before and after sharpening. Before sharpening, the knife struggles a little, compressing the grape and proving hard to cut through the skin at the end, resulting in tearing the skin. After sharpening, the blade slid cleanly through, delivering a perfect, precision cut.
With my ProCook chef’s knife, I tend not to use this very often, apart from for rough jobs. As a result, this one was very blunt. I set the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener to 18°, and set about sharpening it. As it was blunt, it took longer to sharpen.
However, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener was still a pleasure to use. Thanks to the knife guide, it was easy to slide the blade, right up to the point, against the wheel. Once done, honing was a relatively quick job.
This knife was so blunt before sharpening that it could barely cut through a grape: applying pressure squeezed the grape, and then the knife ripped it apart. After sharpening, the knife slid through, leaving a clean cut.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You should buy if you want to maintain your kitchen knives
Easy to use, powerful and with an adjustable angle, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener gives professional results at home.
You should not buy if you’ve got cheap kitchen knives
This knife sharpener is quite an expensive investment, and those with more basic kitchen knives may find they’re OK with a manual knife sharpener.
Final Thoughts
Easy to adjust and use, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener can sharpen any knife, from the cheapest to the most expensive. Given its cost, it seems better suited to those with more expensive cooking knives, in which case it should be considered an investment. All knives become blunt over time, and it’s important to maintain them properly, which the T-1 lets you do. If you’re serious about having properly sharpened knives, this is a brilliant tool.
How we test
We test every knife sharpener we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main knife sharpener for the review period.
Used on different sizes and styles of knives.
FAQs
Provided they can fit into the guide, this knife sharpener will work with all straight blades.
Verdict
A powerful and flexible tool, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener has an adjustable knife holder so you can get the perfect angle for all types of blades. Simple and quick to use, I found that this sharpener delivered professional results quickly, helping keep my knives in their best condition. It’s not cheap, but this is a brilliant tool if you’re serious about maintaining your kitchen knives.
Pros
- Easy to adjust
- Replaceable parts
- Excellent performance
-
Works with almost all knivesCan take knives of unlimited length, with blades between 12mm and 60mm tall, and up to 5mm thick.
Introduction
Never underestimate the importance of sharp kitchen knives. From more control to better presentation, a sharp knife is essential for home cooks. Getting the perfect edge can be hard, unless you have the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener.
Built to deliver professional results in the easiest way possible, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener isn’t cheap, but works brilliantly. If you want the best out of your knives, particularly if you have an expensive set, then this is an excellent choice.
Design and features
- Fully replaceable components
- Very easy to use
- Hones and sharpens
Tormek is known for its T-2 professional knife sharpening tool. Similar in appearance, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is built for home use, is slightly more compact than the T-2 and has a finer grit diamond wheel.
The issue with many knife sharpeners is that they’re either designed to achieve a single angle of sharpening, or you have to adjust the angle manually. In reality, different types of blade need to be sharpened at different angles.
A Japanese santoku knife, for example, should have a sharp blade and is designed for precision cutting and thin cuts; a German-style chef’s knife needs a wider angle, as they’re heavier and more hard-wearing, designed for dealing with tougher ingredients.
With the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener, adjusting the angle is easy. On the side of the device, there’s a thumbscrew that lets the knife guide move along a rail to take into account the design of different knives so you can sharpen the entire blade.
Tormeks says that the T-1 can take knives of unlimited length, with blades between 12mm and 60mm tall, and up to 5mm thick.
Loosening the thumbscrew also lets you adjust the angle, with 1° marks ranging from 8° to 22°C: the finer the angle, the sharper the blade. Tormek gives some suggested angles in its manual, but check with your knife manufacturer if there’s a recommendation. For example, my Robert Welch santoku knife comes out of the factory sharpened to 15°.
Once the angle is set up, using the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is easy. Turn on the power switch to start the motor going, and then slide your knife into the knife guide.
Applying a bit of pressure (similar to cutting a tomato), you slide the knife backwards and forwards across the conical diamond wheel one way. Once a burr has formed, you rotate the knife and sharpen from the other direction. Well, unless your knife only requires sharpening one side, that is.
Using a 600-grit wheel, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener only removes a small amount of metal at a time, making it easy to sharpen without risk of damaging your knife. Rated to last for a thousand plus sharpenings, new wheels can be bought for £114 each.
There’s a magnet on top of the knife guide, which catches the metal shavings. Or, at least most of them, as some dropped to the counter. Once you’ve finished sharpening, the magnet can slide out of its holder and wiped clean with a bit of paper towel.
Once the knife is sharpened, the burr needs to be removed by using the conical composite honing wheel, which is on the opposite side to the knife sharpener. It’s important to place the knife at a relatively flat angle on the honing wheel, making sure that the wheel rotates away from the edge.
Place the knife the wrong way around, and it can cut into the wheel and injure you. And, if you have too steep an angle, you risk rounding off the blade and dulling it.
Tormek recommends wetting the wheel with a sponge or damp paper towel to make the job easier, and says that honing the knife a couple of times per side is usually enough. If the wheel gets damaged, replacements are available for £79.
Tormek also sells replacement felt for the knife holder (you also get a spare set in the box), and cardboard knife covers (two come in the box), so you can store your blades in a drawer with a measure of protection.
That’s it. Once you’re done, you can either sharpen another knife to the same angle or adjust for a different type.
Performance
- Sharpens beautifully
- Very quiet
Before I started testing the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener, I made sure that I had two knives in dire need of sharpening: a Robert Welch santoku, which I use for a lot of cooking, and a general-purpose ProCook chef’s knife, which I only use for cutting through harder vegetables, where I don’t want to damage my more expensive knives, such as Zwilling chef’s knife.
For the santoku knife, I set the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener to 15°C, which is how it comes from the factory. As I generally look after this knife well and use a manual sharpener and honing steel, it didn’t take very long to sharpen both sides.
I found the sharpening action to be as easy as gently pushing the knife down onto the wheel and sliding the blade backwards and forwards. At no point did the knife slip, with the guide holding it at the perfect angle. Once done, I used the honing wheel (wetted), to finish the job.
I found the T-1 very quiet in operation: there’s a gentle hum as the motor spins and just a little more noise while the knife is pressed against the wheel.
To see what a difference this made, I tried cutting a grape both before and after sharpening. Before sharpening, the knife struggles a little, compressing the grape and proving hard to cut through the skin at the end, resulting in tearing the skin. After sharpening, the blade slid cleanly through, delivering a perfect, precision cut.
With my ProCook chef’s knife, I tend not to use this very often, apart from for rough jobs. As a result, this one was very blunt. I set the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener to 18°, and set about sharpening it. As it was blunt, it took longer to sharpen.
However, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener was still a pleasure to use. Thanks to the knife guide, it was easy to slide the blade, right up to the point, against the wheel. Once done, honing was a relatively quick job.
This knife was so blunt before sharpening that it could barely cut through a grape: applying pressure squeezed the grape, and then the knife ripped it apart. After sharpening, the knife slid through, leaving a clean cut.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You should buy if you want to maintain your kitchen knives
Easy to use, powerful and with an adjustable angle, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener gives professional results at home.
You should not buy if you’ve got cheap kitchen knives
This knife sharpener is quite an expensive investment, and those with more basic kitchen knives may find they’re OK with a manual knife sharpener.
Final Thoughts
Easy to adjust and use, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener can sharpen any knife, from the cheapest to the most expensive. Given its cost, it seems better suited to those with more expensive cooking knives, in which case it should be considered an investment. All knives become blunt over time, and it’s important to maintain them properly, which the T-1 lets you do. If you’re serious about having properly sharpened knives, this is a brilliant tool.
How we test
We test every knife sharpener we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main knife sharpener for the review period.
Used on different sizes and styles of knives.
FAQs
Provided they can fit into the guide, this knife sharpener will work with all straight blades.
