Edgecraft Chef's Choice 430 - Manual

Manual Diamond Hone ®
Knife Sharpener
Model 430
for serrated knives
INSTRUCTIONS
Congratulations! You have selected the
innovative Chef’sChoice ® Manual
Diamond Hone ® sharpener, the first
household sharpener designed especially
for serrated knives.You will find it
improves the cutting effectiveness of all
your serrated knives and allows you to
cut thinner, more uniform slices.
About serrated knives
Serrated knives are essentially saws with
teeth along the cutting edge. Depending
on the manufacturer and intended use,
the size, number and shape of the teeth
can vary widely. These teeth (serrations)
may either be ground into only one side
of the blade creating an asymmetrical
(off-center) edge; or may be ground into
both sides of the blade so that the teeth
are symmetrical (centered). The important
thing to remember is that, for household
use, the cutting effectiveness of the
serrations depends almost entirely on
the sharpness of the points (edges) of
the teeth. It is not necessary to sharpen
the top and sides of the scallops between
the teeth, since in general, they are not
doing the cutting. The Chef’sChoice ®
Model 430 sharpener is designed to
sharpen teeth at the edge or point so that
the prominent teeth become razor-sharp
“micro knives.”
Before you begin...
The Chef’sChoice ® Manual Diamond
Hone ® sharpener is “ambidextrous”- easy
to use whether you are right-or left-hand-
ed. Place the sharpener on a level surface
about waist high. If right-handed, position
the sharpener with the Chef’sChoice ®
logo facing you. Hold the handle so your
left index finger and thumb remain safely
behind the partitioning wall where the
handle attaches to the sharpening stages.
(If left-handed, see Suggestions.)
CAUTION: Keep all fingers clear of the knife blade
at all times.
General sharpening instructions
Make certain the blade is clean - free of
all food, fat and grease - then proceed
as follows:
Holding the knife in the right hand, place
the blade in slot. Lean the face of the
blade securely against the red conical
roller guides. While continuing to keep the
blade in contact with the rollers, move the
blade smoothly back and forth in the slot
along the entire blade length. Make sure
one or both rollers move with each back
and forth stroke to ensure that the blade
is in good contact with the rollers. It is
not necessary to lift the blade after each
stroke. Apply little or no downward
pressure on the blade. The light “sawing”
sound you hear as the blade moves
across the 100% diamond abrasives tells
you the diamonds are doing the work for
you! Continue this back-and-forth motion
until the blade is sharp.
Do not oversharpen. The number of
strokes required will depend on the size
and type of serrations and the condition
(dullness) of the teeth.
The Chef’sChoice ® Manual Diamond
Hone ® sharpener has been designed with
the optimal diamond abrasive to sharpen
your knives safely while producing an
extremely sharp edge. A coarser grit
would cause excessive wear and tear
of the serrations. The fine diamond grits
used in the Model 430 helps extend the
life of your knives. The first time you
sharpen a knife may take a little longer,
but resharpening will be fast and safe.
Sharpening for the first time
Knives with fine serrations and a
symmetrical edge (serrations on both
sides of the edge) may require only 10 full
strokes the first time you sharpen them.
Knives with larger thicker, off-center, or
very dull teeth may require up to 50 full
strokes. (A full stroke is one pull along the
entire cutting edge of the knife through
the sharpener together with the return
stroke, pushing the entire cutting edge of
the knife through the sharpener.)
Start with only 10 full strokes and
apply no downward pressure. Examine
teeth along blade for sharpness and wear.
Check your progress by periodically
testing the edge on food; e.g. tomatoes.
Resharpening
Knives can be resharpened using the
procedures described above. However,
resharpening will be faster and, in
general, require only about 10-20 full
strokes with care. You will be able to
resharpen your serrated knives many
times before the serrations become
noticeably worn. Although the diamond
abrasives used in the Chef’sChoice ®
Manual Diamond Hone ® Sharpener are
very fine, in time, serrations will be
reduced in size and the knife will perform
more like a sharp find edge blade. To
avoid excessive removal of metal on the