T-2 Pro Kitchen Knife Sharpener

The recommended angle of your knife is often written on the knife’s packaging. If you don’t find it there you can often find it on the manufacturer’s website. Below you’ll find the angle recommendations from some “well-known” knife manufacturers.

Please note that despite the fact that the vast majority of knives are dual-bevel, knife manufacturers list their edge angles based on the number of degrees of a single bevel.  For example, dual bevel listed as 15 degrees is actually two 15-degree angles, or 30 degrees total. Therefore, all angles in this document is listed as single bevel angles.

Cangshan
Cangshan knives are sharpened to an Asian-style 16-degree edge. Learn more at their website.

Chroma
A Chroma knife should be sharpened to 10-20 degrees. Learn more at their website.

F. DICK (Friedr. DICK)
Dick recommend 15-20 degrees for their DICK Hoof Knives. 

Global
Global recommend an angle of 10-15 degrees. Learn more at their website.

Korin
Korin knives recommend a 10-20 degrees angle on their Western style knives. For their traditional Japanese knife see please go to the website. Learn more at their website.

MAC
MAC knives have factory edges of 15 degrees. Their recommendation is 10-15 degrees. 

Messermeister
Messermeister Elité and Park Plaza knives have a 15-degree angle. Learn more at their website.
Starting in 2018, the Four Seasons knife collection now features a 15-degree angle. Learn more at their website.

Shun and Kai
Shun recommend a 16-degree angle of Shun and Kai double-bevelled knives. Learn more at their website.

Victorinox
Victorinox indicates the total cutting angle. Sharpening a Victorinox should be between 30 to 40 degrees, which is 15-20 degrees on each side. Learn more at their website.

Wüsthof
The sharpening angle for standard blades is 14 degrees, and for Asian-style blades (Santokus, Nakiris, Chai Daos) it’s 10 degrees. Learn more at their website

Zwilling J. A. Henckels and Miyabi
The angle between the blade and the steel should be approximately 15 degrees for ZWILLING knives. Santoku knives and all MIYABI and Kramer made by ZWILLING knives need to be 9-12 degrees. Learn more at their website.

Set the existing knife angle using Tormek Marker Method
If you want to repeat an existing angle but don’t know the angle of your knife, the easiest way is to use the Tormek Marker Method with a black permanent marker. By following three simple steps you can quickly get the correct angle.

1. Colour the bevel, mount the knife in the jig and place it onto the Universal Support.
2. Turn the grinding wheel by hand and check where the colouring is removed
3. Raise or lower the Universal Support until the colouring is removed from the tip to the heel. Now, the angle is just right and it’s time to start sharpening!

How big a knife can one sharpen?
You can sharpen knives which are 14-60 mm (9/16"-23/8") wide with a thickness of maximum 3.5 mm (1/8").


How long does it take to sharpen a knife?
Assuming you sharpen the knife to the previous edge angle (recommended) the work is done in a couple of minutes, including honing and polishing on the honing wheel. Thanks to the clamp, it is easy to sharpen – the knife is not mounted into a jig, which saves you time.

Why does a Tormek sharpened knife last longer?
Thanks to the high accuracy, no unnecessary steel is removed, and your knives will last longer.

Do I need sharpening experience to use the Tormek T-2?
No, it is built so everyone can learn to sharpen quickly.

Which edge angle should I have?
Generally, a small cutting edge cuts better while a larger edge angle is stronger and lasts longer. For example, a knife used for meat should have a larger edge angle than a thinner filet or vegetable knife. The steel's properties also influence what is appropriate. A high quality blade generally stays sharp longer at a narrower edge angle than a blade of lower quality.

What is the difference between shaping and sharpening?
With Tormek you sharpen the whole bevel, compared to a bench stone or a sharpening steel which only sharpens the very tip of the edge. It is possible to touch up the edge a few times with a sharpening steel between the sharpenings, but the edge angle increases each time and eventually you need to sharpen the whole ground face. With the Tormek T-2, you always grind the whole bevel, but with minimal steel removal. Thanks to the high accuracy, no unnecessary steel is removed, and your knives will last longer.

Is there a risk that the steel gets heated and damaged?
Tormek T-2 sharpens with a slow running diamond wheel which is gentle on the steel, compared to conventional sharpening machines, which often use high-speed abrasive belts that generate more heat.

Can I place Tormek T-2 in the kitchen?
The machine is small and can be conveniently placed adjacent to the kitchen, which means you always have the sharpener nearby. Note that it should not be in environments with cooking fumes, as particles can clog the grinding wheel.

Do I need any safety equipment?
No. The machine runs at a slow speed and is safe to use. It is designed so that everyone in the kitchen feel safe using it.