If you are anything like me, then a really sharp chef's knife is an essential part of any cooking activity. I have my favorites and when I cook in someone else's kitchen, I always feel vaguely lost without my own chef's knife at hand.

The road to a keen edged knife, that is easily maintained, has been an expensive and protracted journey for me. Along the way, I have tried just about every type of sharpener available and after spending a great deal of money, I now own one of the country's finest collections of spent, bent and totally useless sharpeners. So it was with some considerable surprise that an impulse purchase has ended my journey and I now reside in sharp knife heaven along with my "V" Type Cermic Sharpener.

It's a funny looking thing alright! This is the side view, with the course blue ceramic rods. Note the hand guard to the left and the storage underneath the unit for all the rods.

A year or so ago, I happen upon a knife shop in the Providence Mall. They displayed a fine collection of chef's knives and I spent a happy half hour hefting and admiring some of the many knives on the market. At the back of the shop, the salesperson was sharpening a blade for a customer with a curious looking device. After a few strokes, he sliced a piece of paper in half, grinned and handed the knife back to the delighted customer. Brief inquires revealed the name and cost of this instrument along with an assurance that everyone in "the know" uses them to sharpen knives to an ultra keen edge. Naturally, I couldn't resist getting one and promptly parted with my $29.95.

I took the new sharpener home, unpacked the small box and set about sharpening my knives. Well, I have to tell you, that not only did it work, but it worked on everything including my kitchen shears. From that day to this, a few strokes every couple of days keeps everything in my kitchen, razor sharp.

The "V" Type Cermic Sharpener consists of a hardwood base, a plastic hand protector and 4 ceramic abrasive rods. The basic idea is that you insert two of the rods into the base to make a wide "v" shape. Sharpening strokes are made by a cutting action against each side, not dissimilar to slicing a loaf of bread. There are two angles and two grades of abrasive. One for rough shaping and one for edging the blade.

If it sounds a bit dangerous, don't worry, the plastic guard really does work very well and with a modicum of care sharpening is fast and safe. My guard bares several scars as testament to its effectiveness. If you keep your whole hand behind it then even a major slip, just bounces harmlessly off. Once the blades are rough shaped, honed on the narrower angle and finer abrasive, a simple maintenance routine of a few strokes with the finer abrasive (the white ones) keeps the edges keen. An additional hole at the end of the block allows for scissor sharpening.

In this top view you can see the holes for the second set of rods, which are at a narrower angle and the hand guard to the left.

When you have finished with it, the rods store underneath the block and the whole thing easily fits into a drawer or other storage area.

I have now used mine for over a year and have since purchased one for all of my family and friends who cook. The sharpeners seem to show very little to no wear. Mine is a bit stained from use and the rods are blacken with steel dust, but no detectable wear on the rods is apparent (this was the downfall of many of the alternative sharpeners on the market).

The only weakness is that the rods roll easily and if you have a marble floor then you need to be careful about putting them away rather than risking dropping them and seeing if they shatter (let us know if you decide to do this experiment).

Is it hard to use?
Well no not at all. I did fail to get an edge on a few knives when I started using it. This was my fault however, as I didn't use the rough ceramic rods for long enough before trying the finer edging rods. Once you get the basic technique it's very simple to master.

This is a view of the hand guard. The inspiring "hold here" message keeps your hand in a safe location. It can be held either left or right handed.

How sharp is sharp?
Apart from slicing paper (an impressive, but useless feat) sharpness is a bit subjective. My "acid" test is cutting an over-ripe tomato. If you cut a soft tomato with a very sharp knife, not only does it slice without effort, but the skin is not deformed before the cut starts. A blunt knife, by contrast, has trouble starting the cut and the tomato deforms before the cut starts.

Things like chopping onions or dicing carrots are effortless and the results are finer and more consistent.

There is an argument that tries to make out a sharp knife is safer in the kitchen, with variants on "you have better control", as the main argument. To me this is like arguing that you are safer with a handgun in the house. A sharp knife can hurt someone more than a blunt one! Leaving knives in dish water, or laying around on counter tops is dangerous no matter what.