The sharpest knife in the drawer

When it comes to sharpening blades, many people immediately picture a barber elegantly and skilfully running his straight razor across the leather strop. Or perhaps they’re thinking of the gourmet chef with his sharpening steel, which he casually runs along the blade with a flick of the wrist. But the reality is, even experienced professional chefs find it very difficult to keep their knives sharp long term. 

Pull-through sharpeners are far more user-friendly. The blades are drawn through V-shaped sharpening elements made of ceramic, tungsten steel or diamond. But even this does not guarantee professional-quality sharpness. This can only be provided by an electric knife sharpener. This is the only way to ensure that the blades are ground evenly and in the shortest possible time at a specified angle by rotating grinding wheels. Therefore, they are an important tool in the catering and the meat-processing industry. 

Drive motors in knife sharpeners can quickly become overloaded if the machine is used incorrectly. To prevent damage, many professional knife sharpeners are fitted with E-T-A circuit breakers for equipment protection. In the event of harmful overload currents, the circuit breakers reliably shut the knife grinders down, thereby preventing costly motor damage. Many manufacturers rely on E-T-A’s 3120-N circuit breaker/switch combination with rocker or push-button actuation. It combines two functions: reliable overload protection via its integral bimetal strip and an ON-/OFF switch on the machine.