Chef's Choice 325 User manual

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU FOLLOW THESE

INSTRUCTIONS TO ACHIEVE OPTIMUM RESULTS.

ELECTRIC KNIFE SHARPENER

325 Electric

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should

always be followed including the following:

1. Read all instructions.

2. To protect against electrical hazards do not immerse the

Chef’sChoice® in water or other liquid.

3. Make sure that only clean knife blades are inserted in the

Chef’sChoice®.

4. Unplug from outlet when not in use, before putting on or taking

o parts and before cleaning.

5. Avoid contacting moving parts.

6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug or

after the appliance malfunctions, or is dropped or damaged in

any manner.

U.S. customers: You may return your sharpener to The Legacy

Companies’ factory for service where the cost of repair or

electrical or mechanical adjustment can be estimated. When the

electrical cord on this appliance is damaged, it must be replaced

by the Chef’sChoice distributor or other qualiﬁed service to

avoid the danger of electrical shock.

Outside the U.S.: Please return your sharpener to your local

distributor where the cost of repair or electrical or mechanical

adjustment can be estimated. If the supply cord of this appliance

is damaged, it must be replaced by a repair facility appointed

by the manufacturer because special tools are required. Please

consult your Chef’sChoice distributor.

English — 2

7. CAUTION! “This appliance may be ﬁtted with a polarized plug

(one blade is wider than the other). To reduce the risk of electric

shock, this plug will ﬁt in a polarized outlet only one way. If the

plug does not ﬁt fully in the outlet, reverse the plug. If it still

does not ﬁt, contact a qualiﬁed electrician. Do not modify the

plug in anyway.”

8. The use of attachments not recommended or sold by The

Legacy Companies may cause ﬁre, electric shock, or injury.

9. The Chef’sChoice® Model 325 is designed to sharpen kitchen

knives, pocket knives and most sports knives. Do not attempt to

sharpen scissors, ax blades or any blade that does not ﬁt freely

in the slots.

10.Do not let the cord hang over edge of table or counter or touch

hot surfaces.

11. When in the “ON” position (Red ﬂash on switch is exposed when

“on”) the Chef’sChoice® should always be on a stable countertop

or table.

12.WARNING: KNIVES PROPERLY SHARPENED ON YOUR

CHEF’SCHOICE® WILL BE SHARPER THAN YOU EXPECT. TO

AVOID INJURY, USE AND HANDLE THEM WITH EXTREME

CARE. DO NOT CUT TOWARD ANY PART OF YOUR FINGERS,

HAND OR BODY. DO NOT RUN FINGER ALONG EDGE. STORE

IN A SAFE MANNER.

13.Do not use outdoors.

14.Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or

near children.

15.Do not use honing oils, water or any other lubricant with the

Chef’sChoice®.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

English — 3

English — 4

UNDERSTANDING THE MODEL 325

DIAMOND HONE®SHARPENER

The unique Chef’sChoice® Diamond Hone® Sharpener is designed to sharpen knives with

either straight or serrated edges. This two (2) stage sharpener has a precision conical

sharpening / honing stage with ﬁne 100% diamond abrasives and a unique polishing/

stropping stage using proprietary ﬂexible abrasive disks. This combination can be used

to create either an astonishingly sharp, smooth faceted edge for eortless cutting and

presentations or one with a selected amount of residual “bite” along the facets.

The sharpening and honing actions are controlled by using precisely angled guides for the

blade and precisely matched conically surfaced abrasive disks. The sharpening angle is

slightly larger in Stage 2 than in Stage 1.

Fine diamond-coated conical disks in Stage 1 create microgrooves along the facets on

each side of the edge establishing the ﬁrst angled bevel of the edge.

In Stage 2 ultraﬁne abrasive disks polish and strop the facets immediately adjacent to

the edge creating a microbevel and establish a microscopically thin straight and super

polished edge of astonishing sharpness. The stropping action simultaneously polishes

and sharpens the boundaries of those microgrooves created by the diamond abrasives in

Stage 1 adjacent to the edge until they become sharp micro ﬂutes that will assist the

cutting action with “dicult to cut” materials.

This unique two stage design gives you an edge of remarkable sharpness and because of

the second angle bevel it creates, you will note knives stay sharp longer than those

sharpened by conventional means.

The following sections describe the general procedures for optimal sharpening. One of

the important advantages of using the Model 325 is that you can strop and polish your

knives to razor sharp edges as often as needed and yet experience little knife wear

compared to older sharpening methods. Resharpening can commonly be done by using

just the stropping action of Stage 2. (See Resharpening Section).

The Chef’sChoice® Model 325 Sharpener is equipped with manually activated diamond

dressing pads that can be used if necessary to clean any accumulated food or

sharpening debris o the surface of the polishing/stropping disks. We strongly urge you

to clean knives before sharpening them. You will ﬁnd you can go months or over a year

before you need to dress these disks. Only if you sense a distinct decrease in polishing

eciency will there by any need to use this convenient feature described further in a

subsequent section.

English — 5

Each sharpening Stage is equipped with elastomeric guide springs positioned over the

sharpening disks to provide a spring action that holds the face of your knife securely

against the precision guides in the right and left slots of each stage during sharpening.

Unless you have special blades designed to be sharpened primarily on one side of the

edge (such as Asian Kataba blades) you will want to sharpen equally in the right and left

slots of each stage you use. This will ensure that the facets on each side of the edge are of

equal size and that the edge will cut straight at all times.

When sharpening in either stage, the knife should, on sequential strokes, be pulled

alternately through the left slot and the right slot of that Stage. Generally only one or two

pairs of pulls (alternating in the left and right slots) will be adequate in each stage (see

subsequent sections for more detail). Always operate the sharpener from the front side.

Hold the blade horizontal and level and slide it down between the plastic spring and the

guide plane while pulling it toward you at a uniform rate as it contacts the sharpening or

stropping disk. You will be able to feel and hear the contact with the disk as it is made.

Always keep the blade moving uniformly through each stage; do not stop the pull in mid

stroke. Consistently pull at a speed of about 5 seconds per stroke for an eight (8) inch

blade. The time can be less for shorter blades and more for longer blades.

Never operate the sharpener from the back side.

Use just enough downward pressure when sharpening to ensure uniform and consistent

contact of the blade with the abrasive disks on each stroke. Additional pressure is

unnecessary and will not speed the sharpening process. Avoid cutting into the plastic

enclosure. Accidental cutting into the enclosure will not functionally impact operations

of the sharpener or damage the edge.

Figure 1 below identiﬁes each of the two stages as described further in the

following sections.

Figure 2. Typical kitchen knife.

Heel

Bolster

Handle

Edge

Tip

Figure 1. Model 325 Diamond Hone®Sharpener.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Spring

English — 6

INSTRUCTIONS

READ THIS BEFORE YOU START TO SHARPEN

The Chef’sChoice®Model 325 is designed to sharpen either Straight edge or Serrated

edge blades.

1. Sharpen Serrated Blades Only in Stage 2. Do not sharpen serrated blades in Stage 1

until you read section titled Procedure for Sharpening Serrated Blades.

2. Straight Edge Blades are sharpened in Stages 1 and 2. Start in Stage 1 if the knife is

being sharpened for the ﬁrst time or if the knife is very dull. See following Section for

more details.

PROCEDURE FOR SHARPENING STRAIGHT EDGE BLADES

STRAIGHT EDGE BLADES: SHARPENING FIRST TIME

Before you turn on the power, slip a knife blade smoothly into the slot between the left

angle guide of Stage 1 and the elastomeric spring. Do not twist the knife. (See Figure 3.)

Move the blade down in the slot until you feel it contact the diamond disk. Pull it towards

you lifting the handle slightly as you approach the tip. This will give you a feel for the

spring tension. Remove the knife and press the Power Switch. A red “indicator” on the

switch appears when this switch is turned “ON.”

Stage 1: If you are sharpening a straight-edge knife for the ﬁrst time, start in Stage 1. Pull

the knife once through the left slot of Stage 1 (Figure 3) by slipping the blade between

the left angle guide and the polymeric spring while pulling the blade toward you and

simultaneously moving the blade downward in the slot until it engages the diamond

coated disk. You will hear it make contact with the disk. Insert the blade as close as

possible to its bolster or handle. If the blade is curved, lift the handle slightly as you

sharpen near the tip of the knife, keeping the blade edge approximately parallel to the

table. Sharpen the entire blade length. For an eight (8) inch blade each pull should take

about 5 seconds. Pull shorter blades through in 2-3 seconds and longer blades in

6 seconds. Next, repeat with one full length pull in the right slot of Stage 1.

Note: Each time you insert the blade, simultaneously pull the blade toward you. Never

push the blade away from you. Apply just enough downward pressure to make contact

with the wheel – added pressure does not speed up the sharpening process.

Figure 3. Stage 1. Inserting blade in slot between

guide and elastomeric spring. Alternate individual

pulls in left and right slots.

Figure 4. Inserting blade in right slot of Stage 1.

English — 7

To ensure uniform sharpening along the entire blade length, insert the blade near its

bolster or handle and pull it at a steady rate until it exits the slot. Always make an equal

number of pulls alternating one pull in the left slot and then one pull in the right slot in

order to keep the edge facets symmetrical. Generally in Stage 1 you will ﬁnd that only one

or two pairs of pulls is adequate.

Before moving to Stage 2 you will ﬁnd it helpful to conﬁrm that a burr (see Figure 5)

exists along one side of the edge. To check for the burr, move your foreﬁnger carefully

across the edge as shown. (Do not move your ﬁnger along the edge – to avoid cutting

your ﬁnger). If the last pull was in the right slot, the burr will appear only on the right side

of the blade (as you hold it) and vice versa. The burr, when present, feels like a rough

and bent extension of the edge; the opposite side of the edge feels very smooth by

comparison. If a burr exists along the entire edge, proceed to Stage 2.

If no burr exists, make one (1) additional pull in the left and right slots of Stage 1 before

proceeding to Stage 2. Slower pulls will help you develop the burr. Conﬁrm the presence

of the burr and proceed to Stage 2. It is always necessary to create the burr in Stage 1

before stropping in Stage 2.

If the knife is extremely dull, additional pulls in Stage 1 may be needed before proceeding

to Stage 2.

Stage 2: In general only one or two pairs of pulls in Stage 2 will be necessary to obtain a

razor sharp edge. Make alternate pulls in left (Figure 6) and right slots pulling the knife

through the slots at the same speed used in Stage 1.

Added pulls in Stage 2 will reﬁne the edge further, creating an edge ideal for gourmet

preparations. Fewer pulls in Stage 2 may be preferable if you will be cutting ﬁbrous foods

as discussed in more detail in the following sections.

OPTIMIZING THE KNIFE EDGE

GOURMET FOOD PREPARATION:

Where the ﬁnest and smoothest cuts are preferred in preparing smooth, unmarked

sections of fruits or vegetables, sharpen in Stage 1 and 2 as described above and make

extra pulls through Stage 2. Three or more pairs of pulls with each pull alternating in the

Burr

Figure 5. Develop a distinct burr along knife edge

before stropping in stage 2. Burr can be detected

by sliding ﬁnger across and away from the edge.

Caution! See text.

Figure 6. Inserting blade in left slot of Stage 2.

Alternate individual pulls in left and right slots.

English — 8

left and right slots of Stage 2 will reﬁne the second facet and create remarkably smooth

and sharp edges, (Figure 7) ideal for the gourmet chef.

When resharpening the Gourmet edge, use Stage 2, (alternating left and right slots).

If after a number of resharpenings, it is taking too long to resharpen, you can speed the

process by resharpening ﬁrst in Stage 1 following the procedures detailed, and then

resharpen in Stage 2. This procedure, unlike conventional sharpening, will give you

extraordinarily sharp knives every day while removing very little metal and prolonging

the life of your knives.

FOR GAME, FISH AND FIBROUS MATERIALS

For cutting more ﬁbrous materials you may ﬁnd it advantageous to sharpen in Stage 1 –

followed directly by only one alternating pair of pulls in Stage 2. This will leave sharpened

microﬂutes along the facets nearer to each side of the edge (Figure 8) that will assist in

the cutting of such materials.

To prepare this type edge, sharpen in Stage 1 until a burr is developed along the entire

edge. Then move to Stage 2 and make just one pair of pulls.

To resharpen this type of edge, sharpen in Stage 1 until you develop a burr and then make

one pair of pulls in Stage 2.

PROCEDURE FOR SHARPENING SERRATED BLADES

Serrated blades are similar to small saw blades with scalloped depressions and a series of

pointed teeth. In normal use the pointed teeth do most of the cutting.

Serrated blades of all types can be sharpened in the Chef’sChoice®Model 325. However,

use only Stage 2 (Figure 9), which will sharpen the teeth of the serrations and develop

microblades along the edge of these teeth. Generally ﬁve (5) to ten (10) pairs of

alternating pulls in Stage 2 will be adequate. If the serrated knife is very dull more pulls

will be needed. If the knife edge has been severely damaged through use, make just one

fast pull (2-3 seconds for an 8” blade) in each of the right and left slots in Stage 1, then

make a series of pulls in Stage 2, alternating right and left slots. Excessive use of Stage 1

will remove more metal along the edge than is necessary in order to sharpen the teeth.

Figure 7. A larger polished facet adjacent to edge is

ideal for gourmet preparations. Figure 8. Retention of larger microﬂutes adjacent

to edge helps when cutting ﬁberous foods.

English — 9

Because serrated blades are saw-like structures, the edges will never appear to be as

“sharp” as the edge on a straight edge knife. However, their tooth-like structure can help

break the skin on hard crusty foods.

DRESSING TOOL FOR CLEANING OF STROPPING/POLISHING DISKS – STAGE 2

The Chef’sChoice®Model 325 is equipped with a built-in accessory to manually clean/

dress the stropping disks in Stage 2. In the event these disks become glazed with grease,

food or sharpening debris, they can be cleaned and reshaped by actuating the manual

lever on the rear of the sharpener. This lever is located within a recess as shown in Figure

10 on the left lower corner as you face the rear of Model 325.

To actuate the cleaning/dressing tool, make sure the power is on and simply press the

small lever in the recess to the right or left and hold for 3 seconds. Then press the lever in

opposite direction and hold for 3 seconds. When the lever is moved in one direction, the

dressing tool cleans and reshapes the active surface of one stropping/polishing disk. By

moving in the opposite direction you clean the other disk.

Use this clean/dress accessory only if and when Stage 2 no longer appears to be

sharpening well or when it takes too many pulls to obtain a razor sharp edge. Using this

tool removes material from the surface of the Stage 2 disk and hence if used excessively

will unnecessarily remove too much of the abrasive surface – wearing the disks out

prematurely. If that should occur, factory replacement of the disks will become necessary.

If you clean knives regularly before sharpening, you will need to clean or dress the Stage 2

disks only about once a year or perhaps less frequently.

RESHARPENING (SEE PREVIOUS SECTIONS)

Resharpen straight edge knives whenever practical using Stage 2. When that fails to

quickly resharpen, return to Stage 1 and make one or two pairs of alternating pulls. Check

for a burr along the edge and then return to Stage 2 where only one to two alternating

pair of pulls will be adequate to put a new razor-like edge on the knife.

Resharpen serrated blades in Stage 2. See sections above.

Figure 9. Sharpen serrated blades only in Stage 2.

(See instructions).

Figure 10. Stage 2 disks can be cleaned if

necessary. Use infrequently. (See instructions).

English — 10

SUGGESTIONS

1. Always clean all food, fat, and foreign materials from knife before sharpening or

resharpening. If soiled, wash the blade before sharpening.

2. Use only light downward pressure when sharpening – just enough to establish secure

contact with the abrasive disk.

3. Always pull the blades at the recommended speed and at a constant rate over length

of blade. Never interrupt or stop the motion of the blade when in contact with the

abrasive disks.

4. Always alternate individual pulls in right and left slots (of any stage used). Specialized

Japanese blades are an exception and are sharpened primarily on one side of

the blade.

5. The edge of the knife blade, while sharpening, should be held in a level position relative

to the top of the counter or table. To sharpen the blade near the tip of a curved blade,

lift the handle up slightly as you approach the tip so that each section along the curved

length of the edge as it is being sharpened is maintained “level” to the table.

6. There is no need or advantage to using a “sharpening steel” on knives sharpened on

the Chef’sChoice® Model 325. Consider resharpening with the manual Chef’sChoice®

sharpener Model 450 if you are using knives at a remote location away from

electrical power. It is recommended that you keep the Model 325 readily accessible and

resharpen often, as described in the Sections above.

7. Used correctly, you will ﬁnd you can sharpen the entire blade to within 1/8” of the

bolster or handle. This is a major advantage of the Chef’sChoice® Model 325 compared

to other sharpening methods – especially important when sharpening chef’s knives

where you need to sharpen the entire blade length in order to maintain the curvature

of the edge line. If your chef’s knives have a heavy bolster near the handle extending to

the edge, a commercial grinder can modify or remove the lower portion of the bolster

so that it will not interfere with the sharpening action allowing you to sharpen the

entire blade length.

8. To increase your proﬁciency with the Chef’sChoice® Model 325, learn how to detect a

burr along the edge (as described above). While you can sharpen well without using

this technique, it is the best and fastest way to determine when you have sharpened

suciently in Stage 1. This will help you avoid oversharpening and ensure incredibly

sharp edges every time. Cutting a tomato or a piece of paper is a convenient method

of checking for blade sharpness.

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