Chef’s Choice 130 Review
With the multitude of knife sharpeners available on the market today, it can be difficult to find a professional knife sharpener with the features, functionality, and versatility to serve in a restaurant’s kitchen as well as in the average home.
This is where the Chef’s Choice M130 (or Model 130) has stepped in and performed very well. With the 3-stage sharpening capabilities of this electric counter top model, it is possible to put an edge on your knives that exceeds the performance of the original factory edge.
This quality sharpener is usable with virtually any type of knife, from straight edged and serrated (yes, serrated!) blades to sports knives, Asian style knives, and even pocket knives.
The first stage is designed specifically to re-grind your knife’s edge with no “correct angle” hassles, making this sharpener as usable by a complete novice as it is for a veteran chef. And, of course, once the knife is sharp, you don’t need to use this stage again for quite some time, so there is little need for concern over metal loss.
The second and third stages are specifically designed for maintaining the desired edge on all your knives, with honing steel and flexible stropping discs that seem to work as well as an honest to goodness leather razor strop.
This model is available in black, white, or platinum, and comes with a three year limited warranty from the manufacturer.
Below, please take a look at the following interactive table. Inside, we compare the likes of the Chef’s Choice 130 to other sharpeners such as the 220 Hybrid (from Chef’s Choice).
| Photo | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Chef's Choice 250 Diamond | $$ |
 | Presto 08800 EverSharp | $ |
 | Chef's Choice 15 Trizor XV | $$$ |
 | Edge Pro Apex | $$$ |
 | Presto 08810 | $$ |
 | Chef’s Choice 130 | $$$ |
Chef’s Choice 130 review: Very Durable
Built on a wide, stable platform (12” wide by 6” tall,) with durable rubber feet, and with an easy-to-access power switch, the 130 provides steady control for easy “draw-through” knife sharpening. When your knives just need a quick hone or strop, those options are sitting right there, waiting for you. There is no need to grind the edge every time you hone.
This electric sharpener produces very little noise – the first stage being the loudest – and takes up only a small section of your available counter space. Unless you are in a professional kitchen, you may be able to keep it on the back of your countertop, out of the way for the majority of the time.
Most users will want to take a moment to hone the knives they are using once before, and once after use. Of course, you will only want to use this sharpener on a clean knife, as moisture is probably not good for it. You will also want to wash your knife after any major sharpening to avoid getting metal in your food.
Below, please take a moment to view some of the best-selling knife sharpeners currently for sale on Amazon:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
1) Presto 08800 |
2) Chef’s Choice 4643 |
3) Chef's Choice 320 |
4) Presto 08810 |
5) Chef's Choice 250 |
Solid, Usable Technology
With its straightforward, 3-stage sharpening design, transforming a dull blade into a razor-sharp knife again is easy. There is no guess work necessary for the inexperienced cook. Old and new chefs alike should find this sharpener useful and easy to maintain.
100% diamond edge grinder – This slot features an elastometric angle guide to give you perfect error-free sharpening angles automatically, every time. The all diamond grinding abrasives grind the bevel quickly and cleanly, removing as little metal from the blade as possible. This stage is one that you will use less frequently than the others.
Super hardened miniature honing steel – can hone an existing sharp knife or supplement the re-sharpening process by adding a microscopic serration to the edge which gives your knife blade a good “bite” for cutting things like tomatoes. This is the stage you will use most frequently. If you don’t want that micro-serration, move on to stage 3.
Flexible stropping discs – puts that super-fine polish on the edge, removing burrs and stray flakes of metal, conditioning and refining the blade to a scalpel-like sharpness.
Question and Answer for the M130
Here, we’ll go over what many people (possibly yourself, as well) wonder about when it comes to the M130.
1) What kind of knives will it sharpen? Answer: The manual for the 130 states that this sharpener is designed to sharpen sporting knives, as well as pocket knives. Many people have stated firmly that this sharpener is great at sharpening not just Chef’s knives, but boning knives, paring knives, and slicers.
2) Is this sharpener loud? Answer: All sharpeners do emit some level of noise. This sharpener would not be considered “loud” though. With that said, its first stage would probably be deemed the “loudest,” but one would also certainly argue that this is the stage that a given person would utilize the least. Without a knife inside of it, the noise is similar to that of a small fan that’s running inside your home. Once you begin the sharpening process, there is indeed noise, but you would certainly still be able to watch television and hear dialogue, or even carry on a conversation with a friend or loved one.
3) What voltage does this sharpener work with? Answer: The M130 requires 120 V 60Hz.
4) Does the M130 sharpen serrated edges? Answer: Yes, it does. And this is mentioned in the manual. But, you will need to use “Stage 3” on the sharpener, which is for honing.
Regarding the aforementioned “stages,” each of these separate stages serves a completely different but complimentary purpose, allowing you to create custom edges on your knives by using the stages in a different order. The microscopic serrations added by the stage 2 honing steel do not affect the cutting quality of a straight edged knife, and seem to revive a well used serrated blade with only a few strokes.
Chef’s Choice 130 vs Chef’s Choice 120
Let’s quickly take a moment to compare the M130 to its predecessor, the M120.
While sharpening is always important, frequent honing between uses is necessary to keep a fine edge. With the 130, the unit would need to stay on the counter top at all times to accomplish this. The 120 model offers two-stage sharpening for straight and serrated blades, has the flexible stropping discs, and a magnetic catch for metal shavings to help keep your knives clean.
The difference in price between the models leaves enough breathing room to purchase a decent honing steel. So here, two options present themselves, both of which will help keep your knives in top shape. The 120 gives you great features but you would still want a separate honing steel. With the M130, you have the built in honing steel, but have to keep it sitting out. The only real decision comes down to which option better suits your needs.
On Amazon, out of over 350 reviews on the site, the M130 held an overall rating of 4.5 stars. Approximately ten percent of the reviews on that site had a 3-star or lower rating, with issues ranging from dissatisfaction with the seller, to possible manufacturer’s defects. One buyer was dissatisfied with the online seller for offering free international shipping on a product that was clearly only usable on American 120 volt electrical systems. Others said it simply did not live up to expectations, or didn’t seem to provide the quality expected from an item in this price range.
So, overall, professionals and civilians alike seem to feel this sharpener suits their needs nicely, with the possible exception of compatibility with certain types of knife blades, or the amount of space it occupies. For ease of use, durability, features, and overall quality, this sharpener seems to live up to its ‘nearly’ 5-star rating. It is definitely a recommended item!
And for more on the Chef’s Choice 130, check out the following video below. It’s very helpful and extremely detailed when it comes down to showing you the sharpening system and the sharpening process itself. The best price you’ll find this sharper is likely about $160 on Amazon.com, which isn’t too bad considering what you are going to get, which is a fantastic professional sharpening system!
Manual for the Chef’s Choice 130
And if you feel like you need the Chef’s Choice 130 manual (maybe you want to see it before you bought it, or maybe you’ve purchased it already but misplaced the physical version), well, you’re in luck. Thankfully, in the Internet age, almost everything is available online, and the 130 manual is indeed available to be viewed online in PDF format here.
Below, you can watch a very helpful video. And lastly, we know a lot of people are in need of helpful information pertaining to both pocket and fixed blades. But if you do need some help identifying some of the better known pocket knife brands, please do let us know either in the comments section, or by revisiting our homepage so we can better direct you to a more helpful article. Thanks again for visiting Reliable Knife!
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