Brod & Taylor VG2 Knife Sharpener Review

I've been using the Brod & Taylor knife sharpener for a while now and wanted to share an in-depth review. I received both the Classic and Professional versions of the VG2 Knife Sharpener. The main difference between them is the materials: the Classic is made of black nylon, while the Professional is constructed from heavyweight stainless steel. I dive a bit deeper into the details below.

First Impressions

When I first opened the boxes, I noticed that both models were well-constructed. However, I preferred the additional weight of the stainless steel model. Despite the difference in materials, both sharpeners performed similarly, with no noticeable difference in performance.

Using the Sharpener

I took the Classic model to my bakery, where it has been used to keep all of our knives sharp. The Professional model is now used for my personal knives. After initially cutting a new bevel, I've only needed to occasionally hone the knives. The sharpener puts a razor-sharp edge on all my blades and is incredibly simple to use. Unlike whetstones, which require significant training, the Brod & Taylor sharpener takes only minutes to learn and just a minute or two to sharpen a knife completely. In terms of ease, the Brod & Taylor is the clear winner!

Sharpening Serrated Knives

What intrigued me most about the Brod & Taylor sharpener is its ability to sharpen serrated knives. I've never seen a pull-through sharpener that can do this effectively. Sharpening serrated knives usually involves painstakingly using a file on each serration or sending them off to be professionally sharpened. Given that this is a bread group, this feature is particularly relevant.

I tested it on my Tojiro bread knife, which hadn't been sharpened since I bought it over a year ago. It was in terrible shape, but in just a couple of minutes, I restored it to its original factory sharpness. Even a month later, it remains just as sharp.

Comparison with Whetstones

While whetstone sharpening can produce a slightly sharper finish on my chef knife, I'll probably only use my stones on rare occasions. Since I'm no longer a professional chef, I don't need that level of sharpness for daily kitchen use. I'll reach for the Brod & Taylor sharpener whenever my knives need a touch-up.

Final Scores

Here’s how I scored the Brod & Taylor VG2:

• Initial Quality: 5/5
• Ease of Use: 5/5
• Effectiveness: 4.5/5
• Overall Score: 4.8/5

You can purchase either the Classic or Professional model directly from Brod & Taylor.

*Brod & Taylor is a partner of Sourdough Geeks, and the above links are affiliate links.