Knife Wizard KE280 Commercial Sharpener

No only did I try to sharpen my knives but also my husband and three friends. All of us succeed in completely blunting every single one of them and I had to get them professionally sharpened. The chap who sharpened my knives gave me some great advice on how to keep them in good condition and said the best thing would be to throw away the pathetic contraption. My knives are now in a fantastic condition and have remained so for quite a while. Don't buy this (or any other) electric sharpener if you have good or expensive knives.

Bought this KNIFE WIZARD KE 280 commercial quality knife sharpener for my IoShen knives because it is recommended by Niry who manufacture the IoShen range of chefs knives.

At £300 it is not cheap. I was majorly disappointed with it as soon as I used it for the first time. Even with the finest abrasive paper on the wheels within the machine it is aggressive and will eat blades if too much pressure is exerted on the knife. It is very noisy in operation.

More disappointing is the fact that not all knives fit into the sharpening slots the full length of the blade, resulting in 20mm of unsharpened blade near to the handle. This causes a very unsightly heel to form where the blade isn't being sharpened while the rest of the blade is being worn away because of the sharpening process. No mention of this problem is made at point of sale or in any sales pitch. It is a major design fault.

I took this up with my supplying shop 'Harts of Stur' and was told that no return or refund would be achievable because the machine wasn't faulty. I tried to explain that it is faulty by design and was met with sarcasm, rudeness and an outright refusal to refund my money. The manager and buyer for Harts actually laughed at me down the phone. It was shocking behaviour.

I was told by Harts that the manufacturer of Knife Wizard would contact me the next day, but they did not.

I am basically left with a very expensive knife sharpening machine which will not accommodate all knives, and I feel tricked.

I do not recommend this product and I do not recommend Harts of Stur as a reliable place from whom to buy any kitchen equipment. Their aftersales service and customer care is non-existent.