Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was hesitant to purchase something so large just to occasionally sharpen knives. It generally bugs me to have a big "uni-tasker" taking up space in my cabinet when I could do the same thing with a sharpening stone and such. However the trick is I have no freaking clue how to sharpen a knife with those things, so I was looking for something that was relatively idiot proof. I chose this model over the others based on the name brand I had heard of and the generally positive reviews. The body is made of plastic but generally feels sturdy. I haven't noticed it sliding around or binding up when I use it. Sharpening the knives is easily... just draw the knife across each of the openings a few times, in turn, and there's an immediate noticeable difference in the way they cut. A few folks have mentioned in their reviews that it "grabbed" the knives but I have not experienced it. I think the key is not to force the knives down... if you have decent quality knives, their weight alone will be enough pressure to make them sharpen correctly. This is basically a grinder, so you should expect some noise from the unit as the stones grind against the metal of the knives, but it was not anything tremendously loud. Also as a result of the grinding you will notice a bit of metal dust, I guess technically filings, on the knives when you're done. A simple wipe down or even rinse should clear that right up.