How to Sharpen Cutco Knives at Home

Kitchen knives require some regular maintenance to keep them performing at their peak. While Cutco’s Double-D®-edge knives stay sharp for years, straight-edge knives need a little TLC once in a while. Fortunately, there is an easy way to sharpen your Cutco straight-edge knives at home, in-between getting them professionally sharpened.

Using the Cutco Sharpener, you can realign the edge to keep your knives cutting smoothly. However, once sharpening at home isn’t cutting it anymore (pun intended) it’s time to send them to Cutco to have the factory edge reapplied or contact a local sharpening rep who can come to your home to sharpen.

While the Cutco Sharpener is not for Double-D® edges, once knives with those edges start to show some wear, they can also be sent in for sharpening under The Forever Guarantee.

For more tips on caring for your Cutco knives take a look at our How to Care for Cutco Knives infographic to learn more about storage, surfaces and sharpening.

How to Sharpen Cutco Knives at Home

The Cutco Sharpener is designed with Cutco’s straight-edge knives in mind. Its carbide inserts are set at an angle to perfectly pair with the knife's edge and it can be used left- or right-handed.

The instructions for using the Cutco Sharpener call for applying light pressure for several runs through and then very light pressure for an additional couple of runs to further refine the edge. When making the passes through the Sharpener, steel will actually be removed from the blade’s edge to bring it into alignment. Because of this, be careful to wash knives after using the Sharpener and wipe your work space with a damp cloth.

How to Use the Cutco Sharpener

1. Place the Sharpener on a sturdy, flat surface. Holding the knife in one hand, firmly grip the handle of the sharpener with the other hand.
2. Place the heel of the blade in the center of the Sharpener so it’s resting in the v-shaped sharpening inserts.
3. Keep the knife perpendicular to the top of the Sharpener and slightly angle the tip of the knife down. Apply light pressure and pull the blade slowly toward you following the contour of the blade. Pull the knife all the way through the inserts to the tip of the knife. Repeat for 5 to 7 strokes.
4. Using very light pressure, repeat this action for 2 additional strokes to further refine the edge.

For more information, visit our Sharpener page for a video demonstration on how to use it.

After sharpening:

• Carefully hand wash and dry the knife.
• Use a damp paper towel to clean any steel filings from the work surface.
• Note: the Sharpener is not water tight and should not be placed in the dishwasher.