Review: Ina Garten Swears by Chef’sChoice Knife Sharpeners—And Now I See Why

Name: How I Tested the Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV
Brand: chefschoice
Price: 180 USD

To quote the Contessa, ‘how easy is that?’

Author image: Candace Davison, PureWow vice president of editorial content

By Candace Davison

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Published May 28, 2026

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Getty Images/NBC/Candace Davison

Value: 19/20
Quality/Durability: 19/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics/Product Design: 16/20
Sharpening Ability: 19/20

TOTAL: 93/100

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what's worth the spend—and what's total hype. Learn more about our process here.

Follow Ina Garten for three minutes, and you’ll know three things to be true: (1) She’ll always let you know when “store-bought is fine.” (2) She can rock a chambray shirt like no other. (3) She’s a firm believer that the most important tool any cook can have is a great set of knives.

The Barefoot Contessa swears by Wüstof for those, but how does she maintain them for the long haul? Why, she sharpens them herself. And for years, she’s stood by the Chef’sChoice electric sharpener. Her tried-and-true model is the 1520, though its sister sharpener, the Trizor 15XV, has been racking up accolades lately, getting named a top choice by Wirecutter and America’s Test Kitchen.

Given the buzz, I decided to test the Trizor 15XV—it’s slightly cheaper than Ina’s model ($200 vs. $180), and while it only sharpens to a 15-degree edge (the 1520 can do 20-degree or 15-degree edges), it converts 20-degree blades—which are typically American and European-made knives—to 15-degree ones, resulting in a very sharp edge. Plus, it’s renowned for being remarkably easy to use, and after testing the impressive-yet-learning-curve-required Tormek sharpener, I wanted to uncover a mid-range option that could restore sharpness to a dull knife without requiring extensive tutorials beforehand. Here’s how it fared.

candace davison

What Is the Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV?

What We Like

Great for maintaining knives' sharpness
Very easy to use
Small footprint
Great value

What We Don't Like

Somewhat noisy

chefschoice

This electric sharpener uses a three-step process to sharpen 15-degree class knives (which are typically Japanese knives) and convert 20-degree knives to 15-degree ones, resulting in a finer, sharper edge. It works for straight-edge and serrated knives, using magnets to help hold the knife in place at the proper angle and 100 percent diamond abrasives to sharpen the blade.

FAST FACTS

Type of Sharpener: electric
Works for: Straight-edge and serrated knives, American/European (though they’ll be converted to a 15-degree angle) and Japanese styles alike
Warranty: 3-year limited warranty

candace davison

How I Tested the Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV

chefschoice

I used two straight-edge knives and one serrated knife, each more than a decade old—and, while maintained with a handheld sharpener over the years, had dulled to the point of smashing tomatoes and loaves of bread rather than cutting through them. All three were sharpened, honed and polished according to the product’s instruction manual, then tested to chop tomatoes and carrots (for the straight-edge styles) and slice through sandwich bread and crusty sourdough (for the serrated knife).

My most important considerations were how easy it is to use (I wanted something truly simple and straightforward), high-quality (so it wouldn’t feel flimsy, like it’d break after a few swipes) and end result—could it really sharpen? I compared that with similar models on the market to determine value (because cheaper doesn’t always mean better) and considered its product design, not just in terms of eye-pleasing aesthetics but how bulky it was and how user-friendly it’d be to, well, put to use (whether you’re a righty or lefty).

My Review of the Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV

The Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV completely takes the intimidation out of sharpening a knife. There are three numbered slots that you use, in order, for straight-edge knives: Pass it through the first one for basic sharpening, pass it through the second to hone it, then pass it through the third to polish. You make about three to four swipes per side at each stage, pausing after the first to feel for the burr, aka the very slight ridge along the edge of the blade, taking care not to cut yourself. Once confirming it’s there—you might need an extra pass or two to get it—you can move on to the honing stage. (For serrated knives, you only use the third slot.)

It’s really that simple, too—I didn’t have to finagle the blade to get it into the slot or deal with a complicated setup. Just plug it in, turn it on, and swipe the knife through each side. My duller knives benefited from a few extra passes (about six or seven, instead of three to four), but within minutes, I had a sharpened set. All that was left to do was wash them and get to chopping.

candace davison

chefschoice

The sharpener felt sturdy on the table, and while it was about as noisy as running a blender, it didn’t bother me, especially when I saw the results. The knives weren’t quite as sharp as the ones I used with the Tormek, but it was much easier (and less intimidating) to use. And it clocks in at a fraction of the price. The serrated knife sawed through both squishy focaccia and hardened crust with ease, and the straight-edge blades made quick work of my tomatoes and carrots without slipping or smashing the produce, as they had in the past.

The Bottom Line: It’s a Must-Have for Summer Cookout Season

After using the sharpener, I found myself borrowing Garten’s catchphrase, because truly, how easy was that? The whole process took minutes and the sharpener takes up as much space as a Chipotle burrito (and at 4 pounds, isn’t much heavier than one either). Suddenly, the thought of sharpening my knives after using them didn’t seem like a chore. It can be a more seamless part of my routine, making the dinner scramble less of a, well, scramble.

$180 at Amazon

~~$200~~; $168 at Wayfair

$170 at Williams-Sonoma

Candace Davison

VP of editorial content

Oversees home, food and commerce articles
Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business

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