What I like: I can take hours to sharpen kitchen knives by hand and my wife can ruin them in minutes.Some of the quality steel knives for EDC with high grade steel can take even longer to sharpen by hand, get the correct angle, polish, and buff for a razor sharp edge. One knife can take me a half day. And when sharpening by hand their is greater chance of making a mistake that will take more hours to fix.I recommend learning how to sharpen by hand with a stone prior to using this and have that knowledge as back up. If you learn how to sharpen with a stone you will really appreciate this tool.I started learning how to sharpen with a stone when I was very young. My job to sharpen while the adults were butchering. More than a few ass chewings for not getting it done right and fast. With this, I would have been the family hero.I can still get a finer edge by hand but it takes hours and hours of precision work.This really speeds up the process and makes sharpening the kitchen knives a breeze thus eliminating a real source of family irritation. I Can’t believe I waited so long to get one.I love this thing.So while I do have a small knife collection, I'm not a fanatic... just a dabbler. I initially bought the Sypderco Sharpmaker to sharpen my knives. It's a good sharpening system but I realize that mainly it's good for maintenance and for softer steels. If you're trying to take a knife, especially with harder steels, from dull to hair-poppin', paper slicing sharp - IT WILL TAKE FOREVER! For me, specifically I had a very difficult time with my kitchen knives. I could not re-profile them, let alone sharpen them satisfactorily.Heard alot of good things about the speed and convenience of the KO Worksharp. Just tried it out last night and it's pretty amazing with how fast and sharp the results you get. My Henkel was dull , only slightly better than a butter knife. And the Wusthof was only slightly better than that. After about 5-10 minutes (I was going slow to be careful), I had hair-poppin, paper slicing sharp kitchen knives with a strong convex edge. It's an edge I could never get from using Sharpmaker for 30-40 minutes.BUT there is a a very slight learning curve and some tips to follow to get EXCELLENT, consistent results:- Read the directions in the booklet as it covers tips - like to avoid rounding off your tip you must stop the sharpener when tip is at mid belt.- Then use the cardboard insert for the recommended sharpening recipe to follow.- Try it out on a dummy knife first before you use on expensive knives - All it took me was one try with a dummy knife to get the hang of it- Worried about marring or scratching the side of your blade? - Technically if you follow directions and are careful, this should never happen BUT you can use masking/blue painters tape to tape of the sides. I did this just in case but to be honest the next time I sharpen, I know how to use the tool properly to avoid scratching the blade.- You must start and stop the sharpener between sharpenings. Insert blade first and start. Stop the sharperner first before you pull the knife all the way through. What goes against this is that this version of sharpener has a trigger lock to keep the sharpener on. It's tempting for the lazy/efficient to just leave it on and do your strokes. DON'T DO THIS! For example, if you insert the blade with the sharpener running, you'll create a recurve on your blade. And if you leave the sharpener running and pull your knife all the way thorugh, you'll round off your tips. The trigger lock, IMO, should only be use for special functions like using with the accessory free-hand knife grinder attachment (sold separately) or as a blade grinder for axes/mower blades where the blade is in a fixed position (like in a vice) and you're moving the sharpener on the blade.- ONLY use the weight of the knife. You DO NOT need any extra downward force to press the knife into the guide slot. Because the belt is moving downward, it will, along with the weight of the blade, naturally "pull" the blade downward as it sharpens.- Understand the imperative of establishing a "burr" on one side before moving to the other side. This was a concept that I didn't understand well when using the Spyderco. The Spyderco stones aren't coarse enough to really create a very well defined "burr" such that an inexperienced person would know/feel. When you use the top two coarsest belts with the KO Worksharp, you should easily establish a "burr" that you can feel. The objective is to establish that "burr" along the whole edge and you keep making as many passes as it takes to get that burr consistently along the whole edge. There was a situation with my Henkels where after the recommended 4 passes, I still had spots along the edge where the burr was not established yet... so I kept going until I got one consistent burr along the length of the edge.- Ensure equal strokes on each side no matter what to ensure you are balancing/centering the edge. If you short stroke one side, you can create an off-centered/asymmetrical edge on your knife. Only do this if you're intending to have an asymmetrical edge.- Because it's a belt sharpener, understand that you are creating a "convex" edge" (vs. flat edge or any other edges). Convex is a good edge, btw. This really only matters more to people who know what they want to sharpen and what edge they need. This is why the booklet to this tool will disclaim that it's is not good for sharpening chisels or tools that require a special edge grind like hollow/concave. Some people prefer flat edge which is what you'd get with a sharpening stone. So just be aware.- It will generate ALOT of steel dust after use. So it's recommended to use this in a workshop, garage, or outside. I wouldn't use this tool in the kitchen or on a kitchen table.- Because of the above point use safety glasses just to be safe. I don't know about you but I'd rather not get steel dust in my eye.By the third knife I had gotten the hang of using it and was able to go quicker. This tool is great for general purpose sharpening. Because of the nice coarser belts and speed of the tool, re-profiling knife edges was a breeze. Lastly, I didn't try the 6000 grit belt to try to get that mirror, polish edge... figure I do that on one of my EDC knives and not waste it on a kitchen knife.Recommended for most general sharpening purposes. Just be aware of the tools purpose and limitations. It's not a one stop shop for ALL sharpening. For example, I'll still likely use my Sharpmaker for maintenance of smaller knives or serrated edge knives, etc.Bought this to bring back the life to our kitchen knives and touch up our pocketknives. The instructions are extremely easy, this is possibly why people are making mistakes and feel they can just gloss over them. I would say there are 3 sets of instructions on how you can sharpen a blade; I prefer the ones located on the cardboard table. This system has already paid for itself since my husband and I did not need to buy new kitchen knives and or take them in on occasion. The construction is very solid and can turn the most novice knife sharpener into a pro if judging the blade edge. If you want to have razor sharp knifes on a moments notice this will exceed your expectations. Only thing I warn is yes the old saying is correct “A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one”. However, I would add a razor sharp blade is not as forgiving as a sharpened blade. After sharpening with this system be very careful your knives, they will be scary (in a pleasant way) sharp; more so than from the factory! Some tips below I've picked up that have helped me sharpen my blades quick, precise and without mishap:1. Tape the Blade Up: I place some masking tape on then peel it carefully over the edge to cut a silhouette 1x per side. I peel off then place it aside then with both silhouettes I place them back on just revealing the blade where is will make contact with the belt. This protects the blade while learning efficiently without having to fatting up the knife with tape.2. Practice With a Cheap Knife: The real skill is when to let go of the trigger so that is does not grind more on the tip of the blade than the recommended "1 inch per second" and following the contour of the knife edge while maintaining proper contact with the belt.3. It Can Make a Mess: After sharpening 8 or so blades I noticed my dining table (live in an studio so no man cave garage here) covered in shavings and whatnot. I later noticed it was all to the right of the sharpener. So I placed it to the left of my kitchen sink after making sure there was no water and whatnot on my counter. This made most of the shavings fall in the sink making for easy cleanup.4. Wear Eye Protection: I noticed (thankfully while wearing eye pro) that left grind shoots debris shoots straight up in your face if you're like me watching closely if the knife is properly being inserted and pulled. It would really suck to get that in your eyes and looking back after sharpening 14+ knives. I also wished I had a face mask for the first marathon since you will be looking and making excuses to sharpen every blade in the house to make it pass the paper test.5. Master the Marathon: I noticed that the main difference between say a kitchen knife and pocket knife is the angle since they both use the same main 3 belt grits (coarse, medium and fine). If I’m going to have a sharpening marathon I separate my kitchen and pocket knifes yet use the same belts instead changing the belts per group of knives. The only thing I change is the angle degree. This helps speed up the process instead of changing everything out for each pile or worse per knife.6. Check For Crooked Burrs While Keeping Count: I’ve noticed the best way to ruin your edge is losing count or what side went in last, thus causing an annoying crooked burr. My method is the right side is “odd” numbers while the left is “even” to help with remembering where to start. I count to the total number of strokes ie if it calls for 10 I count to 20 total. This also means I go to right to left until I reach 10 which would be 5 per side and good time to check for burrs. Then 10 more starting at 11 so the “right” side of the system. With this method I have yet to notice burrs ever occurring thus speeding through the process precisely.Thank you I hope this helped, I wouldn’t have spent the time to write this if I didn’t feel this Worksharp didn’t impress me as it did.This thing rocks! It sharpens VERY well. No, scratch that, it made my knives RAZOR SHARP... once you figure out which angle (edge geometry) each knife requires, this sharpener makes short work of putting an awesome edge on the blades. I have not tried to sharpen scissors yet (frankly I don't even know ifI need to). Once I figured out how to use this device properly, I sharpened every knife in the house.I purchased this and immediately upon receiving it began to sharpen all of my knives. I am very particular about my knives so I never let them get dull or chipped. I have been using several different types of sharpeners over the years however I love this one. I have now put 38 different types of knives (total of 60 knives) through this sharpener now. My hunting knives were slightly dull before starting and the rest were of fairly good sharpness. Below are my impressions.PROS:Very consistent edge angle that is VERY easy to duplicate every time. The angle adjuster is so simple to use, it never moved on its own and is very easy to see and feel.The machine motor stays consistent RPM and does not slow or minutely vary in speed when pulling a blade through.The belts are super easy to change and having the belt centering adjuster is a great feature that is much appreciated.The knife angle guide is super easy to remove when doing gut-hook edges and then to re-install afterwards.CONS:The little plastic roller wheel on each pull-through guide are of a soft plastic that the knives will cut into even with light pressure.The speed adjuster is not in a good spot, every time I pull and release the trigger it slightly creeps up in RPM as the wheel ever-so-slightly rotates when I place my finger back on and pull the trigger. It should be a 4 or 5 indexed speed setting wheel on the motor housing somewhere, no need for it to be on the trigger and it would greatly help if indexed.I personally found the angle of the handle to be very flat and after an hour of using this tool my wrist started to feel the strain due to the angle. I do realize that many will not spend over an hour straight using this tool and I typically won't either however I wanted to put this tool through its paces.I read that many people had issues with it scratching their knives, this I can only assume is do to improper use. I was initially a bit worried about it scratching my knives due to so many comments about it, so I started with a few hunting knives. I carefully followed the simple included use instructions and I never so much as put the faintest of scratches on any of my knives. I have a really expensive set of Wustof kitchen knives that I sharpened every one with this tool and just like all other knives I put through, they came out the same as when first purchased from the manufacturer. I used the 6000 grit belt to finish off the edges on all of my knives as I like an incredibly sharp edge on every type of knife I own and the edge looks like polished chrome this does such a good job. Even sharpening the gut hook on several of my hunting knives was a quick and easy task that now has them razor sharp again. I also read about many people rounding the tips off their knives, again, if you read and carefully follow the instructions you will always end up with razor sharp pointed tips. Even on my fish filet knives the tips are still like a needle, you just need to stop the belt before pulling the blade completely off the belt. I gladly give this a 5 star rating and not only would I buy this again I have already been recommending this to friends and family. Worth the price considering what just a good set of sharpening stones will cost and those are much more labor intensive to use correctly.The Work Sharp Ken Onion edition is a decent sharpener but not worth 200$ in my opinion. First you should buy an abrasive belt cleaner bar if you plan on keeping the same belts for a long time because a set of replacement belts will cost you 20$.I bought this primarily for hunting and fishing knives and I am disappointed. I does a terrible job at sharpening fillet knives, for pocket knives and hunting knives it does a good job. Next is the kitchen knives, if you have many knives to sharpen this is an excellent and fast way to sharpen all the knives in the kitchen. BUT if you have expensive and shiny kitchen knives then you need to be very careful, the first time I sharpened my kitchen knives I scratched all of them. the knife guide accumulates small metal dust and scratches the sides of the knife. I recommend putting painting tape on the sides of the knife before sharpening.P.S. the adjustable angle guide does not have detents at specific angle and it will change while you sharpen so be carfull.I was hesitant about buying this. Seemed almost gimmicky, but it’s wonderful when you get the hang of it. The end result after putting your knives through the grits is a hair off from mirror polish. Pro tip: use masking tape on every where beside the secondary bevel, because the fine steel dust will settle on the guards and scratch the finish on the knife as you pull though. Another tip: use knives you don’t care about to practice on; There is a learning curve. Third tip: don’t throw away the user manual / guide and Actually read it before, so you don’t ruin your knives.I am an outdoor and cooking enthusiast. I have several folding knives, a few fixed blades, multi tools etc. I have been cooking all my life and in my early years professionally for 15 years. I have used all kinds of sharpening systems from straight honing stones to ceramic rods strops clamps etc. Most recently (for the past ten years or so) I have used a gatco rod stone and clamp system and sharpened all my knives with either a beveled edge or compound bevel for some of my bigger outdoor knives and my machetes. The system has suited me well for all those years and only just recently I have noticed my clamp screws were getting stripped and wouldn't hold my knives anymore.Fast forward some time spent reviewing and wanting that perfect edge and I came up withe the KO Work Sharp system, after reading many reviews and watching a few youtube reviews I decided I would give it a go. Now I am an old dog so new tricks freak me out, I have had to take all the bevels off of my knives and go with convex edges (thats what the Work Sharp system does) So my Zwilling and Henkle and my Shun Kitchen knives and all my other edges had to be redone to Convex. Couldn't be happier, the system is easy and almost fool proof (provided you follow the instructions and it wouldn't hurt to watch a couple youtube tutorials) I don't think I have ever hand sharpened this sharp.........I definitely have never done it this quickly and efficiently. If you believe that a sharp knife is the best tool and you have invested in your knives you definitely need to pick up one of these systems. Now the only hand sharpening that happens is a little stropping at the end to make my edges scalpel sharp.If you pick one of these units up and do it right you will be super satisfied. Even my 12' serrated bread knife is better than brand new. Unbelievable.Hope this review was somewhat useful, I am very satisfied on this purchase. I would give it 6 stars if I couldBefore I bought this, I'd been using a Spyderco Sharpmaker for about 10 years. It works fine, but it takes a long time to sharpen a bunch of knives. Forget about working on a knife that's been neglected unless you have all day.Used correctly, the Work Sharp KO gets you repeatable results quickly. I used some cheap paring knives to practice - knives that I wouldn't miss if I destroyed them. Don't make your favourite folder or chef knife the first one you sharpen, practice on a beater first (and second, and third).The sharpener will generate a LOT of dust, especially if you are re-profiling a blade on a coarse belt. Use in a garage or shop, and wear eye protection.Before you start, read the manual. Then look at any videos you can find that show how to use it. THEN READ THE MANUAL AGAIN. Anyone who ended up with a rounded tip didn't follow the instructions.