Sharpening knives is a different experience for different people. To some the process is cathartic and relaxing and to others it’s a pain in the neck that can’t be over quickly enough. Either way for professional chefs, restaurant owners and serious cooks knife sharpening takes time to get done right with whetstones, or costs money hiring a professional sharpener.
That’s where the Tormek T2 Commercial Knife Sharpener comes in.
Tormek of Sweden have been at the forefront of sharpening machines for years. As a matter of fact, if you’ve ever used a knife sharpening service there’s a very good chance the professional you hired uses Tormek equipment. The T2 is the first machine Tormek have made that’s wholly dedicated to sharpening knives. It does an excellent job too. Here’s why you need one if consistently sharp knives is important to you.
The price
The Tormek is actually quite reasonably priced for a piece of commercial machinery. I’m estimating it pays for itself in around 20 sharpening sessions with whetstones (based on hours at hourly pay rate) and about 15 visits from a professional sharpener for the average chef. These figures obviously come down very quickly if there is more than one chef in the kitchen and/or you have more knives than the average knife owner.
It’s always there
Your whetstones are great because they can be with you all the time and touch up your knives whenever you like. The time involved is the challenge. A professional sharpening service on the other hand, is very convenient but is obviously not always on site to keep your knives at their optimum sharpness. The T2 offers you best of both worlds. It is always there under the bench and easy to get out whenever you need it. It’s also very fast - Tormek says it takes 60 seconds to sharpen a knife, but for knives that just need a touch up it can actually be done in much less time.
Anyone can use it
Another really nice feature of the T2 Knife Sharpener is the learning curve. You can get great results from it without spending much time learning how to sharpen with it. That means either everyone can sharpen their own knives (no matter who sucks at using whetstones and who doesn’t), or you can ask a less busy member of the team, like the apprentice, to sharpen knives for everyone without stressing about them being ruined,
So, in conclusion I want to acknowledge that the Tormek T2 Commercial Knife Sharpneing Machine is an investment. When you take into account that everyone can always keep their knives sharp with very little time outlay and the fact that some kitchens spend hundreds of dollars per visit with professional sharpeners, it’s an investment well worth considering.
You can learn more about the Tormek T2 Commercial Knife Sharpening Machine here.
by Mat Holbrook