I’m a novice has a knife sharpener.

I use to use a machine sharpener, the kind that had three slots that you dragged a knife through, it did okay, but I was never satisfied with the edge, plus there was no way to replace the parts. I felt that after drop a nice sum of money that a machine should last for the long haul.

So, down the rabbit hole I went looking for the sharpener that would suit my needs and the company that would back it up. I found it with Work Sharp. They have such a wide selection of sharpeners, at fair prices, they can fill anyone’s sharpening desires. Work Shop also has a great online support to help get comfortable with the sharpener you choose.

I ended up purchasing the Ken Onion Edition ELITE Knife and Tool Sharpener Mk.2. I was a bit intimidated because I was afraid I would ruin my knives, but after watching several videos I built up my courage to start my sharpening adventure. The best advice I received was to start slow. I used a cheep knife that I could easily replace, used a slower speed and went to work. I brought that cheep worn out knife back to life on my first try.

I’m trilled with my new sharpener and addicted to sharpening, it’s makes my life and tad easier and a bit harder. Harder in a good way, all my family wants me to sharpen their knife’s and that’s okay with me.

Whatever minor flaws the previous model had they've addressed with this new model from what I can tell. Everything has much tighter tolerances, the fit is solid when you put on whichever cassette you need. The 1st blade i sharpened was a Gerber Bear machete with a blade length of 13.5". Sharpener was solid, didn't move around while using it, I did not have it clamped in place yet either. Put a 25° angle on it, proceeded to slice up a larger tree limb that had fallen.

After really enjoying the original Ken Onion w/Blade Grinder & using the Mk.2 for a couple months I have thoughts:
Where the Mk.2 is better: User interface - the speed control, continuous ON is much nicer. The Mk.1's little wheel & button is clumsy in comparison. Angle adjustment is greatly improved with the dial & gauge. The addition of the 3 position pulley for adjusting how convex the blade is a bonus but more on that later. Lastly, the clearance of the belt is better. I was sharpening a Leatherman for a pal & the Mk.1 could only sharpen 1 side of the blade.
Where the Mk.2 is WORSE: Belt changing. Not sure how Work Sharp messed this up so badly, You often have to move the convex pulley just remove a belt & put a new one in. Total PITA. Mk.2 is also bigger, bulkier & makes the Mk.1 feel kind of sporty in comparison... not really a complaint.
Bottom Line: Changing belts on the Mk.2 is a PITA but has a much improved user interface. I have no problems making any knife RAZOR sharp & mirror polished. Work Sharp has made a product that even a dummy like me quickly learned how to use. I enjoy this sharpener so much that I am happy to sharpen my friends & neighbors knives. It's relaxing & people are always impressed/thankful after getting their knife back sharper than they've ever seen.

After much research and deliberation I decided to purchase this system. As a novice to knife sharpening, I have found it easy to use and I have rejuvenated my kitchen knives as well as my daughters. I am very happy with my purchase even though it is my first sharpening system. Not sure how it could be easier or better IMO.

Ken onion 1 is a great tool wanted a grinding attachment but it was not available work sharp gave me an opportunity to move up with a discount on the Ken onion 2 with both attachments both are great tools
Thanks work sharp

So far so good! We’ve sharpened all our knives and a few of our scissors.

Tool is easy to use and instructions are helpful!

wow! wow! wow! Easy results at a fraction of the time. Have just a little patience, and continuously check your angle against the plates prior to each stroke and this thing will print sharp edges in minutes. I will not go back to hand sharpening.. Thank you Taylor also for helping me out!

I am pleased with the sharpener. It appears to be a dandy. I am not particularly talented when it comes to using hand tools. I have yet to switch it op. I am almost done with You Tube instruction videos and intend to sharpen my first knife this coming week. Sorry to disappoint you but I will be able to give a better review soon.

The amber off on does not work

This knife and tool sharpener is so good that I decided to buy one for each of my sons for Christmas!

I was previously using a KO Mk II w/a leather belt and .1 micron compound (not approved by WS). Worked well when the temper was good. The cloth belt with the same .1 micron compound and about half the blades I couldn’t power strop before can now be stropped. By the way the Print Sharp attachment for the WS KO Mk II Elite Blade Grinder is pretty good.

I have owned the little brother of this unit for a year or so. I liked it well enough to buy this deluxe unit and keep the old one at my summer house

I have had my Ken Onion elite 2 now for about a month and I have to say that I’m very impressed. This new version is much more convenient and easier to use. I love the way the belt changes are simpler and adjustments are a cinch. My knives are sharper than ever. Wife loves the fact that now I can keep her kitchen knives and scissors sharp too.

I watched one YouTube video and sharpened my whole knife block like I was a professional in about 30 minutes...

10 out of 10 would recommend

I had the original Ken Onion knife and tool
Sharpener. By good recommendation on passing it off to a friend before getting my new unit the Ken Onion Elite MK2, I must say my friend is happy and I am blown away with the MK2.

I love the different options it has for various sharpening preferences.

Everything about the unit feels strong!

The only thing I can really think of is to make a jig that slides up to the belt to rest the knife on to get a 100% accurate edge.

However, that would take some of the fun away.

It’s a great unit, just buy one!

I like it very much. Done job nice and look profectional!

I did not expect this tool to be so good. I have never had good look with electric sharpeners, but this one is an absolute exception. It is the "give" to the belts that makes this tool so effective. That "give" keeps you from damaging knife blades. I was also surprised by the speed with which I could sharpen even a very dull knife. You have to pay attention so you don't over-heat the blade, but I was able to use it effectively right out of the box.

I bought this during Worksharp’s “Bezos Free,” sale. Already a hit in my mind - but it gets better. I had a KO MK I, and it was fine for what it is, but the MK II is an order or two better.

I have a couple of throw-away knives I use to practice with. Using the blade-grinding attachment I was able to reproduce the edges and get a great edge on my cheap knives quickly. I could see the burr forming as I sharpened the knives - very impressive.

This is much, much faster than the MK I - not nearly the same amount of passes required to get your knives sharp. I sharpened four kitchen knives in about five minutes (fast for me, especially with a new sharpener). I got a scary sharp edge on my Buck 284 in no time at all.

This is a great sharpener - I can’t recommend this enough. The only thing I wish Worksharp would do: develop and sell a case for the MK II that includes the blade grinding attachment and extra belts. Worksharp - Please do this.

My MK I is available to a good home for a reasonable price. 😬

Best sharpening system I’ve ever owned.

Got the chance to upgrade my mk1 Ken onion sharpener. Must admit I still have been using the mk1 as recently as last week to sharpen all my kitchen knives , my parents and my best friends (in less than 2hrs). Love the added grinder attachment as my “go to”. But after using the mk2 it fixed my minor discrepancies and will be my new “go to”.

I own multiple Work Sharp products and they all are great products. This sharpener is a complete game changer tho! It doesn’t take long to put a sharp/slicey edge on a blade at all. The support and YouTube tutorials take away the fear of putting your tools thru a powered sharpener. After sharpening my first knife with this system, I felt confident in using it on my collection of knives and everything is sharp now. Thanks Work Sharp!

I for over 50 years I have tried every knife sharpening system out there you name it I have done it. So easy to use that I bought my 25 year old one for his birthday and within 20 minutes he was knocking it out of the ballpark. Hint go watch the video on Youtube with Ken Onion showing how he does it. Simple, fast and effective.

This will be my 4th Ken Onion Elite. My 1st Mk2. I have not as of yet tried the mk2, but if it's anything like the other 3 I have I will be happy.

Works as advertised. Simple to understand. Great for a small knife sharpening side gig or hobbyist.

After using the previous Ken Onion until it couldn’t go anymore, I picked up this new version. I like it better that the previous version, and works great at putting an excellent edge on knives and tools both.

Works great. It's a very nice upgrade from my old version

Good quality, easy-to-use and it gets the job done.

I ordered my sharpener last week and while I waited I read the manuals and watched the videos. So, once it arrived, I was ready to go. Unpacking was easy and logical - well designed packaging is a sign of a company that takes pride it its products and customers. I started with a badly nicked 8" Henkel's butcher knife that was about as dull as could be. I do have a lot of experience sharpening with stones and grinders and manual stropping so I understand edge geometry, etc. But the ELITE made it really really easy to bevel the edge and bring it to a shiny hone that now slices through paper (and T-bone) like butter! The ELITE immediately felt very comfortable to use with confidence. I've now sharpened 10 kitchen knives, a couple of pockets knives, and a few woodcarving knives and the process and results are simply perfect.