i've got a chef's choice and agree with what everyone's said. i made the mistake of buying henkels. they're not bad, but the steel is so hard that they're very hard to sharpen. like parker said, if you use the 1st stage, you're going to lose metal. the one i have is a 3 stage deal. i almost never use stage 1. i'll use stage 2 to create a burr, then take it off with the stage 3 thing (it's a diamond dust impregnated felt or something) then i touch it up with the smoothest stone i have. it's like unpolished glass. this edge will typically last 3 months or so, with frequent touch-up on the steel. it's been a good sharpener. they sell 'em in cabelas.


willy