We could feel our knives weren't sharp, but had lacked the time to fix them up until this weekend. Ah, what a difference: slicing lemons paper thin, the vesicles as transparent as glass.
Once a year or so I have to grind a bit of metal to restore the edges, then usually I can give them a tune up throughout the year. I've gotten lazy, now using an electric Chef's Choice 1520: I've ground all my blades down to a Japanese-style 15 degree angle, except the beefy Porsche in the top center which I keep at a European 20 degree angle for meats. It takes maybe an hour.
I started sharpening my blades with water stones but never developed the discipline I needed to maintain a 20 degree angle, let alone 15. I then got an Edge Pro Apex which is a jig that holds the blade and stone at just the right angle, but it would probably take me 2-3 hours to do all these blades.
We've also got a couple bread knives, and a whole flock of nearly-disposable paring and birds beak knifes we get from a restaurant supply store for about $5 each. My favorite above is the 10-inch Miyabi Japanese knife in the top left: thin, sharp, and light for its size, with beautiful construction including a rounded-over spine which is nicer in the hands -- a real pleasure to use.
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