Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV Knife Sharpener Manual

Chef’sChoice Trizor 15XV Knife Sharpener Manual

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be followed including the following:

1. Read all instructions. Every user should read this manual.
2. To protect against electrical hazards, do not immerse the Chef’sChoice® Trizor XV™ Model 15 in water or other liquid.
3. Make sure that only clean knife blades are inserted in Trizor XV™Model 15.
4. Unplug fromoutlet when not in use, before putting on or taking off parts and before cleaning.
5. Avoid contacting moving parts.
6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug or after the appliance malfunctions, or is dropped or damaged in any manner.
7. The use of attachments not recommended or sold by EdgeCraft Corporation may cause fire, electric shock or injury.
8. The Chef’sChoice® Trizor XV™Model 15 is designed to sharpen American, European, and Asian style knives. Do not attempt to sharpen scissors, ax blades or any blade that does not fit freely in the slots.
9. Do not let the cord hang over edge of table or counter or touch hot surfaces.
10. When in the “ON” position (Red flash on switch is exposed when “ON”), the Chef’sChoice® sharpener should always be on a stable countertop or table.
11. Do not use outdoors.
12. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near children or the infirm.
13. Do not use honing oils, water or any other lubricant with the Trizor XV™Model 15.
14. For household use only.
15. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

YOU MADE A GOOD CHOICE

The Trizor XV™ Model 15 Sharpener from Chef’sChoice® is the world’s first sharpener designed specially to create the exceedingly sharp and effective Trizor™XV, edge on all household cutlery. Now you can enjoy knives that slice with astonishingly ease, yet have the durability of the acclaimed Trizor® edge.

The Trizor XV™edge gives you the superior edge durability of the Chef’sChoice® triple bevel Trizor® edge while forming each of the major edge facets at 15 degrees (30º total) for a sharpness that matches the best of Asian knives. Asian artisans devoted lifetimes to develop the skills required to hand sharpen edges of this quality. Now you can with the Trizor XV™ Sharpener sharpen, hone and strop to the same perfection in a matter of seconds.

The Chef’sChoice® Model 15 is designed to place this superior 15 degree Trizor XV™edge on all of your household knives whether they are European, American, Japanese, or other Asian styles. Virtually all European and American style household knives are factory sharpened with edge facets at 20 degrees. Most of the Asian knives, however are sharpened at 15º on each side of the edge and that has established their reputation for edge sharpness.

UNDERSTANDING THE TRIZOR XV™ EDGE

The original Trizor® edge, an innovation from Chef’sChoice® has long been acknowledged for its superior sharpness and durability. Its uniqueness is the result of the triple bevel design of each of the two edge facets that meet to form the edge.

The Trizor® design uses multiple diamond abrasives of successively finer grits to shape the facets into a modified gothic arch to create an edge that has added strength, durability, and sharpness. In the original Trizor® edge the major edge angle is created at 20 degrees.

The new Trizor XV™ edge is likewise made by a three step sharpening, honing and stropping process but the major edge angle is set at 15º (See Figure 1) for added sharpness and effortless use. You will appreciate the reduced effort in cutting and the enhanced sharpness. Remember the edge will be sharper than you expect.

Figure 1. The Trizor® XV Edge is sharper with the added durability of the triple bevel edge.

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE TRIZOR XV™ SHARPENER – MODEL 15

The Model 15, Figure 2 is a three stage sharpener with 100% diamond abrasives in the first two stages to sharpen and hone the edge, followed in Stage 3 with the Chef’sChoice® proprietary stropping/polishing disks to create an astonishingly sharp edge. You will find it easy to convert any of your household knives to the new Trizor XV™, 15 degree edge. It is very likely that all of your conventional kitchen knives whether European or American brands have been sharpened through the years at about 20 degrees.

However, if you have any Asian design knives, they were likely sharpened at 15 degrees at the factory; these can be restored to factory-new condition in just minutes. All traditional-single beveled- Asian knives such as sashimi knives require special care and must be sharpened primarily on one side of the edge. All other Asian blades are sharpened by the same procedures as the European/American brand knives. You will find you can also sharpen your serrated blades with the Model 15.

The Model 15 retains the popular EdgeSelect® feature, introduced by Chef’sChoice®, which allows you to sharpen each knife according to your intended use, such as gourmet food preparation, butchering, dressing of game or of fish. The three stages can be used in different sequences, for example to give you either an astonishingly sharp, smooth faceted edge for effortless cutting or one with a selected amount of residual “bite” – ideal for cutting fibrous food,meats, stalky vegetables or dressing of game.

Never operate the sharpener from the back side.

Use just enough downward pressure when sharpening to ensure uniform and consistent contact of the blade edge with the abrasive disks on each stroke. (See Suggestion 5, page 14). Additional pressure is unnecessary and will not speed the sharpening process. Avoid excessive cutting into the plastic enclosure. Accidental cutting into the enclosure however will not functionally impact operations of the sharpener or damage the edge.

HOW TO CREATE

THE TRIZOR XV™ EDGE ON EURO/AMERICAN AND CONTEMPORARY ASIAN BLADES

If you have European or American brand knives, it is extremely easy to convert their edge to the Trizor XV™ (15 degree) edge. The procedure outlined here applies equally to sharpening contemporary Asian blades. The edge of Euro/American and contemporary Asian
knives are identical in that they are sharpened on both sides of the edge. If you have any uncertainty about the type of Asian blades you wish to sharpen, refer to their description on pages 10 and 11.Virtually all Asian blades are factory sharpened at 15 degrees.

To convert from the existing Euro/American edge to the Trizor XV™ edge or to sharpen contemporary Asian blades, start with the Sharpening Stage 1 as follows:

START IN SHARPENING STAGE 1

EURO/AMERICAN AND CONTEMPORARY ASIAN BLADES START IN SHARPENING STAGE 1

Turn ON the power and pull the length of blade thru the left slot (Figure 4) and then thru the right slot of Stage 1, using the left and right slots on alternate pulls. (Take about 3-4 seconds for each pull of a 5” long blade). The first time you sharpen an European or American knife it may take up to 20 pair of pulls to fully re-angle the edge of a thin blade.

Thicker blades will require more pulls. Check for a burr as described below and continue to make more pulls if necessary to create a small burr along the entire length of the blade.

If you are sharpening a contemporary Asian blade (which probably has been sharpened previously at 15 degrees) you will find that only a few (1-2) pairs of alternating pulls (alternating left and right slots) will be needed to develop a burr. Do not over sharpen.When you have developed a burr along the full blade length proceed to Stage 2.

DETECTING THE BURR

To confirm the presence of a burr (see Figure 5) move your forefinger carefully across the edge in the direction shown. Do not move your finger along the edge – to avoid cutting your finger. If the last pull was in the right slot, the burr will appear only on the right side of the
blade as you normally hold it and vice versa. The burr, when present, feels like a rough and bent extension of the edge; the opposite side of the edge feels very smooth by comparison.

If there is no burr continue sharpening in Stage 1, alternating left and right slots until a full burr develops. When a burr is present along the entire blade length proceed as below to Stage 2.

HONING IN STAGE 2

Make about 1 or 2 pairs of pulls through Stage 2 (Figure 6) alternating each pull in the left and right slots. Take about 3 seconds for each pull on a 5 inch (12 cm) long blade. Check for a burr before proceeding to Stage 3. If necessary make additional pairs of pulls to develop a burr along the entire length of blade before proceeding to Stage 3.

STROPPING/POLISHING THE EDGE IN STAGE 3

Pull the blade through the left slot of Stage 3 (see Figure 7) and then through the right slot of Stage 3.Make 3 pairs of pulls, alternating each pull in the left and right slots. You should take about 3 to 4 seconds for each pull for a 5 inch (12 cm) long blade.

Then make 2 pairs of alternating faster pulls in this Stage, about 1 second per pull for a 5 inch (12 cm) blade to put a final polish on the edge. Check the blade for sharpness. For a sharper edge make a few more pairs of fast pulls and check for sharpness.

RE-SHARPENING EURO/AMERICAN AND CONTEMPORARY ASIAN BLADES
Re-sharpen following the Stropping/Polishing procedure in Stage 3 as described above. Depending on its use, you should be able to re-sharpen to a razor sharp edge 3 or more times using only Stage 3 before finding it necessary to again hone in Stage 2. Hone in Stage 2 only when you find it is taking too long or too many pulls in Stage 3 to bring the edge to razor  sharpness. In that event, follow the honing and stropping/polishing sequence in Stages 2 and 3 as described above.

SHARPENING THE TRADITIONAL (SINGLE BEVEL) JAPANESE BLADE

Traditional Japanese knives such as the sashimi blade shown here are single sided and have a large factory bevel (see Bevel A, Figure 10c) on the front side of the blade. There are a large number of manufacturers of knives of this type used widely to prepare sashimi.
The factory bevel (Bevel A) is commonly ground at about 10 degrees, but there are exceptions and that angle is not standardized at the factories. Designs of the traditional Japanese knives and the detailed structure of the cutting edges likewise vary widely from one manufacturer to the next, however there are some similarities.

The cutting edge consists of a small primary facet on the front face of the blade below the large bevel and a much smaller secondary microfacet along the back face. Commonly the back side microfacet (Figure 10d) can be easily seen only with a hand magnifier. The back face is ground flat at the factory or more commonly it is slightly hollow ground to ensure that an effective microfacet can be formed there as part of the cutting edge. Because of the lack of standardization, the manual approach used to sharpen these knives in Asia has proven difficult, laborious and time consuming. The Chef’sChoice® Model15 Sharpener is designed to sharpen all traditional Asian blades and to create a factory-quality edge.

STEP 1

START HONING TRADITIONAL JAPANESE KNIVES IN STAGE 2 (RIGHT HANDED BLADES)
In this example which assumes your traditional blade is right handed, you must hone only in the left slot of Stage 2 (see Figure 8). The number of pulls that you need to make depends on the factory angle of Bevel A (Figure 10c and 10d) and how dull your blade may be.
Make five (5) to ten (10) pulls in only the left slot of Stage 2 and then check for a burr along the back side of the blade edge.

(The burr created in Stage 2 will be small but easily felt as shown in Figure 5. Make certain the burr is present along the entire length of the edge. If there is no burr or only a partial burr, continue to make additional pulls all in the left slot about five (5) at a time and check for a burr after each group of five (5) pulls. In general 20-30 total pulls in the left slot will be adequate to raise a burr; it is unlikely to take more than 50 left slot pulls to create the burr. When a burr is confirmed, proceed to Step 2.

STEP 2

STROPPING/POLISHING THE FINAL EDGE ON TRADITIONAL JAPANESE BLADE IN STAGE 3
(RIGHT HANDED BLADE)

• a. Make five (5) regular pulls 3-4 seconds each only in the left slot of Stage 3 (Figure 9) and then proceed to remove any burr as follows:
• b. Make one (1) regular pull in right slot of Stage 3 along the back side of the edge.
• c. Make several fast pulls (one [1] second each) in the left slot of Stage 3.
• d. Make one (1) fast pull in the right slot of Stage 3.

RESHARPENING THE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE BLADE (RIGHT HANDED)

In general you will be able to resharpen quickly by following the sequence a thru d of Step 2 in the preceeding section. Repeat this if necessary to obtain a razor sharp edge. When resharpening only in Stage 3 fails to develop a sharp edge or if the edge has been substantially dulled you will need to re-hone the edge in Stage 2. Use only the left slot of Stage 2. Generally you will find that about five (5) re-honing pulls will be sufficient in Stage 2. In any event develop a burr before moving back to Stage 3. Finish the edge in Stage 3 following Step 3a, b, c, d.

SHARPENING LEFT HANDED TRADITIONAL BLADES

The procedure you must use with left handed blades is similar to that procedure for right handed blades as detailed above – Except, in all cases the slots you must use are reversed. Where the sharpening procedure for right handed blades calls for use of just the left slot,
you must use only the right slot when sharpening a left-handed blade. Likewise use the left slot where the right handed instructions call for using the right slot.

DESCRIPTION OF EURO/AMERICAN AND ASIAN BLADES

In general you will find that Euro/American blades shown in Figure 10a are sturdier than the more delicate and thinner contemporary Asian blades. The variation among commercially available knives of any type is great and in fact some Euro/American blades are very thin and certain Asian knives have a thicker cross-section designed for heavier work.

EUROPEAN/AMERICAN BLADES

While most of the Euro/American knives (shown on the right), Figure 10a have a thick cross-section designed for heavier work, the range of blade thickness in these familiar blades is great and certain of these knives, such as the conventional paring, fillet and utility blades, have a relatively thin cross-section well suited to their intended application. European/ American straight edge blades are universally double beveled (sharpened on both sides of the blade.)

CONTEMPORARY ASIAN KNIVES

The more popular Asian blades; the thin, light weight Santoku and Nakiri for example are generally double faceted (sharpened on both faces of the blade) as shown in Figure 10b.Occasionally Santoku knives are sold with single facets (Figure 10c below) but these are not readily available in the United States.
There are other but somewhat heavier double-faceted Asian knives, the Deba and Gyutou, popular in Asia, which are used for chopping hard vegetables, for tailing and filleting fish and for meats. These are basically Asian chefs knives designed for heavier duty work.The Chinese cleaver is included in this class.

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE KNIVES

The traditional Japanese knife is single beveled and has a wide factory bevel A along one face of the blade above a small edge facet. These are sold as either right handed or left handed versions as shown in Figure 10c.The large wide factory bevel A is ground, commonly at about 10 degrees. The most popular example of this type blade is the sashimi knife also known as Yanagi and Takohiki, designed as shown to the right. This lengthy, slicing blade is ideal for preparing very thin slices of raw tuna or salmon. The back side of this blade is commonly slightly hollow ground. A small single cutting edge facet of

THE EDGESELECT® FEATURE

OPTIMIZING THE KNIFE EDGE FOR EACH USE
The gourmet chef will appreciate the unique ability of the Model 15 to tailor the knife edge to optimize performance for each individual cutting task. These procedures are not suggested for your traditional Asian knives.

GOURMET FOOD PREPARATION

(EUROPEAN, AMERICAN, AND CONTEMPORARY ASIAN KNIVES)
Where the finest and smoothest cuts are preferred in order to prepare smooth unmarked sections of fruits or vegetables, sharpen in Stages 1 & 2 as described above and make extra pulls thru Stage 3. Three or more pairs of fast pulls with each pull alternating in the left and right slots of Stage 3 will refine the third facet and create remarkably smooth and sharp edges, (Figure 11a) ideal for the gourmet chef.

When resharpening the Gourmet edge use Stage 3 each time (alternating left and right slots). If after a number of resharpenings, it is taking too long to resharpen, you can speed the process by resharpening first in Stage 2 following the procedures detailed, and then resharpen in Stage 3. By this method you will retain very smooth edges and prolong the life of your knives. This procedure unlike conventional sharpeners will give you extra-ordinary sharp knives every day while removing very little metal.

PROCEDURE FOR SHARPENING SERRATED BLADES

Serrated blades are similar to saw blades with scalloped depressions and a series of pointed teeth. In normal use the pointed teeth do most of the cutting.

Serrated blades of all types can be sharpened in the Chef’sChoice® Model 15. However, use only Stage 3 (Figure 12) which will sharpen the teeth of the serrations and develop microblades along the edge of these teeth. Generally five (5) to ten (10) pairs of alternating pulls in Stage 3 will be adequate. If the knife is very dull more pulls will be needed.

If the knife edge has been severely damaged thru use make one fast pull (2-3 seconds for an 8” blade) in each of the right and left slots of Stage 2, then make a series of pulls in Stage 3, alternating right and left slots. Excessive use of Stage 2 will remove more metal along the edge then is necessary in order to sharpen the teeth.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Always clean all food, fat and foreign materials from the blade surfaces before sharpening or resharpening. If badly soiled, use detergent and water to clean
2. Some contemporary Asian knives and Granton type blades are dimpled and some contemporary and traditional Asian blades are made of layered Damascus steel. All of these should be sharpened accordingly to these instructions depending solely on whether the knife style is contemporary (two facets) or a traditional single facet Asian blade.
3. Always pull the blades at the recommended speed and at a constant rate over length of blade. Never interrupt or stop themotion of the blade when in contact with abrasive disks.
4. Carefully follow the detailed procedures for each type blade for best results and to extend the useful life of your knives. The sharpening sequence is especially important with the single sided traditional Asian blades.
5. To increase your proficiency with the Chef’sChoice® Model 15, learn how to detect a burr along the edge While you might be able to sharpen wellwithout using this technique, it is the best and fastest way to determine when you have sharpened sufficiently in the preliminary steps. This will help you avoid oversharpening and ensure incredibly sharp edges every time. Cutting a tomato or a piece of paper is a convenient method of checking for finished blade sharpness.

Figure 16. Removing cover under base to clean out metal dust. (See Normal Maintenance section)

NORMAL MAINTENANCE

NO lubrication is required for any moving parts, motor, bearings or sharpening surfaces. There is no need for water on abrasives. The exterior of the sharpener may be cleaned by carefully wiping with a soft damp cloth. Do not use detergents or abrasives. Once a year or so as needed you should remove metal dust that will accumulate inside the sharpener from repeated sharpenings. Remove the small rectangular clean-out cover (Figure 16) that covers an opening on the underside of the sharpener.

You will find metal particles adhered to a magnet attached to the inside of that cover. Simply rub off or brush off accumulated filings from the magnet with a paper towel or tooth brush and reinsert the cover in the opening. If larger amounts of metal or other dust have been created you can shake out any remaining dust through the bottomopening when the cover is removed.After cleaning, replace the cover securely with its magnet in place.

SERVICE

In the event post-warranty service is needed, return your sharpener to the EdgeCraft factory where the cost of repair can be estimated before the repair is undertaken. Outside the USA, contact your retailer or national distributor. Please include your return address, daytime telephone number and a brief description of the problem or damage on a separate sheet inside the box.

Retain a shipping receipt as evidence of shipment and as your protection against loss in shipment. Send your sharpener (insured and postage paid) to:

• EdgeCraft Corporation
• 825 Southwood Road
• Avondale, PA 19311
• Customer Service (800) 342-3255 or (610) 268-0500
• www.chefschoice.com

Assembled in USA www.chefschoice.com
This product may be covered by one or more EdgeCraft patents and/or patents pending as marked on the product. Chef’sChoice®, EdgeCraft®, Diamond Hone® and the overall design of this product are registered trademarks of the EdgeCraft Corporation.
Conforms to UL Std. 982 Certified to CAN/CSA Std. C22.2 No.64 Certified to EN 60335-1, EN60335-2, EN55014-1+Ai, EN 61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3

REFERENCES LINK