Last batch of 212 • Shop closes 30 November • Only 61 left
Wilf's Electric Knife Sharpener
Wilf's Electric Knife Sharpener
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Wilf's Electric Knife Sharpener
Staniforth & Son, Grinders · Hillsborough, Sheffield · Since 1958
Wilf’s Electric Knife Sharpener
Final run · Built and tested by hand
“It isn’t worn out. It’s blunt.”
“My father had one rule: the angle does the work, not the arm. Most people can’t hold an angle by hand, so I built a sharpener that holds it for them.”
Wilf Staniforth, 73
Made by hand in Sheffield
Wilf Staniforth’s father, Harold, started out as a table-knife grinder in Sheffield’s cutlery trade, renting a wheel in a works by the river. In 1958 he opened Staniforth & Son, Grinders, on Middlewood Road in Hillsborough, and in 1981 Wilf took it over. For forty-five years he has sharpened kitchen knives and mended small motors at the same bench.
What he saw on his counter every day were knives ruined at home: edges torn into saw teeth by pull-through gadgets, nicks from honing steels held at the wrong angle, tips rounded off. So he spent three winters at the back bench building a sharpener his customers could use themselves. Each one was assembled, set and tested by Wilf personally. The arthritis in his hands means he can no longer do that fine work, so the shop closes on 30 November 2026. These are the last ones.
— Wilf Staniforth
What arrives at your door
- 1 × Wilf’s Electric Knife Sharpener with fine ceramic wheel, two fixed slots, clear safety cover and finishing stone
- 1 × USB power cable
- Works with any USB phone charger rated 5V/2A (plug not included)
Why it’s different
Fine ceramic, not a coarse grinder
The ceramic wheel takes off only a whisper of steel per pass and leaves a clean, smooth edge. No saw teeth, no chewed tips.
The angle is built in
Two fixed slots, one for each side of the blade. You don’t hold the angle, you don’t guess it, you don’t need a steady hand.
Clear safety cover
The wheel sits under a clear cover. Fingers stay out, and the fine metal dust stays inside instead of landing on your worktop.
Finishing stone on top
One or two light strokes after sharpening, or a quick touch-up between sharpenings.
Runs from a phone charger
USB-powered, so it works wherever there’s a phone charger: kitchen, caravan, holiday cottage. No extra socket, no bulky machine on the worktop.
Small enough for a drawer
Mains sharpeners are the size of a loaf tin. This one lives in the drawer and comes out when you need it.
How to use it
- Plug in and switch on. USB cable into a 5V/2A USB phone charger, then flip the switch on the side.
- Draw the knife through each slot. Left slot, then right slot, three to five slow pulls each, heel to tip. Don’t press down. The weight of the knife is enough.
- Finish and wipe. One or two light strokes on the finishing stone, then wipe the blade with a damp cloth.
Compared with what’s already in your drawer
| Skill | Risk to the blade | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honing steel | A lot | Straightens only, nicks at the wrong angle | Came with the block |
| Pull-through gadget | None | Tears and scratches the edge | £10–£25 |
| Whetstone | Years | High until learned | £50–£100 |
| Sharpening service | None | Low | £3–£5 per knife, every time |
| Wilf’s sharpener | None | Low: fine ceramic, fixed angle | One price, for years |
From the sharpening trade
“I’ve spent my career telling people to keep electric sharpeners away from their knives. Wilf handed me one of his and a box of my customers’ knives. The edges came out clean: no chips, no saw teeth, no rounded tips. For the everyday knives people actually own, it does the job I do.”
Kerry Hinchliffe, farmers’ market knife sharpener, Sheffield, 19 years
Perfect for
Good to know before you order
- Straight-edged kitchen knives, cheap or expensive
- Old favourites that “don’t cut any more”
- Double-sided Japanese-style knives like a santoku
- Not for serrated bread knives: no slot sharpener does those properly
- Not for single-bevel Japanese knives (yanagiba, deba): those belong on a stone
- Not for scissors
90-day money-back guarantee
Use it on every knife in the house. If you’re not happy within 90 days, send it back for a full refund. Every order is dispatched within 24 hours.
Care
Tip the sharpener over the bin now and then to empty the fine metal dust and wipe it with a dry cloth. Don’t rinse it under the tap. Wipe each knife with a damp cloth after sharpening. A few light pulls every couple of weeks keeps an edge going far longer than one hard sharpening a year.
Details
| Abrasive | Fine ceramic grinding wheel + flat finishing stone |
| Slots | 2 fixed-angle slots, one per side of the blade |
| Safety | Clear protective cover over the wheel |
| Power | USB, 5V/2A (USB phone charger recommended, plug not included) |
| Switch | On/off rocker switch on the side |
| Housing | Speckled white housing with non-slip feet |
| For | Straight-edged kitchen knives |
| Not for | Serrated knives, single-bevel knives, scissors |
| Made by | Wilf Staniforth, Staniforth & Son, Grinders, Hillsborough, Sheffield |
The Final Sale
The Final Sale
A message from Wilf:
After 68 years, Staniforth & Son, Grinders on Middlewood Road closes on 30 November. These are the last sharpeners I’ll ever send out. Every one was assembled, set and tested by me at the back bench, with a knife run through it before it went in the box. Nothing rushed. Nothing outsourced.
I’m proud of every single one. I hope they keep your knives sharp for years.
When they’re gone, they’re gone — and so is the shop.
Free Shipping
Free Shipping
Free shipping across the UK
- Delivery time: 3–5 working days
- Insured: Every package is fully insured
🌳 Carbon-neutral shipping
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday to Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday mornings 10am–1pm UK time – whether it’s about your order, a present, or which of your knives it suits.
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Of course. 90-day money-back guarantee. Use it on every knife in the house – and if it isn’t right for you, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 90 days for a full refund. No forms, no fuss.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Wilf put every sharpener together himself at the back bench of Staniforth & Son, Grinders in Hillsborough, Sheffield: fitting the fine ceramic wheel, setting both slots and running a knife through each one before it went in the box. The last 212 were finished before the arthritis in his hands stopped the fine work. Three winters of development and more than 300 test knives went into it. This is his final run.