Edgecraft Chef's Choice 312 - Manual (Page 4)

underStandIng the model 312
dIamond ultrahone ® Sharpener
This unique Chef’sChoice ® Diamond UltraHone ® Sharpener is designed to sharpen knives with
either straight or serrated edges. This two (2) stage sharpener has two precision sharpening /
honing stages, one with fine and the other with ultrafine 100% diamond abrasive. This combina-
tion can be used to create either an ultra sharp, smooth faceted edge for effortless cutting and
presentations or one with a selected amount of residual “bite”.
The sharpening and honing actions are controlled by using precisely angled guides for the blade
and precisely matched conically surfaced abrasive disks. The sharpening angle is slightly larger
in Stage 2 than in Stage 1. The sharpening rate is carefully controlled by the size of diamonds
used and by unique internal springs that limit the amount of pressure that can be applied to the
edge by the abrasive disks.
Fine diamond-coated conical disks in Stage 1 create microgrooves along the facets on each
side of the edge establishing the first angled bevel of the edge. In Stage 2 precision disks coated
with micron sized diamonds gently hone and polish the facets immediately adjacent to the edge
creating a microbevel along a microscopically thin straight and polished edge. The honing ac-
tion simultaneously polishes and sharpens the boundaries of those microgrooves created by the
diamond abrasives in Stage 1 adjacent to the edge until they become sharp micro flutes that will
assist the cutting action with “difficult to cut” materials.
This unique two stage design gives you an extremely sharp edge and because of the second
angle microbevel, you will notice that your knives stay sharp longer than those sharpened by
conventional means.
The following sections describe the general procedures for optimal sharpening. One of the im-
portant advantages of using the Model 312 is that you can hone and polish your knives to razor
sharp edges as often as needed and yet experience little knife wear compared to older sharpen-
ing methods. Resharpening can commonly be done by using just the gentle ultra honing action
of Stage 2. (See Resharpening Section).
Each sharpening Stage is equipped with gray flexible plastic springs that are positioned over
the sharpening disks (see Figure 1) to hold the face of your knife securely against the precision
guides in the right and left slots of each stage during sharpening.
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