All kitchen and sporting knives, whether professional quality or inexpensive, need a blade tune-up now and then. This electric sharpener produces razor-sharp edges using the same rapidly rotating Sapphirite grinding wheels used by professional shops. A two-stage system allows knives to be ground and sharpened on the Stage 1 half of the machine, and then honed on the Stage 2 half. Blade guides hold the knife at the ideal sharpening angle for each side of the blade, as it is drawn slowly towards the user and kept parallel to the countertop. The sharpener is suitable for knives made of alloy, carbon, or stainless steel; it is perfectly normal for sparks to fly when knives of high carbon steel come in contact with the Sapphirite wheels. Non-electric serrated knives that are only serrated on one side can also be sharpened with this machine. Three suction cups on the bottom hold the sharpener securely on a table or countertop, and two receptacles underneath catch metal filings for disposal. The sharpener measures 8-1/4 by 5-3/4 by 4 inches, and is covered by a two-year warranty against defects