Review of HORL Knife Sharpener: Tested by A Food Lover’s Kitchen

As a home cook who’s always chopping and dicing, I am always on the lookout for effective sharpening methods for my knives. There’s nothing worse than a dull knife for kitchen prep, don’t you agree? But I can’t always be taking my knifes to be professionally sharpened, so what’s the next best thing? I’ve recently discovered the HORL2 rolling knife sharpener, and I think I may have found the next best thing this time.

After Christmas, our friend showed us this new barrel-shaped knife sharpener that he got as a gift. He used it to sharpen all of his knives and couldn’t say enough good things about it. The sharpener has garnered attention for its innovative design and claims of producing perfectly sharp blades. It promises to simplify the sharpening process while delivering professional-grade results.

But can it? I had to try it myself to see. So I pulled all of my old knives out of the drawer… the ones I haven’t used in a while because they’re too dull. And I started sharpening.

Here are three things I noticed right off the bat:

• The HORL2 has a magnetic angle block that provides options for 15-degree and 20-degree angles, so it can sharpen different blade types at the right angle. That’s definitely a point in its favor.
• The rolling sharpening cylinder has a diamond grinding disk, which is the gold standard for sharpening due to its durability and effectiveness.
• As you’re sharpening, the knife is held in place by the magnetic angle support, so it won’t slip and you don’t have to hold onto it. It’s actually very simple to use.

(Disclaimer: I was sent a HORL2 for the purposes of testing and writing a review. All opinions shared here are my own.)

What I Loved

While the look and design of the sharpener is not by far the most important thing, I do want to say that I really like the modern, minimalist design of this sharpener. It looks less like a tool and more like a design piece. Its cylindrical shape fits comfortably in my hand, and I was surprised by how smoothly it rolled during sharpening.

The magnetic angle support removes the necessity to steady the knife in the sharpening blades, which is required in almost every other sharpening tool I’ve tried. Since it’s really hard to hold it completely steady, you end up with a less than perfect blade. It’s obviously a very smart design to have the block hold the knife while you roll the diamond sharpener along it. Less room for error.

As I mentioned earlier, the sharpening disc on this roller is made from diamond-coated steel, which is one of the strongest elements you can use to sharpen with. That is what ensures the blade actually gets razor sharp, like it was when you first bought it.

Lastly, I really like the marker technique they include in the instruction manual. The idea is to mark along the edge of the blade so you can see the marker on both sides of the blade. Then as you whittle away the dull edge of the knife, the marker gets grinded off, letting you know when you’ve achieved the desired results.

Sharpening Performance

Now for the bit you’ve been waiting for. Is it worth it?

This sharpener retails for around $149. It’s not a budget sharpener. So you expect it to deliver exceptional results for that cost. I can take my knives to be professionally sharpened about 3 times for that amount, so it has to pay for itself over time.

There are three elements that make it worth that cost to me. One is the diamond grinding disk. Two is the magnetic block that eliminates the “unsteady” hand equation that often leads to less than expected results. And three is the ability to sharpen both 15 and 20-degree angle blades, because I have a mix of Western and Japanese knives.

The first knife I sharpened – which hadn’t been sharpened in over a year and was fairly dull – took about 3 minutes to pass the marker test. The second knife I sharpened was much more dull and damaged than the first and I had to really keep at it for that one to regain its sharpness. This is normal and expected, according to the manual. After about 10 minutes of rolling, it too passed the marker test.

In the end, I was able to cut easily through the skin of a tomato with both knives. That’s my ultimate test of a knife’s sharpness. So I am happy to say that the HORL2 does perform as expected and does produce a very sharp edge, without much effort.

Setup Process

The HORL2 comes with everything needed. You’ll get a magnetic angle block with 15-degree and 20-degree angle options, along with a rolling sharpening cylinder featuring a diamond grinding disk on one side and a ceramic honing surface on the other.

To begin sharpening, you just attach the knife blade to the magnetic angle support. Holds down the angle support with one hand and roll the sharpening cylinder over the blade with the other. This process ensures consistent angle maintenance throughout the sharpening process.

There will also be a HORL3 Pro model (not yet available in the U.S.) that gives additional flexibility with five different sharpening angles: 25°, 22°, 20°, 15°, 13°, and 10°. Most home cooks won’t need that many choices. For me, the 15 and 20 are enough.

You can also buy replacement discs for the ends of the roller, for when they get dull or if they get damaged.