Smith's JIFF-S 10-Second Knife and Scissors Sharpener

Down 'n Dirty
This sharpener will put a sharp, if technically inferior, edge on your blade. What does that mean? To use it you drag your knife through the sharpener a couple of times and the carbide scrapes a new edge onto your knife. The job is done in about 10 seconds and off you go to slice your tomatoes. However since this is not a carefully honed edge it will not last as long as one that is. The sharpener is so easy to use that I don't mind having to resharpen more frequently, as opposed to my other sharpeners that put a nice edge on a blade but are a huge pain to use.

Saves time but not metal
I haven't had much success or ambition when it comes to sharpening knives on stones or sandpaper. I've read numerous articles and watched numerous videos on how to sharpen knives, and I've made a few attempts, but I still haven't got the knack. I've even heard conflicting advice. One master chef says it's easy to sharpen your own knives on a stone, and another says that chefs send their cutlery to a professional for sharpening.

I often find myself fresh out of time and patience for all this fuss, and so I have resorted to various cheap gizmos to do the work for me. This one actually works. As you run it over your knife blade, you can feel the resistance as it hogs off steel and forms a new edge. When the resistance is gone, typically after 5-10 light strokes, that's your signal that the carbide V has done all the shaping it's going to do for now. There is no guesswork.

It puts a nice utility edge on a blade. How sharp and durable that edge may be depends on...

Knives sharper, but underwhelmingly so
Having lost my old sharpener in a house move, I sought this as a replacement. The knives get sharper, but are not left as sharp as they would have been with my old sharpener. The scissor sharpener is interesting, and I did notice my scissors were left sharper, but I would rather have sharper knives instead of extra features. It's fair for the price, but considering the high reviews I was expecting something better.

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