Chef'sChoice 470 User Manual

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SteelPro

Model 470 Series

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SteelPro

Congratulations!

As an owner of the Chef’sChoice® SteelPro® Model 470, you will be able to experience for the ﬁrst time the pleasure of cutting and slicing with perfectly steeled edges. The SteelPro that obtainable with conventional steels. The SteelPro have a good “bite” and will, uniquely, stay very sharp as you continue to use the

. No skill is required and even a ﬁrst time user will ﬁnd it easy to use.

SteelPro The SteelPro

eliminates the uncertainty, inconsistency and intimidation of the age-old method of unguided manual steeling. With the SteelPro seconds be able to consistently obtain superior edges with that extra “bite” and sharpness unmatched by even the most experienced professionals.

You will quickly realize how much less intimidating it is to use the SteelPro compared to conventional uncontrolled manual steeling.

creates a unique cutting edge much superior to

edge will consistently

you will in just

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Description of SteelPro

The SteelPro® is designed to be used either right or left handed (Figure 1 and 2). The soft-touch handle is shaped and sized for a comfortable hold. The SteelPro can be hung by the metal ring attached to the handle or stored ﬂat in a drawer or on a shelf.

The SteelPro

contains two unique rods made of a special high carbon steel hardened to about Rockwell C-65, which is much harder than any commercially available cutlery. Consequently these special rods will show very little wear from the repeated contact with the edge of your ﬁnest and hardest knives.

Two precision knife guides, with planes set at about 23 degrees to the vertical center line of the hardened rods, control and precisely align the face of the knife as the balde is inserted into the slot between the guide and the blade retention spring. In use, the blade is inserted alternately into the left and then the right slots and pulled forward so that the knife edge slides along the surface of the hardened steel rod.

The steel rods are supported by elastomeric materials that allow the rods to deﬂect when excessive force is applied to the blade. This feature and the ultraprecise and consistent angular contact maintained stroke after stroke between the knife edge and the hardened steel rods are key to optimizing the edge structure. Viewed under a microscope, the SteelPro formation of exceedingly ﬁne and super-sharp micro-serrations. Furthermore, even after many uses of the SteelPro

on a knife, the original edge geometry is

edge presents a uniform

maintained and the edge does not round-off like it would using a conventional steel with no angle control.

Figure 1. Right-handed use. FIgure 2. Left-handed use.

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Because of the consistent angular relationship between the individual facets on each side of the knife edge and the steel rods, the SteelPro

simultaneously maintains a shaving sharp edge while it creates the uniform row of microscopic serrations along the edge. If the edge is damaged when used for cutting, the

will restore the edge micro-serrations while maintaining the sharpness

SteelPro of the edge. This type of edge conditioning is unique to the SteelPro

On top of each steel rod is a slotted cap that accepts a coin or other tool so you can rotate the steel rod slightly to expose a fresh area of the steel rod surface (Figure 3). This is necessary only if the rod becomes sufﬁciently worn that the edge conditioning process slows signiﬁcantly. When the rod is rotated, fresh surfaces are made available in both the left and right slots. A spring ﬁnger extends from each end of the knife retention spring and clicks into a shallow groove in the cap on top of each steel rod. When necessary to use a new surface on the steel, rotate the slot counter-clockwise one click. By this means approximately 55 pairs of “steeling” areas are available over the lifetime of the rods. You will ﬁnd with use that the rod closest to you will experience the most wear. The rod to the read need not be rotated as often. Because the knife edge can be pulled over a given pair of areas on the rods several thousand times before the wear affects the rate or precision of the edge formation, the rods need not be rotated very often and they can last a lifetime in normal household use. Replacement rods are, however, available from the EdgeCraft Corporation.

The SteelPro

features small rubber feet for a secure hold to any dry surface.

The soft-touch handle is designed to improve the grip and reduce hand slippage.

Figure 3.

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Using the SteelPro

You will ﬁnd the SteelPro® can maintain an exceedingly effective razor sharp edge on all of your cutlery. While it is extremely simple to use, we urge you to read the instructions in order to optimize your results.

Knife manufacturers have for years suggested steeling as a good way to maintain the knife edge. Users and manufacturers alike know however that knives must be professionally sharpened before steeling and periodically thereafter when the steeling process becomes too slow or ineffective. Consequently, whether you are steeling with a conventional steel or the SteelPro

, you will

need to resharpen the edge periodically with a professional sharpener. If you are uncertain of the angle of your knife edges, we recommend that you

presharpen the edge at a total angle of 40° before using the SteelPro

. Most new factory edges are sharpened in the range of 30 to 40 degrees but a very few are sharpened as low as 20 degrees total. Any edge angled at 40° or less can be effectively maintained with the SteelPro recommend that it be sharpened ﬁrst with a quality knife sharpener angled at about 40 degrees. The SteelPro

. Similarly if your edge is very dull we

can then swiftly and repeatedly create an extremely effective microstructure along the edge while maintaining its sharpness. You will be impressed with the how effective this type of edge can be.

Chef’sChoice wide for their premium angle control, have a ﬁrst sharpening stage that is ideal for presharpening the knife for the SteelPro

manual and professional electric sharpeners, recognized world

. If you are uncertain about the sharpening angle of your sharpener, contact the manufacturer and inquire what angles are used.

To use the SteelPro

handle with your left and hold the knife in your right. Move the blade

SteelPro

, if you are right handed (Figure 1), grip and steady the

forward as you insert it between one guide plane and the blade retaining spring as close as possible to the bolster or handle. The face of the blade should be in intimate contact with the guide plane. Pull the blade toward you as you press down lightly on the blade so that the edge makes good contact with the steel rod. Make sure that the edge maintains steady contact with the steel rod from the handle to the tip of the blade. Repeat this procedure, making a full stroke in the opposite slot between that guide and the spring. You should repeat this motion, making alternating pairs of pulls until the edge is fully conditioned.

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If your knife is freshly sharpened (at about 40 total degrees) prior to using the

, you need make only about 10 pairs of alternating pulls to develop a

SteelPro good edge. Making another 10 pairs of alternating pulls will further reﬁne the edge and remove virtually all remnants of the burr left from pre-sharpening. You will ﬁnd now that the knife cuts exceedingly well.

Whenever you knives appear to lose their “bite” or to be slightly dull, the

can restore the edge to its prior performance with only about 10 pairs

SteelPro of alternating pulls. You will need more pulls than that only if you have used the knife heavily for an extended time. With the SteelPro

you will be able to recondition your knife edge more than a hundred times before it is again necessary to resharpen the edge with an abrasive sharpener. It’s time to consider resharpening when you feel it is taking too long (too many strokes) to recondition the edge to its initial performance. When resharpening, remember that it is best to sharpen at a total angle of 40 degrees or less.

Because you can reestablish the microstructure along the edge of your knives so easily and so many times with the SteelPro

before it will be necessary to resharpen the edge, you will ﬁnd your knives last longer. Conventional steels lacking angle control will in most hands create a rounded and dull edge after steeling the edge only a few times, making it necessary to resharpen the edge frequently, thus reducing the useful life of the knife.

In order to obtain the best results with the SteelPro a sharpener that is built with precision sharpening guides. Performance of the

is optimum when the sharpening angle is 20° (half the total edge

SteelPro

, always resharpen with

angle) or just a few degrees smaller than the 23° angle built in to the SteelPro

Notes:

Serrated Knives

The SteelPro® is not designed to sharpen serrated blades.

Japanese Kataba Knives

You can use the SteelPro® on Japanese Kataba type knives. Because the edge on one side of these knives is not beveled, you will optimize your results by applying slightly less pressure when that side of the edge is being conditioned.

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Ceramic Knives

The SteelPro® is not recommended for ceramic knives.

Scissors

Do not attempt to use the SteelPro® for scissors.

Brands of Knives

You will ﬁnd that the SteelPro® will put an excellent edge on all of your metal knives regardless of brand including, Wüsthof, Henckels, Sabatier, Chicago Cutlery, Lamson and Goodnow, Global, Russel Harrington, Forshner, Chef’sChoice, Messermeisser, Mundial, Viking, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid and many, many more.

Safety:

Keep your ﬁngers clear of the blade edge at all times.

Presharpening the Knife Edge

EdgeCraft offers a wide range of Chef’sChoice® manual and electric knife sharpeners tha have sharpening angles compatible with the SteelPro We recommend, however, that you presharpen only in the ﬁrst stage of the Chef’sChoice sharpener, which will create an optimal single bevel edge for the SteelPro

. Any burr created in the ﬁrst stage will not interfere with the

steeling action. On those occasions when your cutting task calls for the sharpest edge without

the bite provided by the SteelPro

, follow the instructions received with your

sharpener and sharpen in all stages.

Test for Sharpness

To test periodically for sharpness and cutting ability of your knife, hold a sheet of paper by the edge and carefully cut through the sheet a small (but safe) distance from your ﬁngers. A sharp edge will cut smoothly without tearing the paper.

Alternatively try cutting a tomato. The knife should pierce through the skin of the tomato and cut through it on the ﬁrst pull without signiﬁcant force applied to the knife.

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Limited Warranty: Used with normal care, this EdgeCraft product is guaranteed against defective material

and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of original purchase (“Warranty Period”). We will repair or replace, at our option, any product or part that is defective in material or workmanship without charge if the product is returned to us postage prepaid with dated proof of purchase within the Warranty Period. This warranty does not apply to commercial use or any product abuse. ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD. EDGECRAFT CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and some states do not allow exclusions or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This Limited Warranty gives you speciﬁc legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Engineered and assembled in the U.S.A. By the makers of the professional Chef’sChoice

Diamond Hone®

Knife Sharpeners, sold worldwide. EdgeCraft Corporation

825 Southwood Road Avondale, PA 19311 U.S.A.

 (800)342-3255 • (610)268-0500

www.chefschoice.com