Find your model number first, because a Chef'sChoice "Stage 1" is a coarse diamond stage on one model and a 15 degree slot on another. On every electric model you pull the blade toward you in alternating left and right slots with light pressure until you feel a burr, then finish in the last stage. On the manual Pronto models you saw the blade back and forth with firm pressure instead. The tables below give each model's routine straight from Chef'sChoice's own instruction booklets.
Which Chef'sChoice do you have?
The model number is printed on the sharpener's base or label. If it's worn off, count the stages and check whether it plugs in.
| Model | Power | Stages | Angle per side | Stage labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trizor XV (Model 15, 15XV) | Electric | 3 | 15° | 1, 2, 3 (all 15° class) |
| AngleSelect 1520 | Electric | 3 | 15° and 20° | Stage 1 Asian, Stage 2 Euro/American, Stage 3 strop |
| Model 320 FlexHone/Strop | Electric | 2 | 20° (per the listing) | 1 sharpen, 2 strop |
| Hybrid 250 (and the similar 270) | Electric + manual | 3 | 20° | 1 and 2 motor, 3 manual single slot |
| ProntoPro 4643 | Manual | 3 | 15° and 20° | Asian, Euro/Amer, Polishing & Serrated |
| Pronto 463 | Manual | 2 | 15° | 1 sharpen, 2 hone |
Not sure which angle your knife is? Most Japanese knives and santokus are 15 degrees, and plenty of older German and American knives are 20. Our knife sharpening angle chart lists the brands.
Electric and manual models use opposite technique
This is where most bad results come from. The two families want nearly opposite hands.
| Electric (15XV, 1520, 320, 250) | Manual (Pronto 463, ProntoPro 4643) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stroke | Pull toward you, one direction, never push | Back and forth, "a sawing-like motion" |
| Pressure | Just enough to keep contact; the manuals say more won't speed it up | About 4 to 5 pounds in the sharpening stage, 3 to 4 in the finishing stage |
| Slots | Alternate left and right slots, one pull each | One slot per stage, both sides at once |
| Speed | About 3 to 5 seconds per pull, depending on model and blade length | Smooth, steady strokes; listen for both disks turning |
The 4643 and 463 booklets describe 4 to 5 pounds as "about the weight of a 2 inch thick telephone book." Press that hard on an electric model's spring guides and you'll grind unevenly. Press that lightly on a Pronto and its disks won't spin, which is why the manual tells you to listen for them.
Trizor XV (Model 15)
All three stages are 15 degree class: diamond in Stages 1 and 2, flexible stropping disks in Stage 3. First time on a 20 degree Western knife, it can take up to 20 pairs of 3 to 4 second pulls in Stage 1 before a burr forms, then 1 to 2 pairs in Stage 2 and 3 pairs in Stage 3. For touch-ups, use Stage 3 alone. We've put the full table, including single-bevel knives and the EdgeSelect sequences, in our Chef'sChoice Trizor XV review, so we won't repeat it here.
AngleSelect 1520
The 1520 is the one people get wrong, because Stage 1 is not the coarse stage. It's the 15 degree slot for Asian-style knives. Stage 2 is the 20 degree slot. Stage 3 strops both.
| Knife | Sharpen | Finish in Stage 3 | Touch-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20° Euro/American | Stage 2 only (skip Stage 1): about 5 pairs of 4–5 s pulls, then more until there's a burr | 3–4 slow pairs (about 4 s), then 3 fast pairs (1–2 s) | Stage 3; if that's slow, 2–3 pairs in Stage 2 first |
| 15° Asian, santoku | Stage 1: 2–4 pairs if it was already 15°, up to 10 on a thin blade being re-angled | 4 pairs of 4–5 s pulls, then 4–5 fast pairs | Stage 3 alone, "3 or more times" before going back to Stage 1 |
| 15° with a stronger edge | Stage 1 to a burr, then exactly 2 pairs of about 2 s pulls in Stage 2 | As above | Same sequence |
| Serrated | Never Stage 1; one fast pull per side in Stage 2 only if badly damaged | 5–10 pairs | Stage 3 |
The two-pairs-in-Stage-2 trick is how the 1520 makes a Trizor-style third bevel on a 15 degree knife. The manual is firm about the count: "Do not make more pulls in Stage 2." You can also convert a light-duty Western paring or utility knife to 15 degrees by sharpening it as an Asian blade; the manual warns the first session takes longer than you'd expect.
Model 320 (two-stage electric)
Stage 1 is fine diamond; Stage 2 is a stropping stage at a slightly larger angle. The 320 booklet doesn't print the angle, and the Amazon listing gives 20 degrees.
- Make a practice pull with the power off to feel the spring tension.
- Power on. One pull in the left slot of Stage 1, one in the right. An 8 inch blade should take about 5 seconds per pull.
- Usually one or two pairs is enough. Check for a burr; if there isn't one along the whole edge, make one more pair, slower.
- Move to Stage 2 for one or two pairs. Three or more pairs gives the smoother "gourmet" edge.
For meat and other fibrous food, the manual suggests Stage 1 to a burr and then only one pair in Stage 2, which leaves more bite. Touch-ups happen in Stage 2. Serrated knives go in Stage 2 only, 5 to 10 pairs.
Hybrid 250 and 270
Stages 1 and 2 are motorized, and Stage 3 is a manual single slot that hones both sides at once. Stage 1 sets a 20 degree primary edge, and Stage 2 adds a second bevel at a slightly larger angle.
- Stage 1: alternate pulls toward you, about 5 seconds each for a 6 inch blade. About 5 pairs if the knife isn't very dull, 10 or more the first time on a dull one. Don't leave until there's a burr.
- Stage 2: 1 to 2 pairs, same timing, until a smaller burr forms.
- Stage 3: turn the power off. Center the blade and make 5 to 10 back-and-forth strokes with light pressure.
- Touch-up: 10 to 20 back-and-forth pairs in Stage 3 alone.
- Serrated: Stage 3 only, 25 back-and-forth pairs.
Chef'sChoice says the 250 can sharpen a santoku but recommends a 15 degree model such as the 15XV or 1520 for Asian blades, and it shouldn't touch single-bevel knives at all.
ProntoPro 4643 (manual, 15° and 20°)
Hold the sharpener down with your left hand and keep it facing you with the logo toward you. Use only the slot that matches the knife.
| Knife | Sharpen | Finish | Touch-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15° Asian, santoku | Stage 1 "Asian": 10 or fewer back-and-forth pairs at 4–5 lb; 20+ the first time on a dull knife | Stage 3: 2–5 pairs at 3–4 lb | 5 pairs in Stage 1, then 2–3 in Stage 3 |
| 20° Euro/American | Stage 2 "Euro/Amer" (not Stage 1): same counts | Stage 3: 2–3 pairs | 2–3 pairs in Stage 3; if not sharp, 4 pairs in Stage 2 then 2–3 in Stage 3 |
| Serrated | Only if very dull: 2 stroke pairs in Stage 2 | Stage 3: 5 pairs, then 5 more if needed | Stage 3 |
The booklet says not to sharpen 15 degree knives in Stage 2. After the sharpening stage, slice a sheet of copy paper: it should cut "with only a slight roughness" before you move on to Stage 3.
Pronto 463 (manual, 15°)
A two-stage, 15 degree manual sharpener for santokus and other double-bevel Asian knives. Keep your fingers and thumb behind the partition wall where the handle meets the sharpening head.
- Stage 1: hold the blade level, press down about 4 to 5 pounds and saw back and forth. Ten or fewer stroke pairs if the knife isn't very dull; 20 or more the first time on a dull one. Paper-test it.
- Stage 2: 2 to 5 back-and-forth pairs at about 3 to 4 pounds, blade centered in the slot.
- Touch-ups: 2 to 3 pairs in Stage 2. If that's not enough, 4 pairs in Stage 1, then 2 to 3 in Stage 2.
Serrated knives get 5 stroke pairs in Stage 2. If you need a 20 degree edge too, the 4643 is the same idea with a second slot.
How to feel the burr
All the electric manuals tell you not to move on until there's a burr along the entire edge. Run your forefinger across the edge and away from it, never along it. If your last pull was in the right slot, the burr will be on the right side of the blade as you hold it. It feels like a rough, bent lip; the other side feels smooth. No burr means more pulls in the same stage, slower. On the manual Pronto models, the booklets use the paper test instead.
What every Chef'sChoice manual says not to do
- No honing oil, water or lubricant in any model.
- No scissors, ax blades, ceramic knives or anything that doesn't fit freely in the slots.
- No single-bevel knives (sashimi, yanagi) in the Pronto, ProntoPro or Hybrid. The 15XV and 1520 have a one-sided routine for them.
- Electric models: operate from the front only, keep the blade moving, and don't stop a pull halfway.
- Clean the knife before sharpening. Food on the blade glazes the stropping disks.
The safety line in each booklet is worth taking literally: knives "will be sharper than you expect." Don't test the edge by running a finger along it.
When it isn't working
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix from the manuals |
|---|---|---|
| Still dull after the finishing stage | Moved on before a burr formed | Back to the sharpening stage, slower pulls, until the burr runs the full length |
| Edge feels thick on a Western knife (1520, 4643) | Sharpened in the 15° slot by mistake, or the reverse | Use Stage 2 for 20° knives, Stage 1 for 15° |
| Pronto barely removes steel | Pressing too lightly; disks not turning | About 4–5 lb and listen for the disks |
| Tip stays dull | Edge leaves the disk on the curve | Lift the handle slightly as you near the tip |
| Heel stays dull | The thick collar where blade meets handle stops the heel reaching the disks | Start each pull as close to the handle as you can; a collar that runs down to the edge may need a stone |
| Electric Stage 3 dark and slow | Glazed stropping disks | Use the dressing lever on the back (power on), sparingly; it wears the disks |
Upkeep is small. The Model 15 has a magnet under a cover on the bottom that collects filings; wipe it about once a year. The manual Pronto models get turned upside down and tapped out over a paper towel.
Choosing between them
If you're still deciding which Chef'sChoice to buy rather than how to use one, the short answer is the 15XV for an all-15-degree block and the 1520 or 4643 when some knives should stay at 20. Our best electric knife sharpener and best manual knife sharpener guides compare them against other brands, and how to use a knife sharpener covers pull-through and rolling sharpeners from other makers. For bread knives, see how to sharpen a serrated knife.
Sources: Chef'sChoice instruction booklets for the Model 15 Trizor XV, AngleSelect 1520 (EdgeCraft, 2017), Model 320, Hybrid 250, ProntoPro 4643 (EdgeCraft, 2011), Pronto 463 and D202, from the Chef'sChoice warranty and manuals page, read October 15, 2026. Model numbers and the Model 320 angle from the Amazon listings checked the same day. How we research · Affiliate disclosure