Work Sharp MK2 Electric Knife Sharpener
By Work · Knife Sharpening · Kitchen & Cooking · More from Work
- SKU WSKTS2
- Edge angles 20° / 25°
- Included abrasives: P80 coarse, P220 medium, 6000 fine belts (1/2" x 12")
- Dual-speed motor: 3600-4000 SFM high / 1600-2000 SFM low
- Weight 3 lb
Lowest price seen
$89.95
from $89.95 at House of Blades · Checked Oct 19, 2026
- House of Blades $89.95View at House of Blades
- Edgeworks $89.95View at Edgeworks
- WorkView at Work
- eBayView at eBay
- AmazonView at Amazon (paid link)
- eBay (used) eBay: used, open-box, refurbishedView at eBay (used)
Stores are listed in a fixed order, never by price or commission. Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.
Summary
A compact electric belt sharpener that puts a guided 20° or 25° edge on kitchen knives in minutes.
Strengths
- The switchable 20°/25° guide takes the guesswork out of bevel angles for beginners.
- Two speeds, with a low 1600–2000 SFM setting for knives to limit heat.
- Beyond kitchen knives: the 65° scissor guide and rotating cassette cover household scissors, axes, mower blades and garden tools.
- The Gadgeteer called the build quality professional and found nothing to change.
Weaknesses
- Only two bevel angles, and knives with lower factory bevels cannot be matched with the standard guide; freehand sharpening means removing the guide and learning a new skill.
- The flexible belt leaves a mildly concave edge that Knife Informer says will never match a guided-rod sharpener.
- Owners report belts that wear out quickly and are expensive to replace.
- The plastic body feels light, and one commenter on The Gadgeteer’s review wrote it doesn’t feel very solid.
- The red P220 and purple 6000 belts are easy to mix up.
Verified specifications
| Model | Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2, SKU WSKTS2, the current replacement for the retired original WSKTS. |
|---|---|
| Edge angles | 20° (kitchen) and 25° (outdoor) per side from one switchable guide; 65° scissor guide on the tool sharpening cassette. |
| Belts included | six 1/2 in × 12 in belts, two each P80 coarse, P220 medium and 6000 fine. |
| Motor | dual speed, 3600–4000 SFM on high and 1600–2000 SFM on low (about half). |
| Claimed sharpening time | under 2 minutes for a touch-up, 3–4 minutes for a very dull or damaged edge. |
| Electrical | US 120 V, 6 ft cord, trigger-actuated with no lock-on. |
| Weight | 3 lb on the Work Sharp spec sheet; The Gadgeteer measured 1 lb 10.2 oz; Northern Tool lists a 2.22 lb ship weight. |
| Dimensions | about 9 in long in the sharpening position, 4.75 in wide at the motor/belt module (measured by The Gadgeteer). |
| Body | heavy-duty plastic shell over metal internal parts. |
| Belt compatibility | every belt from the original Knife & Tool Sharpener fits the Mk.2. |
| Warranty | 3 years from the manufacturer; Sharpening Supplies states 1 year for the same SKU. |
| In the box | sharpener, 20°/25° sharpening guide, tool sharpening cassette with 65° scissor guide, 6 belts, user’s guide and quick-start guide. |
Full research notes and sources
How it sharpens
The Mk.2 runs the blade against a moving abrasive belt. A removable guide sets the bevel at 20° or 25° per side: pull the guide straight up off the tool, snap the lever on its back to the other angle, and push it back on. The cassette rotates 90° for tools, and 65° is built in for household scissors rather than salon shears. A Northern Tool Q&A answer adds that the WSKTS2 is not recommended for honing a straight razor, because of blade curve and thickness.
Work Sharp claims a touch-up takes under 2 minutes and a very dull or damaged edge 3–4 minutes.
The tradeoff is edge geometry. The flexible belt removes metal fast and leaves a mildly concave bevel, which Knife Informer says will never be as perfect as a guided-rod sharpener’s edge. No instrumented lab test of this model exists — no RTINGS, Wirecutter, Tom’s Guide, CNET or PCMag data — so treat these as hands-on findings, not measurements.
Technique and common mistakes
The belt removes metal aggressively, and the reviews are blunt about the failure modes. Draw the blade too far back and you round the tip. Pull too slowly and the steel overheats; reviewers advise the low speed for knives and keeping water nearby to cool blades. The tip has to come to a stop on the belt with the machine switched off.
Two smaller traps: the edge guide supports the blade from heel to tip but can scratch its sides — flip it out of the way for full-length work on obstructive blades — and the belt color coding, red P220 against purple 6000, is easy to confuse. The motor has no lock-on either; it runs only while you hold the trigger. Even hard steels like Elmax and S90V lose excess stock here, so a light touch matters more than you would expect.
Belts, guides and running costs
Six belts ship in the box, two each P80, P220 and 6000. Belts are the wear item, and owners on r/sharpening report them wearing out quickly. Work Sharp sells a replacement P220 belt at $16.95 and a replacement edge guide at $3.95 on its manual page, so the running cost stays modest and there is no subscription or consumable lock-in beyond belts.
Light pressure matters too: press hard and the edge-guide grooves wear in, though Work Sharp says replacements are available. Belt tracking comes factory-set; if it drifts, the adjustment screw sits on the back of the tool, reached by pulling the angle guide straight up.
The warranty is 3 years from the manufacturer. One retailer, Sharpening Supplies, states 1 year for the same WSKTS2, so check the terms where you buy.
Is it worth it?
Work Sharp’s MSRP is $109.95. Menards, KnifeCenter and Edgeworks listed it at $89.95 in 2026, with AIH at $99.99; The Gadgeteer saw $99.99 back in 2021, and GearJunkie and Knife Informer cite a $100 MSRP from that era. The $100 MSRP those reviews cite has since moved to $109.95, which is why older and newer pages disagree.
At the $89.95 street price it is a strong buy for a household that wants fast guided sharpening of kitchen knives plus the occasional tool or scissors, with the 3-year warranty and direct-sale parts behind it. Between $91 and $110 it stays reasonable; the two-angle limit and belt wear matter more at that level. Above $110 the case weakens: the Ken Onion Edition Mk.2 or a guided-rod system gives finer angle control, which reviewers and r/sharpening owners recommend for enthusiasts.
What you are buying is speed and simplicity, not edge perfection. If you want the finest possible bevel or own knives ground below 20°, this is the wrong tool. If you want kitchen knives sharp enough for real work in minutes, it does exactly that.
Which model this is
This is the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2, SKU WSKTS2, released in late 2020 as the replacement for the original WSKTS, now listed as retired. It shares the power platform with the Ken Onion Edition Mk.2 (WSKTS-KO2, 7-speed, 15°–30° guide, 3/4 in × 12 in belts), the Elite version and the original, but the guides, belts and speed control differ. Retailer copy says the tool is designed, calibrated and quality checked in Ashland, Oregon, with parts made in the USA.
The US Amazon listing for this sharpener is ASIN B08VD8ZGFZ.
Match on WSKTS2 before you buy — “Mk.2” branding gets used loosely across the Work Sharp range, and the sibling models sharpen differently.
Sources
Manufacturer:
Independent reviews:
Owner reports:
- Owners discuss the Work Sharp knife and tool sharpener (r/sharpening)
- Is the standard Work Sharp Mk.2 not enough for home users? (r/sharpening)
- Work Sharp original Mk.2 vs Ken Onion (r/sharpening)
- Work Sharp Mk.2 question in the comments (r/sharpening)
Parts and stores:
- Menards — Work Sharp Outdoor Knife and Tool Sharpener WSKTS2
- KnifeCenter — Mk.2 electric knife and tool sharpener
- Edgeworks — Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener MK2 WSKTS2
- AIH — Work Sharp WSKTS2 knife and tool sharpener
- Northern Tool — Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2, Model# WSKTS2
- Sharpening Supplies — Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener Mk. 2
