Note: Suehiro for Milk Street Knife Sharpener added automatically to cart at checkout with Milk Street Kitchin-kiji.

Based on the Japanese kawamuki, the go-to knife for peeling and carving vegetables, the Milk Street Kitchin-kiji is the “in-between” utility knife. At 3.5 inches long, the blade is small enough for detailed handwork like peeling the papery skin off garlic cloves and shallots, trimming mushrooms or cutting fruit. But we designed it with a larger handle that fills the hand for a confident grip so the broad blade won’t twist.

Plus, we subtly angled the blade upwards from the handle to provide knuckle clearance (a major flaw in most smaller knives that have your fingers bumping up against your cutting board). And the blade, made from sturdy stainless 1.4116 German steel, tapers to a fine razor tip for tight detail work, like removing the eyes from potatoes, coring strawberries and trimming meats.

This easy-to-use sharpener is perfect for anyone wanting the simplest solution to keeping their cutlery razor sharp. The handheld Suehiro sharpener features a precision ceramic whetstone roller that spins on an axle inside an easy-fill water reservoir. To use, fill with water, grip the handle and pull the blade knife back and forth through the roller 8–10 strokes. Wipe clean, test sharpness and repeat the process if necessary until razor sharp. Couple the Suehiro sharpener with a ceramic steel for routine honing, and you have the easy solution to keeping your knives razor sharp for safety’s sake and cooking pleasure.

With decades of experience behind their products, Suehiro is widely regarded as one of Japan’s top producers of sharpening equipment. The rolling sharpener design distills that knowledge into a tool that requires absolutely no specialty knowledge of blade angles, blade materials, burrs or bevels.