Chances are, if you’re here, you own a knife. And there’s nothing worse than a dull blade on your favorite cutting tool. It not only makes using your knife difficult—a dull blade is flat out dangerous. Which leads us to the Horl 3 Cruise rolling knife sharpener.
There are literally dozens of different knife sharpeners on the market today. Do a quick Google search and you’ll see manual, or pull through sharpeners, electric sharpeners, whetstones, honing rods and more. But the latest innovation in knife sharpening came with the advent of the rolling sharpener by a German company called Horl. We’ve heard great things about all the Horl products so, when Horl reached out to us to test their Horl 3 Cruise rolling knife sharpener, we jumped at the chance.
Knife Sharpener Comparison Table
| Type | Description | Pros | Cons | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Pull-Through | A handheld device with preset sharpening slots (usually carbide or ceramic). | Easy to use, affordable, quick. | Limited angle control, may wear blades over time. | Beginners, casual users. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Whetstone | A flat sharpening stone (various grits) used with water or oil. | Precise, versatile, long blade life. | Requires skill, time-consuming. | Enthusiasts, professionals. | ★★★★★ |
| Electric Sharpener | Motorized device with abrasive wheels or belts, often with multiple stages. | Fast, consistent, user-friendly. | Expensive, can remove too much metal. | Home cooks, frequent use. | ★★★★☆ |
| Sharpening Steel | A rod (usually metal or ceramic) used to hone (realign) a blade’s edge. | Maintains edge between sharpenings, portable. | Doesn’t truly sharpen, just hones. | Regular maintenance. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Guided Rod System | A clamp and rod setup with angle guides and sharpening stones. | High precision, customizable angles. | Setup takes time, moderate learning curve. | Precision sharpening, pros. | ★★★★☆ |
| Ceramic Wheel | Handheld or bench device with rotating ceramic wheels. | Gentle on blades, easy to use. | Less aggressive, not for very dull knives. | Light touch-ups. | ★★★☆☆ |
| HORL 3 Cruise Rolling | A rolling sharpener with a diamond disc and stainless steel honing disc, fixed 15°/20° angles, magnetic holder. | Easy to use, precise, durable, eco-friendly. | Fixed angles limit customization, slightly specialized for general knives. | Home cooks, general use. | ★★★★★ |
What is a Rolling Knife Sharpener?
A rolling knife sharpener is a modern, innovative tool designed to make knife sharpening easier, more precise, and more consistent. It features a rolling mechanism that allows the sharpener to glide smoothly along the edge of a knife blade while maintaining a fixed sharpening angle. This system eliminates the guesswork often associated with traditional sharpening methods.
Components of a Rolling Knife Sharpener Include:
- Magnetic angle support to hold the blade face up at the proper sharpening angle
- Cylinder rolling sharpener
- Grinding Disk
- Honing Disk
Unboxing the Horl 3 Cruise Rolling Knife Sharpener
The Horl 3 is a compact knife sharpener and comes with everything you’ll need right out of the packaging.
The box contains the following:
- Horl magnetic angle block with 15-degree and 20-degree angle options
- Horl rolling sharpening cylinder with a diamond grinding disk on one side and a steel honing disk on the other
- Instruction manual
- QR card that takes you to a video startup on how to use the sharpener
Horl 3 Cruise Design and Build Quality
The entire Horl experience feels a lot like that of an Apple product. From the packaging, to the build quality, to the overall aesthetics, both pieces of the Horl sharpening system feel extremely well built and look modern and sleek.
Cylinder Rolling Sharpener
When you first pick up the Horl rolling sharpening cylinder it just feels high quality. It rolls smoothly and silently on two rubber rings with no wobbles, creaks or squeaks.
The cylinder features a diamond sharpening disk on one end and a steel honing disk on the other.
The diamond sharpening disk is made from block diamonds, which are synthetic or natural diamonds shaped into block-like forms. These are commonly used in cutting, grinding, polishing, or sharpening applications and will sharpen knives of any hardness. The block diamonds on the standard diamond disc also achieve up to 80% more steel removal compared to the Horl 2 version.
The steel honing disk is permanently fitted to the cylinder and features integrated grooves to further refine the grinding result, in addition to removing any leftover grinding dust or burrs.
Magnetic Angle Block
Much like the sharpener, the Horl magnetic angle block feels high quality and performs at a high level. The block features two angle surfaces:
- A 15-degree surface provides exceptionally fine sharpness to blades made from high-quality carbon or Damascus steel. The high hardness of these steels enables the knife edge to be honed to an incredibly precise finish.
- The 20-degree grinding angle delivers durable sharpness, making it ideal for everyday use on sturdy blades like European chef’s knives. It also provides outdoor and pocket knives with a strong, reliable cutting edge.
The magnet is strong and holds virtually any knife securely in place. We tested a large chef’s knife, a folding pocket knife and an OTF knife. The magnet on the angle block held firmly each time.
Another cool thing about the Horl 3 Cruise rolling knife sharpener is the body of the cylinder and block are made from garbage. Yeah, you read right. They partnered with a Swiss company called #tide that cruises the beach collecting plastic refuse then recycles it into a granulate material. So you’re not only getting a great kitchen tool, you’re helping clean up our beaches.
Horl 3 Cruise Performance
To test the performance of the Horl 3 Cruise rolling knife sharpener we used a Cutco 7-5/8″ chef’s knife. We wanted our test to be somewhat of a ‘worst case scenario’ test so we ran the blade across a concrete block a few times to ensure the blade was really dull. We even tried to cut a tomato after dulling the blade and it just squished the fruit.
With our blade sufficiently dull, we set up the sharpening system using the 20-degree angle side of the magnetic block. As we began rolling the cylinder sharpener along the blade we were impressed by the smooth rolling motion and the ease of use. According to Horl the first sharpening requires the blade to ‘learn’ the angle of the sharpener. This essentially means the first time you sharpen a knife with the Horl 3 Cruise it will take longer than subsequent sharpenings.
Rolling Knife Sharpener Comparison Chart
| Brand/Model | Description | Pros | Cons | Price Range (USD) | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HORL 3 Cruise | Rolling sharpener with diamond disc, stainless steel honing disc, fixed 15°/20° angles, magnetic holder, eco-friendly recycled plastic body. | Easy to use, precise, durable, eco-friendly, consistent results. | Fixed angles limit customization, slightly specialized for general knives. | $99 | ★★★★★ |
| HORL 2 | Original rolling sharpener with diamond disc, ceramic honing disc, fixed 15°/20° angles, magnetic holder, wooden body. | Smooth rolling, reliable, high-quality build, interchangeable discs available (with upgrades). | Slightly pricey, fixed angles, ceramic honing less ideal for ultra-hard steels. | $89 – $339 | ★★★★☆ |
| Tumbler Original | Rolling sharpener with diamond disc, stainless steel honing disc, 15°/20° angles, strong magnetic holder, hardwood body. | Strong magnet, easy to use, stylish design, good for beginners. | Inconsistent sharpening near tip/heel, non-interchangeable discs, made in China. | $129 – $149 | ★★★★☆ |
| Work Sharp Rolling | Rolling sharpener with interchangeable diamond discs (320/600 grit) and ceramic disc, 15°/17°/20°/25° angles, magnetic holder. | Versatile angles, interchangeable discs, reputable brand, portable. | Weaker magnet, less smooth rolling, not ideal for premium chef knives. | $99 – $119 | ★★★★☆ |
| Generic Copycats | Low-cost rolling sharpeners (often unbranded or rebranded), diamond/coarse disc, variable angle blocks (15°/20° common), basic materials. | Very affordable, simple to use, widely available. | Weak magnets, poor build quality, inconsistent results, safety concerns. | $25 – $50 | ★★☆☆☆ |
Our first sharpening came in right under 5 minutes per side but Horl says it can take anywhere from “a few minutes to over ten per side in extreme cases.”
Horl also advises that new grinding disks have a surplus of diamonds on the grinding surface which can produce a rough grinding noise during the first use, which really didn’t bother us, since it proved the disk was doing its job.
We finished the sharpening with a few passes of the steel honing disk then ran the blade across a leather strop for good measure.
This time, the tomato didn’t stand a chance. With our newly sharpened blade, we were able to cut beautiful, even slices with virtually no effort.
Who should use the Horl 3 Cruise?
In short, everyone can use this innovative little sharpener. From knife newbies to the most experienced chef, the Horl 3 Cruise makes knife sharpening easy, efficient and effective.
Beginners often times have significant trouble achieving good results with traditional methods. For instance, whetstones, while effective, take time and practice to master. Pull-through sharpeners provide limited control over the sharpening angle and may remove more material than necessary. And electric sharpeners, well, they’re bulky, expensive and loud.
The Horl 3 Cruise is simple to use, comes with great instructions and makes the entire knife sharpening process idiot proof. It’s also compact and fits easily into a kitchen drawer. Lastly, it’s priced under $100. While that may seem steep to some, it’s really an investment into a kitchen tool that you’ll most likely have for life. And don’t fall the knockoffs either. Our friends at TriggTube have put together a great video explaining the difference between the original Horl sharpeners and the pretenders. Take a look below.
The Verdict
Back to our original question, “Is the Horl 3 Cruise worth the hype?” In short, we believe it is. Here’s why:
- Quality – The Horl 3 Cruise is built to last with quality materials and thoughtful design.
- Ease of Use – The learning curve on this sharpener is non-existent. Novices can produce great results on their first try with no prior experience or training.
- Performance – Our tests produced great results on a knife that was extremely dull. We were able to hone the blade to a razor sharp edge in just a few minutes.
- Value – The Horl 3 Cruise is priced at $99 with free shipping on their website. For the quality, ease of use and performance this sharpener provides, we feel like it’s extremely well priced.