Stuck in an Airbnb with Dull Knives? Here’s How to Survive (and Even Get the Most Out of a Pull-Through Sharpener)

You’ve arrived at your Airbnb. It’s a “gourmet kitchen.” There’s marble, a gas range, and twelve dull knives that can’t slice a tomato. You open a drawer and there it is: a pull-through sharpener. That cheap, plastic kind with a promise printed on top: “SHARP IN SECONDS.” Nope.

If you’ve spent time with them you already know what comes next. Threads online filled with frustration with these things: “Pull-through sharpeners actually suck.” “Why do these things destroy knives?” “Should I just buy new knives?”

They’re not wrong. Pull-through sharpeners often damage more blades than they help. But if you’re stuck in a rental kitchen, or if you haven’t yet stepped up to stones or a pro service, you still need to cook tonight. So let’s talk about how to use the tool you have without wrecking the knife you’re using.

Why Pull-Through Sharpeners Get So Much Hate

Pull-through sharpeners are a relatively modern invention. They were born out of our obsession with convenience and quick fixes. It's magical thinking delivered to the kitchen. They were made for speed, not skill. And the internet hates them for good reason:

• They eat steel. The carbides or ceramic wheels often remove metal unevenly and fast. You get “instant sharpness” that fades in a week.
• They wreck geometry. The fixed slot forces a single angle onto every knife. What sorta fits a cheap stainless blade will destroy a harder edge.
• They create recurves. Each pull digs deeper, often at the heel, curving your blade over time. Once that happens, only a professional can fix it and you're left not being able to cut on a board with the heel of the knife. 
• They fake results. A pull-through sharpener typically gives you a burr-filled, toothy edge that feels sharp at first… until it folds on the first cuts.

So yes, the forms are right: pull-through sharpeners are bummers for long-term knife health. But in the real world, sometimes you just need to get through dinner.

When You’re Stuck with One, Here’s are a Few Ways  to Use It (Without Hating Yourself)

This part comes from our paid guide, Getting the Most from Gadgets—the survival manual for cooks stuck with bad tools. Here’s the short version:

1. Assess the knife. Skip anything expensive or brittle. Soft stainless? Fine. Higher-end knife? Leave it alone.
2. Find a stable base. Flat counter. Non-slip mat. Movement = uneven edge.
3. Go slow. “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” Fast passes typically ruin edges.
4. Use gentle pressure. If you hear grinding, stop. Listen for a whisper.
5. Push from tip to heel. The front dulls fastest; give it priority.
6. Follow the stages. Coarse, then fine. A few passes only. Never marathon it.
7. Finish right. A quick wipe and a few strokes on a ceramic rod or leather strop can remove burrs and smooth the edge.

And then, stop using it. Pull-through sharpeners are triage tools. Use them intentionally, not habitually. Plan to get your knives sharpened professionally every few months, or better yet, learn stones.

Why This Matters

Here’s the irony: the same “quick fix” tools that damage knives also keep people from discovering how good real sharpening feels. You use the sharpening gadget, the edge fades, the knives feel worse, and you assume the knives are the problem. Then you buy new ones and repeat the cycle.

It’s not your knife. It’s the method.

The guide Getting the Most from Gadgets was built for that exact gap—helping cooks get better results from bad tools, until they’re ready for better ones. It’s equal parts survival guide and sharpening rehab. If you’ve ever muttered “these things never work,” this is for you.

Get the full guide here and learn how to stretch the life of your knives without ruining them.

The Bottom Line

Pull-through sharpeners won’t make your knives great. But they can keep them working—sort of—until you get them professionally sharpened or learn to do it right. And if you’re in a rental kitchen, or stuck with dull blades at home, that’s better than giving up on cooking altogether.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Just know its limits—and plan your next upgrade.

Download “Getting the Most from Gadgets” at stan.store/vivront and learn how to make even bad tools behave, a little.