Gimmick or Godsend? ‘Tumbler’ Rolling Knife Sharpener Review

There are a million ways to sharpen a knife, but in the last couple of years, rolling knife sharpeners have become a viable option. Last year, I tested out Work Sharp’s Rolling Knife Sharpener and found it to be easy to use and adaptable to a multitude of knife types. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to test out the Tumbler Diamond Rolling Knife Sharpener ($129). Instead of using replaceable discs like the Work Sharp model, the Tumbler relies on two built-in diamond surfaces to sharpen and hone the edge of your pocket knife, kitchen knife, hunting knife, and beyond.

Offering only two angles of sharpening — 15 and 20 degrees — I was hesitant to believe how effective the Tumbler would be on such a wide variety of knives and grind angles. To find out, I tested it on a series of kitchen knives, pocket knives, and belt knives.

In short: After using Tumbler’s Rolling Knife Sharpener Set on a variety of blades, I realize I should probably invest in more band-aids because this little gadget makes knives insanely sharp with very minimal effort. And being that it uses diamond grit, it should never wear down. This eliminates the need for any replacement discs and justifies the price.

Tumbler Knife Sharpener Review

Design & Features

The body of the Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener is made from wood. It has rubber guides at each end for easy rolling and increased traction on a smooth surface. One side of the Tumbler has a D35 diamond sharpening disc, which equates to a 100-grit stone. At this grit, you can expect to remove scratches and slight imperfections and sufficiently rehone the blade. 

The other side of the tumbler is stainless steel and has a helix pattern. This side is designed for quick rehones or an incomparable finish on your blade’s edge. The stainless side takes away any of the microscopic imperfections left behind by the diamond side.

If you bump up to the Starter Kit ($209), you also get a leather strop and wooden protective stand.

The leather strop included with this kit may seem like overkill after using the stainless steel helix side, but it acts to polish the edge. Polishing an edge, especially on a kitchen knife, increases its efficiency in cutting through meat and poultry to an impressive degree.

It also serves as another quick edge touch-up tool. Strops are quick and easy. Your barber uses one every time he’s about to give you an authentic shave.

In addition to these great tools comes a protective wooden base. Yes, it allows you to display the Tumbler and magnetic angle guide proudly, but it also protects the tools. You don’t want to damage either side of the Tumbler or get anything stuck on the angle guide. Things like that could have adverse effects and could actually ruin the grind on your knife.

First Impressions

I generally avoid products that show up as Instagram ads. I understand that social media has become a de facto platform for brands to sell their products, but I just don’t want it in my face all the time. My Jedi powers had allowed me to ignore the viral antics advertising the Tumbler for almost a year, but when the brand reached out to me, I folded. 

Secretly, though, I did want to test out the Tumbler. Having tested out Work Sharp’s Rolling Knife Sharpener, I knew these things weren’t gimmicks. Quite the opposite; they offer an alternate way to effectively sharpen a knife with little setup and little effort.

When the Rolling Knife Sharpener Starter Kit arrived, it was hard to ignore the build of the product. The presentation alone was top-notch, but the build quality of the Tumbler itself and the magnetic angle guide were impressive.

This particular kit also came with a wooden stand and leather strop. I found the perfect spot on a shelf above the counter in my kitchen for it and began selecting knives that needed to be sharpened.

From experience, I know that a diamond stone will outlast a nuclear blast, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to rely on it forever. However, the opposing, stainless steel helix side was something new and wild.

Tumbler claims that it creates “a finer edge for more precise cutting that preserves food’s flavors for more delicious meals.” Where that savory statement didn’t really apply to my pocket knives, it got me excited about my collection of kitchen knives.

In the Kitchen

Having the Tumbler out on a shelf in my kitchen allows me to access it anytime I want it. As you can imagine, all the knives in my house are now ludicrously sharp. I might be sharpening them more than I need to, but I buy Band-Aids in bulk.

I started by just using the stainless steel side to see how much better it could make a fresh factory edge. Benchmade makes some of the sharpest knives around, and I can tell you now that the stainless steel helix side of the Tumbler does, indeed, make them even sharper. This side of the Tumbler really goes after the microscopic bits and pieces left behind in the sharpening process.

Once I was over that “wow” factor, I went after a few of the kitchen knives I had been ignoring or had abused by using the honing rod that came with the knife set. Usually supplied with a knife block as a filler, honing rods are actually beneficial and make you look cool around the holidays while you stand over the Christmas ham using one. But they can also ruin a blade edge if you don’t use it at the right angle.

Everything about sharpening knives starts with the right angle.

These knives offered a great opportunity to test out the D35 diamond side of the Tumbler. Based on how effective it was, I could have stopped there and not even used the stainless steel helix side. That’s a token of how effective this “viral gimmick” was.

My apologies, Tumbler. I should have never doubted or ignored your sponsored advances.

Let the Tool Do the Work

Knife sharpening is an exercise in finesse. If you approach the Tumbler like a brute, you’re going to ruin your knife. Put on some Fleet Foxes, get everything set up, and just let it roll. 

When I use the diamond side, I usually do about three passes before I switch sides. With the stainless steel helix side, I do five to seven. I have found this to be the sweet spot.

But it’s good to remember that less is more. A sharpener like this will give you quick results.

Additional Angles

The 15- and 20-degree magnetic angle block will cover a majority of the knives any of us have. But if you want to get really specific about rehoning your knives, Tumbler does make its Knife Holder Pro ($39). This magnetic angle block is twice the length of the standard block, which helps in honing larger knives. It also has more refined angles: 10, 12, 17, and 25 degrees to help maintain the factory angle of the grind. 

Western kitchen knives, as well as outdoor and tactical knives, usually grind at 17 and 25, respectively. However, I have had no issues sharpening and honing any of the knives that I used on the tumbler.

I probably did change some of the angle geometry, which I am totally fine with. The change wasn’t enough to ruin the factory edges; just enough to enhance them, in my experience.

Tumbler Knife Sharpener: Should You Buy?

If you’re serious about your knives, whatever type of knives they are, you owe it to yourself to know how to sharpen or hone them. Where using standard whetstones may be a life skill you don’t have the time or desire to take on, the Tumbler requires much less commitment.

In fact, I would say that aside from the easy setup of putting the knife on the magnetic angle block, there is little to no effort involved in using this device.

You can purchase the Tumbler Original Diamond Rolling Knife Sharpener Set for $129 and have a reliable knife sharpener that you’ll never need to replace. However, after using it for the last couple of months because it’s properly displayed in my kitchen and ready to use, I would recommend spending the $207 and picking up this Tumbler Rolling Knife Sharpener Starter Set.

The addition of the protective wooden stand makes the Tumbler readily accessible while protecting it from damage. Additionally, the leather strop adds another layer of edge refinement, which could benefit your chef’s knives.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with investing in either Tumbler set. This rolling knife sharpener is a no-brainer.