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I could totally see this. I would buy a T-2 plus the coarse wheel for a mobile knife sharpening business. No water, no honing paste, no extra jigs, and it's a lot lighter. I'd keep it packed in my car ready to sharpen someone's knives at a moment's notice.  Honestly, it would be more convenient than packing my traditional stones to my sister's house to sharpen her knives.

That's not what Tormek recommends, plus you'll have to turn down any request for anything other than a standard knife. Probably with a notice that the result will be sharp but might not be that good looking... The ability to mix pivoting with lifting is what allows to choose the width of the bevel along the length of the edge. A busy cook won't care, but people who care to take their knives to a sharpener rather than give them a quick trizor XV treatment will most likely care.

Sure. But most people just want their kitchen knife to no longer be dull. No need to make it more complicated than that.

Carly,

Your dad seems the ideal match for a T1. Tormek is finally realizing that not everyone fits the mold of needing/wanting the heavy duty, do everything, flagshop T8. Freed from that design constraint, Tormek has designed more specialized model to more closely fit individual needs.

If, by chance, you have not seen the online classes with Stig and Samuel presenting the T1, I highly recommend them to you. Both Stig and Samual primarily use the composite wheel of the T1. Unlike sharpening services which routinely have to deal with abused and neglected knives, the knives they maintain are almost always just off sharp. An experienced chef like your dad would appreciate having his knives in tip top condition. This cook/chef with high expectations is the T1 persona.

I think a T1 would make an outstanding Christmas gift for him.

Ken

I think I did see that one. I imagine that if you have a T-1 your knives would never get really dull. I recommended it to a friend of mine as a Christmas gift for her husband as well.

A T8 and a T2 combine the top of the Tormek line with a very efficient knife sharpening machine. Not every Tormek owner could justify the expense of a second Tormek. Some could, especially those who are heavily into sharpening knives.

Ken

I could totally see this. I would buy a T-2 plus the coarse wheel for a mobile knife sharpening business. No water, no honing paste, no extra jigs, and it's a lot lighter. I'd keep it packed in my car ready to sharpen someone's knives at a moment's notice.  Honestly, it would be more convenient than packing my traditional stones to my sister's house to sharpen her knives.

I watched the broadcast live. I loved the personas they walked through in the beginning and the simple, decisive answers for each. Especially in this holiday season, it was perfect a perfect summary for people looking for an excellent gift for a loved one.

According to my notes:
T-4: gardener, camping/hunting/fishing, knife collector, spoon carver, DIY/new homeowner
T-8: professionals, and those who can't make up their mind between the T-8 and the T-4
T-8 Custom: woodturners, or people buying a second machine
T-2: pro kitchen folks
T-1: to make the other dads jealous (easily my favorite persona!)

My father is a retired chef but he still does private parties from time to time. I'm considering buying him a T-1 for Christmas. Last time he visited he asked where I got my leather strop, so he must be keeping his knives sharp still. And like most dads he loves gadgets!

I really appreciated the second half as well. I was able to ask my specific question about carving tools vs turning tools. I think my question was answered, though I might have asked another follow up. Overall this video did help me make my final decision.