5-stars and the new Gen 4 Pro deserves every one of them. It is a dream, a vast improvement over my original Wicked Edge unit. It's like driving a smooth, quiet, comfortable Mercedes instead of an old balloon-tire bicycle. Both will get you there, but one is a pleasure to drive.
Here's what I especially like. First and foremost, setting the bevel angle is vastly improved. On the old version, you usually needed a magnifying lens to read the angle markers and you also frequently had to re-tighten the set screws. It was a tedious and finicky system. On the new Gen 4, all you need do is depress the button and slide to an easily-readable angle marker. All set, no sweat.
My old base was a clunky and heavy marble slab, difficult to pick up, hard to store. The new unit has a (very nicely-machined) metal plate, easy to carry and store, yet sturdy enough to keep the sharpener steady when using.
I also like the accessory extender for small knives. The old unit did not have that capability and I truly missed the ability to sharpen my pocket knife. Potential buyers should note that this accessory renders the bevel angle indicator significantly off, so the Digital Angle Gauge option is extremely useful.
I'm not crazy about the new plastic grid that's designed to replicate the placement of knives with a pronounced curve, because most of my knives are straight kitchen knives for which that is not an issue. Boning, paring, carving, steak and chef's knives do not have the curve and are typically too long for that grid to be useful.
Any way you slice it, the new Gen 4 Pro is a wonderful unit and a vast improvement on the old system. 5 stars for sure.
