An electric knife sharpener for selectively optimally sharpening an Asian or Japanese style knife and a Euro-American style knife with the same sharpener, wherein each such knife has a blade edge with a primary facet on at least one side of the blade edge, wherein said Asian or Japanese style knife initially has a 15° primary facet and the Euro-American style knife initially has a 20° primary facet, said sharpener having a first stage (Stage 1), a second stage (Stage 2), a third stage (Stage 3), and a motor driven shaft, said first stage (Stage 1) having at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for sharpening a blade edge, a first knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said first stage abrasive surfaced disk to create a resulting primary facet along the blade edge, and a first spring arrangement urging said first stage disk and said first stage guide relatively toward each other with a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said second stage (Stage 2) having at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for sharpening a blade edge, a second knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said second stage abrasive surfaced disk to create a resulting primary facet along the blade edge, said second stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle B which is 17-23 degrees, and a second spring arrangement urging said second stage disk and said second stage guide relatively toward each other with a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said second stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives finer than 200 grit, said third stage (Stage 3) having at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for contacting the blade edge, a third knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said third stage abrasive surfaced disk, said third stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle C which is 19-25 degrees, wherein angle C is at least as great as angle B and a third spring arrangement urging said third stage disk and said third stage guide relatively toward each other at a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said third stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives predominantly no greater than 20 microns, the electric knife sharpener being characterised in that said first stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle A which is 12-18 degrees, said angle C is at least 5 degrees greater than angle A and said first stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives of predominantly 230-270 grit. at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for sharpening a blade edge, a first knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said first stage abrasive surfaced disk to create a resulting primary facet along the blade edge, and a first spring arrangement urging said first stage disk and said first stage guide relatively toward each other with a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said second stage (Stage 2) having at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for sharpening a blade edge, a second knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said second stage abrasive surfaced disk to create a resulting primary facet along the blade edge, said second stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle B which is 17-23 degrees, and a second spring arrangement urging said second stage disk and said second stage guide relatively toward each other with a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said second stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives finer than 200 grit, said third stage (Stage 3) having at least one rotatable abrasive surfaced disk mounted on said shaft for contacting the blade edge, a third knife angle guide having a guide surface to position the blade edge facet into contact with said third stage abrasive surfaced disk, said third stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle C which is 19-25 degrees, wherein angle C is at least as great as angle B and a third spring arrangement urging said third stage disk and said third stage guide relatively toward each other at a spring force of less than 0.27 kg (0.6 pounds), said third stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives predominantly no greater than 20 microns, the electric knife sharpener being characterised in that said first stage guide surface with respect to the vertical being at an angle A which is 12-18 degrees, said angle C is at least 5 degrees greater than angle A and said first stage disk having its abrasive surface formed from abrasives of predominantly 230-270 grit.