Though they may seem appealing because you think you have to do less work, an electric knife is actually far inferior to a sharp, high quality conventional carving and slicing knife. Not only are they harder to clean because food and grease can get caught up in the space in the handle where the blade clips in, an electric knife is so unforgiving that you can easily shred and tear your meat before you even realize it. It can also be more difficult to get uniform slices with an electric knife.