Nonelectric Knife Sharpeners
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging · CPSC Code 421
Down 55% over 5 years
The verdict
Nonelectric Knife Sharpeners carry a danger score of 22/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 178 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 55% over the last five years.
- 22/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 178
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 0.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 55-64
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 421 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 22/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for nonelectric knife sharpeners - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume178 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)0.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-55%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Nonelectric Knife Sharpeners (CPSC product code 421, in the Containers, Tableware & Packaging category) generate an estimated 178 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 3,200 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 22/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 55% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2018 (725 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2012 (16 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for nonelectric knife sharpeners is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 2,088 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the hand (630 cases). The 55-64 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 648 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 0.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 18 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how nonelectric knife sharpeners fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5-14 | 167 | 0 | |
| 15-24 | 571 | 0 | |
| 25-34 | 186 | 0 | |
| 35-44 | 407 | 168 | |
| 45-54 | 500 | 140 | |
| 55-64 | 361 | 287 | |
| 65-74 | 336 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 73 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Laceration | |
| Upper Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Laceration | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Wrist | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
29YOM, CUT LEFT PINKY FINGER WHILE SHARPENING KNIFE DX: NO DX, LEFT FROM LOBBY
47YOM LAC FOREARM SHARPENING A KNIFE W/ A NONELECTRIC SHARPENER. DX: LAC FOREARM
69YOM WAS SHARPING A KNIFE WHEN HE RAN HIS FINGER ALONG THE EDGE OF THE KNIFE THIS IS AN EXREMELY SHARP KNIFE WITH EXTREMELY WELL APPROXIMATED WOUND EDGES DX: LACERATION OF RIGHT INDEX FINGER
51YOM C/O LACERATION TO THE HAND WHILE USING A SHARPENING STONE WHILE AT HOME. DX LACERATON TO LEFT HAND @
47YOM LAC ARM SHARPENING KNIFE, DX: LAC LEFT F'ARM
57YOF LAC FINGER SHARPENING KNIFE W/ SHARPENER
76 YOM COMES IN AFTER CUTTING LT INDEX FINGER WHILE SHARPENING A KNIFE.DX: LACERATION OF LT INDEX FINGER
52YOM W/ 2 FAMILY MEMBERS, EVAL OF LAC TO R 5TH DIGIT, PT WAS SHARPENING A KNIFE ON KNIFE SHARPENER 2 HRS PTA DX LAC R 5TH FINGER W/O FB
RIGHT HAND LACERATION. 39 YOM LACERATED HIS HAND WHILE SHARPENING A POCKET KNIFE.
41 YOM WAS USING A KNIFE SHARPENER TO SHARPEN A KNIFE. ACCIDENTALLY CUT LT. THUMB. LACERATION, LT. THUMB
17 YO MALE WHILE SHARPENING INSTRUMENT CUT FINGER. DX FINGER LACERATION
DX:LOWER LEG LAC-41YOM-GRIND STONE BROKE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to nonelectric knife sharpeners on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are nonelectric knife sharpeners?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, nonelectric knife sharpeners have a danger score of 22/100 (low risk). An estimated 178 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from nonelectric knife sharpeners?
The most common injury is laceration to the finger, accounting for approximately 2,088 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from nonelectric knife sharpeners increasing or decreasing?
Down 55% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for nonelectric knife sharpeners injuries?
The 55-64 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 648 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by nonelectric knife sharpeners?
Of all ER visits involving nonelectric knife sharpeners, approximately 0.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with nonelectric knife sharpeners?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 22/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 55-64 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
