The 2100 is the top-end commercial version of the Chef's Choice electric sharpeners. According to the manufacturer (EdgeCraft) it is intended for "busy commercial kitchens." It is a bit larger (about an inch in each dimension) and heavier than the consumer models but still compact enough to leave on the counter top. The sharpening module is removable. It can be run through a dishwasher; therefore, if you sharpen a dirty knife, you can clean the sharpener. You can also purchase replacement sharpening modules.
I purchased this for home use, so I will compare it to the consumer models and comment on the price.
The 2100 uses a 3-stage sharpening system. The first two stages use diamond abrasives and the third stage uses flexible stropping disks. You can achieve several edge configurations by using or skipping certain stages. There is good information available on the Chef's Choice Web site ([...]) that I won't repeat here.
The sharpening unit itself appears to be about the same size as the consumer versions. The sharpening stages are like those on the M120 consumer model. Both have 2 sharpening stages and a stropping stage. (By comparison, the M130 has one sharpening stage, a stropping stage, and a steeling stage.)
The 2100, like the other Chef's Choice sharpeners does a very good job of sharpening knives. In terms of results, you just can't beat manual sharpening -- that is, if you have the right equipment, you know how to use it, and you do use it. I have a good manual sharpening system, but it is a bit time consuming to set up, so I tend to do it only when I have several knives that need sharpening. The result is that at any given time, I may pick up a knife that is not quite as sharp as I would like. With an electric sharpener on the counter top, I can give a knife a quick touch up whenever it needs it. The result is that all my knives stay very sharp all the time.
The real question, I think, is whether the extra cost is justified for home use. Roughly speaking, the 2100 is four times the price of the M120 or M130. In fact, the cost of a replacement sharpening module for the 2100 is only slightly less than the cost of a new M120. I expect that the abrasives in the consumer units should last about as well as the sharpening module in the 2100, which is rated at 5000 sharpening cycles. If you sharpen 20 knives a week, that's about 5 years. I'd guess most people are more likely to sharpen 5-10 knives (or less) per week. That translates to 10-20 years. From an economic standpoint, it makes better sense to buy an M120 or M130 and send it back to EdgeCraft for refurbishment when the abrasives wear out or just buy a new one.
Of course, there are those pesky non-economic factors. I am often willing to spend more money for something that will take more use and abuse and which is likely to last at least as long as I will. I am very happy with the 2100 as long as I don't think about how much I paid for it.
