Abstract: A knife sharpener comprising a sharpening device preferably of the type involving upwardly extending pairs of overlapping, resiliently flexible fingers or strips forming opposed abrasive sharpening faces, provided with a pair of shields respectively operative between closed positions in which they cover and protecting the sharpening device and open positions in which they respectively provide a handhold for the device and protect the hand of the user when it is on the handhold, and preferably provided with locking means moveable between a first position engaging said shields and retaining them in said closed position and a second position releasing said shields from their closed positions and extending out from said assembly to provide protection for the hand of the user.