For people like this, the best path is probably to buy cheap knives and a one of those cheap knife sharpeners that destroys the blade over time. One of those angled carbide sharpeners believe a terrible edge, but better than a dull knife.

I guess if you prefer nicer knives, you could always buy new ones periodically and give the old ones away on buy nothing to someone who will take care of them.

In practice people will never use their knife sharpeners, and instead use horribly blunt knifes for years on end. They're better off buying new cheap knifes every year.

Those cheap carbide sharpeners take literally seconds to sharpen with, but you’re probably right.

Pay someone to sharpen them for petes sake. I can't fathom why you would suggest that seemingly off hand, secondary to throwing away and buying new knives.

Because people refuse to sharpen their knifes, no matter what you do. So it's better for them to throw away old blunt knifes and buy new ones. That they will do. And buy a real cutting board at the same time.