Methods 2 and 3 are great, thanks for the demo. I didn’t know about the thumb/finger trick. Would emphasize that a perfect angle for honing isnt as important as it is when the knife is actually sharpened. If you can, I would suggest mastering the 2nd technique. With practice it’s very effective, and I think it is the most practical way also. Good video, so many people haven’t learned the techniques and importance of honing. I actually just got my knives professionally sharpened for the first time, and it has been about 5 years! Honing regularly is much more important than many realize.
Thank you for the honing tutorial, I just sharpened every Wusthof / santoku / even my spreading knife's edge in a matter of minutes. I used my old cheap Farberware honing rod from college that I've been misusing for a decade. I'm so glad I saw this before finishing my cart with an electric sharpener, much appreciated!
I would like to mention that in addition to using a honing steel most professional chefs have the cutlery sharpened on a regular schedule by a professional blade smith. A hone is to maintain the edge. A hone does not and will not sharpen a truly dull blade. You need to remove material from the blade to sharpen a knife.
A honing rod doesn’t sharpen the blade at all. What it does is keep the blade true. (Straight) most think it sharpens because it cuts better after honing. It’s just that the blade wasn’t straight.
I'm just a dishwasher and 2/3 of the cooks at our restaurant laugh at me cause the third way is how my dad taught me and how I've been doing it for years. they both use the first way... neither of their knives are even close to as sharp as mine, so I suffer for having to do all the prep cause I'm faster.
ones a red seal the others been the cook there for 6 years, even as a dishwasher who's only been there just over a year I'm getting paid the same rate as him lol and the managers give me a bigger cut of the tips since I do most of the work.
Sounds to me like they're posers and they just want to be Gordon Ramsay. I'm a chef with almost a decade's experience and I do it the same way. you should do it the way you get the best results. Real chefs don't need to impress people with fancy knife skills because they impress people with their food.
Excellent Demonstration. I was a Professional Butcher for a number of Years, you actually can tell by feel if your hitting the right angle when steeling your knife. It's a Skill developed over years of doing the actual work. I ALWAYS GET A BIG LAUGH OUT OF WATCHING THESE TV CLOWNS/CHEFS,BEATING UP THEIR KNIFES,GOING LIKE HELL AT AN ANGLE THAT IS IN NO WAY RIGHT!!!!!! WHAT MAKES ME REALLY BUST A GUT IS WHEN THEY USE A CARVING FORK TO STEEL THEIR KNIFES/WTF!!!!!! FUNNY STUFF!!!!!!!
Hi, I like your last method. One thing came onto my mind: Wouldn´t it be a good idea to hold the honing rod at the desired angle and then guide the edge along the rod vertically with the "arc-method". The angle would be consistent, while the only drawback is that the knive also moves sideways as it runs along the rod. I found that it is easier to decide if the blade is vertical or not than the angle is maintained. Works for me, maybe this is helpful for somebody else, too. Nice job on your channel!
I really prefer a ceramic honing rod these days. I have a set of Miyabi knives and the hardness of ceramic just does a better job. A strop works great as well but the ceramic rod is far quicker in the middle of cooking. If you're new, don't buy a diamond honing rod! I bought my brother a set of Shun knives and told him he needed a honing rod. About two months later he brought his knives over to be sharpened and the edge was all over the place. No big deal to fix but the diamond is super aggressive.
Good points, which is why you are tops on kitchen knives. I have been doing my honing the 3rd way, but your tip on the arc and finger guide will help. Also I usually hone after each sharpening, but I usually use > 20 strokes per side. Are you getting gray on top Ryky? LOL.
Honing rods should be 2 inches longer than your longest knife. When you buy a set of knives, the manufacturer will usually include a short 9 inch rod since it will fit in a storage block easily without striking the counter top. I recommend a 12 inch rod which I keep in my kitchen drawer.
Ryky---I use, exclusively, DMT diamond "sticks" in fine grit. I always use that Brand because they only use monocrystalline diamond. I use the second position you showed, but draw the knife edge into the stick. It is less realignment, and more finish honing to restore 90% of waterstone honing.
Both are good. I use the second method on some knackered old, poor quality kitchen knives but I have some smart new Wusthofs on the way for a Steel anniversary gift to my wife (and myself to be honest!), and I've been advised by my local butcher to use the third method. A friend of the family who worked in a meat market at a butcher's counter uses the second method to work up steel very nicely. She's quite deft with knives though, so you'd have to be as handy around blades as her to do it quite as well and without changing angles too much.
I have a Wustoff Classic santoku knife (my favorite knife) that I've had for around 15 years. In our last house, it got knocked off our counter and the handle hit the tile floor and broke off the black handle material on both sides about an inch up from the heel of the handle. Can this be replaced by either Wustoff or a local knife maker, or is it just better to forget about it and get chopping? PS We really appreciate your videos
Thanks for the video, very educational, however I go nuts when I'm told that the new Petec are 15 degree's and they (Wusthof) state it's 14 degrees, other then their Santoku's (10 degrees). True or false. Not that I can tell a 1 degree difference but.........
I am confused about the angle used to hone a Wusthof knife. On the hand hand, you use a 15 deg angle which is consistent with the edge of Wusthof knives. On the other hand, I see many video's that suggest you should use a 20 deg angle to hone German knives. Can this difference in honing angle be attributed to Wusthof knives being produced with a smaller edge (i.e. 15 deg) than most German knives?
A 20-22 degree angle used to be pretty standard for German/western knives years ago. But these days around 15 degree angle has replaced that. You hardly ever see a 20 degree angle on knives anymore. But despite that, you still see a 20 degree angle referred to as a "western" or "German" angle and a 15 degree referred to as "Asian" angle. This can be confusing sometimes and the videos you are watching might still be referring to those terms when talking about what angle to hone a knife at. But if your Wusthof knife has a 15 degree angle, it should be sharpened or honed at that angle.
What is confusing here is between the different methods you are sometimes drawing the edge forwards along the blade (as in honing), other times backwards, spine first (as in stropping). Maybe you mean to hone first for a few strokes and then change to stropping. But you don't say.
I drilled two small indentations in the corners of my chopping board for your pointing down method. Helps stabilise. P.S. Love the ivory/white coloured handle on the knife with this style of handle. Nicer than black, no?
I spent hours using the rod and my knife just would not get any sharp???!! I even bought a different new rod and just can not get my knife sharp!! Please let me know what is it I am doing wrong ??
Just ordered 12 piece Wusthof Grand Prix 2 knife set. Most expensive knife set I ever purchased. Saw you did a video with the 2 stage sharpener from the same brand and ordered it. After reading a lot of negative reviews on amazon saying it was junk and damaged the knives. Can you tell me if I made a mistake on buying it? Thanks
Hi John, The 2 stage sharpener is very user friendly and does a great job sharpening! The only time someone would ever encounter damage to their blade is if they are applying too much pressure. Using a pull through sharpener requires no pressure at all, just a light swipe through.
Haha. life is tough, isn't it? You'll love either color. White definitely is a bit more distinct. We've got a huge sale going on, so check it out when you have time. bit.ly/allwusthofikon
Hi thanks for your great advice, do i need a diamond honing rod or should I use the steel one that i have at home. Will it not harm the knife as I was told to get a diamond stone or honing rod. Thanks.
@@cutleryandmore I just invested in 2 whestones, 1000 and 3000 grit, what do you recommend to clean the whestones? I would like to keep the whestones level as possible. Thanks
Why would I want to 'hone' my knife as oppose to sharpening, if honing doesn't sharpen it but "hones" it, whatever that means. I guess my question is, is honing used to keep your sharp knife sharp and sharpening used to sharpen dull knives? Am I on the rite track?
Yeah basically. The blade of your knife is actually made up of lots of tiny teeth. When you use your knife, the teeth start to move out of alignment with eachother. Honing just moves them back into alignment, without taking any steel off. Whereas sharpening removes the bottom level of steel and gives you a new sharp edge. So you don't want to sharpen too often as you'll reduce the lifespan of your knife, but if you hone it won't reduce the lifespan but will still leave you with a knife that cuts a lot better. You'll still need to sharpen, but usually once a year is enough
Hi thank you for your video and links. For a wusthof classic ikon, better a regular rod, diamond or ceramic? If the knife is new how can we maintain the original sharpening for longer time? Thank you very much
You'll want to use a standard stainless honing rod for honing German steel knives like Wusthof. Ceramic and Diamond will actually remove metal and sharpen the blade, not hone. To keep the blade sharper longer you'll want to make sure you hand wash and dry your knives, only use wooden or plastic cutting boards, and regularly hone the knives.
Hello! May I ask what methods you've tried? This video is for honing, which is will not remove metal and will not sharpen your knife. I'd be happy to help point you in the right direction! You can also email our CS team @ customerservice@cutleryandmore.com
@@cutleryandmore I bought my first stainless steel chef knife from Amazon under 20usd just to try out its sharpness was decent when it was new and now I'm trying to sharpen it by using a sharpening rod after watching some online tutorial but it's not working out for me.
You have to use water sandpaper, the finest you can find at your local hardware store, perhaps 1000 grit, but first test it on an old knife to see the results. After the sandpaper you have to polish the knife using Brasso or other polishing compound.
Mr Helper .... get over it ! A few scratches don't detract from the practical use of the tool ... in fact it adds character just like the owner might have a few dings , scratches , bite marks etc of his own !😄
CIA taught us the tv chef method. Their claim is that if you cut your handle hand it means that you are failing to force contact between the knife and the rod Contact is essential for sharpening. What a bunch of roobs. Plus they pronouned the f in Wusthof as an F. :P
That 'thumb trick' at 2:40 ?? Unnecessary. If you look at the point where the handle meets the hone? The four pointy edges of the square are EXACTLY the right angle for western knives, while the flat edges are EXACTLY right for Japanese knives. All you need to do is lay the blade against the point or the flat, and you've got your correct angle! _You're welcome!_
When you sharpen a knife with a steel NEVER use it wrapping your thumb around the back of the handle -(like you would hold onto a pole or any stick type thing) Keep your thumb on the same side of the handle as your fingers. Wrap your four fingers around the handle only, gripping it with four fingers basically. Your thumb just rests and tucks alongside the base of your pointer finger on the same side of the handle. Not under and around the steel handle. This way you will never cut yourself on the downstroke of the sharpen. Give it a go and see what I mean. It is the safe way. Let's you "go to town" sharpening and never cutting your hand in the process.
I MUST BE WRONG. I have been told--for years and years, this is a STEEL, and NOT used to sharpen, but only to straighten the blade when you hit a bone, and "turn" the edge. Honing--sharpening is different, and not the work of the steel. BUT, as I say, I must be wrong, I keep seeing "sharpening steel" I was told, "yes, it cuts better after you steel, because it has been straightened", but to SHARPEN, you need a sharpening system, such as a stone". Wrong?
The truth is somewhere in between! Most so-called 'honing' rods are ribbed and so remove metal from the knife - i.e sharpen too. I believe you can get a 'butchers steel' that is totally smooth, that really does only *hone* (I've never seen one mind you). At the other end 'diamond steel' rods will sharpen a lot and hone a little. I use wetsones and a leather strop - then you know what each thing does!
Over the years the terms have been used interchangeably but there is a difference and you can tell the difference by the material! A stainless rod, is a honing steel which is sometimes also called a sharpening steel. However, stainless does not remove metal. As you explained it straightens the edge but realigning it. This maintenance will make that sharp edge last longer between sharpening. A Ceramic rod is a sharpening rod and will remove some metal. Ceramic rods are sometimes used to "hone" Japanese knives but really its like a mini sharpening in between regular sharpening. A Diamond steel is a sharpening rod, this will remove the most metal should be used sparingly as an actual sharpener. If you'd like to know more or talk it over with something please contact our CS team @ 1-800-650-9866 !
@@cutleryandmore If your stainless steel rod has ribs/grooves it will in fact remove some metal from the knife edge, not just straighten it . Ths is especially easy to see if the knife steel is a lot softer than the rod - which is the case for most non Japanese knives - you'll see tiny metal shavings start to clog the grooves, i.e metal removal! Only the completely smooth butcher's steel truly hones.
Or, you could've actually watched it and he explains that it's honing the blade. (He's most likely using "sharpen" colloquially at the beginning since most people who know know HOW to do it understand exactly what the difference is.) But, yanno, that's if you can get over your little delicate trigger.
that swet sound of perfectly tempered steel.... love it
Methods 2 and 3 are great, thanks for the demo. I didn’t know about the thumb/finger trick. Would emphasize that a perfect angle for honing isnt as important as it is when the knife is actually sharpened. If you can, I would suggest mastering the 2nd technique. With practice it’s very effective, and I think it is the most practical way also. Good video, so many people haven’t learned the techniques and importance of honing. I actually just got my knives professionally sharpened for the first time, and it has been about 5 years! Honing regularly is much more important than many realize.
That sound is so satisfying.
Ghost short knowledge ko kaatne wala Chaku
Thank you for the honing tutorial, I just sharpened every Wusthof / santoku / even my spreading knife's edge in a matter of minutes. I used my old cheap Farberware honing rod from college that I've been misusing for a decade. I'm so glad I saw this before finishing my cart with an electric sharpener, much appreciated!
I got bad news for you buddy, honing doesn’t sharpen.
Oh and another one for free
Electric sharpeners are a scam
Finally, someone does this correctly. Thank you.
I would like to mention that in addition to using a honing steel most professional chefs have the cutlery sharpened on a regular schedule by a professional blade smith. A hone is to maintain the edge. A hone does not and will not sharpen a truly dull blade. You need to remove material from the blade to sharpen a knife.
A honing rod doesn’t sharpen the blade at all. What it does is keep the blade true. (Straight) most think it sharpens because it cuts better after honing. It’s just that the blade wasn’t straight.
You are the best for me, a beginner, thank you!
I drilled two small indentations in the corners of my chopping board for your pointing down method. Helps stabilise.
I'm just a dishwasher and 2/3 of the cooks at our restaurant laugh at me cause the third way is how my dad taught me and how I've been doing it for years. they both use the first way... neither of their knives are even close to as sharp as mine, so I suffer for having to do all the prep cause I'm faster.
ones a red seal the others been the cook there for 6 years, even as a dishwasher who's only been there just over a year I'm getting paid the same rate as him lol and the managers give me a bigger cut of the tips since I do most of the work.
Sounds to me like they're posers and they just want to be Gordon Ramsay. I'm a chef with almost a decade's experience and I do it the same way. you should do it the way you get the best results. Real chefs don't need to impress people with fancy knife skills because they impress people with their food.
Without dish the line doesn’t work, period!!
Nah, that's called envy laugh because a dishwasher doing better job than a cook
Just wash the dishes bozo
Excellent Demonstration. I was a Professional Butcher for a number of Years, you actually can tell by feel if your hitting the right angle when steeling your knife. It's a Skill developed over years of doing the actual work. I ALWAYS GET A BIG LAUGH OUT OF WATCHING THESE TV CLOWNS/CHEFS,BEATING UP THEIR KNIFES,GOING LIKE HELL AT AN ANGLE THAT IS IN NO WAY RIGHT!!!!!! WHAT MAKES ME REALLY BUST A GUT IS WHEN THEY USE A CARVING FORK TO STEEL THEIR KNIFES/WTF!!!!!! FUNNY STUFF!!!!!!!
Hi, I like your last method. One thing came onto my mind: Wouldn´t it be a good idea to hold the honing rod at the desired angle and then guide the edge along the rod vertically with the "arc-method". The angle would be consistent, while the only drawback is that the knive also moves sideways as it runs along the rod. I found that it is easier to decide if the blade is vertical or not than the angle is maintained. Works for me, maybe this is helpful for somebody else, too. Nice job on your channel!
I really prefer a ceramic honing rod these days. I have a set of Miyabi knives and the hardness of ceramic just does a better job. A strop works great as well but the ceramic rod is far quicker in the middle of cooking. If you're new, don't buy a diamond honing rod! I bought my brother a set of Shun knives and told him he needed a honing rod. About two months later he brought his knives over to be sharpened and the edge was all over the place. No big deal to fix but the diamond is super aggressive.
My grandfather taught me the first method when I was in middle school! But the third method looks most safe
Thanks for saving me money on those fancy knife shpeners.
Wusthof knives are now factory sharpened to 14 degrees.
The "TV Chef" method is actually the recommended method by Wusthof.
For the pros, fine & dandy. For the ordinary household user like me, forget about it.
thank you Sr,,have a nice day,
Good points, which is why you are tops on kitchen knives. I have been doing my honing the 3rd way, but your tip on the arc and finger guide will help. Also I usually hone after each sharpening, but I usually use > 20 strokes per side. Are you getting gray on top Ryky? LOL.
Honing rods should be 2 inches longer than your longest knife. When you buy a set of knives, the manufacturer will usually include a short 9 inch rod since it will fit in a storage block easily without striking the counter top. I recommend a 12 inch rod which I keep in my kitchen drawer.
Ryky---I use, exclusively, DMT diamond "sticks" in fine grit. I always use that Brand because they only use monocrystalline diamond. I use the second position you showed, but draw the knife edge into the stick. It is less realignment, and more finish honing to restore 90% of waterstone honing.
I like the 2nd one. Been doing that ever since. Might try the 3rd.
Both are good. I use the second method on some knackered old, poor quality kitchen knives but I have some smart new Wusthofs on the way for a Steel anniversary gift to my wife (and myself to be honest!), and I've been advised by my local butcher to use the third method. A friend of the family who worked in a meat market at a butcher's counter uses the second method to work up steel very nicely. She's quite deft with knives though, so you'd have to be as handy around blades as her to do it quite as well and without changing angles too much.
Same here. I am more comfortable with the 2nd one though he recommends the 3rd one.
Thank you 😊
thank you for the great tips!
So what is better a honing rod or a hand held pull through or the electric sharpener ??
Hi, thanks for the demo. What do you think of the pull-through knife sharpeners?
I have a Wustoff Classic santoku knife (my favorite knife) that I've had for around 15 years. In our last house, it got knocked off our counter and the handle hit the tile floor and broke off the black handle material on both sides about an inch up from the heel of the handle. Can this be replaced by either Wustoff or a local knife maker, or is it just better to forget about it and get chopping? PS We really appreciate your videos
Great video
Thanks for the video, very educational, however I go nuts when I'm told that the new Petec are 15 degree's and they (Wusthof) state it's 14 degrees, other then their Santoku's (10 degrees). True or false. Not that I can tell a 1 degree difference but.........
Beautiful ^w^ thank you!
Amazing video!!!! Thanks man
I am confused about the angle used to hone a Wusthof knife. On the hand hand, you use a 15 deg angle which is consistent with the edge of Wusthof knives. On the other hand, I see many video's that suggest you should use a 20 deg angle to hone German knives. Can this difference in honing angle be attributed to Wusthof knives being produced with a smaller edge (i.e. 15 deg) than most German knives?
A 20-22 degree angle used to be pretty standard for German/western knives years ago. But these days around 15 degree angle has replaced that. You hardly ever see a 20 degree angle on knives anymore. But despite that, you still see a 20 degree angle referred to as a "western" or "German" angle and a 15 degree referred to as "Asian" angle. This can be confusing sometimes and the videos you are watching might still be referring to those terms when talking about what angle to hone a knife at. But if your Wusthof knife has a 15 degree angle, it should be sharpened or honed at that angle.
What is confusing here is between the different methods you are sometimes drawing the edge forwards along the blade (as in honing), other times backwards, spine first (as in stropping). Maybe you mean to hone first for a few strokes and then change to stropping. But you don't say.
I drilled two small indentations in the corners of my chopping board for your pointing down method. Helps stabilise.
P.S. Love the ivory/white coloured handle on the knife with this style of handle. Nicer than black, no?
No
Just like the chef in soul kitchen do. 😁
I spent hours using the rod and my knife just would not get any sharp???!! I even bought a different new rod and just can not get my knife sharp!! Please let me know what is it I am doing wrong ??
A honing rod doesn't sharpen a dull knife - you need a whetstone for that
Is a 9" honing steel ok for a 8" knife? Is that your current setup?
Just ordered 12 piece Wusthof Grand Prix 2 knife set. Most expensive knife set I ever purchased. Saw you did a video with the 2 stage sharpener from the same brand and ordered it. After reading a lot of negative reviews on amazon saying it was junk and damaged the knives. Can you tell me if I made a mistake on buying it? Thanks
Hi John, The 2 stage sharpener is very user friendly and does a great job sharpening! The only time someone would ever encounter damage to their blade is if they are applying too much pressure. Using a pull through sharpener requires no pressure at all, just a light swipe through.
@@cutleryandmore Thank you for the reply!
Ugh, I can't decide whether I want the black or white handle. I mean, I guess I could get 2 of the same knife x:
Haha. life is tough, isn't it? You'll love either color. White definitely is a bit more distinct. We've got a huge sale going on, so check it out when you have time. bit.ly/allwusthofikon
Elliot Dagger the cream handle 😏 it would match my others. Then send to me 😉
How does a honing rod of steel compare with a ceramic honing rod?
Is the 2nd one good enough though?
Hi thanks for your great advice, do i need a diamond honing rod or should I use the steel one that i have at home. Will it not harm the knife as I was told to get a diamond stone or honing rod. Thanks.
For the purpose of honing you would want a steel rod. A diamond rod is for sharpening and will remove metal.
@@cutleryandmore I just invested in 2 whestones, 1000 and 3000 grit, what do you recommend to clean the whestones? I would like to keep the whestones level as possible. Thanks
Why would I want to 'hone' my knife as oppose to sharpening, if honing doesn't sharpen it but "hones" it, whatever that means. I guess my question is, is honing used to keep your sharp knife sharp and sharpening used to sharpen dull knives? Am I on the rite track?
Yeah basically. The blade of your knife is actually made up of lots of tiny teeth. When you use your knife, the teeth start to move out of alignment with eachother. Honing just moves them back into alignment, without taking any steel off. Whereas sharpening removes the bottom level of steel and gives you a new sharp edge. So you don't want to sharpen too often as you'll reduce the lifespan of your knife, but if you hone it won't reduce the lifespan but will still leave you with a knife that cuts a lot better. You'll still need to sharpen, but usually once a year is enough
@@abijo5052 Thank you for this.
Hi thank you for your video and links. For a wusthof classic ikon, better a regular rod, diamond or ceramic? If the knife is new how can we maintain the original sharpening for longer time? Thank you very much
You'll want to use a standard stainless honing rod for honing German steel knives like Wusthof. Ceramic and Diamond will actually remove metal and sharpen the blade, not hone. To keep the blade sharper longer you'll want to make sure you hand wash and dry your knives, only use wooden or plastic cutting boards, and regularly hone the knives.
@@cutleryandmore thank you very much! So makes no sense buying a ceramic one... Thank you
I'm trying but I still can't sharp my knife on my own 😔
Hello! May I ask what methods you've tried? This video is for honing, which is will not remove metal and will not sharpen your knife. I'd be happy to help point you in the right direction! You can also email our CS team @ customerservice@cutleryandmore.com
@@cutleryandmore I bought my first stainless steel chef knife from Amazon under 20usd just to try out its sharpness was decent when it was new and now I'm trying to sharpen it by using a sharpening rod after watching some online tutorial but it's not working out for me.
If you are using a sharpening rod, a diamond rod is more coarse and will work faster for sharpening purposes.
Hey, mate, what is particular model name and size of that knife?
It's the Wusthof Classic Ikon chefs knive. Got one myself this week ;) Looks like 20cm
I have scratches on my knife from my dish sponge/scrubber .... horizontal scratches ... anyone know how to get them out
You have to use water sandpaper, the finest you can find at your local hardware store, perhaps 1000 grit, but first test it on an old knife to see the results.
After the sandpaper you have to polish the knife using Brasso or other polishing compound.
Mr Helper .... get over it ! A few scratches don't detract from the practical use of the tool ... in fact it adds character just like the owner might have a few dings , scratches , bite marks etc of his own !😄
I hone after every use. It is like a habit so I do not have to think about it.
I found the classic at bed bath and beyond marked half off. Great knife better price.
The 3rd method seems to be the most dangerous. Appears you're going to stab your left forearm
CIA taught us the tv chef method. Their claim is that if you cut your handle hand it means that you are failing to force contact between the knife and the rod Contact is essential for sharpening. What a bunch of roobs. Plus they pronouned the f in Wusthof as an F. :P
The right way vs the wrong way to hone chef knives.
That 'thumb trick' at 2:40 ?? Unnecessary.
If you look at the point where the handle meets the hone? The four pointy edges of the square are EXACTLY the right angle for western knives, while the flat edges are EXACTLY right for Japanese knives.
All you need to do is lay the blade against the point or the flat, and you've got your correct angle! _You're welcome!_
Are you getting paid by Wusthof?
When you sharpen a knife with a steel NEVER use it wrapping your thumb around the back of the handle -(like you would hold onto a pole or any stick type thing) Keep your thumb on the same side of the handle as your fingers. Wrap your four fingers around the handle only, gripping it with four fingers basically. Your thumb just rests and tucks alongside the base of your pointer finger on the same side of the handle. Not under and around the steel handle. This way you will never cut yourself on the downstroke of the sharpen. Give it a go and see what I mean. It is the safe way. Let's you "go to town" sharpening and never cutting your hand in the process.
I MUST BE WRONG. I have been told--for years and years, this is a STEEL, and NOT used to sharpen, but only to straighten the blade when you hit a bone, and "turn" the edge. Honing--sharpening is different, and not the work of the steel. BUT, as I say, I must be wrong, I keep seeing "sharpening steel" I was told, "yes, it cuts better after you steel, because it has been straightened", but to SHARPEN, you need a sharpening system, such as a stone". Wrong?
The truth is somewhere in between! Most so-called 'honing' rods are ribbed and so remove metal from the knife - i.e sharpen too. I believe you can get a 'butchers steel' that is totally smooth, that really does only *hone* (I've never seen one mind you). At the other end 'diamond steel' rods will sharpen a lot and hone a little.
I use wetsones and a leather strop - then you know what each thing does!
Over the years the terms have been used interchangeably but there is a difference and you can tell the difference by the material! A stainless rod, is a honing steel which is sometimes also called a sharpening steel. However, stainless does not remove metal. As you explained it straightens the edge but realigning it. This maintenance will make that sharp edge last longer between sharpening. A Ceramic rod is a sharpening rod and will remove some metal. Ceramic rods are sometimes used to "hone" Japanese knives but really its like a mini sharpening in between regular sharpening. A Diamond steel is a sharpening rod, this will remove the most metal should be used sparingly as an actual sharpener. If you'd like to know more or talk it over with something please contact our CS team @ 1-800-650-9866 !
@@cutleryandmore If your stainless steel rod has ribs/grooves it will in fact remove some metal from the knife edge, not just straighten it . Ths is especially easy to see if the knife steel is a lot softer than the rod - which is the case for most non Japanese knives - you'll see tiny metal shavings start to clog the grooves, i.e metal removal! Only the completely smooth butcher's steel truly hones.
4:43 He mentions it's not to sharpen the knife but to straighten the edge
I had to stop listening when he said he was sharpening his blade with a honing rod… that’s not what a honing rod does…
Or, you could've actually watched it and he explains that it's honing the blade. (He's most likely using "sharpen" colloquially at the beginning since most people who know know HOW to do it understand exactly what the difference is.) But, yanno, that's if you can get over your little delicate trigger.
@@boogeyratt sounds like you’re the one with a trigger issue.
Knife looks all scuffed up