The best knife sharpeners – and how to use them

A knife is arguably the most important tool in the kitchen, but   it's essential that the blade is sharp. When blunt, you have less control and are more likely to see the knife slide off the food, thereby making cooking a more hazardous process.  


   You've acquired a   chef's knife,   you're using it almost daily to make tasty dinners for the family, and it's stored in a nice knife rack or a magnet for safekeeping. So why stop there? Keeping that knife's edge fine will make cooking not only safer but, let's face it, much more fun. Whether you've spent ￡150 on a high-end knife   or under a tenner on a dinky paring knife, keeping it sharp is crucial.  


   Why, then,   do so many of us shy away from the task? To put it bluntly, it's because it's a rather daunting process for the beginner.   Your image of knife sharpening may   consist of a hyper-masculine chef slashing away violently at a steel rod (we're looking at you, Gordon). Conversely, you might have seen cooks meticulously and methodically stroking their blade up and down a Japanese waterstone with more intricate attention to detail than a Flemish landscape painting.  


   Fear not, however, because it's not as complicated as it looks. In this review, we'll break down the most common techniques and advise on the best knife sharpeners to give your blade a shiny edge.


   Whichever method you choose, be it a waterstone (also known as a whetstone), or a pull-through (either V-shaped or ceramic wheels)   it's important to regularly hone your knife with a honing steel, which we'll also cover below.   You'll be pleased to hear that you won't have to reach for the stones too regularly –   once every two or three months should suffice.  


   The basic concept of sharpening is simple –   you're using an abrasive edge to remove metal –   but the knife you buy may alter the method you should use. A general rule of thumb   is that a waterstone can be used for both Japanese- and Western-style blades, but you should avoid pull-through sharpeners for Japanese knives (or any knife with very brittle blades).


   Waterstones do require   practice – it's a bit of faff, in all honesty, though rather therapeutic once you get the hang of it –   but they'll keep your knife in tip-top condition, so it's worth the extra effort. If you're worried you're doing it wrong, look up your   local knife manufacturer or kitchen shop, as many will offer sharpening classes.  


   Professional knife sharpening (who and what you need to know)


   I recently realized just how incredibly dull my kitchen knives had become. Not only were they not   cutting like they used to, but I could visibly see that there was no real edge left. I knew that I could use my honing rod all I wanted, but that it wouldn’t get me that nice edge back. So, I started searching for a professional knife sharpening in Denver and Boulder.


   I didn’t want to go to the mall or some big store. Instead, I was hoping to find someone out there that was passionate about knives and keeping them sharp. Someone that has an eye for blades like I do for how a bespoke suit should fit.


   On a warm Tuesday afternoon, he picked up my sad looking knives and promised to sharpen them by the end of the week. Suffice it to say, Jeff overdelivered. When he returned my knives, I couldn’t believe how sharp they were. Suddenly, my knives were doing all the work again, just like they should be.


   In the brief amount of time that he and I spoke in person, I realized that there is a lot more to knife sharpening than we all think. Consequently, I knew it would make for a great article.


   So, I sat down with Jeff and asked him some questions about sharpening. I think you’ll see that he overdelivered again.


   
       
           Don’t cut on anything that is not a cutting board.
       
   


   Decorative glass cutting boards are not cutting boards. They will dull your knife as soon as the knife makes contact.


   Most plates are made of ceramics or glass or some other substance that is harder than your kitchen knives,   don’t cut on them   except with your steak knife (steak knives should be serrated).


   If you ding your knife on your granite kitchen counter, you have likely dulled the contact spot.)


   
       
           When preparing food don’t use the edge of your knife to slide food, just cut food out of the way. Turn your knife over and slide the food with the back spine of your knife.    I can tell if a person is left or right handed if my customer has this habit.
       
   
   
       
           Don’t use knives for anything except their intended purposes, especially paring knives. Paring knives are very thin knives and are not meant for impacting cutting boards. If you use a paring knife as your chef knife, it will dull quickly.
       
   
   
       
           The amount of use. It’s simple, the more you use your knife the faster it will dull.
       
   
   
       
           Not honing, also known as steeling your knife or honing/steeling improperly.
       
   


   The type of steel and how hard that steel is made is   a big factor on edge retention. Higher quality knives will usually have a longer edge retention.


   Truth About Pull Through Knife Sharpeners


   The sad truth about pull through knife sharpeners is that they’re detrimental to your knives.


   TOP 8 REASONS NOT TO USE A PULL THROUGH SHARPENER


   
       
           Pull through sharpeners (not all but most) assume a one size fits all approach. The angle on the edge is different on all knives and most good quality Japanese knives have offset bevels so how can a plastic box with ceramic wheels know the difference. Even the adjustable ones are not well suited to all knives.
       
   
   
       
           Electric pull through sharpeners remove way too much metal and shorten the life of your knife by years.
       
   
   
       
           Ceramic wheel sharpeners tend to take chips and chunks out of thin Japanese blades.
       
   
   
       
           A pull through sharpener will permanently damage any single sided blade like a yanagiba, deba, usuba
       
   
   
       
           Because of the mechanics of use, it is impossible to apply the same amount of pressure throughout the blade. As a result, the edge tends to go out of shape changing the original blade profile.
       
   
   
       
           There is absolutely no way you can sharpen a knife with a bolster using a pull through sharpener.
       
   
   
       
           In some models there is a high danger of cutting yourself. We are not talking a little knick here and there, one of our customers has a scar 15 cm long from an early experience with a pull through sharpener.
       
   
   
       
           When you eventually crack the shits and bring your knives to us for sharpening, it is very difficult to realign the blade.
       
   


   If you bought your knives for long term use rather than as a short term consumable, it would be best to avoid the gimmicky gadgets available on the market.


   What to expect and what not to expect from diamond sharpening stones


   One of the most common arguments for using diamond sharpening plates is that they are flat and do not get dished during their working life. The first point is only partly true, as the flatness of the plates depends a great deal on the quality of the plate and the manufacturing method. But it is true that they do not become hollow during use, unlike other kinds of sharpening stone.


   There are a number of different methods for producing diamond sharpening plates:



   
       
           In one method a block of aluminum or steel is machined flat and then impregnated with diamond chips. This method can produce the flattest surfaces. The disadvantages are the expense of this method, the difficulty of the process and the relatively high material costs. So this method is not often employed.
       
   
   
       
           A second method involves impregnating thin steel plates with diamond chips. These thin plates are then glued to a flat block, usually aluminum. Here the different cutting, machining and polishing methods become important to the end results. If a laser is used, for instance, the heat of the process can deform the metal plates. These deformations can have a detrimental effect on the final product and can only be corrected by a powerful press when mounting the thinner diamond plate to the base. So other methods of cutting and machining the baseplates are often better. The thinner the diamond-surfaced plate, the easier it is to mount flat on a flat baseplate.
       
   
   
       
           A plastic or copper foil is impregnated with diamond chips, and the back is coated with adhesive. These foils are very flexible and can be glued onto a variety shapes and base materials to fit individual needs and ideas. One of the downsides with these foils is that they are delicate. When sharpening tools and blades, it is easy to catch an edge or corner and cut through the foil, at best you will ruin the surface in just a small area.
       
   


   We sell diamond sharpening plates both with and without baseplates because our customers have such a wide range of needs and ideas. For people often on the move, for instance, the weight and volume of tools becomes an important consideration, so that using just thin diamond plates without the weight of the baseplate is a welcome alternative. But this will inevitably result in a sharpening surface less flat than it could be. We also offer diamond-coated copper foils, which are very flexible and have an adhesive back.



   Advantages of diamond sharpening plates:


   
       
           They allow quick removal of material for grinding out chips and changing the base bevel of plane irons and chisels.
       
   
   
       
           Quick sharpening and material removal also in medium grit grades is another advantage.
       
   
   
       
           Can be used for sharpening TC, HSS and PM steels, which are difficult or impossible to work using other types of stone.
       
   
   
       
           The stones mostly keep their original shape, unlike other stones that wear with use and must be periodically re-flattened.
       
   
   
       
           They can also be used as flattening blocks for Japanese water stones. We recommend the 400 grit plate for this application.
       
   


   Disadvantages of diamond sharpening plates:


   
       
           When you need a very flat surface for really precise sharpening jobs, a freshly flattened Japanese water stone works better.
       
   
   
       
           For honing, or putting a final clean edge on a tool, diamond sharpening plates are clearly not as good as sharpening stones because they simply cannot be made in the finer grit grades.
       
   
   
       
           With a diamond plate you cannot produce a surface with a mirror finish, eg, on knife blades.
       
   


   One other point regarding the useful working life of diamond plates. They cannot really be compared with sharpening stones, which are worn down by use, constantly revealing new, sharp particles. Diamond plates are much more like sandpaper, with a thin layer of abrasive fixed to a non-abrasive material. The diamond sharpening plates of course have a much longer working life than sandpaper, but the evolution is the same. At first, they feel very sharp indeed, but this lasts for only a short time and then there is a very long period of medium sharpness, and finally they don't really cut much at all. Be careful to buy plates with monocrystalline diamonds as this extends the period of medium sharpness. Keeping the surface of the diamond plates wet will also prolong their useful life!


   How to use a ceramic honing rod to keep your knives sharp


   One of the best tools that you can use to keep a keen edge on your knives between sharpenings is a   ceramic honing rod.   They are quite different from steel or diamond rods, which can grind a lot of steel off of your edge. As you use your knife, it develops tiny ‘burrs’ which are rough bits of the edge that have bent out of shape. Ceramic gently pushes them back into alignment, straightening the edge without removing steel unnecessarily. These means that your knife stays sharp much longer, without having to be sharpened as often.


   Knifewear’s ceramic rods have a special design: the hilt acts as an angle guide when you place the spine of your knife along it. The skinnier side will set a 15 degree angle for Japanese blade, while the wider side will set a 22 degree angle for western-style knives.


   To use the rod, place a folded rag on your cutting board and place the rod upright, with the tip on the towel. This will help to keep it in place while you’re pressing a sharp knife against it. Set the knife to the angle you prefer, and gently drag the edge along the ceramic from the heel to the tip, in a downward slicing motion. Switch to the other side of the rod and repeat the motion. Continue 10-20 times, alternating sides as you go. Honing like this twice per week (more for professionals) will ensure that your knife stays sharp for months or even years at a time.