Thread: Knife Sharpening

I've seen several knife sharpening kits in various dept stores.. Designed to sharpen knives easily, without any real knowledge.

Do these work? I've got a bunch of kitchen knives that are getting pretty full.. And I can't sharpen anything..

dw

Originally Posted by TQH

I've seen several knife sharpening kits in various dept stores.. Designed to sharpen knives easily, without any real knowledge.

Do these work? I've got a bunch of kitchen knives that are getting pretty full.. And I can't sharpen anything..

dw

They work ..... but take a bit of practice to master. Honing razors is easy. All you have to do is lay the razor flat and stroke progressively easier. The proper bevel angle is engineered into the design of the razor.

With knives, the trick is to get the SAME ANGLE on the bevel with each stroke. So 95% of the gimick with each of these systems is geared towards that end. So the choice is reduced to electric or manual, Arkansas stones or ceramic, one-step or several .....

Chefs Choice has a great little electric home sharpener in its Model 120 EdgeSelect for a bit over $140. It will put a wicked edge on your butterknives with little effort. Crock Stick is my manual favorite with their two-stage professional ceramic sticks and wooden base. The Lansky (and others) multi-stone system allows for some angle flexibility depending on the purpose of each knife sharpened, but is a bit busy in getting there. Lastly, Rapella, the filet knife for fishermen, has a hand-held, two-stage pocket sharpener that is great for a quick and easy touch-up.

For the person who does not have the proper power tools, I would suggest the Lansky system as being the best overall sharpening system available. Ceramic sticks come in different grits and keep them "tuned" once they are sharp.

I would avoid any of those motorized "knife sharpener" kitchen aid type units unless you have cheap kitchen knives. The stone wheels inside destroy blades.

I like Davids electric choice. Frankly, after honing str8 razors the last thing I want to do is start on the kitchen knives. I use an electric sharpener for those. My kitchen knives are el cheapo's so it does not matter to me.

Just my two cents,

As I kid I was taught to sharpen knives, etc. using a whetstone. As an adult, the wife liked the idea of using one of those "roll it on the counter" sharpeners because I was always busy and never seemed to find time to sharpen her knives. She readily admitted it didn't do a very good job and she actually ruined some knives. Eventually one of the cheapo electric sharpeners appeared in the kitchen... it not only didn't do a great job, but she sharpend knives until there wasn't much blade left! So, we bought new knives... the kind that came in a plastic "sheath" that had an integral sharpener -- the idea was that every time you removed/inserted the knife in its holder it got sharpened. They were great knives, but the sharpening idea stunk. So, I eventually learned to make time to sharpen her knives! (Oops... to be PC I must now call them "our knives"... LOL!!)

Anyway, maybe 5 years ago I received a Gatco sharpening system as a "freebie" bonus when purchasing something else. It's similar to the Lansky system Urleebird mentioned except this one uses stones instead of ceramic rods as the sharpening abrasive. I have used it very successfully to sharpen el-cheapo kitchen knives, pocket knives, pruning shears, etc. I believe the kit I have retails for something like $35... here's an example source.

As Uthed said, the trick to sharpening is keeping a constant angle between the blade and the abrasive (be it stone, ceramic rod, etc.). The gatco, lansky, etc. systems make that easy. (Hint, once you decide what angle to use for a given knife, write it down and keep it with your sharper so the next time you sharpen that knife you know what angle you used before.)

Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. Comes with a video. Easiest and sharpest edges for pocket and kitchen knife use I've ever seen. And I'm a knife nut, I've used them all. Not too expensive, uses ceramic stones, and you'll only take off the steel that's needed. If you want to splurge and put a mirror edge on anything sharp, then the Edge Pro system is untouchable. I only use that ocasionally, and only usually on custom folders and fixed blades that won't actually be used -- a "show" edge. Water stones and sandpaper tape all the way up to 10k grit, it's pretty phenomenal.

I've been using steels and ceramic rods on my kitchen knives for a long time now. You have to be careful shopping for steels, as some of them can be quite agressive and remove significant amounts of metal under pressure. I bought my sister a Chef's choice electric, and it keeps an adequate edge on her knives. I always use the steel and ceramic sharpeners on her knives any time I visit, and warn her immediately after sharpening. Her knives are a mix of Messermeister and Chicago Cutlery that I have given her over the years. A diamond 'steel' of fine/xfine persuasion is also worthy of consideration (I've got an xf) as it doesn't seem to wear like a steel.




Wayne

I use a tri-stone. 3 different stones, 2 arkansas, med and fine, a a gray stone for shaping. I also use a diamond stick to keep and touch up the kitchen knives.

I agree with Rob I use a Tri-stone and finish by stropping on an old leather belt. I have been cooking professionally on and off for about 27 years and the Most important question is to ask is "Stainless or High Carbon stainless?" the new 'cheapo' knives are really 'functional stainless tools'. If your going to rehone anything older, perhaps even a heirloom kitchen knife, you definately want to go with a manuel system rather than the electric, the grinding heat can actually do more harm than good. Yet if its those "ronco" sushi knives you can cut a brick with and still tear through some tomatoes maybe an electric might be what you you prefer. For my daily use I have a set of those 'ronco" knives, (A gift from my Mother I keep where she can see them when she visits). I mostly use an old set of Sabatier Carbon steel (not Stainless!) blades that I use faithfully. When I say a quick treatment on my sharpening steele and a quick stropping and I can can shave with that bad boy I'm only exagerating by very little. Easy to keep sharp but I do have to keep up the maintenance to keep them from rusting, lots of salt & oil rubs.
I guess its like the difference between courting a beauty queen and a farmers daughter, how much maintenance are you willing to invest in and how much effort do you want to have to exert to get things done together?

Hmmmm... Lot of information in here... Probably more then I can take in.. Let me ask the question a little bit differently..

What's the easiest, cheapest method, of getting a 'good' (Not great) edge back on a knife.. It doesn't have to be uber sharp.. Just enough to make my wife shut the he** up.



Why yes, I have been drinking again..