Thread: Knife honing

IMHO, if the knife is sharp (as in, the two sides meet at a single plane, without burrs) it will perform well. The need for higher grits only comes into play when you want to have a smoother slicing action. For instance, a dedicated slicing knife, like a filet knife or a Yanagi, would benefit from the higher polish more so than a clever or an all pupose chef's knife would (though the finer edge is nice on all knives, and not that hard to maintain). A 4k edge will grab the material a little better than a 1k edge, which is better than a 220 edge, but unless you are a professional chef, meat packer, lumberjack, or otherwise professional knife wielder, the difference is a matter of choice.

The bottom line is that the knife is sharp, from there it's just a luxury as to how fine you make it.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

IMHO, if the knife is sharp (as in, the two sides meet at a single plane, without burrs) it will perform well. .

That's true -- but who on this forum would be satisfied with good enough?

Seriously though, polishing gives you a better stronger and longer lasting edge. It gets rid of the microserrations which you get at lower grits. Think of it this way: you make a rock wall with serious gaps between it going from top to bottom, and another which is perfectly even and interlaced. Which is easier to knock down?

As RB said, it really doesn't matter for most putterer in the kitchen, but it makes a great deal of difference if you have five sacks of root vegetables to brunoise before service. Not only does it make it go faster, but it requires less effort and the brunoise are cleaner. (Actually, for root vegetables, I'd throw on a quick double bevel -- which is another thread for another day!)


Just my two cents, which is worth less today than yesterday!

cass