Thread: Kitchen Knife Honing

Add maybe a 325 and surely something around 600. The Shapton(s) should get your knives the rest of the way there for kitchen or pocket use.

To set the first bevels on knives I sometimes use a 325 mesh DMT. Often a 600 mesh will do it fast enough. I continue on to 1200 mesh on the better knives. I carry a small 600 mesh in my back pocket for all-around use. If I could only have one grit for all knives it would be a 600.

Some knives will hold an 8k edge, some will not. I think 8k is a bit much for most knives.

I always strop a knife after honing it, regardless of final grit used.

The clamp-on edge guides are probably ok. Once learned, doing it freehand is far more versatile. Just like a razor, light pressure on the finishing strokes gives a nice noticeable difference.