Knife Sharpening Tools

I've seen that you guys @chefsteps promote the use of hand sharpening your own knives for various reasons which i fully understand. What I'm wondering however what is you guys' look is on these "Fixed Angle Sharpeners" and "Stage Knife Sharpeners"; Why do you prefer the manual stone & what positives do you see in these other types? - Much appriciated

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jeffreybkim

Hey Omar! Great question. Like you said, many of us prefer to sharpen our own blades. I sure do. In my humble opinion, I am not a fan of the stage knife sharpeners. The angle tends to be larger, and more importantly, they remove a lot of metal. Don't get me wrong, they will get your knives sharp, but not as sharp if you used whetstones (which is what I use).

I've never known anyone who used fixed angle sharpeners, so I can't say much on those. From what I've seen, it seems like you have to buy special stones for those. Stones vary quite a bit in quality, and I have no idea of the quality you an expect from those. Furthermore, from what I saw on Amazon, they don't seem to include stones with higher grit #'s. So your blades will be adequate, but not razor sharp. For instance, the Goplus Professional Sharpener comes with stones up to 1500, but I personally go up to a 8000 grit stone.

At the end of the day, you have many options to get your blades sharp. But sharpening yourself with whetstones, or other similar methods, will maximize the lifespan of your blades, minimize damage, and will allow you to customize the type of angle, edge, and sharpness you want. It is without a doubt a financial investment, but with care, the stones will last you a very long time, and consequently, you knives as well. Besides, if you're using really nice knives that you adore, wouldn't you want to treat it with the best care imaginable? I sure do. Anyway, hope that helps!

fisher23

The other issue is getting the right angle on a Japanese knife. A lot of German and European knives have a steeper angle and the majority of stage knife sharpeners are made for those angles. I have used stage sharpeners for years and when I finally got some whetstones there is a huge difference. My knives can now shave paper, not just cut it. As @Jeffrey_Kim_49219 said I go to 6000 grit. I really get a sense of personal satisfaction when I use my sharp knives.

charlie_ayling_415588

Hi Omar,

The process of sharpening involves removing material from the knife and actually creating a new edge. By using a whetstone, you have much better control over the amount material you're removing - I've used a few pull-throughs, but I've always ended up taking far too much off, which drastically shortens the lifespan of the knife. Also, by using higher grit stones, due to the finer structure, you can create a much sharper edge.

This video explains it quite nicely - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl0aaF32hV4

How often are you using your knives? It's definitely worth looking into a honing rod for regular maintenance.