I’ve been struggling to sharpen knives for many years now and just can’t seem to get it right. I understand the principal, but can’t put it into practice (i’m possibly over-thinking it). I’ve tried searching the internet for help, but it’s often overly complicated, involves hideously expensive kit or just contradicts what I’ve just read else-ware!

Can anyone please suggest a good idiots guide, affordable kit or similar which won’t cost the earth, but will keep my knives sharp? Thanks.

All you need is a basic steel. Put the heel of the knife at the handle end of the steel with the blade facing he handle. Angle the knife do it is about 20 degrees to the steel. Smoothly pull the knife up the steel moving the blade along the steel as you go.

As you’ve found there are literally hundreds of methods and tools on the web. I have found the above to work very well for me.

I’ve found that a fine stone and oil works well for “outdoor” stuff (work knives, camping etc)
As they get a bit of hammer and need more work.

For kitchen knives, a quick swipe on a good quality steel before each use keeps them in perfect condition (had the same knives in the kitchen for 15 years.)

Get a sharpening widged from the supermarket for a tenner. Sure, it won’t end up sharp enough for shaving with or slicing the very molecules of the air, but it’ll be good for chopping onions and will take you 2 seconds.

+1 for a basic steel, used frequently.

I can’t hand sharpen worth a toffee, so I bought one of these sharpeners.

Admittedly (shock horror gasp) they can give a slightly serrated edge if used too harshly (which in my book turns one’s knife into a saw), but I’ve used ours on all our knives for over 5 years know I think and still love it.

Edit: A quick stroke or two through the sharpener when you notice you’ve lost that very ripe tomato skin cutting razor’s edge, and you’re good to go.

A steel will not sharpen a blunt knife. End of. Once its blunt it needs to be sharpened.
A steel will remove burrs and tidy up an uneven blade edge, and should be used between sharpenings.
I use a minosharp water sharpener which does the job well enough for me.

A steel will not sharpen a blunt knife. End of. Once its blunt it needs to be sharpened.

This.

A steel just maintains the edge – get the blades professionally sharpened then maintain the edge with a steel.

And NEVER wash the knives in a dishwasher.

(Ohh, and I use a water sharpener too).

Use something this (but in red and cost about a fiver at a show) for sharpening the cheap knives. Quick and easy to use and certainly gets them sharp http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0029X0RTU/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=kitchen

Interested in the Dishwasher comment. Why is that then?

Interested in the Dishwasher comment. Why is that then?

Sharp knife bouncing around under a high pressure spray and sawing through plastic trays.
Deteriorating the quality of the handle.
Drips of water left too long on a blade will stain it.
Forget it´s in the cutlery section and grab a handful of sharp knife.
May explode…

I’ve got one of these and it’s chuffing brilliant, super sharp knives, easy to use and it only costs a few quid:

null

I use this method.

Sharpening stone on a tea towel.

use some Olive oil as a lubricant.

and sharpen both sides making sure you get the whole length of the edge. It takes a bit of practice to get it right.

You only need to do this once in a while, if you use a steel to keep the edge on.

My knives never go in the dishwasher.

A word of warning though. The knives ( if they are good ones) will be extremely sharp, so much so that my wife will not use them.

The knives ( if they are good ones) will be extremely sharp, so much so that my wife will not use them.

What a hero!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIw5ChGOADE&feature=related[/video]

Above is video from Global knives on how to sharpen knives, as others have said a steel just re-points a knife rather than sharpening it.

Global also have widgets you can buy to ensure the knife is sharpened to the ideal angle, if you are struggling then they could be a big help.

What a hero!

Thanks !

I use the back step….keeps the neighbours away too 😀

Stone…probably from Lee Quarry

Global also have widgets you can buy to ensure the knife is sharpened to the ideal angle, if you are struggling then they could be a big help.

The widget and stone set is pricey but great for taking the skill out of honing a razor sharp edge. We only need to do ours every 18 months or so, hence any ‘technique’ is lost between intervals.

Sharpening guide -for an axe, but the principles are sound, although you probably want to avoid the convex grind on a kitchen knife

With practise a pen-knife, sheath knife or kitchen knife can be sharp enough to shave the hairs from your arm, but still retain an edge.

Frequent stropping keeps the edge straight. No need for frequent re-grinding.

In most cases, ‘Push’ the edge of the blade whilst using emery/stone. ‘Drag’ the edge of blade whilst stropping,

Tools:
Various grades of Emery paper (a stone is optional, but not necessary)
A leather belt for stropping (or even a sheet of paper)
A Steel (or just the edge of a car window glass)

ie. not really expensive.

righog – Member

A word of warning though. The knives ( if they are good ones) will be extremely sharp, so much so that my wife will not use them.

I once offered to sharpen my Mother-in-law’s ancient food-bludgeoning bars with handles, but she said that they would be dangerous….

Lots of reasons why not to use in a dishwasher. Most damaging I can think is the very aggressive soap and water jets which will erode the very fine tip of the blade and blunt it very quickly. Just look at how clean a dishwasher gets a tea stained stainless teapot and think what it is doing to that very thin sharp point.

1. Buy

2. Use

3. Enjoy sharp knives

4. Replace the steels in a decade or so*

5. Goto 2.

* my parents Chantry was used in domestically for 20 years, then commercially for a decade and was still sharpening knives, albeit not optimally with the original steels. It is now 43 years old and still doing a good job.

Does the concept of ‘sharp enough’ ever enter your worlds?

The widget and stone set is pricey but great for taking the skill out of honing a razor sharp edge

Shapening Guides £8.50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Global-Sharpening-Guide-Rails-Set/dp/B0006A03V0/ref=sr_1_10?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1348149645&sr=1-10

Stone £18.50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Master-Class-Sharpening-Stone-Whetstone/dp/B003ASDAGU/ref=sr_1_23?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1348149645&sr=1-23

I don’t think they are that expensive, granted if you go for a global stone they get expensive.

They work.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AnySharp-Global-Worlds-Sharpener-Classic/dp/B001DXVL6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348149926&sr=8-1

LOL at the knife sharpening gurus…

As molgrips has already suggested, you’re only cutting tomatoes and the odd onion, not fighting for your lives in a shark infested custard…

So, what, we should all strive for mediocrity?

Get a sharpening widged from the supermarket

Was the correct answer, then stick the knives in the dishwasher when you have used them.

FFS, if I followed all the shaving, coffee making, knife sharpening advice I read on here I’d never have time to get out on a bike!

So, what, we should all strive for mediocrity?

You should perhaps start with gently developing a sense of humour; striving could put your back out at your age..

There’s a huge difference between using a sharp knife with a consistent edge and using a blunt knife (for anything: cooking, gardening, log splitting, DIY, shaving etc.). It’s not always about the *cost* of the blade. I once used a friend’s extremely blunt, but fairly expensive, Global knives, awful.

You should perhaps start with gently developing a sense of humour

Pot, kettle?

crikey – Member
LOL at the knife sharpening gurus…

Not the sharpest tool in the box are you? 😉

There is something beautifully fulfilling about stroking a sharp knife along a nice piece of fresh steak, or flying through those onions with ease.

There is something beautifully fulfilling about stroking a sharp knife along a nice piece of fresh steak

There’s another thread going on about that at the moment.

* my parents Chantry was used in domestically for 20 years, then commercially for a decade and was still sharpening knives, albeit not optimally with the original steels. It is now 43 years old and still doing a good job.

I’ve already recommended it! Not cheap for sure, but as Mr Royce (or was it Miss Rolls?) once said, quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.

I followed all the shaving, coffee making, knife sharpening advice I read on here I’d never have time to get out on a bike!

lol!

Thanks for all the advice (even if I shall choose to ignore some of it!)

FFS, if I followed all the shaving, coffee making, knife sharpening advice I read on here I’d never have time to get out on a bike!

Yet you’ve still got time to try and argue about it 🙄

Don’t you rolly eyes at me, I’m being paid to argue but can’t start shaving or making a coffee in the office can I never mind start sharpening a knife!

If you have good quality knives then whatever you do DO NOT use those ‘Any sharp’ type tools.

They all typically work in the same way by just chewing metal off the knife between two rotating wheels & sooner or later you will have no blade.

It may be quick & give you an instantly sharp blade, but you are eating off the hardened edge & it will stay sharp for about 5 minutes.

The advice above of using a steel & possibly getting it professionally sharpened first is what I would suggest.

molgrips – Member
Does the concept of ‘sharp enough’ ever enter your worlds?

Never.