Kitchen knife sharpening

danrv

Hi
I've never properly sharpened any of my knives but am keen to start. I could probably do with a néw chef's knife too.
Have bought a twin grade whetstone from Amazon but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
I have a set of old Prestige wooden handled utensils and the 20cm knife is OK. It's Vanadium stainless and have managed to get it quite sharp with help from an electric bench grinder.

Maybe better quality steel makes a difference. A very cheap (under £5) utility knife I bought seems impossible to get really sharp.
Looking at a Victorinox Fibrox 8" chef's knife anyway as an upgrade. 
Any help or experiences appreciated.

Brie

I have a couple of very nice Henckel knives - an 8" chefs knife and a boning knife.  Both are currently selling for about £90.  Seems expensive but I've had them for nearly 40 years.  They are both a good weight in the hand and sharpen reasonably easily using a cheap 2 stone rod sharpener.  I keep meaning to learn how to properly sharpen them but haven't found the time in the last 4 decades.

My OH favours some other 8" knives that he's found at TKMaxx but is always complaining they're not sharp enough.  He's been spending £20-25 each and replacing every few years.  I think if a proper sharpening was done they would be fine but he's never learned to sharpen them either.

We did use to live in a place (far far away) where every few months an old chap used to walk around the neighbourhood ringing a bell and wheeling along a big grindstone.  You'd pop outside with your knives and he'd pick out the ones he could sharpen and charged $1 each.  You could slice silk with them once he was done.

oldernonethewiser

I was looking at the Victorinox knives recently.

I really don't like the look of them but they are well reviewed.

This video seems to me a fair representation of long term use.

goldfinches

This is a conundrum I've been having problems solving too so I'll be watching this thread with interest. 

I currently use this manual sharpener but find I need to resharpen frequently. I've looked for a butcher who offers sharpening locally with no success. I did consider buying one of these Horl sharpeners but haven't decided what to do yet. Like @Brie I also remember a mobile knife sharpener in the dim and distant past, there seem to be none at all now. 

I looked at the Victorinox knife you mentioned and noticed that they sell a sharpener they say is easy to use and perfect for keeping their knives in good condition so if you do buy that knife get the sharpener as well. I have a Victorinox Rex Peeler which is incredibly sharp and have also used their knives at a cookery class and they are very good so I think it would be a worthwhile purchase. 

danrv

oldernonethewiser said:

I was looking at the Victorinox knives recently.

I really don't like the look of them but they are well reviewed.

Yes, I get the thing about the looks. The angle of the handle I think helps with rock chopping technique.

Emmia

I've got a minosharp two wheel sharpener, works well on both the cheap IKEA knives, and the pricier Robert Welch ones.

They do a 3 wheel version as well.

Minosharp Shinkansen Knife Sharpener, Manual, Black, Two Stage Sharpening and Honing, Uses Water to Improve Sharpening and Prevent Scratching, Ergonomic Design for Safe Operation, C822 https://amzn.eu/d/hy5wjxA

Brie

And all of this reminds me that I have asked to be given the Henckel knife I bought my dad when I worked in a cook shop yonks back and could get things at a huge discount (wait until there was a half price sale and then use my 50% store discount...)

So I'll just throw this in here.....anyone got any good ideas on how to transport a large sharp chef knife on an international flight?  Obviously not in my hand luggage.

-taff

You also have to pay attention to the difference bewten sharpening and honing. Sharpening involves getting the edge sharp, honing involves getting the edge straight so it stays sharper for longer.

I don't know how to properly properly sharpen knives but I use a knife sharpener that you drag the blade through to sharpen, then a honing tool to get the edge straight.

We have a mobile sharpener where I live but he has a van and will sharpen anything .

The best knives I've had for being and staying sharp are a nine [now ten] pound ikea knife [vorda, lightweight but heavy enough to cut straight, does not cut into my hand at the blade/handle juncture] and a four euro secondhand one I got in italy that's about 40cm long. 

PipneyJane

Brie said:

And all of this reminds me that I have asked to be given the Henckel knife I bought my dad when I worked in a cook shop yonks back and could get things at a huge discount (wait until there was a half price sale and then use my 50% store discount...)

So I'll just throw this in here.....anyone got any good ideas on how to transport a large sharp chef knife on an international flight?  Obviously not in my hand luggage.

Sheathed/well wrapped, and then slip the blade inside something with reinforced, stiff sides, like a hardback book or some types of folder. (You want something that will resist side pressure, to prevent the blade being put under stress.).   Does that make sense, @Brie?  

To the Original Poster, I use one of these, a pull-through knife sharpener that is like two crossed steals, and sharpen my knives each time before I use them.

HTH

Pip

danrv

-taff said:

I use a knife sharpener that you drag the blade through to sharpen, then a honing tool to get the edge straight.

I have a couple of pull through sharpeners but thought that a whetstone was the proper method. Just takes a bit longer.
Have seen those honing tools. Some are ceramic.

bouicca21

I think the problem is with the knives.  I could never get my prestige knives sharp enough. During lockdown I used the money I was saving by not socialising to buy wusthof knives.  What a difference!  Even the bread knife is brilliant.  How did I ever manage without decent knives before? I also bought a sharpening steel and a honing doodah.  Saw someone using a whet stone recently and  if I were buying now, that’s what I’d get.