Ready to fix your dull knives but don't know what tool to grab?
Understanding the distinction between knife sharpening and honing is crucial to maintaining a sharp edge over the lifetime of your blade.
What is sharpening?
Sharpening removes material from the blade.
By grinding away bits of the knife's edge, sharpening restores a dull blade to super sharpness. Caveat: since sharpening is destructive, a.k.a. removes metal from the blade, it should be done only as needed and with care.
This is typically done with sharpening steels, stones, electric sharpeners, or manual sharpeners. Check out our collection here.
What is honing?
Honing bends material back into alignment.
Honing realigns the edge of the knife, which can become bent or misaligned through regular use. Honing can be done daily, as it is non-destructive to the blade. It's a great way to keep your knives sharp for everyday use.
A honing steel is made just for this.