knife steels

[zahc]

or whatever they call those metal sticks people use on kitchen knives.

My wife decided to take up "real" cooking and now I have to use the Sharpmaker every week or two. I have never used one of those steels. Is one just as good as another?

like this one?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001N0ULJG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1490745403&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=knife+steel

[T.O.M.]

Honestly, I use a ceramic stick "sharpener" I bought at a gun show back in 1993, not the steel that came with my knife set.  Beats up my knives less.

[Unisaw]

I had no luck using the steel that came with my wife's knife set, so I began to use my Sharpmaker.  The knives have never been sharper.

[zahc]

Now I'm reading that modern stainless steels don't work with the sharpening sticks the way carbon steels did.

Is it even possible to but nice low-alloy carbon steel knives nowadays? You know the kind that turn dark grey over time and are super sharpenable?

[Triphammer]

This is what the pro's use. Check around the site. Lots of good stuff.

https://store.butchersupply.net/f-dick-12-inch-round-regular-cut-butchers-steel-black-handle-poly-guard-p2923.aspx

[lupinus]

That'll work. Trips style might work a bit better.

Keep in mind the purpose of a steel isn't to sharpen, it's to realign the edge. As you use the knife the cutting edge gets dents dings and tiny little folds in it. It's still plenty sharp, the sharp part is just laid over. A steel brings everything g back into alignment.

A steel should get used pretty much every time the knife gets picked up for a cooking session. Hell depending what you're doing and for how long it may well be used multiple times.

Really outside of a professional kitchen a knife likely won't need actually sharpening more than once maybe twice a year u less it's being treated in shameful and unspeakable ways. Even my beater knives that go in the dishwasher don't get sharpened more than that. Using something that actually removes metal every couple of weeks is just shortening a knifes life for no real reason.



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[Triphammer]

Swapmeets, yard sales & 2nd hand shops like St Vincent or Goodwill are great places to pick up old knives. Older (sharpening ) steels are better than new. The edges are worn down & you get some of the benefits of regular cut & some of the benefits of polished.
I'm always looking for old carbon steel knives & don't usually pay more than a dollar or two. WE even have a knife shop around here that has a great selection of used knives. I pay a little more than swapmeets but I've found good deals.

[Ben]

Now I'm reading that modern stainless steels don't work with the sharpening sticks the way carbon steels did.

Is it even possible to but nice low-alloy carbon steel knives nowadays? You know the kind that turn dark grey over time and are super sharpenable?

I found a set of carbon steel kitchen knives at Cabela's that I got for that very reason. They take a little extra care, but are really easy to sharpen. Easy to keep sharp with the steel as well.

[Jim147]

Most of my kitchen knifes are old Chicago cutlery high carbon with the walnut handles. They came with a steel but I like the little butterfly with the ceramic sticks that came with a knife I got from Europe years ago not sure where that knife went but it was always sharp.

The bottom of a ceramic coffee cup works in a pinch.