Honing rod for Victorinox?

I bought a Victorinox chef's knife for the good wife (she doesn't want to have to be careful with my J knife) and it's basically all she uses now.

Should I get a honing rod for it, just to keep the edge in line when it rolls off, instead of always sharpening it with stones?

Thanks

A rod is an emergency solution in a pro environment. A good one is the Sieger LongLife. For home use, I would strop and deburr on a 2k or lower.

Benuser said:

A rod is an emergency solution in a pro environment. A good one is the Sieger LongLife. For home use, I would strop and deburr on a 2k or lower.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Is 'strop' the technique that you use? I had thought stropping was done on leather and the like, rather than on stones :O

IME Victorinox really loves a ceramic steel. I have a DMT and it works fine. The one from Ikea isn't as long as the DMT, but works just as well for a lot less money..

Lars

Triggaaar said:

Thanks. Is 'strop' the technique that you use? I had thought stropping was done on leather and the like, rather than on stones :O

Click to expand...

Stropping = making edge trailing strokes

+1 that a ceramic honing rod does indeed keep a Vnox serviceable in a pinch

StonedEdge said:

+1 that a ceramic honing rod does indeed keep a Vnox serviceable in a pinch

Click to expand...

So you're saying it's better just to sharpen it on stones instead?

Honing it will only make it sharp again for a short while and you cannot keep honing it forever. You will eventually need to take it to the stones to grind the old steel away and get a fresh edge. Stones and honing rods have two different purposes. If nothing else is available you will be able to get that Victorinox pretty darn sharp for a short while with the honing rod. Ceramic is easier on the edge than a conventional a steel rod

The Victorinox combi-cut (fine polish) 12" steel is good. For home use really don't need a steel. Sharpen all your knives at once on the stones.

Thanks everyone.

StonedEdge said:

Honing it will only make it sharp again for a short while and you cannot keep honing it forever. You will eventually need to take it to the stones to grind the old steel away and get a fresh edge. Stones and honing rods have two different purposes. If nothing else is available you will be able to get that Victorinox pretty darn sharp for a short while with the honing rod.

Click to expand...

That's roughly as I thought, except that I had thought it was a good idea to use a honing rod in between sharpening sessions. I guess that's jot not necessary.

For a Vnox it probably is a good idea to use a steel between sharpening. The advantages of a steel are that they're (relatively) easy to store, require no preparation, they will extend time between sharpening sessions and are easy for anyone to use. Mine is a DMT.

daveb said:

For a Vnox it probably is a good idea to use a steel between sharpening. The advantages of a steel are that they're (relatively) easy to store, require no preparation, they will extend time between sharpening sessions and are easy for anyone to use. Mine is a DMT.

Click to expand...

+1 this is what I use on Vic/Forschner mine is just a fairly nonaggressive metal rod.

I have been sharpening my wife's favorite 10-inch Vic chef knife on a EZE-LAP diamond surfaced rod for something like 30 plus years. Once or twice a year I thin the edge on a ChefsChoice machine. No complaints from her.

I visually check my wife's Mundials for rolled edge probably once or twice a week (looking for glints of light reflecting off the edge). I use the steel (a Vic ceramic) if the edge is rolled. If the rolls don't improve with a few strokes, I assume the edge is chipped and it gets sharpened. Do pretty much the same for my Vic boning knife after breaking down a chook or some lamb.

The only complaints I get are that the knives are too sharp. I think this is more a reflection on her being used to dull knives rather than being evidence that my sharpening skills are particularly special.