Honing rods
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Entirely depends on the knives you have. What are you working with?
My wife uses German ones and I’m mainly using Japanese or custom Right now a Yoshikazu Tanaka kyuzo blue 1 and a Hyde gyuto.
A honing rod will help straighten a rolled edge on your wife's Germans, but be pretty much useless to you. If maintenance with a rod is something you're interested in for your knives, check out some ceramic sharpeners like Mac or Idahone.
As for necessary? Not at all, but they offer convenience with diminishing returns until you actually have to sharpen. How often should you use it? Whenever the knife needs some new bite.
Thank you, appreciate info.
My 2 cents would be if you don't sharpen your knives yourself maybe try a strop. You can ruin your edge really easily with ceramic rods if used incorrectly. Definitely get a steel one for the German knives though
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For soft stainless Germans the Dickoron Micro is an excellent choice. You should use it in time: before diminishing performance becomes obvious. Let the last strokes be neither edge trailing or leading, but along the edge, to hit the burr. All with very little pressure.
You may use it with soft carbons as well. You may so postpone stone sharpening, but once sharpening you will notice some more fatigued steel has to be removed.
As a ceramic rod, the Sieger LongLife is a great option. Remarkably fine, above 2k. Other than the Dickoron, it does abrade fatigued steel. Here again, make sure no burr is left. In the long run, it's no alternative to stone sharpening as it doesn't restore a blade's geometry.
You may use it with soft carbons as well. You may so postpone stone sharpening, but once sharpening you will notice some more fatigued steel has to be removed.
As a ceramic rod, the Sieger LongLife is a great option. Remarkably fine, above 2k. Other than the Dickoron, it does abrade fatigued steel. Here again, make sure no burr is left. In the long run, it's no alternative to stone sharpening as it doesn't restore a blade's geometry.
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P.S. For almost all my knives, I use a small piece of Belgian Blue to revive the edge. With soft German stainless though it won't work: it leaves a great looking edge, I must admit, but the edge crumbles with the first board contact. Far too fine, and carbides breaking out. That's where a Dickoron Micro makes sense.
I have the Mac ceremic black rod. Works great for me on soft stainless. For me not so great on harder Japanese steels.
Also had a cheaper white ceramic one, didn't work on anything. So my impression is not all ceramic is equal.
Also had a cheaper white ceramic one, didn't work on anything. So my impression is not all ceramic is equal.
Ok thx
Thank you
Belgian blue? I googled it but I’m assuming it’s not a massively strong beef steer
aporigine
The slow blade penetrates the winter squash
Belgian Blue Whetstone
When folks around here say BBW, it isn’t what it means on Craigslist
I’m checked those out they look nice
aporigine
The slow blade penetrates the winter squash
I wanna try one some day.
Where is a good place to find one?
I’m a novice and just started sharpening on a Shapton glass 500 and 2ooo. Would a bbw be something to use after the 2000?
Funny enough, I did this video today with a ceramic honing rod ans tested it with the Sharp Bess.
I find it super quick to do and really effortless. Obviously, like everything else, you need the right technique. But the result is always to my taste for the maintenance of my knives.
I find it super quick to do and really effortless. Obviously, like everything else, you need the right technique. But the result is always to my taste for the maintenance of my knives.
Very nice job
Technically it's best to use a honing steel for German knives and a fine ceramic rod for Japanese knives.
But personally I would buy just 1 fine ceramic rod for all knives and probably a leather strop with diamond paste for your Japanese knives.
And as long you use light pressure and an approximate angle, you should be fine.
As far as how often to use: Whenever you think the knife needs a to be sharpened. The longer you use the ceramic rod, the shorter the periods between honing until the knife needs to be sharpened on a stone again.
But personally I would buy just 1 fine ceramic rod for all knives and probably a leather strop with diamond paste for your Japanese knives.
And as long you use light pressure and an approximate angle, you should be fine.
As far as how often to use: Whenever you think the knife needs a to be sharpened. The longer you use the ceramic rod, the shorter the periods between honing until the knife needs to be sharpened on a stone again.
That's my exact routine setup: SG500, 2k, and BBW. The BBW is knife dependent but is for finishing and routine edge maintenance (in this instance, in place of the rods you're asking about). For German knives I wouldn't go past 500 and in fact often just use lower grit diamonds for them just to get it over with.
Here's one source but there are others:
https://www.bestsharpeningstones.co...OZot99plnddsoGnsVhyqgRcy4dUObpvxoCsTUQAvD_BwE
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Strangely, my by far most used — for reviving an edge in hand — is a 15 x 4cm. As with all naturals, prices increase exponentially with their size.
Jovidah
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I think 15x4 is about the size most of us are using in hand the most, whether they admit it or not. 
So you sharpen hand holding ?
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Only for reviving an edge. I have that little fellow in the kitchen. Not where I do full sharpenings.
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Sure. Another option: if you manage to fully deburr with the 2k, that may your last stone. Later on, for reviving the edge, you still may use the BBW. That's how I do with a few stainless, e.g. 440C, 14C28N.
I am by no means experienced with honing steels. I have a truing steel, and a honing steel. they seen to do the job. However I have found that I get better results using the #12,000 grit Shapton I have. This isn't straightening the edge but with the German and Japanese knives with a very light pressure run across the stone with water does the job. Even with the 12K you can feel the edge smoothing down. I am actually thinking about getting a 16K to try out. These Shapton stones are fun to use they actually sharpen my knives properly.
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I love the Shapton Pro 12k a lot. Its real grit is much lower: I guess about 8k. Fun with it is it offers some extra bite — must have to do with a mix of abrasives. Comparable to the Naniwa Junpaku Snow-white 8k, without being difficult at use.
Wouldn't use it with soft German stainless, though.
Wouldn't use it with soft German stainless, though.
My Zwillings and Wüsthof knives are HRC58. The Wüsthof are made of Wusthof's proprietary X50CrMoV15 high carbon stainless steel. The Zwilling uses it's exclusive high carbon stainless Friodur steel. I have a OKC Small Game and Fish knife which is its version of the Kephart fixed knife, it uses 1095CV carbon steel its temper level on the OKC knife is about HRC 56 to 58. You can tell my SG&F is softer than the German knives. I have to be careful with the SG&F it seems the #2000 grit Shapton the best finisher for it.
