SHARPENING & HONING STEELS
Keep Your Knives Sharp
Maintaining a sharp, precise edge on your knives is essential for efficiency, control, and safety in the kitchen. At The Cotswold Knife Company, we offer a premium selection of sharpening and honing steels from trusted brands, ensuring your knives always perform at their best. Honing steels realign the edge of your blade, keeping it sharp and ready for everyday use, whereas sharpening steels actively remove material from the blade to restore sharpness when it becomes dull.
We recommend regularly using a honing steel to prolong the intervals between sharpening. However, when your knives inevitably lose their edge, a sharpening steel is essential for restoring their razor-sharp performance. Our collection includes high-quality diamond-coated and ceramic sharpening steels for professional results every time.
- Honing vs. Sharpening: Honing steels realign the blade’s edge for ongoing sharpness, while sharpening steels remove material to restore a dull edge.
- Leading Brands: High-quality sharpening and honing steels from top brands such as: Zwilling, Wusthof, and Lion Sabatier
- Premium Materials: Choose from diamond-coated and ceramic sharpening steels
FAQs
A honing steel should be used regularly—ideally before or after every few uses of your knife. Honing doesn’t remove metal but instead realigns the edge to keep your knife performing at its best. Regular honing helps prolong the sharpness of the blade and reduces the need for frequent sharpening.
If you notice your knife starting to feel slightly dull but still cuts reasonably well, a few strokes on a honing steel will help restore its precision.
A sharpening steel, unlike a honing steel, removes metal to reshape and restore a dull edge. Because of this, it should only be used when necessary—typically every few months, depending on how often you use your knives.
For professional chefs or those who cook daily, sharpening every 2–3 months may be needed. For home cooks using knives less frequently, sharpening every 6–12 months is usually sufficient. If your knife struggles to cut smoothly even after honing, it’s time to use a sharpening steel.
Yes, it’s highly recommended to wash your knife after using a sharpening steel. When sharpening, tiny metal particles are removed from the blade, and these can remain on the knife's edge. Washing the knife ensures that no metal residue is transferred to your food during preparation.
The angle of your knife's edge can differ depending on the type and manufacture of the knife. Before using a sharpening steel, you're best to check the manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific knife, or aim for 20° as a safe, general sharpening angle for most kitchen knives.
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