Finally figured out why my kitchen knives were always dull after a month

I spent like 2 years blaming my cheap $30 knife block until I saw my buddy in Portland sharpen his at a 20 degree angle. Turns out I was grinding mine at almost 45 degrees against the honing rod because I thought more pressure = sharper. Now I just use a light touch at the right angle and my chefs knife has been going strong for 3 months. Anyone else learn they were doing something basic completely backwards?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessew831mo ago

Not really buying it being all about the angle... I mean sure, getting the angle right matters but I've been taking my knives to a local sharpener for years and he just runs them on a wheel at whatever angle he feels like. They stay sharp for like a year with just a quick hone every couple weeks. Sounds more like the steel on the cheap block was soft and the edge was rolling over fast. A decent VG-10 blade will hold an edge way longer even if your angle is a little off.

brookekelly1mo ago

Switched from a pull-through sharpener to a whetstone after watching a YouTube video and it made a huge difference. I was putting way too much pressure on the knife before, like I was trying to grind metal off. A few light strokes at the right angle and it's way sharper than anything I got from the fancy electric one I used to use.