It is worth learning. A single two sided whetstone and some basic skill will give you sharp knives for the rest of your life.
Bonus, keep your cheap knives. They are typically a softer metal that will require maintenance more often so you can practice.
Also learn when you need to sharpen and when you need to hone. Your knife may be sharp but the edge is out of shape (folded, bent over). A few swipes of a hone and you could be back to 80-90% sharp.
At this point I use medium value knives and sharpen them once a year. I have no regrets regarding learning to sharpen with a whetstone. I also typically don’t sharpen beyond 1000 grit and it’s still enough for people to remark on how sharp the knives are.
That’s no longer true. A dishwasher safe trend took over, most cheap knives are extremely hard now. I’ve a nice old set of not quite stainless that sharpen very easily and the ten thousand grit polish stone I have actually does something. Most new knives I sharpen for people I don’t even go over 3000 because they are far too hard to take much effect. My personal favorites are old Wiltshire 70s wood handled inox cleavers and Opinel knives, those opinel especially turn into a razor incredibly easily.
Give them away to friends and family who aren’t into knives. There are a lot of garbage knives out there, so it helps to have a friend who knows what I should be using and how I should take care of it.
I’ve heard that, but I’ve only ever cut myself with the really sharp knives and yeah it’s clean, but when the knife is dull it just kind of pokes my finger and that’s it
I bought some knife set that cost like 1000 dollars. It was an impulsive buy when I won an award at work.
Damn I learned expensive knives are worth every penny. I’ve had them twenty years. Normally I’d buy a knife and have to throw it away after a couple of years because they couldn’t be sharpened as they were cheap.
You can sharpen every knife. Better knifes stay sharper for longer, but they still need to be sharpened regularly. This also applies to ceramic knifes, which stay sharper even longer, but also need to be sharpened after a lot of use.
Good knives. Well worth it.
This and knife sharpening kit. I brought back two Farberware pieces of crap and use them more than my Wusthof chef’s knife now.
Are whetstone any good?
It is worth learning. A single two sided whetstone and some basic skill will give you sharp knives for the rest of your life.
Bonus, keep your cheap knives. They are typically a softer metal that will require maintenance more often so you can practice.
Also learn when you need to sharpen and when you need to hone. Your knife may be sharp but the edge is out of shape (folded, bent over). A few swipes of a hone and you could be back to 80-90% sharp.
At this point I use medium value knives and sharpen them once a year. I have no regrets regarding learning to sharpen with a whetstone. I also typically don’t sharpen beyond 1000 grit and it’s still enough for people to remark on how sharp the knives are.
Best of luck.
Instead of a hone you could make a strop. A 2”x10” bit of leather, buy a stick of stropping compound and you get to feel like an old timey barber.
Once a year?? I have to sharpen like every time I use my kitchen knives
That’s no longer true. A dishwasher safe trend took over, most cheap knives are extremely hard now. I’ve a nice old set of not quite stainless that sharpen very easily and the ten thousand grit polish stone I have actually does something. Most new knives I sharpen for people I don’t even go over 3000 because they are far too hard to take much effect. My personal favorites are old Wiltshire 70s wood handled inox cleavers and Opinel knives, those opinel especially turn into a razor incredibly easily.
If you know how to use it. If you do not know got to use it a kit that you just stick in the knife is going to be way better.
Or you can learn? It sounds like a skill worth learning
Yes. Best way to sharpen a knife
I bought a really nice Benchmade pocket knife. I like the way it opens Amazon packages
For anyone reading this, do not “get into” pocket knives. You’ll not know what to do with all the damn knives!
same goes for flashlights. you won’t stop even if you already own 15 D4V2s (excluding those you already gifted to friends and family ofc)
Thanks for the warning. The last thing I need is another weird hobby
Give them away to friends and family who aren’t into knives. There are a lot of garbage knives out there, so it helps to have a friend who knows what I should be using and how I should take care of it.
I wish I had more upvotes. Good knives make cooking easy and, more important, prevent injuries.
Couldn’t agree more sharp knives don’t slip. Yet some people out there are purposely blunting kitchen knives.
People with glass cutting boards 🧐🤨
People with iPad cutting boards 😗😶
I’ve heard that, but I’ve only ever cut myself with the really sharp knives and yeah it’s clean, but when the knife is dull it just kind of pokes my finger and that’s it
I bought some knife set that cost like 1000 dollars. It was an impulsive buy when I won an award at work.
Damn I learned expensive knives are worth every penny. I’ve had them twenty years. Normally I’d buy a knife and have to throw it away after a couple of years because they couldn’t be sharpened as they were cheap.
I cook every day and it makes it so much easier.
You can sharpen every knife. Better knifes stay sharper for longer, but they still need to be sharpened regularly. This also applies to ceramic knifes, which stay sharper even longer, but also need to be sharpened after a lot of use.
Oh I wasn’t aware you could sharpen ceramic knives. Does it require different tools to sharpen than steel knives?
Those belts here work fine.
Diamond dust grinder wheel. Hard to find.
Just wait for the knife sharpening man to roll through town at that point