Useful links and stuff: ► Magic Marker Chart: imgur.com/Og8xBV7 ► Whetstones I use: amzn.to/2q5r9s0 - (Note: this is just the 1000 grit, if you can only get one grit, get this one.) ► Budget Friendly 1000/6000 grit stone: amzn.to/33r6qgH ► Cheap Knife sharpened in this video: amzn.to/2oFaQlh ► Sharpening Book: amzn.to/2oVnH2P All sources used: - An Edge in the Kitchen by Chad Ward - ua-cam.com/video/-aQKhb8aEWw/v-deo.html - www.chefsteps.com/activities/... - www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnhIK... - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCWAn... - www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-IW1... - imgur.com/Og8xBV7
Hey Ethan. Your channel reminds me so much of Alton Browns T.V. show Good Eats. It was honestly the first cooking show that got me hooked as a 5th grader who was just dabbling into milkshakes and burgers. His show was just informative with a slight sense of humor and really good food. If you havent watched it i definitely recommend it. I miss his show but yours just brings me to a special place in my childhood where everything was so simple. I would come home mix some M&M chocolate chip cookies with some ice cream and milk and say it was a world class milkshake. Thank you for keeping that part of me still present daily.
After having watched dozens of knife sharpening videos on UA-cam, yours is the first one that even addressed when to apply the pressure to the knife (down or upstroke). Also, I realize now that I was applying way too much pressure and just curling the burr over and over. No wonder my knives would never sharpen to the point I needed. Thank you for the extremely detailed information, Ethan!
Doesn't matter which way you put pressure. Trailing stroke is safer for the stone but other way is more efficient in terms of sharpening. I have sharpened hundreds of knives and razor blades and use pressure both ways since it is faster, but there is the risk of chipping your stone IF your sharpening angle changes. Also depends on the steel quality how much pressure is needed and what type of stones you have. Some stones bite a little bit more so don't require that much pressure. Some stones require a lot of pressure in the beginning to open up the surface (unless you are using a nagura).
I was starting to get overwhelmed, because I have a bunch of good expensive knives, some whetstones, and I've been trying to learn for weeks now how to sharpen them felt like such an idiot for wasting so much money on something I could never learn. Aaaand now I saw this video. Idk what I'd do without you Ethan you've improved my life a millionfold with the amazing tips/suggestions/research you provide - and you do it in such a non-condescending, honest, clear way. Your channel is a gem - you are a gem.
Yeah, I have a ton of cheap knives and they're all dull. I decided I'd get some expensive ones and figured I should get a whetstone and learn how to use it before I do that.
Excellent video...ive been a professional chef for 10 years and have been servicing my blades for 15 years and u have explained in the best terms many people need to know according to the fundamentals of edge manipulation and sharpening..keep it up!!
You're a professional chef yet you use whetstones to sharpen your cooking knives? I call bullshit. Nobody uses whetstones anymore, they've been obsolete for longer than I've been alive. All they do is fucking destroy your edge and ruin your steel. Use a file, or a ceramic block, or a tump, or a wheel charged with buffing compound. You don't live on the frontier in the Wild West, so don't use technology from those days.
I've tried sharpening guides from several different videos, with little success. This was the one that finally clicked for me! I spent the whole afternoon undoing years of abuse to my main kitchen knives. The satisfaction from a clean cut through paper was unbelievable!
A guide that really helped me 100% understand what to do was from OUTDOOR55, this video does do well, but the channel I mentioned goes a bit more in depth about sharpening, he can make some ridiculously sharp knives that can split hair into additional strands (length wise), called a "hair whittling edge".
@@Bonkripper7666 He's doing it right, in the sense that there's no definitive technique, some people drag sharpen, some push, some work in sections, some do full single passes, and they can all achieve the exact same result. The only important factors are to maintain a good angle by locking your wrist, changing sides when you get a full burr, working out the burr after you apex both sides with light passes, and finishing with a strop, how you get there doesn't matter as long as you're removing the material.
Thank you! Your instruction were so clear and thorough. My ex-husband was the knife sharpener and always told me that if the angle was 1 degree off at any point the knife would be forever ruined. I am no longer intimidated. Bought my own knives and whetstone and am confident and ready to go!
@@jacobheinz8236 I'm glad someone else has a sense of humor. I can just see her now. Does this feel a degree off sir?!😈Knife is so sharp he wouldn't even feel it.
Thank you, this was really helpful. I appreciate how you explained everything, the sharpie tip is amazing, and thank you also for the links that you provide. This was incredibly informative and well done.
I really enjoyed the video, Ethan. In case it hasn't been mentioned already, isopropyl alcohol (e.g. 91% or greater) also works great for removing permanent marker - like a Sharpie pen - from non-porous surfaces. And it will be kinder on plastic-handled knives than acetone.
Good consistent logic to your method. Thank you for sharing. Always takes me a lot longer than I'd like to sharpen. Maybe 20-30min per knife on 1000/5000 stones. Watching you gave me some nice tips, and I now know that I am spending the correct amount of time sharpening my knifes. To add - slicing, slowly, through thinner paper, eg receipt paper, like from the food orders' ticket machine, let's you know where the blade hangs up due to uneven blade edge, not sharpened enough, or stuck burr. Should go through very smoothly, and evenly at very slow speed through the thinnest paper, from the heel to tip. Going slow let's the edge hang up more easily where it needs more work.
Excellent video. Let me add some points: 1) when you sharpen, you're also removing a bit of stone. So when sharpening the point or heel of the knife, if that's in the middle of the top, you'll be cutting a light groove into the stone. I do the same move but with the tip (or heel) of the knife right on the edge. Granted it still cuts the stone, but instead of a groove has more of a slight rounding effect. 2) Once I find an angle that works, I put enough of my index finger on the lower side of the knife that it maintains light contact with the stone as I move. That keeps the angle precisely the same. If you don't have the angle very close to precisely the same, you won't get as sharp relative to the amount of metal you take off.
Your analogy of snapping a paper clip is what made the concept click in my mind. Now I know what I'm actually looking for when I feel the edge with my thumb!
You should wipe the knife clean when changing stones. Otherwise you introduce some of the larger grit particles into the finer medium and don’t end up getting the best effect from finer stone.
Just sharpened a knife for the first time in my life. Waited until we had a knife so dull I figured I couldn't make it worse if I flubbed the job. Following the tutorial assiduously, I estimate I brought the edge to about 70% cutting efficacy. Better than I expected for a first try! The video's carefully presented concepts along with detailed, real-time demonstrations of the end-to-end procedural steps demystified the process and gave me enough information for a reasonable success given no prior experience. Thanks!
Honestly the best thing with those whetstone is how clean the cut is all the way around, my co worker always sharpened the kitchen knives with a fusil, and it leave uneven edge, like we have a real Sabattier amazing knife, but it only sharp 5-8cm in the back, and the rest is dull :(
Excellent beginners video, many of the Pro's have kind of forgotten what its like to really start from a blank slate and I picked up quite some good tips here. The theory at the beginning for example was helpful. Thanks!
Yeah, this video is bloody excellent! So many of the details I couldn't find in other videos, they're usually like "Get a coarse/medium and fine stone, do this random angle on both sides, and Bob's your uncle." Now I did a successful paper test, never had knives this sharp before. Major thanks!
My grandmother gave me a knife when I moved away from home several years ago and I've been stubbornly using it even though it's gotten pretty dull (I couldn't cut a piece of paper with it). I've been trying to learn how to sharpen it for years. Because I didn't know what I was supposed to be looking for, it would get marginally sharper, but not to the point where I could cut paper like this. Man, I just sliced through two pieces of paper folded in half because of you. Thank you.
Yay! Thank you, this really helped! I've been sharpening as best I could using common sense but it didn't seem to get very sharp. Today sitting down and sharpening while watching this video has taken it to another level. PS: As mentioned by others, alcohol takes permanent marker off without marring plastic, whereas acetone or nail polish remover will dissolve plastic.
I had actually been struggling for months to sharpen my knifes and I tried a bunch of different methods but eventually I gave up/lost interest until I saw this video. I swear I’m not lying when I tell you that this is the sharpest I’ve ever had my knife and it’s not even close. I truly appreciate the video because I doubt I’ll ever struggle to sharpen my knives again. Much love
My aunt got me a nice knife set for my birthday. I just bought a whetstone to make sure I take care of them. This video is so helpful. Love your channel, man.
I like how you called it "zen". I remember watching my dad sharpen his knives when I was young and I swear it was hypnotizing. I was a very hyper child but it calmed me down.
What a great tutorial! I was able to sharpen my two everyday knives into a condition they haven’t been in years. Lovely! I really enjoy being able to make improvements - great or small - to my everyday life. This will make me smile every single time I cut up some tomatoes or something else that requires a sharp knife. Many thanks!
I appreciate you showing your finger, I needed something like that to drill the importance of sharp knives into my head. I bought a kit and am gonna get to work
3 times to perform a knife sharpening! I feel his pain so much. lol. That took DISCIPLINE to go for doing it a third time, just to make sure it got done right. =) Kudos.
Thank you for the video. I was quite intimidated of sharpening but with the help of this video, I succeeded in getting a knife sharp. It took way too long, and the edge is fairly inconsistent but it is way sharper than it used to be, so it's a good start. Thanks!
Since Josh Wiseman compleeeeeeeetly fell off and turned into a meme machine for 10 year olds, I'm so fucking thrilled you are keeping true to yourself. You were recommended in many reddit threads and you've become one of my favourite channels.
Totally agree. I so hate when a good informative UA-camr gets popular and completely changes their content/leans into cheap comedy and memes. Love seeing Ethan get big and still maintain quality content.
Thank you for this. Its been years since I've sharpened knives and this taught me much more than what I used to know. You made it all very easy to understand.
I was allready pretti into sharpening my knifes, about a year ago. I watched guides and instructions, got me some japanese wetstones. Tried it and had ok results. Well, ok aighn't good enough for me, so I got a bit frustrated and tried and tried. Had a few improvements, but to be honest, all those instructions I followed were kind of all over the place. Now, after watching your video, with simple but on point instructions, I got. motivated again. Had quite good results! My knife is plenty sharp now, cutting hair with ease. Thanks a lot! And sorry if some spelling mistakes slip through my proof reading, german autocorrect doesn't make it to easy XD
As he said 1000 is good and only use low grid to repair chipped knifes. And as long as you create a burr and after creating it you just gotta keep making it smaller and smaller as instructed in the video. Maybe you have a specific problem if so point it out maybe someone has an answer
Dude thanks so much! I tried sharpening my knife I use at work earlier today and I'm pretty sure I came away duller than I started. Tried again after watching this and while it's not factory sharp again, it shaves if I try to. Sharpie trick + realizing that if it's still dull on the lower grit stone it won't get better from higher grit is game changing! Really saved me from having a rough day tomorrow.
I’ve never sharpened a knife before I watched your tutorial. It was great. I feel I can do it now, so I ordered some supplies. I do wish I could have seen more microscopically shots of the blade at various steps of sharpening and a finished shot. Great video!
I looked into all the gizmos that are supposed to make knife-sharpening easier, and they all fall short somewhere. I'm convinced everyone should buy a couple of stones, and practice with a cheap knife until they get the hang of it. Then they'll be free of all those machines, and get the best results to boot. Thank you for all the detailed instruction. That's what's needed for teaching knife-sharpening, lots of details, and you provide them so well.
I have this knife. It's nice that this knife is really easy to sharp with and its super cheap as long as you have high quality whetstones and a leather strop. IMO greatest beater knife ever!
simply put, this is best knife sharpening video. I really appreciate the explanation of why your doing these motions and then the demonstration. Plus it's like learning from friend which makes you feel comfortable enough to jump in and try right away.
Thank you so much for this in-depth, budget friendly, beginner friendly tutorial. I’ve watched more than a few and they rubbed me the wrong way for various reason. This was veryVERY helpful! All the tips and questions I didn’t even know I had were answered and you really talked to us like we were learning rather than seeming to just make another video doing a chore and jumping on the ad revenue just because you have an audience. Thank you, Ethan
The best sharpening tutorial ever. First time in my life successfully cut my hand’s hair as well as piece of paper. Unbelievable. Wifey is ecstatic as well! Thanks Ethan.
Agreed. I've been sharpening my own knives for a couple years now. And I can tell you the cutting Paper thing is real. It's become a problem. There isn't any more Paper in my house. I've gotten friends into it too. I'm holding my favourite knife now lol.
I followed this video earlier today after struggling to get my knifes sharpened again. Worked great! Didn't get it as sharp as you did, but for a rookie I'm pretty happy I can at least cut typing paper and potatoes easily again. Next time I hope to get even better!
Just bought my first whetstones to try my hand at maintaining my knives recently and I figured, "How hard could it be?!"... I quickly came to the conclusion I had no idea what I was doing lol... Thankfully, this video explained it perfectly for beginners with all the steps to get it right consistently to build a proper foundation before adapting to what works best individually. Can't wait to get home to begin round 2, in which I will hopefully fix the couple knives I dulled >_
Besides the fact that you were using some amazing classical music. This was legitimately the best sharpening video I’ve ever watched. This is game changing. Thank you so very much man
@@craigsayer8710 thanks. I did. Its also very good, but in my opinion, its more geared towards "pros", which I am not and have no intention of being ;)
@@pcbartolomeu are you sure lol he does step by step videos on angles grips you name it the lot geared for pros definitely not aimed at beginners for sure
@@craigsayer8710 Not everyone wants to know all the angles, grips, methods, theories. Some folk just would like to sharpen their knife for their kitchen and move on. No need to make something as sharp as an aztec sacrificial knife to cut a potato, for exemple.
GOOD GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOODA THUNK!?!?!?!?! I had no idea it was THAT involved! What a great learning session. With fantastic instruction. And a superlative professor! I now know it's called a whetstone. I guess I'll soak it for half an hour, because I don't know if I should soak it in water, or do the splash and go, like you, professor. When I first saw that the video was over thirty minutes, I thought NO WAY, that's way too long for a 'How To' knife sharpening video. Glad I watched the entire video. I learned a lot. Thank you! Mark
I am a beginner at sharpening knives.. trying it for few weeks now important take away from this video a. You can sit and sharpen(it gives great balance and control) b. holding knifes change hand or finger(changing fingers work for me) c. You have to feel it and sharpen according.. I was afraid to cut myself but tried it loved it don't press fingers just glide to get a feel...the feedback you get by feeling..is very important. Just sharpened 2 knives that I have with my stone(400/600)…1000 grit are expensive.. this sharpness is enough for my purpose(home cooking) Thanks a Lot man keep up the good work 😁👍
I have to agree about the zen of sharpening. It’s something I’ve been doing for decades, I enjoy it (here I am watching sharpening videos on UA-cam at 2:00 a.m.), and I find it almost meditative. You have to focus, but you don’t really have to think.
THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO ON KNIFE SHARPENING EVER. PERIOD. i took some cooking classes and there was a session on knife sharpening.... No. Just very bad. This is 100x better. Followed all your steps and my knife now cuts into paper, i am thrilled! Im not even very good w my hands but got it sharp enough to cut paper and a tomato. A+ instructions. Subscribed and cant wait for your future vids! Would love to see one where you test and compare diff sharpening tools🙂
The Samurai believed their souls were represented by their swords, so when they took them to a polisher, they weren't merely sharpening a blade, but polishing their soul.
I really appreciate this video. At first I was apprehensive because of the length - but every minute counts and is packed with information. I'm gonna give it a go with my knives. Hopefully they will not end out in a worse shape than they are now!
Thanks so much, Ethan, for showing us this technique!! I’ve always wanted to know how to do it!! I’m always asking for help sharpening my knives but now I can do it myself!! Hooray 😃
This is one of the best videos on beginning knife honing I have ever watched. And I have watched a lot, frankly, because I suck at knife sharpening. HA.
By far the best video I’ve seen. I’ve tried multiple times from multiple guides but I was never able to cut paper. Thank you for simplifying it. I finally got my super cheap garbage chefs knife to cut paper! The marker trick, the hand placement, and most importantly seeing what 4pbs of pressure actually is on a kitchen scale was super helpful! Thanks again!
Tremendously helpful, very structured laying out the basics and going through every step. Just treated myself to my first whetstones and I'm confident I'm doing much better than figuring out all of this on my own.
i have to give this video a like. i just got my very first whetstone, a 1,000 grit. after watching this video i attempted to sharped a knife using a whetstone for the first time. results are kind of a mixed bag but overall very positive. i sharpened a santoku knife, a chefs knife, a paring knife and finally a tanto blade pocket knife. that order is the order in which i had success from most successful to least, in terms of sharpness. the santoku knife started off not even being close to being able to cut paper, it is now one of my sharpest knives only second to my BRAND NEW benchmade pocket knife. i didnt check the chefs knife before sharpening it but im sure if it could cut paper it would have been an inconsistent struggle. the paring knife cut paper before sharpening but now it slices even better. the pocket knife was a cheap walmart in house brand that i beat the crap out of, it now is able to slice through paper but definitely not gracefully. i have found the bigger, straighter/flatter the blade is the easier it is to sharpen. i did finish all the knives stropping them on a leather belt without any compound of any sort and found that it made a very noticeable difference. one last thing, the stone i used was some $30 king brand 1,000 grit.
Thank you. After watching several other videos I found yours made the most sense to me. I bought a wetstone more than 10 years ago and now, during the pandemic, I am finally motivated to learn.
You explaining with your hands of the process of ping-ponging the burr (and also explaining the burr as feeling like a bent metal) really helped. Unlike other knife sharpening videos, that explanation and the sharpie trick gave me clear indicator to feel and look for.
Thank you for the sharpie trick. In all the years I've stumbled thru trying to get a good edge on my blades, I've never even heard of this before, but I'm sure it will give me more confidence next time I go and sharpen my knives. The one thing I learned from a pro, is the polishing stone isn't for sharpening but for a sort of hardening of the edge so it keeps longer than just sharpening alone on the medium stone
That's Ethan for this tutorial, I inherited my grandfather's whetstones and didn't know what to do with them! Took our chef's knife that wouldn't even cut paper and now it slices through it like butter!
My mother nearly completely cut off the tip of her finger right through the middle of the fingernail just like you did. Only her knife was SCARY sharp. Always use a knife with care and don't let distractions take your eyes off your hands.
Incredibly helpful. Pictures and reading don't really give you enough information on technique, so showing the process from beginning to end was the most helpful part of this video (at least for me). The details were great benchmarks to check your work. Thanks so much!
live2day yea, I hate it because I don’t have a stone, it’s frustrating because I really want my knife to be sharper because tomatoes always get squished and I always do uneven cuts because of that
@@adc4836 If you're broke and terrible at sharpening (we've all been there once), go ahead and cut your teeth sharpening with sandpaper. Progress through something like 200, 600, and 1000 grit, and you'll be fine
@@almojabanas9296 i am a butcher...you go agaist the edge so you dont create the burl on the edge...i sharpen 9 knives everyday...EVERYDAY...FOR 4 YEARS...THIS UA-cam JUNKIE HAS ONLY SHARPENED 15 IN HIS LIFE AS HE STATED
i did it the first time and it was rteally easy. One tip though that you dont seem to have done it but it helped me a lot, work while standing up. I locked my elbows and wrists for the most part and just let my whole body rock back and forth - I think it really helped maintaining the angle consistency. I did it in maybe 10-15 minutes with a Victorinox that hasn't been sharpened for 4-5 years (since i got it). Can't wait to try again. I want to try using the sharpie method as well
The video that I didn't know I needed. This was a skill I watched my father do for many years but a talent he didn't pass on to me. I basically resorted to using the standard hand held sharpening tools didn't even know what a honing tool was used for. Thank you for making such a detailed video. How would you sharpen a serrated edge?
What a good video on the basics of sharpening. Very thorough yet not overwhelming. This is the first video I watched from this channel. This guy is a good teacher.
Great video - thanks so much for taking the time (3 times, lol) to make it. I had watched a few videos that just didn't seem to give the info I needed. This really did. I watched it and followed along for my first two knives, then felt confident enough to do the third one mostly on my own, checking back a couple of times to make sure I had the steps right. Really helpful - thank you!
I’ve been using this technique after 18 years worth of sharpening knives. Pretty much have the same sharpening stone as you do. But I must admit I did pick up one little technique from you which I will also use. So….thank you 🙏
It really was Zen like, sharpening my blades. My husband rolled his eyes at me grabbing his magazine to demonstrate sharpness. "Do we really need that sharp of knives?" He asks. Lol
Had a similar injury on the same finger years ago, but it happened because I was working double shifts at the restaurant, my prep cook called out sick and I micronapped while slicing peppers 😆🤦♂️
Thank you so much for taking the time to record this tutorial; I love to cook and struggle with keeping my knives sharp just using one of those “pull through” type sharpeners. I’d heard that using a whetstone is much better, so I’m glad I found your video before i made any sort of attempt to use one myself.
Got back to my to my knifes a second round after watching this. Sure got a better result. Far from perfect, but at least kind of scary sharp. Thanks for sharing!
Useful links and stuff:
► Magic Marker Chart: imgur.com/Og8xBV7
► Whetstones I use: amzn.to/2q5r9s0
- (Note: this is just the 1000 grit, if you can only get one grit, get this one.)
► Budget Friendly 1000/6000 grit stone: amzn.to/33r6qgH
► Cheap Knife sharpened in this video: amzn.to/2oFaQlh
► Sharpening Book: amzn.to/2oVnH2P
All sources used:
- An Edge in the Kitchen by Chad Ward
- ua-cam.com/video/-aQKhb8aEWw/v-deo.html
- www.chefsteps.com/activities/...
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnhIK...
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCWAn...
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-IW1...
- imgur.com/Og8xBV7
Hey Ethan. Your channel reminds me so much of Alton Browns T.V. show Good Eats. It was honestly the first cooking show that got me hooked as a 5th grader who was just dabbling into milkshakes and burgers. His show was just informative with a slight sense of humor and really good food. If you havent watched it i definitely recommend it. I miss his show but yours just brings me to a special place in my childhood where everything was so simple. I would come home mix some M&M chocolate chip cookies with some ice cream and milk and say it was a world class milkshake. Thank you for keeping that part of me still present daily.
3:44 “removing the knife from the metal at a specific angle”
(That said great video and awesome job making cooking techniques accessible!)
I saw several reviews of the cheap stones saying they were radio active.😬 Anyone have any idea if those reviews are legit.
@@joshrosenbalm1380 l
P
After having watched dozens of knife sharpening videos on UA-cam, yours is the first one that even addressed when to apply the pressure to the knife (down or upstroke). Also, I realize now that I was applying way too much pressure and just curling the burr over and over. No wonder my knives would never sharpen to the point I needed. Thank you for the extremely detailed information, Ethan!
The scale trick rules. I was having trouble getting a burr, turns out 4 pounds of force is more than I thought it was!
Doesn't matter which way you put pressure. Trailing stroke is safer for the stone but other way is more efficient in terms of sharpening. I have sharpened hundreds of knives and razor blades and use pressure both ways since it is faster, but there is the risk of chipping your stone IF your sharpening angle changes. Also depends on the steel quality how much pressure is needed and what type of stones you have. Some stones bite a little bit more so don't require that much pressure. Some stones require a lot of pressure in the beginning to open up the surface (unless you are using a nagura).
@@thandle42 I remember using this method for my wet shaving
2kg of pressure is quite a lot. I bet all this time I havent been using enough pressure.
I've spent an average of two hours per knife. I didn't realize how much I was doing wrong until this video
I was starting to get overwhelmed, because I have a bunch of good expensive knives, some whetstones, and I've been trying to learn for weeks now how to sharpen them felt like such an idiot for wasting so much money on something I could never learn. Aaaand now I saw this video. Idk what I'd do without you Ethan you've improved my life a millionfold with the amazing tips/suggestions/research you provide - and you do it in such a non-condescending, honest, clear way. Your channel is a gem - you are a gem.
Yeah, I have a ton of cheap knives and they're all dull. I decided I'd get some expensive ones and figured I should get a whetstone and learn how to use it before I do that.
Same here, but I still can't get my knives sharp. Maybe I'll have my break through some day
Excellent video...ive been a professional chef for 10 years and have been servicing my blades for 15 years and u have explained in the best terms many people need to know according to the fundamentals of edge manipulation and sharpening..keep it up!!
Wow u waffle
You're a professional chef yet you use whetstones to sharpen your cooking knives? I call bullshit. Nobody uses whetstones anymore, they've been obsolete for longer than I've been alive. All they do is fucking destroy your edge and ruin your steel. Use a file, or a ceramic block, or a tump, or a wheel charged with buffing compound. You don't live on the frontier in the Wild West, so don't use technology from those days.
my guy, nice pancake@@ludwig8795
Pour éliminer le feutre l’alcool a 90👍👍
I've tried sharpening guides from several different videos, with little success.
This was the one that finally clicked for me!
I spent the whole afternoon undoing years of abuse to my main kitchen knives. The satisfaction from a clean cut through paper was unbelievable!
That’s funny cause this guys sharpening wrong🤡
Not how you use a stone..
A guide that really helped me 100% understand what to do was from OUTDOOR55, this video does do well, but the channel I mentioned goes a bit more in depth about sharpening, he can make some ridiculously sharp knives that can split hair into additional strands (length wise), called a "hair whittling edge".
@@Bonkripper7666 He's doing it right, in the sense that there's no definitive technique, some people drag sharpen, some push, some work in sections, some do full single passes, and they can all achieve the exact same result. The only important factors are to maintain a good angle by locking your wrist, changing sides when you get a full burr, working out the burr after you apex both sides with light passes, and finishing with a strop, how you get there doesn't matter as long as you're removing the material.
Thank you! Your instruction were so clear and thorough. My ex-husband was the knife sharpener and always told me that if the angle was 1 degree off at any point the knife would be forever ruined. I am no longer intimidated. Bought my own knives and whetstone and am confident and ready to go!
You could always reset the angle with a 320 grit stone
People tend to use scare tactics like that to either sell you something or to keep their job security.
“Ex” 😂 Get a new knife, stone n “New” husband, 💪🏻
your ex-husband was a dingo good for you on doing it yourself!great job!
@@jacobheinz8236 I'm glad someone else has a sense of humor. I can just see her now. Does this feel a degree off sir?!😈Knife is so sharp he wouldn't even feel it.
Thank you, this was really helpful. I appreciate how you explained everything, the sharpie tip is amazing, and thank you also for the links that you provide. This was incredibly informative and well done.
I really enjoyed the video, Ethan. In case it hasn't been mentioned already, isopropyl alcohol (e.g. 91% or greater) also works great for removing permanent marker - like a Sharpie pen - from non-porous surfaces. And it will be kinder on plastic-handled knives than acetone.
Should note it doesn't work well on all plastics, like if you knife is made of plastic storage containers.
Good consistent logic to your method. Thank you for sharing. Always takes me a lot longer than I'd like to sharpen. Maybe 20-30min per knife on 1000/5000 stones. Watching you gave me some nice tips, and I now know that I am spending the correct amount of time sharpening my knifes.
To add - slicing, slowly, through thinner paper, eg receipt paper, like from the food orders' ticket machine, let's you know where the blade hangs up due to uneven blade edge, not sharpened enough, or stuck burr. Should go through very smoothly, and evenly at very slow speed through the thinnest paper, from the heel to tip. Going slow let's the edge hang up more easily where it needs more work.
“I’m going to be blunt” hahahaha I guess that’s much better than being dull. This is cutting edge!
That was punny
God shoot me
You're pretty Sharp! That was a Farber less joke!
You have a dull sense of humor. You really need to hone your jokes in.
Bad! Bad Reddit people! Get back to Reddit where you belong! Shoo!
Excellent video. Let me add some points:
1) when you sharpen, you're also removing a bit of stone. So when sharpening the point or heel of the knife, if that's in the middle of the top, you'll be cutting a light groove into the stone. I do the same move but with the tip (or heel) of the knife right on the edge. Granted it still cuts the stone, but instead of a groove has more of a slight rounding effect.
2) Once I find an angle that works, I put enough of my index finger on the lower side of the knife that it maintains light contact with the stone as I move. That keeps the angle precisely the same. If you don't have the angle very close to precisely the same, you won't get as sharp relative to the amount of metal you take off.
Your analogy of snapping a paper clip is what made the concept click in my mind. Now I know what I'm actually looking for when I feel the edge with my thumb!
Glad to hear it.
I've watched like 10 videos on sharpening knives via whetstone now and for some reason this is the first time I've seen the sharpie trick.
It's a game changer when you are first starting out. Helped me a ton.
I saw someone comment it on another video but couldn't really visualise it. Good to see here
Sharpie it all you want ,his angles are all off, for the effort he put in that could've been a katana!
@@supabry26 Oh look, the resident youtube compulsive contrarian.
@@CerpinTxt87 Oh look, the pretentious simple-minded dweeb who needs to label everything
Him: sharpens knife Apple Watch: WHY ARE U RUNNING
Apple Watch: never run with knives
I'm dead 💀💀
Lol
Jerks handle vigorously*
In Counterstrike you can run faster with a knife
You should wipe the knife clean when changing stones. Otherwise you introduce some of the larger grit particles into the finer medium and don’t end up getting the best effect from finer stone.
That is correct, I agree with you.
Just sharpened a knife for the first time in my life. Waited until we had a knife so dull I figured I couldn't make it worse if I flubbed the job. Following the tutorial assiduously, I estimate I brought the edge to about 70% cutting efficacy. Better than I expected for a first try! The video's carefully presented concepts along with detailed, real-time demonstrations of the end-to-end procedural steps demystified the process and gave me enough information for a reasonable success given no prior experience. Thanks!
Honestly the best thing with those whetstone is how clean the cut is all the way around, my co worker always sharpened the kitchen knives with a fusil, and it leave uneven edge, like we have a real Sabattier amazing knife, but it only sharp 5-8cm in the back, and the rest is dull :(
Excellent beginners video, many of the Pro's have kind of forgotten what its like to really start from a blank slate and I picked up quite some good tips here. The theory at the beginning for example was helpful. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Yeah, this video is bloody excellent! So many of the details I couldn't find in other videos, they're usually like "Get a coarse/medium and fine stone, do this random angle on both sides, and Bob's your uncle." Now I did a successful paper test, never had knives this sharp before. Major thanks!
My grandmother gave me a knife when I moved away from home several years ago and I've been stubbornly using it even though it's gotten pretty dull (I couldn't cut a piece of paper with it). I've been trying to learn how to sharpen it for years. Because I didn't know what I was supposed to be looking for, it would get marginally sharper, but not to the point where I could cut paper like this.
Man, I just sliced through two pieces of paper folded in half because of you. Thank you.
This is probably the most helpful whetstone video I've seen on UA-cam and I've watched as many as 3.
Yay! Thank you, this really helped! I've been sharpening as best I could using common sense but it didn't seem to get very sharp. Today sitting down and sharpening while watching this video has taken it to another level. PS: As mentioned by others, alcohol takes permanent marker off without marring plastic, whereas acetone or nail polish remover will dissolve plastic.
I had actually been struggling for months to sharpen my knifes and I tried a bunch of different methods but eventually I gave up/lost interest until I saw this video. I swear I’m not lying when I tell you that this is the sharpest I’ve ever had my knife and it’s not even close. I truly appreciate the video because I doubt I’ll ever struggle to sharpen my knives again. Much love
My aunt got me a nice knife set for my birthday. I just bought a whetstone to make sure I take care of them. This video is so helpful. Love your channel, man.
I like how you called it "zen". I remember watching my dad sharpen his knives when I was young and I swear it was hypnotizing. I was a very hyper child but it calmed me down.
My new whetstone set and this video allowed me to easily slice through a tomato with a really old never sharpened knife.
What a great tutorial! I was able to sharpen my two everyday knives into a condition they haven’t been in years. Lovely! I really enjoy being able to make improvements - great or small - to my everyday life. This will make me smile every single time I cut up some tomatoes or something else that requires a sharp knife. Many thanks!
I appreciate you showing your finger, I needed something like that to drill the importance of sharp knives into my head. I bought a kit and am gonna get to work
I tried many techniques and could not cut paper. With this one I managed to do it on the first go with minimal effort.
Great video!!
3 times to perform a knife sharpening! I feel his pain so much. lol. That took DISCIPLINE to go for doing it a third time, just to make sure it got done right. =) Kudos.
Thank you for the video. I was quite intimidated of sharpening but with the help of this video, I succeeded in getting a knife sharp. It took way too long, and the edge is fairly inconsistent but it is way sharper than it used to be, so it's a good start. Thanks!
Kudos! Superb content, script, dialog, postproduction and editing. Complex task reduced to easily understood execution. Again, KUDOS ! BRAVO! MORE !
Keep refining.
Since Josh Wiseman compleeeeeeeetly fell off and turned into a meme machine for 10 year olds, I'm so fucking thrilled you are keeping true to yourself. You were recommended in many reddit threads and you've become one of my favourite channels.
Totally agree. I so hate when a good informative UA-camr gets popular and completely changes their content/leans into cheap comedy and memes. Love seeing Ethan get big and still maintain quality content.
Thank you for this. Its been years since I've sharpened knives and this taught me much more than what I used to know. You made it all very easy to understand.
I was allready pretti into sharpening my knifes, about a year ago. I watched guides and instructions, got me some japanese wetstones. Tried it and had ok results. Well, ok aighn't good enough for me, so I got a bit frustrated and tried and tried. Had a few improvements, but to be honest, all those instructions I followed were kind of all over the place. Now, after watching your video, with simple but on point instructions, I got. motivated again. Had quite good results! My knife is plenty sharp now, cutting hair with ease. Thanks a lot! And sorry if some spelling mistakes slip through my proof reading, german autocorrect doesn't make it to easy XD
Just tried it for my first time today. Total fail lol. My knife has never been more dull haha. Any tips?
First stone was a 400
As he said 1000 is good and only use low grid to repair chipped knifes. And as long as you create a burr and after creating it you just gotta keep making it smaller and smaller as instructed in the video. Maybe you have a specific problem if so point it out maybe someone has an answer
Dude thanks so much! I tried sharpening my knife I use at work earlier today and I'm pretty sure I came away duller than I started. Tried again after watching this and while it's not factory sharp again, it shaves if I try to. Sharpie trick + realizing that if it's still dull on the lower grit stone it won't get better from higher grit is game changing! Really saved me from having a rough day tomorrow.
I’ve never sharpened a knife before I watched your tutorial. It was great. I feel I can do it now, so I ordered some supplies. I do wish I could have seen more microscopically shots of the blade at various steps of sharpening and a finished shot. Great video!
I looked into all the gizmos that are supposed to make knife-sharpening easier, and they all fall short somewhere. I'm convinced everyone should buy a couple of stones, and practice with a cheap knife until they get the hang of it. Then they'll be free of all those machines, and get the best results to boot.
Thank you for all the detailed instruction. That's what's needed for teaching knife-sharpening, lots of details, and you provide them so well.
I have this knife. It's nice that this knife is really easy to sharp with and its super cheap as long as you have high quality whetstones and a leather strop. IMO greatest beater knife ever!
What knife is it?
@@LeonardCartersureshotfoto ever found out?
@@LeonardCartersureshotfoto Happy Sales from amazon
@@graegoles8382 Happy Sales from amazon
simply put, this is best knife sharpening video. I really appreciate the explanation of why your doing these motions and then the demonstration. Plus it's like learning from friend which makes you feel comfortable enough to jump in and try right away.
Probably the only knife sharpening video UA-cam ever needs. Thank you so much!! Now I’m ready to sharpen my knife!
I recently got a whetstone and have been looking at vids all night and I gotta say Ethan yours is by far the best and most in depth.
Thank you so much for this in-depth, budget friendly, beginner friendly tutorial. I’ve watched more than a few and they rubbed me the wrong way for various reason. This was veryVERY helpful! All the tips and questions I didn’t even know I had were answered and you really talked to us like we were learning rather than seeming to just make another video doing a chore and jumping on the ad revenue just because you have an audience. Thank you, Ethan
The best sharpening tutorial ever. First time in my life successfully cut my hand’s hair as well as piece of paper. Unbelievable. Wifey is ecstatic as well! Thanks Ethan.
Great video. Just getting started with whetstones and this has been the best introduction I’ve watched so far
Agreed. I've been sharpening my own knives for a couple years now. And I can tell you the cutting Paper thing is real. It's become a problem. There isn't any more Paper in my house. I've gotten friends into it too. I'm holding my favourite knife now lol.
I followed this video earlier today after struggling to get my knifes sharpened again. Worked great! Didn't get it as sharp as you did, but for a rookie I'm pretty happy I can at least cut typing paper and potatoes easily again. Next time I hope to get even better!
Just bought my first whetstones to try my hand at maintaining my knives recently and I figured, "How hard could it be?!"... I quickly came to the conclusion I had no idea what I was doing lol...
Thankfully, this video explained it perfectly for beginners with all the steps to get it right consistently to build a proper foundation before adapting to what works best individually. Can't wait to get home to begin round 2, in which I will hopefully fix the couple knives I dulled >_
Besides the fact that you were using some amazing classical music. This was legitimately the best sharpening video I’ve ever watched. This is game changing. Thank you so very much man
This is the best knife sharpening tutorial with wet stones I've seen, and I've seen many! Thanks!
if so you still not seen enough :D
Try watching korin he does better classes step by step
@@craigsayer8710 thanks. I did. Its also very good, but in my opinion, its more geared towards "pros", which I am not and have no intention of being ;)
@@pcbartolomeu are you sure lol he does step by step videos on angles grips you name it the lot geared for pros definitely not aimed at beginners for sure
@@craigsayer8710 Not everyone wants to know all the angles, grips, methods, theories. Some folk just would like to sharpen their knife for their kitchen and move on. No need to make something as sharp as an aztec sacrificial knife to cut a potato, for exemple.
GOOD GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOODA THUNK!?!?!?!?!
I had no idea it was THAT involved!
What a great learning session.
With fantastic instruction.
And a superlative professor!
I now know it's called a whetstone.
I guess I'll soak it for half an hour, because I don't know if I should soak it in water, or do the splash and go, like you, professor. When I first saw that the video was over thirty minutes, I thought NO WAY, that's way too long for a 'How To' knife sharpening video. Glad I watched the entire video. I learned a lot. Thank you! Mark
I yelled every time he tried to use the marker on a wet knife. Great vid though, saved my life
I am a beginner at sharpening knives.. trying it for few weeks now
important take away from this video
a. You can sit and sharpen(it gives great balance and control)
b. holding knifes change hand or finger(changing fingers work for me)
c. You have to feel it and sharpen according.. I was afraid to cut myself but tried it loved it don't press fingers just glide to get a feel...the feedback you get by feeling..is very important. Just sharpened 2 knives that I have with my stone(400/600)…1000 grit are expensive.. this sharpness is enough for my purpose(home cooking)
Thanks a Lot man
keep up the good work
😁👍
I have to agree about the zen of sharpening. It’s something I’ve been doing for decades, I enjoy it (here I am watching sharpening videos on UA-cam at 2:00 a.m.), and I find it almost meditative. You have to focus, but you don’t really have to think.
THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO ON KNIFE SHARPENING EVER. PERIOD. i took some cooking classes and there was a session on knife sharpening.... No. Just very bad. This is 100x better. Followed all your steps and my knife now cuts into paper, i am thrilled! Im not even very good w my hands but got it sharp enough to cut paper and a tomato. A+ instructions. Subscribed and cant wait for your future vids! Would love to see one where you test and compare diff sharpening tools🙂
The Samurai believed their souls were represented by their swords, so when they took them to a polisher, they weren't merely sharpening a blade, but polishing their soul.
thats why suicidal through blade is most honorable to their soul
This is why I fucking love samurai
@La Hire ok cool boy
@La Hire ok cool boy
That is why my sword is full of feces
Literally watched this and was able to start sharpening my knives correctly. This is being saved FOREVER!
This is quite possibly the greatest video on yt about how to sharpen a knife.
I really appreciate this video. At first I was apprehensive because of the length - but every minute counts and is packed with information. I'm gonna give it a go with my knives. Hopefully they will not end out in a worse shape than they are now!
Thanks so much, Ethan, for showing us this technique!! I’ve always wanted to know how to do it!! I’m always asking for help sharpening my knives but now I can do it myself!! Hooray 😃
This is the best video on sharpening knives with a whetstone. My knife has finally passed the paper-test. Thank you so much!
Thank you for being so thorough with not only the instructions of sharpening but also making it VERY easy to order what is needed to begin.
This is one of the best videos on beginning knife honing I have ever watched. And I have watched a lot, frankly, because I suck at knife sharpening. HA.
This is the most thorough and step-by-step tutorial I’ve seen yet. Really helpful, thanks!
By far the best video I’ve seen. I’ve tried multiple times from multiple guides but I was never able to cut paper. Thank you for simplifying it. I finally got my super cheap garbage chefs knife to cut paper! The marker trick, the hand placement, and most importantly seeing what 4pbs of pressure actually is on a kitchen scale was super helpful! Thanks again!
Tremendously helpful, very structured laying out the basics and going through every step. Just treated myself to my first whetstones and I'm confident I'm doing much better than figuring out all of this on my own.
3:40 I really didn't wanna remove my knife from the metal, but alas. Hope it's worth it.
i have to give this video a like. i just got my very first whetstone, a 1,000 grit. after watching this video i attempted to sharped a knife using a whetstone for the first time. results are kind of a mixed bag but overall very positive. i sharpened a santoku knife, a chefs knife, a paring knife and finally a tanto blade pocket knife. that order is the order in which i had success from most successful to least, in terms of sharpness. the santoku knife started off not even being close to being able to cut paper, it is now one of my sharpest knives only second to my BRAND NEW benchmade pocket knife. i didnt check the chefs knife before sharpening it but im sure if it could cut paper it would have been an inconsistent struggle. the paring knife cut paper before sharpening but now it slices even better. the pocket knife was a cheap walmart in house brand that i beat the crap out of, it now is able to slice through paper but definitely not gracefully. i have found the bigger, straighter/flatter the blade is the easier it is to sharpen. i did finish all the knives stropping them on a leather belt without any compound of any sort and found that it made a very noticeable difference. one last thing, the stone i used was some $30 king brand 1,000 grit.
Thank you. After watching several other videos I found yours made the most sense to me. I bought a wetstone more than 10 years ago and now, during the pandemic, I am finally motivated to learn.
You're welcome, get those sharp knives!
The best example for a beginner, me, I have seen on UA-cam. Thank you.
This is exactly what I'm meant to watch at 1:30 AM on a weekday right?
What... This was only 3 weeks ago!? It's like I posted this in the tiger king phase of lockdown!
You explaining with your hands of the process of ping-ponging the burr (and also explaining the burr as feeling like a bent metal) really helped. Unlike other knife sharpening videos, that explanation and the sharpie trick gave me clear indicator to feel and look for.
Thanks!
Thank you for the sharpie trick. In all the years I've stumbled thru trying to get a good edge on my blades, I've never even heard of this before, but I'm sure it will give me more confidence next time I go and sharpen my knives.
The one thing I learned from a pro, is the polishing stone isn't for sharpening but for a sort of hardening of the edge so it keeps longer than just sharpening alone on the medium stone
That's Ethan for this tutorial, I inherited my grandfather's whetstones and didn't know what to do with them! Took our chef's knife that wouldn't even cut paper and now it slices through it like butter!
My mother nearly completely cut off the tip of her finger right through the middle of the fingernail just like you did. Only her knife was SCARY sharp. Always use a knife with care and don't let distractions take your eyes off your hands.
@i9Dolphin What you said! I'm not deft with a knife just like my mother. Therefore I chop very carefully in the kitchen.
People who are not experienced with handling a knife should invest in a cut grove.
@@susanchandler2317 What is a cut grove? I googled and got nothing.
@@TheSouthIsHot sorry for the mistake I meant cut gloves, sorry my phone has autocratic.
@@susanchandler2317 Thank you! 👍🏻
Wow you have a massive catalog of videos! Congrats on turning your passion and HARD WORK into a career! Thanks for the great tutorials and teachings!
This is by far the most straightforward video i’ve seen for beginners. thank you
Incredibly helpful. Pictures and reading don't really give you enough information on technique, so showing the process from beginning to end was the most helpful part of this video (at least for me). The details were great benchmarks to check your work. Thanks so much!
Just about to buy myself a good knife so this was great, but am going to practice on some old ones first. Thanks
Same what knife did you end up buying?
Diego Ramirez he was just making a comment lol
@@Wormba I just got a few from the Wusthof Epicure series and they're amazing and lifetime warranty.
Thanks to this video, I officially give up on getting it right after trying more than 10 times.
“Using a dull knife is a deadly sin of cooking”
Me: *Flashbacks to cutting tomatoes with a dull knife*
_You’re goddamn right_
Its weird because i was cutting some veggies today and once i started cutting tomates i really realized how dull my knife was... So here i am
live2day yea, I hate it because I don’t have a stone, it’s frustrating because I really want my knife to be sharper because tomatoes always get squished and I always do uneven cuts because of that
I’ll say 3 Hail Marys for that finger 😂
@@adc4836 If you're broke and terrible at sharpening (we've all been there once), go ahead and cut your teeth sharpening with sandpaper. Progress through something like 200, 600, and 1000 grit, and you'll be fine
Bought a 20€ 1000/400 stone and the first test after sharpening was a tomato. What a satisfying experience..
Thank you so much! I am a total beginner in knife sharpening and you helped me cut through paper totay. YAS 🎉
Very good tutorial! I can't wait to start my little knife collection and improve my skills. Thank you!
Dont listen to this guy if you want to improve....he is self taught no actual experience AND DOING IT ALL INCORECTLY
@@tloutfitters where is your evidence, show the right way then
@@almojabanas9296 i am a butcher...you go agaist the edge so you dont create the burl on the edge...i sharpen 9 knives everyday...EVERYDAY...FOR 4 YEARS...THIS UA-cam JUNKIE HAS ONLY SHARPENED 15 IN HIS LIFE AS HE STATED
@@tloutfitters can you give a link to a good guide then?
i did it the first time and it was rteally easy. One tip though that you dont seem to have done it but it helped me a lot, work while standing up. I locked my elbows and wrists for the most part and just let my whole body rock back and forth - I think it really helped maintaining the angle consistency. I did it in maybe 10-15 minutes with a Victorinox that hasn't been sharpened for 4-5 years (since i got it). Can't wait to try again. I want to try using the sharpie method as well
Yep it's not too hard to get down! Whatever stance is comfortable and allows you to keep a consistent angle is the best!
The video that I didn't know I needed. This was a skill I watched my father do for many years but a talent he didn't pass on to me. I basically resorted to using the standard hand held sharpening tools didn't even know what a honing tool was used for. Thank you for making such a detailed video. How would you sharpen a serrated edge?
What a good video on the basics of sharpening. Very thorough yet not overwhelming.
This is the first video I watched from this channel. This guy is a good teacher.
This is definitely the best tutorial I've found yet! Thank you for making this.
Great video - thanks so much for taking the time (3 times, lol) to make it. I had watched a few videos that just didn't seem to give the info I needed. This really did. I watched it and followed along for my first two knives, then felt confident enough to do the third one mostly on my own, checking back a couple of times to make sure I had the steps right. Really helpful - thank you!
Hi Ethan - to remove the Sharpie marks you can also write over it with a dry erase marker, then wipe that off.
And alcohol of any kind.
ie
rubbing alcohol(isopropyl alcohol)
or
vodka (ethyl alcohol)
I’ve been using this technique after 18 years worth of sharpening knives. Pretty much have the same sharpening stone as you do.
But I must admit I did pick up one little technique from you which I will also use. So….thank you 🙏
something very mesmerizing about the rhythm of him sharpening
Thanks for taking the time to put this video together. It has given me a good understanding of how to use my whetstones.
It really was Zen like, sharpening my blades. My husband rolled his eyes at me grabbing his magazine to demonstrate sharpness. "Do we really need that sharp of knives?" He asks. Lol
The next time your husband asks you that, tell him to try to cut a tomato with a wooden stick.
I didn't think I could do it, but I did. My 20 year old Victorinox chef's knife is now papercuttingly sharp. This technique works.
The ladies admire him for the whetness of his stone.
😂 lol
Honestly, the mustache doesn't do it for me.
Dhrip dhrip dhrip
Wow
Jealousy will get you nowhere 😉
I tried this..and it saved my knife...thank you for your very thorough tutorial ❤
Had a similar injury on the same finger years ago, but it happened because I was working double shifts at the restaurant, my prep cook called out sick and I micronapped while slicing peppers 😆🤦♂️
Thank you so much for taking the time to record this tutorial; I love to cook and struggle with keeping my knives sharp just using one of those “pull through” type sharpeners. I’d heard that using a whetstone is much better, so I’m glad I found your video before i made any sort of attempt to use one myself.
Got back to my to my knifes a second round after watching this. Sure got a better result. Far from perfect, but at least kind of scary sharp. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the detailed instructions!
I followed them and successfully sharpened the knife on the first try!
Best instruction video I've seen to date. Good tips and excellent explanation, detail, and demonstration. Thanks!