An Edge in the Kitchen is a great book. It taught me how to sharpen way back when and I definitely recommend it to anyone. Glad to see it getting some props.
Yeah- but we couldn't hear the SOUND of the honing stroke, because of the background music playing over the video. It would have been a good time to pause the music, doh!
Actually, honing rods do sharpen knives, including the ribbed steel ones. There is a misconception that steeling does not remove metal, but simply 're-aligns the edge.' When you use a honing steel, you restore the apex. Electron microscope analysis (seen at 2,000 times magnification) revealed that this was achieved by the removal of steel, which creates a new micro-bevel and restores sharpness.
I was raising an eyebrow at that too. "Alright so if you want to _really_ test how sharp your knife is..." : D Nice trick though, hadn't thought of that before.
It depends on the kind of honing rod you use.... The ones with grooves actually sharpen, the ones with diamond powder also and the ceramic ones like yours also sharpens! The steel ones without groves are the ones that does what you say on this video.
The steels that are rough do not sharpen it same with a polished steel the only steels that actually sharpen your knife are the diamond steels I’m a butcher/slaughter man so I’m pretty familiar with steels
I think even the smooth steel ones sharpen - anytime there's contact between two things (from cotton on glass to metal on metal) will remove material. I use a smooth steel rod that's harder than the the knife's steel. The effect he mentioned does happen in honing rods also and is probably the main thing there. High carbon steel can be sharpened with leather ribbons or balsa wood - like barbers used to do in the old times when rabbits had their beard done or even were barbers!
@@jefffuehr366 that's sharpening stone, from what i know honing rod is usually smooth and what it does is straighten the edge, and you can sub honing steel with a back of a plate that has a super smooth surface
As a slaughter man many years ago, I made my own steels, or as you call them, honing rods, from chainsaw files polished to a glass smooth finish.....the way we tested for sharpness was to drag the knife across your thumb nail, if it drags, it's sharp, if if slides over, it needs attention.....only used Victorinox boning and slicing knives....
Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen.
Most of this channel is him being half correct, coining ideas as his own (pickled onions, precooking pasta, Indian food), and shoving content into UA-cam.
@@caolanmaher5907 Ceramic and diamond rods do which is why I recommend against them. You're never gonna be as precise with a rod as you'd be with a whetstone so you run the risk of damaging your edge.
@@AlibifortheAfterlife its also prooven that traditional steeling remove metal, it is more a microbevel forming than actual sharpening. But if we consider sharpening as thinning material to an apex, we can say yes it sharpens the blade, while its indeed not sharpening in common sense. Also it is a common missconception that any steeling realign just the edge, than can happen at some steels but it is often not the case, instead the deflected or mushroomed par of the apex get scratched away and a microbevel is formed at the first microns of the edge, wich will increase as the process is repeated. This process also happens on normal honing steels not just on ceramic or diamond sharpening rods. We have to imagine that the apex is a very thin point, so just slight pressure on the rod will cause enourmous forces to the apex what causes deformation usually to a microbevel than anything else (as it is normally used at a bit higher angle than the sharpening angle).It also depends on the situation and is like always a bit more complex than expexted, for example: lets say a certain razoredge can be realigned by stropping, may the steel from kitchenknife woud lead in an edge and angle that the very apex woud rather break off due fatigue than bend back. Hardness, grain of the steel, sharpening angle and the deflection itself play a big role what really will happen. Ps: I think there is many ways to do something, but to be honest this is not how i woud steel a knife.
@@sedorriku8021 So many contradiction in this video and in the comments. Makes me think this video has good intention yet falls short of delivering a cohesive point. Aside from your grammar, this comment makes more sense than what he's saying in the video.
Try a white ceramic rod if you think they don't abrade metal. Some rods are smoother than others but my ceramic rod gets black with steel it ground off my knives. It definitely sharpens as well as hones. I'd say a steel is a metal forming tool. A ceramic rod or stone is a metal cutting tool as well as a forming tool.
A friend gave me a tip a while back --- if you don't have a honing rod, use the bottom of a ceramic plate! I've been doing it for years and it seems to work well
This is why I have 3 different sets of knives. 2 highly cherished knives kept in perfect condition, are only hand rinsed and stored in a box. One decent set for me and everyday use. Kept in good condition, sharpened regularly but will go through the dishwasher for time saving purposes. One normal set for my wife and friends that don't know or care for how to handle a knife.
as a chef, thats absolutely not how you use a rod. youre right about the angle but you dont pull the knife straight back towards you, you want to start with the heel of the blade at the top of the rod, the slide down and back til the tip of the blade meets the end or bottom of the rod. not only is it much better for the knife but its exponentially better for the rod too because youre not just wearing out one spot making the rod useless for long pulls. heel top to tip bottom...thats the correct way to use a rod...takes much less strokes as well and its much better for all the materials involved
*Ethan* ... Did you know that you'll get the correct angle if you hold your blade against the hone and the handle end at the same time? This is why Japanese hones have a smaller handle where it meets the hone. The angle is less. _Bonus Tip:_ If you're out and about, the top edge of your car window will work as a hone.
I had expected to hear the tip that I heard before at the end of this video... Before using the knife after honing it, wash it. Because you do not want any little pieces of steel that might have come loose to end up in the food you are cutting
@@masondegaulle5731 Actually I wipe my knives off on a paper towel after honing on a diamond rod and there is definitely a residue left over very similar to that of the slurry you get from whetstone sharpening. Probably not the greatest thing to introduce to your food/diet.
@@ohnoitsu1 Of course a diamond rod is going to remove more material, still wouldn't cause you any problems to go through your digestive tract. Likely dissolve in your stomach and you'd pee out excess beyond what your body wants.
I agree, with reservations. (1) the steel will probably not wear anyway, they are very hard. (2) I see too many people (and this includes cooks and chefs!) trying to move the blade down the steel as they draw and end up not actually letting any more than a couple of inches of the blade contact the steel!
Not entirely correct: it depends on the rod, "half correct. A polished steel honing rod does not remove any metal, but a fine cut rod does. Very similar to how a file works."-Leighton Tyau"Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen."-demokraatti
I love my Victorinox too...had it since 2007. I use it everyday & it holds an edge for a long time. Taught myself to sharpen 3 years ago with a Japanese 2sided whetstone. My knife only needs sharpening once every 6 months...& I hone it regularly. Even my uncle (Dad's bro) who's family have a hunting background - was impressed with my sharpening skills. He had the honour or cutting our N.Year roast lamb & said my Dad (who's passed away) would be proud. Brought a tear to my eye.
I used to manage a restaurant and I have shown your video at least ten times to the employees there because I see them trying to grind the knives on the rod multiple times a day. I'd hear them going crazy for 3 minutes at a time and try and explain to them that it's NOT for sharpening. I tried explaining the process to them by folding the edge of a piece of paper, then straightening it out with my hand to demonstrate what the rod does. Nothing I did ever got the point across, not even this video. I even saw them using the backs of other knives to imitate the action of honing (but by sawing back and forth, not even caring about angle). It was the most stressful time of my life. They even bought an electric sharpener behind my back and used that to sharpen the knives twice a day. Quickly, they wore them all down far past the tempered part and the knives were useless. I bought them a quality set of knives (the same ones I use at home) and again, within two or three months they were destroyed. I quit shortly after.
There is a video on UA-cam about a bartender in Japan who uses the same knife every day to cut & firm ice cubes. The knife he started out with is something like 20 Years old, & it's a fraction of its original size.
I use my thumb to get the angle. I have my knife in a pinch grip, I'll place the blade on the rod, then tilt the blade till my thumb knuckle touches the rod as well. Which gives me an angle around the 22 to 25 degrees. Then when I go to the other side, I use the knuckle of my pointer finger as a degree guide.
A steel will re-profile the edge when turned over as the video shows along with removing burrs, this does remove metal. A strop is for fine reprofiling and removing striations for the ultimate edge and that IS for when you want to shave hairs off skin.
@@mrsmith906 I thought a steal does not remove metal unless it was diamond coated. I can easily shave with my knives after a few passes with my steel. assuming of course it has been sharpened in the last month. I use a cheep 5$ oil stone from the hardware store for sharpening. my knives see heavy use as im a chef. i always mock tje youngins with their 100$ water stones and dull ass knives.
Wow some people in the comments are so pedantic. Everything he said is 100% correct. Technically a ceramic rod will remove material from the blade but its such an unbelievably tiny amount that its not worth even thinking about. You can't take a totally blunt knife and put an edge on it with a ceramic rod. A ceramic rod will straighten and refine a damaged edge just like a honing steel will only with the added benefit of polishing the edge too which works great on Japanese knives too (which honing steels do not mix well with) diamond rods are the ones which are very aggressive, will remove a lot of material and can be used to actually sharpen a blunt knife. Honing steel, ceramic rod and diamond rod. Three very different things which people confuse together and argue over constantly
Solid as always, E! Whenever I pick up a knife I hone it for a few stroke before each use--it is a habit, and I do a little touch up sharpening on an 8000 grit Norton stone on Dec 25 every year. I have a Henckels 8" chef's knife (I bought it in 1990) that I use for almost everything. It is really solid, comfortable grip for my hand and the steel is pretty decent quality. My happiest day in the kitchen was taking the bevel from 22 degrees down to 12--it made a world of difference in my cuts. Now I just have to grind down the bolster.
Your story goes to show knives can last a really long time if sharpened and maintained well! Getting a sharper cutting angle is an absolute game changer. It's amazing how well it cuts.
@@EthanChlebowski Thanks for the video it really helps and makes since I have a okc3s bayonet on one side the edge is different than the other after sharpening did I mess my edge up?
I do boning for a living and hone my knife at least 50 times a day and sharpen it every 2-3 days, you only need to pull it back once on each side with decent pressure to re-align the edge, then using most of the steel, as light as possible once or twice on each side to get it sharp, the lighter your finishing steels are the sharper your knife will be
Why are you only using about 1 inch of the honing rod? They are long for a reason, Wusthof, et al state "Gently pull the knife towards you while gliding it downwards" or words to that effect.
i like how you pronounce short 'u's as long 'o's. pull becomes pool, full becomes fool. it's very unique, i wonder if it's a regional thing 2:573:033:43
I just use some Lansky sharpeners. Gets to 17 degrees and it pretty easy once you get a knack for it. As far as the honing steel goes; I was unsure what it's purpose was so I looked this up and enjoyed the video. Thanks Ethan.
@@torTxoFognaTuluZ I enjoyed the video because Ethan is an entertaining individual. Your self-acclaimed critical thinking ability didn't give you the social skills to know when to shut your freaking mouth.
I worked in an abbatoir for a while, and yes, honing your knives was done OFTEN.. like between every cow... and sharpened them maybe once a day...Doing it that often it almost becomes a reflex, and since then my knives at home stay sharp. :)
I worked as a meat carver some time ago, on Saturdays I would go through 4 knives from 11:30AM to 3PM. The amounts of wet salt beef and pastrami I would cut... I mean I think it was at least 8 full briskets LOL.
Hey Ethan--I like your content. But as a semi-professional knife sharpener and enthusiast seeing this video for the first time... the information presented is incorrect. Would you be willing to revisit this topic? Because "not removing material" is actually actually the common misconception. The "realignment" of the edge happens through abrasion and not just the rod pushing steel back into place. A typical honing rod will absolutely remove metal as they are essentially steel files. The reason why I also know first hand is because I have fixed dozens of knives with recurves in the edge profile. These issues happened because people would hone the knife with a honing rod unevenly, leaving the heel untouched by the rod and it ends up taller than the rest of the knife. This can literally only happen because the honing rod removes metal. As well, you can also observe the honing rod removing metal by wiping down the rods after use on knives. The grey swarf you see isn't the rod--it's the steel from the knife. A honing rod is a sharpening implement--just one that ONLY touches the apex and not the whole bevel (when used correctly).
If I may say, I think it depends on the homing rod. I have one for work and school that doesn’t remove anything, as seen when I wipe the knife off and don’t see any metal. However, I’ve seen exactly what you’re saying on the steel I have at home: I wipe the knife off and see tiny shavings on the towel. Some rods have a clearly abrasive surface that you can feel with your fingers, but not all of them. And I think that’s what sets different steels apart. Some of them are designed to file, rather than just straighten.
The steel (hone) is the most valuable knife maintenance tool in the kitchen. I watched the butchers when I worked at a grocery store. Those guys made so many cuts each day, they couldn't afford to have dull blades.
A note about ceramic honing rods. If you drop them they can break. They're awesome at their job but be careful. If you have butterfingers, bet a steel rod.
For all you viewers out there… this guy is using his honing rod with improper technique… Watch any other video and you will see how to properly use a honing rod. You want the whole length of the knife to come in contact with the whole length of the rod, and you should use more of a swiping motion as if you’re trying to slice off a long piece of honing rod… If you do decide to use the technique shown in this video, you will wear out your hone in the center over time ruining it.
I have crappy soft steel knife that I actually sharpened on my steel honing rod, it is abrasive it will sharpen but depending on the steel of your knife, it's minimal effect. Although some chefs, hone their knives very often, and it allows them to keep an edge on the knife for months. This kind of minimal alignment connected with frequency of doing it really protects from larger damage and true dulling of the knife that honing can't deal with.
Hello Ethan! My name is Frank and i am from the very North part of the Province of Québec Canada! I realy enjoyed watching your video and anxious to see more of them. I have been sharpening for a little while , since hunting, fiching and traping, are very strong here, there are a lots of knifes and axes etc... to be sharp! This became my hobby 3 years ago when i took my retirement from the special rescues Forces as an superior officer all over my country! I had a good budget so i well equiped my self and lately gor the Work Ssharp Ken Onion Edition to my collection of tools! I have all kind of Rods made of ceramic i love to finish my jobs with it just before stroping 4000 and make almost a brand new blade! Sory for my story but my question is *Can you shar^cerrated knifes with a ceramic rod? Like i said i hv oval, round, triangular etc... ceramic rods and after seing a video with a triangular ceramic rod sharpening a bread knifs and a pochet serrated knifes! What is you opinion or would you have a suggestion for me* P.S. If you also have a video or a advice of how to sharp scissors feel free :) Thanks in advance and keep going ! Frank P.S. Sorry for my rnglish writing i am french but i do my best! :)
I typically don't use homing rods, I use a leather strop. Same concept, just more what I'm used to. It does have some abrasive so it does function more like a ceramic honing rod
The advantage of a honing rod would be that it can be quickly used while you work, you don't need to clean the blade or the rod other than wiping them with a paper towel and sanitizer, while a strop would absorb liquids if the blade hasn't been cleaned properly before use.
So it don’t sharpen? I am watching a knife being sharpened. Sorry. Got distracted by mean trolls calling names. I will rewatch. Ok got it. It realigns after a wet stone that sharpens
scienceofsharp.com/2018/08/22/what-does-steeling-do-part-1/ Under a microscope you can see that a honing rod, even smooth rods do remove a good bit of metal and change the edge geometry. Also ceramic hones are usually around 2000 grit and diamond steels are around 800 grit so I replaced all my sharpening stones with rods. If I get blade damage that can't be fixed with 800 grit I'm probably just getting a new knife.
It depends on the rod. A number of "sharpening steels" are actually honing rods, and a number of "honing rods" are actually sharpening steels. Is the rod as hard or harder than the blade? A polished steel honing rod does not remove any metal, but a fine cut rod does. Very similar to how a file works."-Leighton Tyau "Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen."-demokraatti
You're literally demoing this with a ceramic sharpening rod that DOES remove metal. You can even see the smears of steel left behind. It's no different than using a high-grit ceramic bench stone.
Well it acts as a medium between a whethstone and a strop. Honing rods are great for butchers are other industry workers that need to ability to bring back throwaway / beater knives whose edge is quickly getting toasted to sharpness. Nothing beats honing for speed and acessibility. If you can afford the time and room to sharpen on whethstone and strop with leather and compound, I'd say it's overall the better option.
@@oceandrew I did indeed watch the whole thing and no, he doesn't cover that point. It's not just the "weakened bits" that come off. He is sharpening the knife, *not* honing it.
@@Voidrunner01 Interesting that we heard and saw the same thing but came away with different interpretations. BTW, isn't removing "weakened bits" or any bits for that matter sharpening? But hey, there are tons of hairs to be split so have fun and carry on.
Hey buddy, have you linked your videos on FB, Twitter, everywhere on social media? Suggested subscription to your channel, and promoted it anywhere you can? You deserve far more views.
I appreciate it, I'm on instagram and promote everything there. I don't use twitter and facebook as much, though I definitely should get better at that. I'll also post videos on reddit to relevant subreddits. Appreciate the encouragement, thanks for watching!
as a chef I was chopping at my station as a butcher delivered, I enquired about cost re whole pieces of meat vs ready butchered, he told me chefs struggle as they don't have sharp enough knives. I shaved my forearm with the knife I was using.... he looked pretty uncomfortable lol
Looking through a lot of high quality kitchen knives today on a cutlery website. Most brands (western and Japanese) are coming in at 15 degrees (give or take 1-2 degrees). I think I saw one knife that was over 20 degrees. I’ve never seen anyone use a honing rod the way it’s done in this video.. strange. It’s important to talk about Rockwell hardness rating with this topic as your rod must be harder than your knife, or OT won’t work.
Not quite true. A soft sharpening steel can easily straighten up the burr on a hard knife blade. A sharpening steel is not meant for removing metal, just re-forming it. A true honing rod is made from ceramic or hard steel with a texture that will remove steel from the edge nd actually sharpen it.
He's saying that its not as optimal as the description he's trying to explain. Yes, cutting better is the goal and the ideal edge you are looking for should cut better than the edge your comment is referring to.
honing rod = fast, temporary burr alignment for immediate use (slicing food) stone = slow, regrinding the entire blade's edge and resetting it permanently
Monae Ortiz Many knife sharpeners recommend sharpening your knife on a whetstone once every two weeks to once a month depending on how often you use your knife and what you use it for.
The amount of confusion such a video can make is astonishing. As some already pointed out; There are different types of honing rods. Some are built with diamond or abrasive material that actually will remove steel off the blade and sharpen a knife, whilst others are more finer and realign and smoothen out the edge, similar to what strops do. So to say "honing rods don't remove metal" is sorta a misguided answer, as it's only partially true and dependent on what honing rods we're talking about.
Sharpen = make something sharp Now, some people might use the word in a more limited way, but you can't say it's wrong to say that a honing rod "sharpens" knives.
Know there are rods that only hone and dont sharpen. But there are also rods like ceramic or diamond wich actually take off material (ceramic only a bit and diamond more)
use a good sharpening steel rather than a honing rod. You can remove metal to sharpen or hone depending on the pressure you apply. Its worked for me over the last 35 years.
Just had an arguement over this crap with someone. "My nephew is a butcher of 25 years and he sharpened our knives with it! Are you saying he doesn't know what he's doing?!" Like, no. I'm saying YOU don't know what he was doing.
I have had a similar type of knife for almost 30 years, using it at home almost everyday, sharped every few years and homing every few days.... I have lost count of how many people cut themselves with it 😱😱😱
An Edge in the Kitchen is a great book. It taught me how to sharpen way back when and I definitely recommend it to anyone. Glad to see it getting some props.
Great tip about the SOUND of the honing stroke! That's a good indicator, most people don't notice that. 👍
the sound also depends upon how you hold the tools in relation to your head and if you have even hearing.
Yeah- but we couldn't hear the SOUND of the honing stroke, because of the background music playing over the video. It would have been a good time to pause the music, doh!
Actually, honing rods do sharpen knives, including the ribbed steel ones. There is a misconception that steeling does not remove metal, but simply 're-aligns the edge.' When you use a honing steel, you restore the apex. Electron microscope analysis (seen at 2,000 times magnification) revealed that this was achieved by the removal of steel, which creates a new micro-bevel and restores sharpness.
5:20 heck, for a second I thought he was gonna cut his skin
Remember kids, it’s down the street, not across the road!
I was raising an eyebrow at that too. "Alright so if you want to _really_ test how sharp your knife is..." : D
Nice trick though, hadn't thought of that before.
@@MusicByproduct yeah if it can cut through your arm it should be able to cut through your steak
a bc same
I've seen this done in practice. Pretty cool stuff. We got a good laugh that dinner.
It depends on the kind of honing rod you use.... The ones with grooves actually sharpen, the ones with diamond powder also and the ceramic ones like yours also sharpens! The steel ones without groves are the ones that does what you say on this video.
The steels that are rough do not sharpen it same with a polished steel the only steels that actually sharpen your knife are the diamond steels I’m a butcher/slaughter man so I’m pretty familiar with steels
I think even the smooth steel ones sharpen - anytime there's contact between two things (from cotton on glass to metal on metal) will remove material. I use a smooth steel rod that's harder than the the knife's steel. The effect he mentioned does happen in honing rods also and is probably the main thing there. High carbon steel can be sharpened with leather ribbons or balsa wood - like barbers used to do in the old times when rabbits had their beard done or even were barbers!
i got a honing rod with really thin lines running all the way down it ( all the way around the rod )
is that for honing or sharpening?
@@draw-backproductions973 wrong bud i fillet fish for a living and all i use is a rough horn and a smooth horn to sharpen my knives
@@jefffuehr366 that's sharpening stone, from what i know honing rod is usually smooth and what it does is straighten the edge, and you can sub honing steel with a back of a plate that has a super smooth surface
As a slaughter man many years ago, I made my own steels, or as you call them, honing rods, from chainsaw files polished to a glass smooth finish.....the way we tested for sharpness was to drag the knife across your thumb nail, if it drags, it's sharp, if if slides over, it needs attention.....only used Victorinox boning and slicing knives....
Can you actually use a chain saw sharpener to hone a knife?? Thanks
@@carlwhite9455 wheres the face palm emoji.....................
@@pp-bs5qz lol
Dangerous too. Any worthwhile sharpening job would cut thru the nail.
@@ncsEsper Probably depends on the angle of the cut, no?
You're half correct. A polished steel honing rod does not remove any metal, but a fine cut rod does. Very similar to how a file works.
Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen.
And maybe wrong because polished honing rods are also used to sharpen 'soft' metal edges
Most of this channel is him being half correct, coining ideas as his own (pickled onions, precooking pasta, Indian food), and shoving content into UA-cam.
@Troll of Troll's Workshop That's what I said...
Ethan mentioned that at 2:04.
"Honing doesnt actually sharpen"
"After honing you'll notice your knife will be sharper"
It does remove some metal
@@caolanmaher5907 Ceramic and diamond rods do which is why I recommend against them. You're never gonna be as precise with a rod as you'd be with a whetstone so you run the risk of damaging your edge.
@@AlibifortheAfterlife its also prooven that traditional steeling remove metal, it is more a microbevel forming than actual sharpening. But if we consider sharpening as thinning material to an apex, we can say yes it sharpens the blade, while its indeed not sharpening in common sense. Also it is a common missconception that any steeling realign just the edge, than can happen at some steels but it is often not the case, instead the deflected or mushroomed par of the apex get scratched away and a microbevel is formed at the first microns of the edge, wich will increase as the process is repeated. This process also happens on normal honing steels not just on ceramic or diamond sharpening rods. We have to imagine that the apex is a very thin point, so just slight pressure on the rod will cause enourmous forces to the apex what causes deformation usually to a microbevel than anything else (as it is normally used at a bit higher angle than the sharpening angle).It also depends on the situation and is like always a bit more complex than expexted, for example: lets say a certain razoredge can be realigned by stropping, may the steel from kitchenknife woud lead in an edge and angle that the very apex woud rather break off due fatigue than bend back. Hardness, grain of the steel, sharpening angle and the deflection itself play a big role what really will happen.
Ps: I think there is many ways to do something, but to be honest this is not how i woud steel a knife.
@@sedorriku8021 So many contradiction in this video and in the comments. Makes me think this video has good intention yet falls short of delivering a cohesive point. Aside from your grammar, this comment makes more sense than what he's saying in the video.
@@blazzinrazzin yes the grammar is horrible i know, but in my apologize its not my first or second language, thank you anyway :)
Not gonna lie I was shook when he rolled up his sleeves to test the knife 🤣
SAME I PANICKED FOR A MOMENT 😭 loll
Try a white ceramic rod if you think they don't abrade metal. Some rods are smoother than others but my ceramic rod gets black with steel it ground off my knives. It definitely sharpens as well as hones. I'd say a steel is a metal forming tool. A ceramic rod or stone is a metal cutting tool as well as a forming tool.
A friend gave me a tip a while back --- if you don't have a honing rod, use the bottom of a ceramic plate! I've been doing it for years and it seems to work well
I like to do the hair test in front of customers at the carving table.
"Honing is a non-destructive process"
Tell that to my friend who kept slamming my knife into my honing rod and made some massive chips in the blade.
Well you can hardly call that honing, can ya? :D
That's worth bare knuckle boxing over
Is that gay slang? 😂
This is why I have 3 different sets of knives.
2 highly cherished knives kept in perfect condition, are only hand rinsed and stored in a box.
One decent set for me and everyday use. Kept in good condition, sharpened regularly but will go through the dishwasher for time saving purposes.
One normal set for my wife and friends that don't know or care for how to handle a knife.
read "wife" instead of "knife"... spooked me for a second xD
as a chef, thats absolutely not how you use a rod. youre right about the angle but you dont pull the knife straight back towards you, you want to start with the heel of the blade at the top of the rod, the slide down and back til the tip of the blade meets the end or bottom of the rod. not only is it much better for the knife but its exponentially better for the rod too because youre not just wearing out one spot making the rod useless for long pulls. heel top to tip bottom...thats the correct way to use a rod...takes much less strokes as well and its much better for all the materials involved
100% Spot on.
*Ethan* ... Did you know that you'll get the correct angle if you hold your blade against the hone and the handle end at the same time? This is why Japanese hones have a smaller handle where it meets the hone. The angle is less.
_Bonus Tip:_ If you're out and about, the top edge of your car window will work as a hone.
I'd like to see some microscopic photos of the edge, before during and after.
I had expected to hear the tip that I heard before at the end of this video... Before using the knife after honing it, wash it. Because you do not want any little pieces of steel that might have come loose to end up in the food you are cutting
It's not a thing to be honest, any super fine burrs it removes are so tiny they pose no risk whatsoever.
I would actually like extra iron content in my food thanks
@@masondegaulle5731 whos knows whats in those China knives
@@masondegaulle5731 Actually I wipe my knives off on a paper towel after honing on a diamond rod and there is definitely a residue left over very similar to that of the slurry you get from whetstone sharpening. Probably not the greatest thing to introduce to your food/diet.
@@ohnoitsu1 Of course a diamond rod is going to remove more material, still wouldn't cause you any problems to go through your digestive tract. Likely dissolve in your stomach and you'd pee out excess beyond what your body wants.
I prefer to run my blade down the rod while pulling in. that’s also wears the rod down evenly. Good vid
I agree, with reservations. (1) the steel will probably not wear anyway, they are very hard. (2) I see too many people (and this includes cooks and chefs!) trying to move the blade down the steel as they draw and end up not actually letting any more than a couple of inches of the blade contact the steel!
Exactly right. It's actually better for burr reduction as well to go down the rod, edge leading.
@@sharpen-up Agree,
this Ethan guy doesn't know shit about sharpening,
(or he just does it totally different from me)
That's what she said.
I prefer to run it down my wrists lmao end me
From all the vids I watched, you're the only one who said that honing is not for sharpening, and you were correct. Thanks bro
Not entirely correct: it depends on the rod, "half correct. A polished steel honing rod does not remove any metal, but a fine cut rod does. Very similar to how a file works."-Leighton Tyau"Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen."-demokraatti
I am pretty good with a honing rod, but I wish to improve my whetstone game overtime. Love the vids 👍👍
My guide to whetstone video is coming out on Sunday!
side note: a lot of western knives are coming in with 15 degree edges these days, including my favorite, the victorinox fibrox...
I LOVE my victorinox and I have Kramer
I love my Victorinox too...had it since 2007. I use it everyday & it holds an edge for a long time.
Taught myself to sharpen 3 years ago with a Japanese 2sided whetstone.
My knife only needs sharpening once every 6 months...& I hone it regularly.
Even my uncle (Dad's bro) who's family have a hunting background - was impressed with my sharpening skills. He had the honour or cutting our N.Year roast lamb & said my Dad (who's passed away) would be proud. Brought a tear to my eye.
I have that same Mercer knife and it's honestly one of my favorites!
I used to manage a restaurant and I have shown your video at least ten times to the employees there because I see them trying to grind the knives on the rod multiple times a day.
I'd hear them going crazy for 3 minutes at a time and try and explain to them that it's NOT for sharpening. I tried explaining the process to them by folding the edge of a piece of paper, then straightening it out with my hand to demonstrate what the rod does.
Nothing I did ever got the point across, not even this video. I even saw them using the backs of other knives to imitate the action of honing (but by sawing back and forth, not even caring about angle).
It was the most stressful time of my life. They even bought an electric sharpener behind my back and used that to sharpen the knives twice a day. Quickly, they wore them all down far past the tempered part and the knives were useless. I bought them a quality set of knives (the same ones I use at home) and again, within two or three months they were destroyed.
I quit shortly after.
I love to watch you do that over and over and over and over (repeats 10 times)!
Awesome vid and very informative for someone who is researching the art of sharpening knives.
There is a video on UA-cam about a bartender in Japan who uses the same knife every day to cut & firm ice cubes. The knife he started out with is something like 20 Years old, & it's a fraction of its original size.
I use my thumb to get the angle. I have my knife in a pinch grip, I'll place the blade on the rod, then tilt the blade till my thumb knuckle touches the rod as well. Which gives me an angle around the 22 to 25 degrees. Then when I go to the other side, I use the knuckle of my pointer finger as a degree guide.
Thank you soo much, I wanted to learn how to use my honing rod for a long while.
I had to hone all the knives in the house and now I look like a naked mole rat.
Lmaooooooo
would love to see someone discuss a steel vs a strop
A steel will re-profile the edge when turned over as the video shows along with removing burrs, this does remove metal. A strop is for fine reprofiling and removing striations for the ultimate edge and that IS for when you want to shave hairs off skin.
@@mrsmith906 I thought a steal does not remove metal unless it was diamond coated. I can easily shave with my knives after a few passes with my steel. assuming of course it has been sharpened in the last month. I use a cheep 5$ oil stone from the hardware store for sharpening. my knives see heavy use as im a chef. i always mock tje youngins with their 100$ water stones and dull ass knives.
I have a very old honing rod, its vintage, always wondered what it was and what it was supposed to do.
Nicely done Ethan. No wonder you have so many subs. You're videos are really well done.
Wow some people in the comments are so pedantic. Everything he said is 100% correct. Technically a ceramic rod will remove material from the blade but its such an unbelievably tiny amount that its not worth even thinking about. You can't take a totally blunt knife and put an edge on it with a ceramic rod. A ceramic rod will straighten and refine a damaged edge just like a honing steel will only with the added benefit of polishing the edge too which works great on Japanese knives too (which honing steels do not mix well with) diamond rods are the ones which are very aggressive, will remove a lot of material and can be used to actually sharpen a blunt knife.
Honing steel, ceramic rod and diamond rod. Three very different things which people confuse together and argue over constantly
It’s just technique leveraging hardness versus relative hardness. Everything else is pretty much ignoring very basic physics.
Awesome and informative video as usual. My stomach turned when you tested the knife sharpness on your arm though
That’s crazy. All this time I thought that was a knife sharpener not a honing rod. Thank you for clearing that up for me.
Solid as always, E! Whenever I pick up a knife I hone it for a few stroke before each use--it is a habit, and I do a little touch up sharpening on an 8000 grit Norton stone on Dec 25 every year. I have a Henckels 8" chef's knife (I bought it in 1990) that I use for almost everything. It is really solid, comfortable grip for my hand and the steel is pretty decent quality. My happiest day in the kitchen was taking the bevel from 22 degrees down to 12--it made a world of difference in my cuts. Now I just have to grind down the bolster.
Your story goes to show knives can last a really long time if sharpened and maintained well!
Getting a sharper cutting angle is an absolute game changer. It's amazing how well it cuts.
@@EthanChlebowski Thanks for the video it really helps and makes since I have a okc3s bayonet on one side the edge is different than the other after sharpening did I mess my edge up?
I do boning for a living and hone my knife at least 50 times a day and sharpen it every 2-3 days, you only need to pull it back once on each side with decent pressure to re-align the edge, then using most of the steel, as light as possible once or twice on each side to get it sharp, the lighter your finishing steels are the sharper your knife will be
Why does making porn dull your knives?
@@SlyMaelstrom hahaha just does mate
@@SlyMaelstrom because over time things get dull
sounds easy but I bet it takes a heck of a lot of practice to get it flowing right.
Been a pro MeatCutter since 1995. I have and use my Henkels diamond steel that I bought the year I started every day. Never tried a ceramic one..
Why are you only using about 1 inch of the honing rod? They are long for a reason, Wusthof, et al state "Gently pull the knife towards you while gliding it downwards" or words to that effect.
i like how you pronounce short 'u's as long 'o's. pull becomes pool, full becomes fool. it's very unique, i wonder if it's a regional thing 2:57 3:03 3:43
Canadien?
@@jamesdavis2027 Nah
I just use some Lansky sharpeners. Gets to 17 degrees and it pretty easy once you get a knack for it. As far as the honing steel goes; I was unsure what it's purpose was so I looked this up and enjoyed the video. Thanks Ethan.
@@torTxoFognaTuluZ I enjoyed the video because Ethan is an entertaining individual. Your self-acclaimed critical thinking ability didn't give you the social skills to know when to shut your freaking mouth.
Rofl. dude, thats funny.
I worked in an abbatoir for a while, and yes, honing your knives was done OFTEN.. like between every cow... and sharpened them maybe once a day...Doing it that often it almost becomes a reflex, and since then my knives at home stay sharp. :)
I worked as a meat carver some time ago, on Saturdays I would go through 4 knives from 11:30AM to 3PM.
The amounts of wet salt beef and pastrami I would cut... I mean I think it was at least 8 full briskets LOL.
Thank you a thousand times! Been trying to tell rookie cooks for years!
Hey Ethan--I like your content. But as a semi-professional knife sharpener and enthusiast seeing this video for the first time... the information presented is incorrect.
Would you be willing to revisit this topic? Because "not removing material" is actually actually the common misconception. The "realignment" of the edge happens through abrasion and not just the rod pushing steel back into place.
A typical honing rod will absolutely remove metal as they are essentially steel files. The reason why I also know first hand is because I have fixed dozens of knives with recurves in the edge profile. These issues happened because people would hone the knife with a honing rod unevenly, leaving the heel untouched by the rod and it ends up taller than the rest of the knife. This can literally only happen because the honing rod removes metal.
As well, you can also observe the honing rod removing metal by wiping down the rods after use on knives. The grey swarf you see isn't the rod--it's the steel from the knife. A honing rod is a sharpening implement--just one that ONLY touches the apex and not the whole bevel (when used correctly).
If I may say, I think it depends on the homing rod. I have one for work and school that doesn’t remove anything, as seen when I wipe the knife off and don’t see any metal. However, I’ve seen exactly what you’re saying on the steel I have at home: I wipe the knife off and see tiny shavings on the towel. Some rods have a clearly abrasive surface that you can feel with your fingers, but not all of them. And I think that’s what sets different steels apart. Some of them are designed to file, rather than just straighten.
Great tips ! Well done. .. Thanks for this video! We all need good Sharp Knives !!
I like the triangle ceramic honing rods.
Use pointy bit of triangle to remove material in 2 strokes
Then use flat side of triangle to straighten V
The steel (hone) is the most valuable knife maintenance tool in the kitchen. I watched the butchers when I worked at a grocery store. Those guys made so many cuts each day, they couldn't afford to have dull blades.
A note about ceramic honing rods. If you drop them they can break. They're awesome at their job but be careful. If you have butterfingers, bet a steel rod.
They realign micro serrations on the edge so they're all straight and cut in the same direction. Saved you 7 mins.
Finally someone who knows what they're talking about.
He explains that in the first minute.
@@BoshBargnani saved you 55 seconds 🤷🏻♂️
Ethan thanks heaps for taking the time to show us UA-camrs this method Love your work Mate✌🏼Out🤠
Most people think honing is sharpening it. They not aware sharpening requires removing metal.
I would disagree that the honing knife does not remove the edge. My grandfather used his on one knife until the blade wore away..
It was probably a fine cut steel rod then, this video is talking about ceramic and polished steel
@@slatetab Ceramic also removes steel...
I never knew the rod was just for realignment, cheers.
For all you viewers out there… this guy is using his honing rod with improper technique…
Watch any other video and you will see how to properly use a honing rod. You want the whole length of the knife to come in contact with the whole length of the rod, and you should use more of a swiping motion as if you’re trying to slice off a long piece of honing rod… If you do decide to use the technique shown in this video, you will wear out your hone in the center over time ruining it.
Had a 4lb ceramic hone rod. It was a gift from a sword enthusiast friend. Man I need to find that.
"use the whole length of the knife"... And the rod too!
Just the tip. Just the tip
I have crappy soft steel knife that I actually sharpened on my steel honing rod, it is abrasive it will sharpen but depending on the steel of your knife, it's minimal effect.
Although some chefs, hone their knives very often, and it allows them to keep an edge on the knife for months. This kind of minimal alignment connected with frequency of doing it really protects from larger damage and true dulling of the knife that honing can't deal with.
Idk man, I ain't got the balls to do the hair shaving test xD
Very helpful, thank you!
Hone your knife then wipe the edge the correct way on a paper towel. That grey residue is metal. Honing removes material. Yours truly a chef.
Hello Ethan! My name is Frank and i am from the very North part of the Province of Québec Canada! I realy enjoyed watching your video and anxious to see more of them. I have been sharpening for a little while , since hunting, fiching and traping, are very strong here, there are a lots of knifes and axes etc... to be sharp! This became my hobby 3 years ago when i took my retirement from the special rescues Forces as an superior officer all over my country! I had a good budget so i well equiped my self and lately gor the Work Ssharp Ken Onion Edition to my collection of tools! I have all kind of Rods made of ceramic i love to finish my jobs with it just before stroping 4000 and make almost a brand new blade! Sory for my story but my question is *Can you shar^cerrated knifes with a ceramic rod? Like i said i hv oval, round, triangular etc... ceramic rods and after seing a video with a triangular ceramic rod sharpening a bread knifs and a pochet serrated knifes! What is you opinion or would you have a suggestion for me* P.S. If you also have a video or a advice of how to sharp scissors feel free :) Thanks in advance and keep going ! Frank P.S. Sorry for my rnglish writing i am french but i do my best! :)
I typically don't use homing rods, I use a leather strop. Same concept, just more what I'm used to. It does have some abrasive so it does function more like a ceramic honing rod
The advantage of a honing rod would be that it can be quickly used while you work, you don't need to clean the blade or the rod other than wiping them with a paper towel and sanitizer,
while a strop would absorb liquids if the blade hasn't been cleaned properly before use.
Ethan, I tried the honing method in this video and immediately proceeded to cut my finger(no worries, just a little). Thanks for the video!
I hate when people think that honing rods sharpen knives! Great video man as always!
Hopefully, this video helps people understand the difference! Glad you enjoyed.
So it don’t sharpen? I am watching a knife being sharpened. Sorry. Got distracted by mean trolls calling names. I will rewatch.
Ok got it. It realigns after a wet stone that sharpens
scienceofsharp.com/2018/08/22/what-does-steeling-do-part-1/ Under a microscope you can see that a honing rod, even smooth rods do remove a good bit of metal and change the edge geometry. Also ceramic hones are usually around 2000 grit and diamond steels are around 800 grit so I replaced all my sharpening stones with rods. If I get blade damage that can't be fixed with 800 grit I'm probably just getting a new knife.
It depends on the rod. A number of "sharpening steels" are actually honing rods, and a number of "honing rods" are actually sharpening steels. Is the rod as hard or harder than the blade? A polished steel honing rod does not remove any metal, but a fine cut rod does. Very similar to how a file works."-Leighton Tyau "Yes those ridged steel rods eat the blade quite aggressively. Usually this causes problems since the rod is the most effective at the middle part of a blade and much less effective at the heel and tip area. Over time this can make the middle part wear so much that it stops making a contact with a cutting board. Also ceramic and diamond rods remove some steel from a blade. On the surface of a white ceramic rod dark traces of metal can be easily seen."-demokraatti
You're literally demoing this with a ceramic sharpening rod that DOES remove metal. You can even see the smears of steel left behind. It's no different than using a high-grit ceramic bench stone.
Well it acts as a medium between a whethstone and a strop. Honing rods are great for butchers are other industry workers that need to ability to bring back throwaway / beater knives whose edge is quickly getting toasted to sharpness. Nothing beats honing for speed and acessibility. If you can afford the time and room to sharpen on whethstone and strop with leather and compound, I'd say it's overall the better option.
@@benvella1728 I didn't say anything about honing rods not being useful. He's not using a honing rod in the video. That's a sharpening rod.
Ian, did you see the entire video? Because he covers that very point towards the middle to end.
@@oceandrew I did indeed watch the whole thing and no, he doesn't cover that point. It's not just the "weakened bits" that come off. He is sharpening the knife, *not* honing it.
@@Voidrunner01 Interesting that we heard and saw the same thing but came away with different interpretations. BTW, isn't removing "weakened bits" or any bits for that matter sharpening? But hey, there are tons of hairs to be split so have fun and carry on.
Thank you so much for the demonstration. Very helpful video😊
Hey buddy, have you linked your videos on FB, Twitter, everywhere on social media? Suggested subscription to your channel, and promoted it anywhere you can? You deserve far more views.
I appreciate it, I'm on instagram and promote everything there. I don't use twitter and facebook as much, though I definitely should get better at that. I'll also post videos on reddit to relevant subreddits.
Appreciate the encouragement, thanks for watching!
@@EthanChlebowski 👍🏻🙂
@@EthanChlebowski I see that you've basically peaked at 24K. That's not bad.
Watched a couple of your videos and they're fantastic. You got yourself a sub.
Loved it. Nice vid bud
Very nice shirt too. (just sayin')
as a chef I was chopping at my station as a butcher delivered, I enquired about cost re whole pieces of meat vs ready butchered, he told me chefs struggle as they don't have sharp enough knives. I shaved my forearm with the knife I was using.... he looked pretty uncomfortable lol
This is a great video! I learned a lot about honing and sharpening that I did not know before. Thanks for sharing!
So we're just going to ignore that there's a cop out there without his mustache because Ethan stole it, are we?
Thank you for this information and Great Video
Looking through a lot of high quality kitchen knives today on a cutlery website. Most brands (western and Japanese) are coming in at 15 degrees (give or take 1-2 degrees). I think I saw one knife that was over 20 degrees. I’ve never seen anyone use a honing rod the way it’s done in this video.. strange. It’s important to talk about Rockwell hardness rating with this topic as your rod must be harder than your knife, or OT won’t work.
I'm a knife maker 20 to 25 degrees is a wood carving knife, and ceramic is harder than all steels no matter what the Rockwell hardness
Well that’s because he doesn’t know what he is doing…if I let this guy use my bench grinder I’m sure he would wear a groove dead center of my wheel😤
Not quite true. A soft sharpening steel can easily straighten up the burr on a hard knife blade. A sharpening steel is not meant for removing metal, just re-forming it. A true honing rod is made from ceramic or hard steel with a texture that will remove steel from the edge nd actually sharpen it.
"It leaves an edge that cuts better but is not truly the edge that you want". Isn't an edge that cuts better the goal?
He's saying that its not as optimal as the description he's trying to explain. Yes, cutting better is the goal and the ideal edge you are looking for should cut better than the edge your comment is referring to.
honing rod = fast, temporary burr alignment for immediate use (slicing food)
stone = slow, regrinding the entire blade's edge and resetting it permanently
I agree that the ceramic honing rod is best. There are those who say that when you hone the knife you are creating a micro bevel. Do you agree?
Thank you so much for this
There are professional chefs who don't use anything but honing rods to keep their knife sharp during the entire lifetime of the knife.
A video I didn't know I needed
Just saw the caption and picture for this video. Instantly subscribed.
Wanted to ask you about honing. Quartz. Razors/and knives. Can I flatten a rock of quartz (100% silica), and make it a viable whetstone?
If we use the use the honing rod about 1 a week generally, how often would you suggest a sharpening with the wet stone ? About once a month?
Monae Ortiz Many knife sharpeners recommend sharpening your knife on a whetstone once every two weeks to once a month depending on how often you use your knife and what you use it for.
Can you use a ceramic honing rod to hone a ceramic knife?
The amount of confusion such a video can make is astonishing.
As some already pointed out; There are different types of honing rods. Some are built with diamond or abrasive material that actually will remove steel off the blade and sharpen a knife, whilst others are more finer and realign and smoothen out the edge, similar to what strops do.
So to say "honing rods don't remove metal" is sorta a misguided answer, as it's only partially true and dependent on what honing rods we're talking about.
Sharpen = make something sharp
Now, some people might use the word in a more limited way, but you can't say it's wrong to say that a honing rod "sharpens" knives.
True, since the knife is getting sharper I would totally call it sharpening
Know there are rods that only hone and dont sharpen. But there are also rods like ceramic or diamond wich actually take off material (ceramic only a bit and diamond more)
I say this to coworkers at the restaurant I work at and just get a blank stare of confusion back at me. Siiiiigh.
hearing the knife sharpen was soothing... Am I a bat-dung crazy psycho? =P
Ree ree ree ree ree!
I thought you’re supposed to use the whole length of the rod? But you’re just using a small area in the middle, wouldn’t that wear out the middle?
what is the safety consideration when using this method of sharpening?
Why don't you use Lansky crock sticks ,they are made of same ceramics and have fixed angle,very simple and easy
i have a ceramic clay honing rod , its a bit gritty works perfectly
I also have a Mercer chefs knife. Great bang for the buck!
Aren't you supposed to hone it with a pulling or cutting motion rather than just running it along the edge?
use a good sharpening steel rather than a honing rod. You can remove metal to sharpen or hone depending on the pressure you apply. Its worked for me over the last 35 years.
OH GOD! I spent the better part of 20 years trying to get my father to understand that...
20 years? İ'm sorry but your father is incredibly slow.
@@AC-bg4cs No, he just refused to listen and I finally just gave up.
Woww!! What an educational video. You are aweosme dude.
Just had an arguement over this crap with someone.
"My nephew is a butcher of 25 years and he sharpened our knives with it! Are you saying he doesn't know what he's doing?!"
Like, no. I'm saying YOU don't know what he was doing.
Thanks for sharing, I use one but wasn’t sure I did it correctly or if my man did it correctly??
I have had a similar type of knife for almost 30 years, using it at home almost everyday, sharped every few years and homing every few days.... I have lost count of how many people cut themselves with it 😱😱😱
Lol more cuts and injuries happen with a dull blade,,, perhaps it’s not sharp enough lol
It does help to strop on leather after honing. Try it!
Useful info.. Thank you, Brother...