The topic of sharpening is a very varied one, there is a lot of opinion and the answer really depends on how often you use the knife and how much daily wear it gets.
Honing
We recommend honing the knife to help the knife keep its edge. This can be done with a few long strokes of a honing steel on each side of the knife.
- Home Use (knife used 1-5 times per week) - Hone once every few weeks
- Home Use (knife used 5-10 times per week) - Hone once per week
- Commercial Use (knife used daily, for over 1 hour per day) - Hone before each use
We recommend the use of a steel honing rod, not a ceramic rod.
Sharpening
In addition to honing your knife, we recommend regular sharpening. Sharpening should be done once the blade edge starts to lose its razor sharp edge. This will depend on how often the knife is used, what is being cut and what chopping board the knife is being used with. We recommend always to use a plastic or wooden chopping board.
For a factory like edge, we recommend the use of a Whetstone.
Our preferred grit is Coarse/Fine - 1000/6000 but if you are an expert at sharpening it is possible to use finer grades.
Orient Carbon Series - Recommended Angle: 15-18 Degrees
Orient Damascus Series - Recommended Angle: 7-13 Degrees
If you are not comfortable using a Whetstone, other sharpening devices are also available:-
Diamond Steel - These are great for quick and easy sharpening. Make sure always to wash your knife and steel after use and dry with a cloth.
Electric Sharpener - Many of our customers use Electric Sharpeners for quick and simple use. We do not currently offer an electric sharpener, but have been told by our customers that the CATRASharp and Chef's Choice Sharpeners give an excellent edge, with little risk to damage to the blade.
If you have any further questions or suggestions, please do get in touch.