That $30 ceramic sharpening rod I doubted actually fixed my dull knives

I picked up a cheap 12-inch ceramic rod at a hardware store in Tulsa for cooking prep. Skeptical at first because I've ruined edges with pull-through sharpeners before. Tried it on my chef's knife after watching a 5 minute video and it brought back the bite after just 3 passes. Anyone else find a low-cost tool that surprised them for kitchen or workshop use?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarah_hart28d ago

I doubted actually fixed my dull knives" - see I think you might be giving that rod a little too much credit right out of the gate. A ceramic rod is a honing tool, not a sharpening one. What it does is realign the edge that's already there, not remove metal to create a new edge like a stone or even a pull-through does. So if your knife was truly dull with a rolled over edge, three passes on a rod just straightened it back up, it didn't "sharpen" it in the traditional sense. Your inexpensive rod probably saved you money compared to buying a real sharpening setup, but you'll still need to hit a stone eventually when that edge is actually worn down.

laura_white9928d ago

Yeah, I read a thing from a knife guy online that said pretty much the same thing. He compared a honing rod to like, using a comb on messy hair instead of actually cutting it. It just straightens things out for a bit. The problem is people think "sharp" is a permanent state, but really it's just the edge being straight. Once that steel gets actually worn down from use, no amount of rod action is going to bring back a real sharp edge. You're totally right that eventually you need a stone for that real worn out blade. It's a handy tool for sure, just not a replacement for real sharpening when the edge is truly gone.