Definitely! Cheaper knives are often made of decent quality steel. Many of these knives have stamped blades that are mass produced, and their edges are machine finished. They are lacking the hand finish that turns a good knife into a great knife. Popular brands such as KitchenAid, Cuisinart, Chicago Cutlery Company, and Calphalon are absolutely worth sharpening and will come back sharper to you than when you bought them.