As we earlier said, honing steels only straighten the blades' edges and keep them as if they were still new. Just gently run your fingers around the knife's edge or observe with your eyes. If you sight or feel a bending edge, then you have to hone it. However, while knives have no rules set aside to determine when they need to be honed, this can be carried out as a habit. Honing a knife frequently during uses mean you will need to sharpen it less.