HONING When viewing a knife’s blade under a very strong microscope, its edge will look like a series of tiny points. Over time and frequent use, these points can get pushed down and bent out of shape. Honing realigns and straightens that edge, removing an edge’s “burr” (the steel folding over itself) for smoother, safer, cuts. Regular honing will result in a less frequent need to sharpen. SHARPENING So, honing is for realigning a blade’s edge, by correcting misalignment. This differs from SHARPENING, which actually removes traces of steel from a blade’s edge to form a new edge. Whetstones are considered the very best method of sharpening, as they’re more likely to ensure that your blade’s edge is restored to its original correct and proper geometry, allowing for maximum sharpness. IN PRACTICE (to PERFECTION) Developing the skill of correctly honing and sharpening your knives will help ensure the longevity of your knives and utensils, maximize their performance, and help retain the edges of your blades. Practice makes perfect. HONING Weekly honing will fully maximize and optimize the life and performance of your blades and will also significantly extend the length of time you’ll have before you’ll need to sharpen your blades (as honing corrects and restores a blade’s edge to its proper geometry, which in turn helps to retain a blade’s sharpness, longer).If you don’t already own a professional, high-quality, honing rod, you can purchase our KESSAKU DYNASTY SERIES 10” STEEL HONING ROD How to Use a Honing Rod To use a honing steel (or ceramic) rod, start by holding the rod vertically with the tip placed on the counter. Slide the blade down the rod at a 16-degree angle, applying light pressure. Repeat this about half a dozen times, alternating sides.   SHARPENING  The very best method (by far) for sharpening is using a whetstone kit, the method used by all professional chefs to sharpen professional knives. This is because it allows you to perfectly sharpen without removing any excess steel.   Electric Sharpeners can also be used although we suggest ensuring it uses ceramic or diamond cutting wheels and can sharpen blades designed with steep cutting angles (Asian Style).