How To Use Steels

What Kind of Steel Should You Use?

POLISHED STEELS  are to be used only in combination with FINE CUT STEELS, not separately.

The knife needs to be steeled on a FINE CUT STEEL first to sharpen the blade and then on a POLISHED STEEL  to hone and realign the cutting edge.

POLISHED STEELS and FINE CUT STEELS are designed for skilled users who need razor sharp cutting edges and who know how to use a sharpening steel. Such users usually need to steel their knives from once in a while to various times a day.

For example:
-  self-employed butchers who regularly re-sharpen their knives on a machine
-  skilled users in slaughterhouses who often re-sharpen knives on machines

REGULAR (MEDIUM), COARSE and DIAMOND STEELS are to be used by people who do not use their knives as often as people in slaughterhouses. Knives used by such people are not re-sharpened everyday because they don’t use them that often. Professional chefs and the home cook are typical users of these steels. Other steels wouldn’t be of much use for them.

Skilled professionals use COMBINATION CUT STEELS. Professionals are people who don’t have any problems in steeling a knife on the narrow sides of such a combined sharpening steel, without hitting the edges.

How To Use A Steel To Sharpen A Knife?

Click here to read about HOW TO USE YOUR SHARPENING STEEL.

Click here to read about SHARPENING KNIVES BY HAND.

Click here to read about USING A STONE.

NOTE:   It should be emphasized that the information given above is only to be seen as a guideline. The suitability of a steel for a certain purpose depends very much on the individual user’s skills and the intended application.