Since We've Gone All Domestic

I wouldn't let my knives within a mile of such a thing. Stone and steel for me thanks. Oh, and skill.

No way would not let a knife near one. The trouble is once its set an angle for you, you will find yourself using it every bloody day.

Good steel for me any day.

It's probably far too cheap. You must have steel made by a Japanese sword master and stone hand selected from the north slope of Everest. This will set you back £4000 pounsds but is sooo much better.

Howard

Bloody hell have i bought the wrong thing? Seems a stone is the way! Please advise! BTW I've a collection of 10 or so top knives - Global, Henckel etc

Howard

Would you mind awfully passing on the name of the sword master

I've heard a company called TOBEM offers a special sharpener. They claim that not only is it sharper but meat tastes better when it's cut using their steel. It's extremely expensive but according to those who have laid out loads of dosh it's worth it. I believe they also offer a matching toaster and kettle and you get stickers for your car saying "I paid 300 quid for a kettle".

quote:

Good steel for me any day.

Where do I get one of those?

I was under the impression that the Minosharp has two different grinding angles, so that the edge which is prepared has longevity. Is it not made by/for Global Knives??

David

Dave - yes it is and it does work bloody brilliantly and wet also - you fill it with water and use the medium and fine stone wheels

Chaps

We use Victorinox knives which are considered to be pretty good.

We get the best results by using a similar device as shown by Martin with four wheels. It is powered by electric and makes the knives razor sharp.

Being Victorinox (same make as Swizz Army), the blades stay sharp for ages.

Regards

Mick

The device such as the Minosharp which uses rotating wheels to sharpen, ruins your knife. It actually causes a permanent blunt edge if you continue using it. It also produces serrations in the wrong direction.

The best way to keep the knife edge perfect is with a steel. One must sharpen the knife from the handle end first, ending at the tip. This produces the serrations in the correct direction. It is the serrations that do the cutting and they must point forward to achieve maximum cutting effect.

The old fashion steel made from actual steel with grooves along the length, are pretty bad. They rip the knife too much and roll over the fine cutting edge. A better steel is made from ceramic and the ultimate one is diamond coated. I, of course, have a Global diamond coated one, which was considerably expensive.

If you use an end grain wood chopping board and diamond coated steel, your knife should last a lifetime.

Well cheers all you lot out there, just been experimenting with the stone and steel again, and it does the job very well. Perhaps its a case of a gadget not being able to out-perform the traditional way? I'll try both a few times and get back to you. That Global diamond "steel" looks nice

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Originally posted by Martin D:
Bloody hell have i bought the wrong thing? Seems a stone is the way! Please advise! BTW I've a collection of 10 or so top knives - Global, Henckel etc

Touche, Sir.

My father taught me how to sharpen knives and I guess, in the end, it just feels more respectful to be traditional. (Even his small kitchen knives are sharp enough for shaving.)

The diamond steels are nice but hellishly dear. I used one that a cook owned in a kitchen I worked in once. She said it saved her from using the stone more than once every several months. But I've always thought that the diamond steels must be quite wearing - after all, it is the equivalent of running the blade over a thousand grit stone every day of use of the knife.

I think that, once learned, being able to take the shoulder off an edge and keep it sharp with a few strokes on a steel every so often is deeply satisfying.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
It's probably far too cheap. You must have steel made by a Japanese sword master and stone hand selected from the north slope of Everest. This will set you back £4000 pounsds but is sooo much better.

Howard

A Japanese sword only cuts well if it is well polished - no matter how sharp the edge.

Apparently, after a few bodies in battle the edges became clogged in fat and the swords wouldn't cut well. So, for all the flashy work in martial arts movies, in the real world the swords were no more than stabbing weapons after a few successful dispatches.

Quite irrelevant to this thread, of course, but I just love gory detail. Perhaps I should make films...

I believe that the sharpener in question is recommended for use on global knives, amongst others,& gives good results.
Using a steel, or a stone is traditionally considered best,but only if you use it correctly.The angle of blade to steel has to be correct, & consistant.Only one person should ever sharpen your knives to retain this consistancy.
Another alternative is to ask your friendly neighbourhood butcher to sharpen them for you, periodically. After all, who sharpens knives more often than a butcher? They should know whats best.
matt.

Except that the butcher is so mean he lets the tramp (who comes round periodically) sharpen his knives on the concrete step by the back door. The tramp's spit is said to have a benificial effect on carbon steels.