Does sharpening knives ruin them?

Author: Genesis Mohr  |  Last update: Monday, July 7, 2025

Over-sharpening a knife can actually damage the edge and make it duller. It's important to sharpen a knife only when it needs it, and to sharpen it to the correct angle.

Can knife sharpeners ruin knives?

Even the adjustable ones are not well suited to all knives. Electric pull through sharpeners remove way too much metal and shorten the life of your knife by years. Ceramic wheel sharpeners tend to take chips and chunks out of thin Japanese blades.

Can you ruin a knife with a whetstone?

As u/knifeq2121 said, you can't ruin a knife by sharpening it, unless your using a very coarse stone and pressing with all your strength.

What types of knives cannot be sharpened?

While most cheap serrated knives can be sharpened and made to be as sharp as more expensive serrated knives, micro serrated knives cannot be sharpened. These are recognised by the sharp jagged cutting edge.

Is it safe to use a knife after sharpening?

Definitely clean the knife if you sharpen it: if you use a steel for a few licks before cutting you are actually aligning the extremely fine foil at the edge rather than eroding the metal and this will be ok to use.

Why An Ultra Sharp Knife Will Dull Super Fast - And How To Fix It

What is the last thing you must do after sharpening a knife?

The last step in sharpening is removing the burr – the hide side of an old leather belt will do, or buy a strop such as this one. A bit of baby oil on the leather will help you get a nice, even covering of the polishing compound. As with most things, you get what you pay for.

Does sharpening a blade damage it?

Over-sharpening a knife can actually damage the edge and make it duller. It's important to sharpen a knife only when it needs it, and to sharpen it to the correct angle.

Is it better to sharpen knives or buy new ones?

In general, it's a clever idea to sharpen your knife before it becomes too dull because a dull knife can be more dangerous to use and can make cooking tasks more difficult. As a bottom line, if you notice that your knife is not performing as well as it used to, it may be time to sharpen it.

What dulls a knife the fastest?

Never cut on glass, ceramic or countertops. Those surfaces are harder than a knife's edge and will quickly dull the blade. It's what you cut on that dulls knives, not what you're cutting.

Are pull-through knife sharpeners bad?

Pull-through sharpeners are the most popular way to sharpen knives, and with good reason: They are quicker than whetstones and more precise than sharpening steels. However, they shed the most amount of metal, which weakens the durability of knives.

Do you push or pull knives on whetstone?

While pushing the the blade with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone. You can consider this sharpening process is removing the burrs on the edge (After Sharpening Face side of blade).

What should you not do when sharpening a knife?

Common mistakes include twisting, pressing down or pausing the stroke of knives as you pull them through the sharpener slot. This can cause oversharpening (the loss of too much metal) or result in an uneven edge.

Do chefs use knife sharpeners?

A sharpening stone, also known as a whetstone is a kitchen essential used by professional chefs across the globe. While honing rods take slightly less time to maintain knives than whetstones, they are incredibly durable and resilient and help your knife cut through any type of meat, fruit, or vegetable.

Is it better to sharpen a knife wet or dry?

While some stones – like those made of diamond or ceramic – can be used dry, they still usually benefit from a little water. Soaking the whetstone is important because it helps protect the stone from damage and wear. Sharpening your knives with a dry stone won't hurt the knife, but it will damage the stone over time.

Is there a knife that never goes dull?

In addition to their cutting ability, serrated knives are also known for their durability. Because the teeth on the blade are not as fine as those on a straight-edged knife, they are less likely to dull quickly. This means that serrated knives often go longer between sharpenings than other knives in your kitchen.

What knife stays the sharpest?

The Misono Sweden Steel Series knives are celebrated for their exceptional precision and durability. These knives are crafted from premium Swedish carbon steel and offer outstanding edge retention and sharpness.

Which knives cannot be sharpened?

It's just some, like ceremic knives, are hard and brittle and need special equipment to sharpen them, like diamond Lapping. Ceremic blades are harder than normal honing stones, so, will not make any sharpening effort. However, pretend rubber knives are only for show and definitely cannot be sharpened.

Is it worth sharpening a cheap knife?

An inexpensive blade can be sharpened just as a costly chefs knife would. While the cheap knife will sharpen, it's important to note that it will lose that sharp edge faster than a more quality knife would because it's made of weaker steel.

Should you sharpen a knife forward or backwards?

Start at the tip of the blade, and draw the blade backward moving the blade spine forward, rather than moving the blade edge forward.

Can you ruin a knife by sharpening it too much?

It's crucial not to sharpen your knife too frequently or apply excessive pressure, as this can cause the blade to become thin and brittle.

What is the best knife sharpener?

Let's Cut to the Chase: The Best Knife Sharpeners
  • Shun Cutlery Combination Whetstone. ...
  • Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener. ...
  • AccuSharp 001C Knife Sharpener. ...
  • Work Sharp Professional Electric Culinary E5 Kitchen Knife Sharpener. ...
  • Homly Professional Electric Knife Sharpener.

Should you push or pull a blade when sharpening?

Most pros would agree that pulling the blade edge across the whetstone produces the best results. Not only will it bring the knife to its sharpest but it's also a much more effective way to remove chips and imperfections from the blade.

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