Pull-through sharpeners are the most popular way to sharpen knives, and with good reason: They are quicker than whetstones and more precise than
Pull through sharpeners are absolutely horrible for high end cutlery. The tungsten carbide cutters will nick and chip harder steels.
Using a whetstone gives you control over the angle of the blade and the pressure that's placed on the blade—something that isn't true with manual pull-through and electric knife sharpeners. You also won't find a sharpener that works on as many types of knives.
Best and easiest are usually mutually exclusive. Best is by using diamond or Japanese stones of varying grit and doing this by hand. Easiest is to use a guide tool, pull through sharpener, or electric sharpener. I highly discourage the latter two, as they will prematurely wear your knives out.
As for pushing down. You shouldn't be pushing down except to ensure the edge of the blade is making contact with the stone. Kitchen knives are relatively soft metal. The part you are sharpening comes down to an edge thinner then metal foil. If you press down, you will deform the edge and roll it over.
This takes practice, and you have to be careful, as using a whetstone incorrectly could weaken or damage a blade's edge. It can be fixed, but still – practice and caution are key. Another thing to keep in mind about whetstones is grit, indicated by the numbers on the side of the stone.
A whetstone can help you to keep the blade of a knife nice and sharp with just one or two strokes, which saves time in the kitchen.
A sharpening stone, also known as a whetstone is a kitchen essential used by professional chefs across the globe.
A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. In fact, a 20 degrees angle is often considered the best sharing point for most knives.
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.
The biggest disadvantage is that sharpening takes a little longer than when you use synthetic sharpening stones. And no natural sharpening stone is the same. The grain size and the coarseness of the stone cannot be accurately determined per stone. That is why an estimate is given of, for example, 6000 to 8000 grit.
We recommend 6–8 pulls through the sharpener (tip up). If you need that extra degree of sharpness, polish the edge with a few strokes back and forth.
Although electric sharpeners tend to grind away more of the knife's edge than whetstones, they have a lower risk than pull-through sharpeners of scratching and nicking the knife. In the case of a manual or pull-through sharpener, you pull the blade across a stationary abrasive.
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.
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.
The exact angle you sharpen the knife to will depend on the knife you're sharpening. While a boning knife will work perfectly well at a 20-degree angle, a cleaver that's working with the toughest cuts may require an angle of up to 30 degrees.
The blade- edge angle for all Zwilling J.A. Henckels cutlery, with the exception of santokus, is 15 degrees on each side (30 degrees total).
Your pull through knife sharpener becomes rounded out
That's good. However, in the same motion smaller bits of of the sharpener scrape off too. Over time your sharpener becomes a "rounder" tool. The groove at the very tip of the sharpener wears and rounds out.
Professionally sharpening knives can extend their life.
An expert can prolong the life of your knife by removing the bare minimum of the metal required to sharpen it. That's why Silverman approaches sharpening from a perspective of preservation.
A honing steel and a whetstone are not only the best tools for the job, but they're cheap.
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.
Many whetstones require to be soaked before you can sharpen with them and generally speaking, you'll need to do this for between 15 and 20 minutes. Some whetstones can be stored in water permanently which eliminates the need to soak them before each use.
Drag your knife towards you with a firm, even pressure at a 15 to 20-degree angle. Keep in mind that these angles may vary slightly depending on the type of blade you have. Continue repeating these strokes about ten times, then turn the blade over and sharpen the other side.