Ceramic Rods: Most knives just need a tune up, not a valve grind. Here are 3 inexpensive options.

amzn.to/423qvYG A few strokes on a ceramic rod is all most knives need to get back to cutting paper. Just need a basic tune up on the ceramic rod, not a valve regrind. Here are some easy affordable options.
Victorinox: amzn.to/423qvYG
Thick rod: amzn.to/40InNXq
Thin rod: amzn.to/3Ay9zhq

[@Foxholeatheist]

Ceramic does remove material, it doesn't just re-align the edge. It's typically very fine, but it is removing material. The grey marks on the ceramic are the steel that's removed. A great way to clean ceramics is Barkeeper's Friend. The oxalic acid does a great job. My favorite of the ceramics is the Spyderco.. the white (fine) is 6 microns, and the ultra-fine is 3 microns. You used to be able to buy smooth case-hardened hones, but almost all of the hones you buy nowadays have some sort of sharpening effect (ceramic or diamond) also. I don't bother with it, and just use the Sharpmaker to hone and lightly sharpen at the same time.

[@RcFlyer49]

Love my Spyderco Double Stuff.

[@drengskap]

Top tip - if you're using the Victorinox pocket sharpener, you can flip the long sheath end around and use it as a handle.

[@edgaraquino2324]

Yup! That you can!

[@WorkingViews]

Not much happens with dull blades. Good demo. Stropping really makes the difference. I use a compound from lee valley that polishes very well. I tend to polish all my blades, they are just more predictable that way.

[@edgaraquino2324]

Good video, thanks! There are a set of ceramic rods underneath the cap on the Victorinox, an excellent tool...Also, Schrade has a very nice honesteel that comes with a really neat leather sheath, as well as a compact sharpening rod with a sheath for regular sharpening & to sharpen serrations...both designed for field use in mind....

[@Toyotas_n__Tools]

Worksharp field sharpener is probably the best bang for your buck at around $25

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

Get diamond plates ceramic rod and a strop

[@fuloplehel]

Nice informative video. Actually I have the victorinox one in my edc bag. Another one that I like is the fallkniven foldable one, with diamond on one side and a very fine ceramic on the other side..Great tools for sharpening on the go. 👍👍👍

[@robbabcock_]

Good stuff! A good ceramic hone will get you a lot. I love the ones from Idahone.

[@RandysWSG]

Great video

[@troyrambo6804]

I sharpen mine using the opposite hand, hold the knife in my left and use my right to always hone away from me, using longer strokes and more controlled. It's so much easier than the old way. I also use a standard honing rod after I use the ceramic rod and then I use a strop to polish the edge to remove any burrs. If really bad I'll use a wet stone and sharpen the old fashion way. Ceramic rods are great and you can just use water and a kitchen scrub brush to remove embedded material, because yes it does remove some metal, way more than a standard metal honing rod.

[@TylerSnyder305]

I mostly just use a steel and strop, but ceramic rods are definitely great.

[@dbeelee8564]

I'll likely take some flack for this comment, but try it before blasting. The best way to clean a sharpening stone or ceramic rod is with duct tape. I suggest trying this method on a flat stone first to see how well it works. Get a peice of duct tape and apply it to the top of the flat stone. Get something round to press roll the tape down (roll pins, mechanic's sockets, etc). Remove the tape. Inspect stone and if necessary, apply a fresh strip of tape. Repeat until original color of stone returns. The better the tape is pushed in, the better it cleans. Will work on oiled stone, actually will remove oil which is a good thing. Old stones become new again.

[@rewdey]

Scotch green works great to clean but if you add a dab of ceramabryte or some other soft scrub bartenders friend type cleaner when your cleaning your speeds it up much quicker to remove the grey streaks

[@kittytrail]

the ikea ones are nice and cheap too. 😉

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

Check out black ceramic honing rods.

[@from6454]

Exactly right... sometime all it need is just straighten the blade, not sharping it (which like you said "remove" the metal). There are so many videos all tell average viewers how to sharping it. Sharping is a skill that average people just unable to master. For average people, even a rod is too difficult. But there are some easy kitchen tools, that can help to straighten the blade and can use for a while. People can spend hundreds $ on a knife but if they don't know how to straighten it and sharping it only necessary, they might as well buy dollars knife and throw it away and buy new one.

[@BrandinoMegatronDash]

Imho almost anyone could get decently proficient at sharpening with a little effort.

[@twatmunro]

@@BrandinoMegatronDash -- Agree. Most people don't put any effort into learning, but even a moron like me can improve a knife with freehand sharpening on whetstones, right from the off. Just watch a decent video on technique, make sure that you're developing a burr for the full length of the edge on each side, and use a magnifier to check what's going on with your edge -- so you can see what impact that sharpening is having. Have you got your angle right? Which area needs more work? A single whetstone and a strop is really all you need. With a combo whetstone and a strop, you'll be getting knives sharper than they came from the factory in no time at all.

[@PunchingStuff]

Great video as always a bit of topic but I was wondering if you had any opinions or ideas on tool identification I'm starting a job where I'll work with a bunch of other technicians and don't want to have my tools mixed up or anything. Do you have any experience with marking your tools? I don't want to wreck the chrome, paint sounds good but would have to re apply and it can be removed easily. Any thoughts?

[@lastbesttool]

Maybe there's something helpful to you here or in the comments. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipmvd4Kvgb6IeJY

[@gregmccarter2176]

I use a steel, follow up with ceramic. Then strop..on all my knives...I use a smith diamond 400/600 on knives that I find, or people who bring me knives with horrible apexs

[@bigjim55able]

I like my Crock Sticks

[@davidbreitwieser3591]

Try the speed sharp little carbide guy, there sweet, but I need a dad’s opinion

[@twatmunro]

Not on your good knives. Carbide takes too much steel off.

[@twatmunro]

Your idea of 'sharp' and my idea of 'sharp' are not the same thing at all.

[@aussiehardwood6196]

Strop it after runing it over ceramic.

[@markifi]

John Juranitch advises about using steel rods. i don't believe ceramic rods would be any different. just sharpen with a block, preferably using a guide. i use a fallkniven d3t glued on a piece of wood and my stuff is sharp enough. i use the opening mechanism as an angle guide so my skills are pretty much not a factor. (that's a good thing)

[@elevationmoto6208]

Ceramic rods are much harder than steel rods, and are thus more effective on hard steel blades. Also, ceramic does not rust.

[@markifi]

@@elevationmoto6208 it's the entire shape of the tool i have an issue with, rather than just the material (abrasive surface of any material harder than the knife would be fine otherwise). excerpt from the book: "Careful study showed, for instance, that most men steel with a very shallow angle on the top of their steel, but a very steep one on the bottom, which will result in a poor edge. Also, the better butchers with the better edges used a smooth steel, while the others used just about everything. Actually, if you don't have a good edge on your knife to begin with, steeling is going to do you very little good, if any, no matter what kind of steel you're using or how you're using it. So first you have to produce a good edge with the proper hones, that is, a very coarse hone to remove metal followed by a very fine hone to set the edge. Since you set your edge on a very fine hone, it only makes sense to use a very smooth steel. If you use a coarse steel you will just erase what you have done on the fine hone, because you must use progressively finer abrasive to get the ultimate edge."

[@markifi]

also@@elevationmoto6208 " If you do not steel properly you will lose the edge, and then the smooth steel will not bring it back, so you must start all over with your coarse and fine abrasives. If you are considering buying a steel and want to do it right, consider only the smooth. The rule of thumb is to start with a good edge, and then steel very lightly on a smooth steel." in that case, ceramic might even be worse than a steel rod, which isn't very good to start with

[@Shishou_Shi]

I just use a 10k grit emerald stone

[@twatmunro]

No you don't. That would be pointless. A 10k grit stone is just a polishing stone. If you haven't done the work of removing the steel with a coarse/medium stone and refining the scratches with finer stones, your 10k will have no impact at all. Your edge will just be as bad as it was when you took it to the whetstone.

[@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589]

Why don't people hone away from themselves? When I was a young kitchenhand, then a cabinetmaker, I was taught to hone away from myself, like whittling. Safer, and as effective.

[@sandorandras4148]

Hooolyyy Ffffff!!! Sorry for my language but why in gods name are you pulling a sharp blade against yourself!!! I expected any time in this video you getting cut by franticly maneuvering that blade. Please don’t even advertise that. I sharpen my knifes maybe ones a year and keep them touched up on diamond, ceramic and than a steel rods. I use to put the tip of the rod on the bench top and push the knife towards the bench. But now I hold the rod in chest hight tip away from me, align the knife blade to the proper degree an push away. Always in control where the blade is. And with practice youl get a hair poping edge in les then 5 minutes!!

[@murdock5537]

You are right, Sandor, this is very dangerous! Please turn the knife in the other direction. Beside that it's a great vid, I love my ceramic honer, makes a great job.

[@OShackHennessy]

Calm down it’s ok nobody died