How To Sharpen A Knife In Real Time | Knife Sharpening For Beginners

How to sharpen a knife in real time. I talk about how to sharpen a knife and my process as I am doing it. LINKS TO THINGS IN VIDEO⬇️
(Affiliated links, NOT sponsored, bought everything with my own money, see full disclosure below)
Knife sharpening stone I am using in this video⬇️
amzn.to/4cGe7nC
Review for that stone
• I Maybe Found a Unicor...
Cheap stone I recommend $20⬇️
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Review for that stone⬇️
• S SATC Diamond Sharpen...
How to make a strop video⬇️ (strop in video)
• What Does a Strop Actu...
Strop compound⬇️
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Knife in video (HIGHLY recommend )⬇️
amzn.to/3IVWSRM
Video on holding an angle⬇️
• How To Sharpen A Knife...
Video on why burr removal is so important ⬇️ How to make an edge last LONGER • You're Sharpening Your...
Best first CHEAP sharpening stone (buy this stone first)⬇️
amzn.to/3OeZ4GW (Chinese made) But good
USA made amzn.to/47MGxJc
Best SECOND stone to buy⬇️
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If unavailable ⬇️
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Third stone⬇️
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Polishing stone⬇️
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Good strop compound⬇️
amzn.to/3Okzmkn
Don’t buy a strop, buy this instead ⬇️
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My favorite knife as of NOW⬇️
amzn.to/3Uciu3a
These are Amazon affiliated links.
As an amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Personal statement⬇️
As an affiliate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.
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I bought everything in this video with my own money, and am free to link to anything I want.
Recommendations, comments, and criticisms, are based on personal experience with products.
At this time, (time of video upload, subject to change) I am NOT sponsored by any company.
Thanks
Chapters:
00:00 INTRO
00:43 The stone I am using
01:12 The Strop I am using
01:44 Starting the sharpening process
02:00 The secrete angle rule SEE ATTACHED VIDEO FOR MORE
04:09 When to change sides
07:04 Feeling for a burr
07:54 Why I recommend a COARSE sharpening stone for everyone!
08:57 CLOSE UP of the burr under microscope
09:25 Burr minimization technique
10:43 CLOSE UP of what burr minimization does
10:56 STROPPING
12:08 The steel you use matters for burr removal
13:26 The paper test is not a sharpness test
14:34 Why I like coarse grit edges
16:31 CLOSE UP of the finished shaving edge
17:37 Minimum for hair whittling edges quick chat

[@OUTDOORS55]

Check the description for further video resources on techniques mentioned in this video. Happy Easter everyone! Heres the stone used in this video⬇ amzn.to/3J6aE45 Disclosure⬇ Affiliated link As an amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I bought everything in this video with my own money and am free to link to anything I want.

[@hkguitar1984]

Thank You for the tip when Stropping with a "spongy" piece of leather, I was using too much pressure and rounding over my Apex. Great Content, thank you Also, I do hope you're feeling better and on the mend.

[@monsterbuster_1596]

you promised a realtime vid and you delivered thank you

[@samueljackson856]

They sell cheap laser angle finders on Amazon. Would like to see you use one on a finished sharpening job. It really shows how clean and accurate you get the angle. (Edit: it will also reveal if you are convexing the edge)

[@samueljackson856]

The paper test can be a sharpness test. The less sound it makes the sharper the knife. The sound your paper makes you're probably in a 250-300 gram range. Just guessing lol. Why don't you do the wire cut test and laser test. If you can get one to 50 grams on a larger knife it would be impressive. 😊

[@stevegagnon1449]

Since I m sharpening my kitchen knives the way you teach, I want to cut lot of stuff when I cook to "test" my knives 🤣

[@lamegame420]

You should do one of these with a longer knife. Sharpening a pocket knife is great for beginners, but it would be awesome to see if you do it differently for a longer knife

[@Hydrazine1000]

Seconded! I've bought this very Sharpal stone because of the glowing review on this channel and I too would love to get guidance and tips on how to sharpen kitchen knives.

[@JohnSmith-zs1bf]

Yes I have large filleting breaking scimitars butcher type knives that are 10-14 inches and want to improve my tech on the sharpal

[@PhilipTheBird]

Yeah I've specifically still got questions about how to deal with the curve towards the tip of many kitchen knives (don't know the proper terminology sorry).

[@ironfoot1938]

Yes a curved knive tutorial would be great. You need to change your angle when you get to the curve, and I always struggle with that. Edit: I guess you don't call it changing the angle.

[@JohnSmith-zs1bf]

@@ironfoot1938 I've seen tutorials saying to keep the angle the same and lift the handle side up (torwards the sky) as you get to the curve. Seems to work but I'd like to see OD55 method

[@terryanderson8075]

When you said “I have no idea what angle that is” I was instantly released from my obsession with the ‘correct’ angle. It was what I imagine an exorcism might be like. Thank you for that.

[@rafybassilious8390]

Happy to see you’re doing well

[@rbmarrow8162]

You are selling yourself short by a lot of $. You have to fix the fact that you're not getting a cut of the sale of the sharpening stones you're recommending. You're the reason these stones are hard to find. You have built a solid reputation and we trust your referral. You deserve a cut of the big bucks. Good to hear you're healing up well. It is amazing that you can take such a simple topic and turn it into this much good info and entertainment. I am always learning new stuff. That may be because I am a little slow and forget what is said too quickly. Lol. I also hate the phrase “practice makes perfect”, if you practice badly you will only get good at doing things badly.

[@marcinmerrimack1726]

He gets a commission from a sale if buyers use his links to purchase. (And there’s nothing wrong with that.)

[@OUTDOORS55]

I do get a commission from the sales on Amazon if I recommend something. Luckily almost every type of stone is available on Amazon so that allows me to link to what I recommend. And if i dont like something i can link to an alternative. Im not opposed to sponsorships but they would have to be some I already recommend and use personally 🙂

[@Enishidono]

I can understand when you say these types of videos don't do well views wise, but as someone who is currently learning, I sincerely appreciate this. Cheers, mate! 🍻

[@bakamojojojo]

Hey, just wanted to say thanks. I've got fucked up hands and have spent years (and a decent amount of money) going through all the electric, guided and 'easy' sharpeners. None of which saved my hands or gave a decent edge. Following your guides, I can now make my kitchen knives sharp in minutes. Not only that, they stay that way for so much longer. So thank you! I hope you're feeling better.

[@fairgolfer]

Thank you. My hands are not great, rheumatoid arthritis. Your post is inspiring 👍

[@bakamojojojo]

@@fairgolfer No worries! I have similar and this is definitely the easiest time I've had sharpening knives.

[@franka9760]

That's the best stone sharpening video I have ever seen! I'm sharing it far and wide!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Wow that's awesome! Glad it helped!

[@theebombdiggidy2011]

Happy Easter Alex I’m praying for you and hope you have a speedy recovery.

[@slobash33]

Just want to say thanks from New Zealand. Was spending a lot on "professional" sharpening on our kitchen knives that went dull again really quickly. Splashed out on a diamond stone and a leather strop, watched your videos a few times and took a crack at some of them and even with the first, rookie go at it they're so much better. I will continue to check out your vids and refine my technique, thank you!

[@DaryooshF.Sh.P-vq6mu]

Man you are global treasure. You have made my life full of joy. I sharpen knives for years but you are the reason I’m using diamond plates for corse and medium necessity and Ceramic stones as fine instead of cumbersome messy whetstones. I use only a 10 k Naniwa just before strop only to get mirror bevel faster. Keep it up high 🔪

[@shortcircuit7310]

Alex does the best sharpening videos on KZbin, IMO. Simple , straightforward instructions. He backs up the theory of what he's doing by showing us the excellent imagery of the edge. From an ease of use and lack of mess point of view, I sharpen on cheap diamond stones from Temu, with a strop. If anyone wants to learn sharpening, my tip would be to not start on stainless steel kitchen knives, which are relatively difficult to form a burr and need more work because of their length. To learn the basics, pick up a small Opinel knife, the carbon steel one, not the "Inox" which is stainless. The carbon steel forms a burr really easily and the burr comes off easily too. And it takes a really short time to do because the blade is so small. Once you understand the process with the Opinel, you can go to other more difficult knives

[@vivienpandart]

Hello, I love to cook, and could you make a video of sharpening a chef knife ? Or a butcher knife ? (Curved one) Because I feel the length of these knifes make it harder, I would like to see how you do it. Anyway love your videos, this is the channel that helped me the most with sharpening.

[@RStout59]

So glad to see your up and about!

[@BrunoAguirre]

Great vid! So good to see you back! Gettings from Brazil!

[@jahzzy]

I'm glad to see you still grinding, literally and figuratively. Keep it up!

[@andrewzach1921]

Thanks for the video Alex. Happy Easter.

[@StitchJones]

Happy Easter, god bless and awesome to see a new video. Thank you!

[@TerenceA72]

I'm so glad youtube has these kinds of videos. For years I thought education was the key but I was very wrong. It turns out that all the things I'm lacking knowledge in has nothing to do with education but is in fact is because I don't know the secrets. Don't worry though from now on I'll treat learning things as I should and make sure I keep these things secret ;)

[@PappaBear_yt]

Great tutorial! Thank you and happy Easter to you and your family! 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@orangetruckman]

Well, I appreciate you providing a real-time sharpening video. With the knowledge I was taught, knives were never really “sharp” and wouldn’t maintain the edge. I’m getting better, but still have some bad habits to change. Seeing you doing your things helps improve my skills 💁🏼‍♂️ thank you for sharing the knowledge. Hope things are headed in a positive direction with your health.

[@stevemtownjr]

Really appreciate these types of videos!

[@tylerkrug7719]

The sharpening master at it again! 🙏

[@expensivefreeadvice8530]

You touched on sharpening with only the course stone to have some "teeth". Thinking this may be the best advice ever for us kitchen folk as a bit of tooth really helps. Even if I'm prepared to do all of the polishing, how would a super-duper polished edge benefit a kitchen knife? I think maybe a longer lasting edge, but is that all? Got that SHARPAL stone, very nice. THANK YOU for teaching all of this. Greatly appreciated.

[@USSMariner]

IIRC edge retention also involves the steel of the knife. Then again, he sharpened a 1 dollar kitchen knife and it whittled a 2x4 for hours so maybe it's much ado about nothing.

[@jamesruth100]

@@USSMariner Yeah, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of factors that are relevant for edge retention. The type of steel, the quality of the actual bar stock, quality of the heat treatment, the kind of grind, the knife's thickness, the angle it's sharpened at, what level it's sharpened to, the material you're cutting into, etc.; it's insanely complex.

[@leonchao7247]

A very polished edge is good for slicing delicate proteins without tearing them. 3000 grit is a sweet spot for most kitchen tasks however

[@steveb6553]

Great to see you are feeling better Alex💪keep the great videos coming!! Thoughts and prayers and stay sharp 👍

[@FransiNatraTheMan]

13:25 I totally felt identified with your reaction 😂, that "oh! It's sharp!" look. I kind of know that a surgeon sharp knife is not required for most of my applications (I just like to cook). But I'm also a mechanical engineer, I know one or two things about steel, and I'm also obsessed with sharpness. It is always this sensation of "let's make it sharper, I can make it sharper" I recently found your channel and I have learned so much. My onions don't even know they are being sliced and diced now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@scottdunbar4898]

Hey Alex. Thanks for the video. So glad to see you doing what you do best. You are a great teacher.

[@tkeslinke5439]

Yes. These are super helpful!

[@Phrish]

Another excellent instructional video!

[@ryanlane9026]

I honestly love watching your videos. Iv watched this video 6 times … thanks for showing how it’s done

[@mitchelltj1]

I really appreciate the detail you put into this and the in-between shots of the edge. Thanks for sharing your experience and stay well!

[@imgadgetmanjim]

Yeah!!! Another Alex video. Hope you continue to heal.

[@pmdinaz]

Glad you're on the mend!

[@boowiebear]

You have helped demystify this incredibly. Awesome work!

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

So right. Muscle memory and paying attention to what's happening. Still the best macro edge photography on YT!

[@michaeldeldot1798]

One of your best videos!!!

[@FrankDyke]

Excellent video, very helpful, actionable advice.

[@SENILE_TYRANT]

Truly a fantastic teacher.

[@Will7981]

Happy Easter! And I hope you are continuing to get healed! Enjoyed the video.👍🏻

[@SASHAB0Y]

Good to hear you are well. You have helped me to understand knives better. Love your videos and hope total recovery for you. Love your vids💪🏼❤️

[@filipefaria898]

Thanks my friend! This could be a boring video but was great, very honest, direct and informative. Congrats

[@ushnotzkr4006]

Nice ive been waiting for a video like this. Didnt disappoint, thanks a bunch

[@PotatoSmasher4242]

Very helpful seeing real time sharpening, much more helpful than the fast forwarded examples in other videos. The sound the knife makes, the hand movement, you can even get a feel for how much pressure is used. Keeping the two bevels matched is a cue I've never thought of, I will try to implement it next time.

[@grayintheuk8021]

This is a really good video and thank you for doing this. Big thumbs UP.

[@torsen1987]

Im so glad to see your videos in my feed again

[@MrBearbait75]

SUPER useful!! Thank for continuing to teach us how to hand sharpen! And showing us how it really is simple once you have the basics down. Going slow as you're learning is so important, to me anyway. Hoping for your continued healing!

[@jasoncampbell6222]

Nice to see your spirits are higher than last week, great demonstration as always. Best wishes from here in the UK.

[@NigelJones-br5tl]

Thanks for this - really helpful.

[@lubosmato]

I got into knife sharpening because of your amazing videos. Thank you!!!

[@Hector-vx5yc]

Thank you so much for the tutorial!! Outstanding information. Hopefully I’m able to apply your teaching.

[@tobiaslanghoff9336]

Hope you’re feeling better! Great video, easy too follow.

[@jeffrdnck7973]

I heard the word recovering, that’s outstanding and thanks for another outstanding video!

[@davidf3974]

Thanks to videos from you and kneeves knives, ive gone from conpletely inconpetent to sharpening up a few knives at a time in a few short minutes. Love these videos

[@freddupont3597]

Good to see you are getting better and recovering; please take care of your health. Cheers, & thanks for the video

[@GammelfarMusik]

Yes. This video pretty much sums up all my beginner questions (and answers them). Gonna do some coarse stone practice the next weeks. Thank you so much!

[@agent7796]

Glad to see your feeling better, all of your videos are most informative and entertaining, on a final note I purchased the Sharpal stone after your previous review & I'm very happy with it, cheers, 😎👍👍

[@captc502]

Hey, just wanted to say thank you for your videos. I had gotten a full whetstone set on Black Friday, but after watching your stuff I returned and got a much cheaper diamond set. After watching your technique and your super helpful microscope images, I got a really good idea of what I was looking for in a burr. I'm now slicing paper with some coarse stones, and haven't even gotten a strop yet! Thank you so much for your content.

[@scouthunteat6807]

Keep doing these... love them

[@leskerf]

You do the best videos. Clear, concise, and thorough, with an occasional touch of comedy. Thanks for the great views.

[@TWKKNIVES]

You are hands down the best. You are ridiculously humble which adds to your relatability as well as how you (whether intended or not) instill in the viewer a feeling of confidence that they can become a great freehand sharpener. It's been a couple years for me personally and while I can't always get every knife I sharpen hair whittling sharp, thanks to your videos and a Lot of practice there's no knife in any steel (with proper heat treatment) that takes me longer than a couple minutes to get an edge that's hair popping sharp. Thank You

[@JohnSleeman-df5tt]

I recently started watching your videos and just ordered the two sided diamond stone you recommended and the tools I need to make a strop, I went found you when I went looking for a person that could help me find the right tools and proper techniques to sharpen knifes since my cheap kitchen sharpeners where not doing the trick that you for all your help!

[@craigg6951]

I started about a month ago. I got a cheap set for my bday and bought the sharpal a couple of weeks ago and a good strop and have learnt tons from your videos. I'm getting good results whilst still learning. Great to see you posting and by far the best content I have seen. Thank you.

[@daniel.rosina]

Great tutorial, thanks!

[@1947froggy]

Perfect basics, thx!

[@NebulaSparrow]

This is the video I needed. Thank you!

[@martysmallenginerepair5634]

First of all . HAPPY EASTER, hope youre doing well! Great video! Thanks bud❤

[@1977Mappy]

Thank you for the content & sharing knowledge.

[@samspade2104]

Good video. Very helpful. I'm bookmarking this one. Thanks.

[@josephknudson5097]

Took your advice. Waiting for the Sharpal to arrive. Can't wait to finally learn how to properly sharpen a knife. God bless you.

[@danpost4755]

Great video, Alex!

[@williamemerson1799]

ALWAYS helpful! 👍🍻

[@carlpowers7291]

I’m so glad that you made this video because I was really getting frustrated using less coarse grits

[@tjmass2]

Glad youre working with your hands boss!

[@markparkerjr.9001]

Great video. Thanks for always putting out useful informative content. Glad to see you’re doing alright.

[@miker5502]

The strop is the key to happiness when sharpening…thanks Alex for the quick tutorial! Cheers from Nova Scotia..MikeR.

[@lw8882]

Love it. Thank you!

[@bobc3144L]

I bought your recommended stone and a strop. I’m doing better than I ever have in my life going very slowly and really keeping the angle constant. The thing that seems to help me the most is using their little included, pyramid shaped angle guide to start the angle and keep it the same each time. Thanks for your videos. They’re the best I’ve seen on simple knife sharpening.

[@CannedMan]

I bought the Sharpal based on your review of it, and have been extremely pleased with how my plane irons have turned out. Thanks! This video is going to prep me for getting all my kitchen knives sharpened well. Again thanks!

[@patricksmatrick6193]

I’m pretty decent with any guided sharpener but freehand has been calling out to me and this has been very helpful.

[@GG-ii1uc]

Wish you a swift recovery mate! Great video!

[@SpaceFrawg]

Solid info as always.

[@fairgolfer]

Thanks, so much good information shared for me a beginner

[@captainRock0011]

Glad to see you are recovering

[@14845445]

i like your professional attitude a lot. you and ryky taught me so much stuff about freehand sharpening.

[@7784000]

Amazing macros of the apex! That takes some time and effort fot sure but I guess this helps beginners to get a better understanding of whats going on during the sharpening process.

[@gram7853]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@Smegmalicious]

Thanks for this it helped me a lot

[@S.Vallieres]

Hello Alex, thank you very much for this another great sharpening tutorial. As usual, it's very informative/educative and you make it even relaxing too! Happy Easter and keep well.

[@DimaShishkov]

Thank you very much for this video. Really helped clear a couple of questions.

[@sarahkramer8954]

Super useful video. Thanks!

[@ARAW-__-]

Helpful insight. I hope you'll get better. Loved your last piece of advice. Practicing often shortly has been great to me.

[@runeborgbjerg]

I watched the whole thing mainly because you said that these types of videos do poorly. Also, i really like the short blade example since many guides focus on full chef knives. This is good stuff. Thanks for this :)

[@JC-if9dl]

Thank you for the advice

[@Nick5o9]

Thank you so much for teaching me how to sharpen! I've tried so many methods and setups. Yours is the simplest and the way you present it is really comprehensive! Plus you address some issues (like the fact that some steels de-burr fairly easily while others need more work) that really frustrated me. I hope you get better and wish you the best!!

[@holiestofmolies]

Happy Easter bud! You're why I know how to properly sharpen knives.

[@c.h.4814]

Looking good Amigo, embrace the faith!!!

[@disaster2048]

Good day from Ukraine, sir! Im a long time fan of your work. As a knife enthusiast i, for some reaso, to this day was unlucky to come across a really good knife. Knives are somewhat enchanting for me so i look for a really precious one. Those ones youve shown in your videos feel like legendary weapon. As you know there is a war going on at my home and i have gone to the military service. Life can end abruptly here so i decided to try and ask. Can you please sell me one of your super knives, like the one you have shown chopping wood all day etc? It can be ugly, unfinished or broken, i just want to finally see what the really good and properly tempered steel from a real master feels like. Thank you in advance! For anyone who see this please upvote so the master can see it. Thank you very much and may you all live long and happy lives.

[@OUTDOORS55]

I dont sell knives at the moment sorry! Thank you for watching my videos I really appreciate it! Stay safe my friend and God be with you🙏

[@kwakamonkey]

Great video for people who want to learn using stones as many use Lansky and the others rather than stones and want to learn .

[@-IE_it_yourself]

thanks to your videos buying a 150-600grit oil stone was a game changer, thanks for teaching me about how sharp you can get from a low grit stone.

[@acartersmith]

Thank you! Love your videos! Hope your recovery is going well!!

[@acartersmith]

Bought the sharpal stone you are using. Now I’m am watching all your videos again before I summon up the courage to try and actually sharpen a blade!