Why should you professionally sharpen your knives?

Have you ever heard someone (maybe yourself!) say things like...

“I just sharpen my knives using a honing steel like the chefs on TV!”

Knife sharpening may look simple on the face of it, but in reality, it is an art and a science that takes years of experience to master. It takes a number of different methods, tools, and techniques that change depending on the type and condition of the knife to get the cutting edge of a knife the very best it can be. Something that can’t be done in your home garage with an old grinding wheel you found!

You could buy any number of knife sharpening gadgets that promise the world from Amazon etc but all they do is remove lots of good material from the blade, put an fixed, most likely incorrect, angle on the blade, and to be honest don’t even get them that sharp.

Honing steels like chefs use don’t sharpen a knife, they hone the knife. Chefs know that to keep the knife as sharp as possible for as long as possible you need to hone the knife each time you use it. Honing aligns the blade of your already sharp knife making it feel sharper and removes very little material. All chefs know this prolongs the time between professional sharpening. You will never get a blunt knife sharp with a honing steel. You can think honing is like brushing your teeth, sharpening is like going to the dentist.

It’s worth having your knives professionally sharpened, even if you think it’s an unnecessary expense. You may have some high-quality knives that you have invested a significant amount of money in. It is much cheaper to get professionals like us to sharpen those knives than it is to purchase new ones.

If you tried to sharpen them yourself, depending on your level of skill, what tools you have access to, and how lucky you feel, you may get away with it, or you may damage your knives. Who knows?

To get the very best cutting edge on a knife there is no other way than giving your knives to highly skilled professionals. Our experienced knife smiths can assess the knives bevel, ensure the least amount of material possible is taken off the blade, and repair any damage found. All prolonging your knife’s lifespan.

A professionally sharpened knife cuts better, stays sharp for longer, and is easier to keep sharp once the blade starts to get dull again. Sharp knives are always much more fun to work with, as well as being much safer.

Sadly, local knife sharpeners have become a rare breed these days but with our knife sharpening by post service, we cover the entire UK. If you love using knives, be it for cooking or using your utility knife in the great outdoors - sharpen them, and if you are going to do that, get a professional to do the very best job.

Stay Sharp!