Sharpening FAQs

We have compiled our most common sharpening stones questions and answers.

Q. When was the Tormek T-1 launched? A. The Tormek T-1 was launched in the US market on Feburary 10th, 2022. Q. Can the Tormek T-1 restore my factory edge? A. In almost all cases, the Tormek T-1 will be able to sharpen your knives to sharp...

Q. Will replacement grits be available for the Precision Adjust? A. Yes, as production catches up with demand, replacement abrasives will be available to purchase. Q. Does the Precision Adjust come with a warranty? A. Yes, it has a 3 year ...

I’ve been sharpening for hours but my knife still isn’t getting sharp. What can I be doing wrong? We often get this call or email from customers. It can be very frustrating and may even force you to give up sharpening. But as frustrating as spendi...

Feeling For A Burr When Sharpening To feel for a burr, gently place your thumb on the side of the blade opposite to the side that was in contact with the sharpening stone. Then slide your thumb away from the edge. Always move perpendicular to ...

The Hard Translucent Arkansas Stone is actually translucent. We've put it to the test to remove any doubts. Hard Translucent Arkansas Stone with Flashlight To demonstrate the translucent properties of this stone we simply turned off the lights an...

Here are some examples of questions about sharpening stones that we often hear: I heard this called a "wet stone" but I thought it used oil. Should I use oil or water on it? The instructor said I need a "wet stone" what should I get? Are water s...

I've heard that a sharper edge is actually stronger than a dull edge? How can this be? There are a couple of good reasons why a dull edge is more prone to damage and dulling than a finely sharpened edge: A dull edge requires greater cutting forc...

At first thought, this seems to be a very commonly held yet inaccurate old wives tale. It stands to reason that a sharp knife will cut you very easily, therefore is less safe. However, after learning about many knife accidents and watching people use...

I would like to sharpen my edge to the same angle. What technique can I use to match the existing angle of my edge? The most common way to help you sharpen to the existing angle on an edge is to use a marker or Sharpie to help you identify your sh...

Sharpening a curved knife is just as easy as a straight blade. However, the products used are slightly different. A traditional straight blade (or one with a outward curve) is sharpened on a flat stone. However, a curved knife such as a hawkbill, ...

Is the Chef’s Choice Electric Sharpener safe for my knives? Yes, we have used the Chef's Choice 120, 130 and 320 with great success on many knives (including high end brands such and Wusthof and Henckels). You may have heard that electric sharpen...

Question: I need a sharpening stone when my straight razor gets too dull to sharpen with my strop. What do you recommend? Answer: A straight razor, unless it becomes severely dull can be brought back into shape with the Norton 4000/8000 combination...

Getting your Knife to Cut Like New Isn't As Hard As You Might Think Yes, it is possible to get a like new edge back on your knife. In fact it is often possible to improve on the edge it came with from the factory. And we have a wide selection of...

Just using a stone that is too fine is one of the most common sharpening mistakes we encounter. When asked, most people would like a fine edge not a coarse edge so sometimes skip the coarse stone. The theory goes like this, "I can just spend more t...

You can get your knife as sharp as a razor. Razors are often used as a standard of comparison for sharpening. A razor does indeed need to be sharp in order to cut hair without damaging the skin, so on one level the comparison is useful. And the ab...

What sharpener can I use on hunting knives? I want to use an electric sharpener but I've tried a few and they don't fit my thicker knives. Many electric sharpeners designed for kitchen cutlery don't work on thicker blades found on hunting knives. ...

Machetes are made to be easily sharpened. When used, they see a lot of abuse so they need to be able to be sharpened easily. They are hardened to be slightly softer than a pocket knife, if they were as hard as a pocket knife, they would be more prone...

How do I sharpen a serrated bread knife? Bread knives with serrated blades cut well for a long time. Eventually however, like any other edge, they dull and lose their cutting ability. Many people are daunted by the prospect of sharpening a serrate...

How do I sharpen a hunting, tactical, or outdoor knife? Hunting, tactical and outdoor knives with serrated blades are popular due to their aggressive cutting ability. Like other serrated knives, the edges are durable and retain their sharpness fo...

Is it ok to use oil on my diamond stones? As our article Should I Use My Sharpening Stones Wet or Dry? illustrates, we strongly recommend using a fluid of some kind whenever sharpening on a stone. For diamond stones, we recommend water. But occasion...

What's the best kind of honing oil to use with my sharpening stones? As we illustrate in our article, Should I Use My Sharpening Stones Wet or Dry? sharpening stones work best when used wet with some kind of honing fluid. For stones like Arkansas,...

This is definitely a source of confusion for people looking through the available types of sharpening stones. While ceramic stones and ceramic water stones sound similar, they are not the same thing. In our Sharpening Glossary we define the two types...

Are Arkansas Stones natural or man made? Arkansas Stones are natural stones. The stones we offer are quarried, graded and milled to shape in the US. How do the grits of Arkansas Stones Compare to each other? Arkansas Stones are graded not by g...

Should I Get Interrupted Surface or Continuous Surface Stones? DMT Diamond Stones are available in two main varieties, the Interrupted Surface found on their Diamond Whetstones and DuoSharp stones, and the Continuous Diamond Surface found on their...

I've purchased a Hard Black Arkansas Stone, can you tell me the grit? I've read it could be anywhere from 1200 grit, to as high as 4000 grit. The reason I ask is because on some softer steels I never seem to get the edge I'm expecting. Could it be t...

Is there a difference between Mineral Oil and Honing Oil? Over the years, we've had customers ask us about using mineral oil on their sharpening stones. That is actually a very good question because our honing oil is made of mineral oil. Is it the...

The Chef's Choice and the Work Sharp are two popular brands of electric knife sharpeners. Below we have listed a few questions we ask customers to help determine which sharpening system will best suit their needs. Work Sharp Ken Onion Edit...

The coarse stone is one of the most overlooked but most important sharpening stones you can own. We speak directly to customers every day and customers regularly question whether they need a coarser sharpening stone. The coarse stone is the workho...

These leather strop FAQs apply to all of the Sharpening Supplies Leather Stops. Q. Should I use honing compound on my strop? A. We generally recommend honing compounds such as our Green Honing Compound. If you have a double-sided strop, apply t...