New knife or sharpen existing

M

MJI

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127
Hey all,

There seems to be some knowledgable knife people around here so would appreciate any help or advice. I'm not knowledgable about them to be honest which you'll probably gather when I ask the question!

I have a set of these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/James-Martin-Santoku-Set-3-Piece/dp/B002SXGOWU I don't think there are great but a knife was a knife to me when I got them about 4 years ago, before I found DE and SE shaving!

They are getting blunt.

I mainly use them for prepping veg and slicing meat. Lots of Thai and Chinese cooking.

I'm thinking whether or not to invest in a good Chinese cleaver / chefs knife, which I think could handle the job well, along with a water stone or something? But then I thought could I just sharpen these perhaps?

So will these existing knives sharpen? If so, what would you suggest? Are there any of those hand held tools that you just pull the blade through any good?

Any thoughts on the cleaver?
 
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Greetings

I totally agree with what Tony said above, whilst the knives you have are not the best in the world properly sharpened they will perform just great. I would strongly suggest investing your money in a good quality stone. This is a good place to buy hones and is used by many on this site, http://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/pt/-eden-quality-combi-waterstone-grain-240-800.htm#tabbutton1 the stone I have made the link to is not an expensive one but should serve you well to start with, if you choose to dive in at the deep end Naniwa stones take some beating.

If and when you decide to upgrade your knives a couple of West German brands have IMHO stood the test of time and make superb knives that is Henckels and Wusthof, there is little to choose between them, there are of course many others but for now mastering honing the ones you have would be my advice.

Regards
Dick.
 
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So..... Would you sharpen a kitchen knife in the same way as a straight razor if you bought a sharpening stone? I.e. would it be good practice for honing a straight razor???

Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I have no idea if the generally accepted techniques for sharpening knives\straights are the same???
 
Well yes and no, it isn't a silly question. Yes as it'll give you a feel for the stone, using slurry to abrade the metal and a feel for the edge. No in that for larger kitchen knives you use a sweeping diagonal stroke over the stone rather than straight up and down stroke used with a smaller bladed razor but there are more similarities than not.
 
If you are just trying to sharpen your kitchen knives one of these will keep them sharp enough very simply. It's a total doddle to use, and unless your knife is ruined it will keep it servicable for years. As its only small it can easily fit in the knife drawer, it takes seconds to set up, and a couple of minutes will have your knife razor sharp without any special skills. I touch mine up with it every week, or if the knife drags I give it 5 or 6 swipes. So much easier than getting my hones out!

http://www.heinnie.com/knives-and-tools/knife-and-tool-sharpeners/f/brand/lansky
 
MPH said:
So..... Would you sharpen a kitchen knife in the same way as a straight razor if you bought a sharpening stone? I.e. would it be good practice for honing a straight razor???

Sorry if this sounds stupid, but I have no idea if the generally accepted techniques for sharpening knives\straights are the same???
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There's a major difference in honing a razor as opposed to a knife - the geometry of a razor is such that by keeping both the edge and spine on the hone, the correct degree of bevel will be set - about 9 degrees either side or 18 inclusive. A kitchen knife must be held off the stone in order to get the correct bevel set - maybe 30 degrees - I'm not sure about the 30 - but you get the idea. So from that point of view, a knife poses the greater challenge if honing freehand. You need to be able to keep a constant angle as well as accounting for blade shape.
 
I have used one of these for many years.
http://www.heinnie.com/spyderco-tri-angle-sharpmaker

Excellent results.

A steel will not be of use to you if the knives are blunt.
The action of wiping the blade edge on a steel, is to straighten the edge, which had "rolled over" slightly, during prolonged use. The idea of a steel is to use it frequently,to keep the edge in good condition.

I would suggest that you learn to keep those knives sharp, before you buy a more expensive set, which will also need to be kept sharp, by the way. ;)

Steve.
 
Thanks all for the great replies, and no worries @MPH

Think I'll go the stone route and give sharpening a go.

Sorry to ask again but again good guides or YouTube vids to learn a bit from?

Thanks again in advance,

M
 
NOTSHARP said:
I have used one of these for many years.
http://www.heinnie.com/spyderco-tri-angle-sharpmaker

Excellent results.

A steel will not be of use to you if the knives are blunt.
The action of wiping the blade edge on a steel, is to straighten the edge, which had "rolled over" slightly, during prolonged use. The idea of a steel is to use it frequently,to keep the edge in good condition.

I would suggest that you learn to keep those knives sharp, before you buy a more expensive set, which will also need to be kept sharp, by the way. ;)

Steve.
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That's what I use. Piece of cake to use. No special expertise but works a treat on my knives (and one or two are quite nice knives).
 
I found the easiest way to keep kitchen knives sharp is a small synthetic stone. In a pinch or when I'm away from home, I find that the bottom ring on a ceramic coffee mug works well too.
 
PhilD said:
Just to mention that on the site NorfolkDick linked, it says the Japanese type knives have a 15 degree bevel rather than the 20 deg of western knives, so a jig with set angles might not suit your particular requirement there. [Edit: oh you're taking the whetstone route anyway.] Think I need to invest in one of them there whetstones now..
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Japanese TYPE knives are normally sharpened western style, actual Japanese knives will be sharpened differently, Including handed knives(single bevel), and thinner bevels on the blades for the very thin slicing required for a lot of their food prep!
 
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