Knife Sharpeners

Whetstone Sharpening Instructions:

1. Establish same angle as knife bevel with whetstone. 20° for most knives.
   
2. Stroke away from the body, alternating on each side of the knife with equal number of strokes on each side.
   

TIP: Lighter strokes will produce a finer edge. Never test edge on body. Use only water for lubrication.

Video Guide: How to sharpen a Knife with a Whetstone. Courtesy of DMT® ...

Traditional butchers steels do not remove much metal because they are about as hard as the knife; they only align the edge. Since they remove very little metal, they round the shoulders of the blade. This diminishes the life of the knife.

DMT Diamond Steel™ sharpening steels are entirely different. A DMT Diamond Steel™ actually sharpens while it aligns the edge - providing value in time and money. Each time you sharpen on a diamond sharpening steel a very small amount of steel is removed, keeping the edge of the knife thin and the angle maintained. The diamond or unbreakable ceramic surface extends the life of knives, this alone can pay for the cost of the DMT® sharpener.

Sharpening Steel Instructions:

1. With one hand, hold the sharpening steel point down on a work surface. Using the other hand, hold the knife securely (above).
2. Lean the blade on the steel, approximately at a 20° angle.
3. Maintain the angle, and apply moderate pressure as you stroke by pushing the knife down and against the steel. Since we want to sharpen the entire blade edge, start the stroke near both handles and push the blade against the steel to end up at both tips.
4. Repeat with the other side of the knife and the other side of the steel.
5. Alternate sides and stroke the knife evenly on both sides. The number of strokes will depend on how dull the knife was to begin with.

TIP: Lighter strokes will produce a finer edge. Never test edge on body. Use only water for lubrication.

Note: An alternative method, often preferred by more experienced sharpeners, is to sharpen free hand (above).

Video: How to sharpen a kitchen knife with a steel. Courtesy of DMT® ...

Chef knives, paring knives, carving knives, filet knives & cleavers -
Diamond Whetstone™ bench stones or Diamond Steel™ sharpening steels.

Serrated knives & bread knives - Diafold® serrated knife sharpener.

Ceramic knives - Diamond Whetstone™ bench stones or Aligner™ guided sharpening system.

By working through the DMT® system of progressively finer grits, you will quickly achieve a razor sharp edge on quality knives and tools. The DMT® diamond products are colour-coded for identification. In our product descriptions, coloured diamond shapes denote the specific grits in which each model is available.

Which grit you should use depends on... How often do you sharpen? How dull do you let your knife or tool edge get before you re-sharpen it? How sharp is sharp enough for you? Ask yourself these questions, and then read the grit descriptions (left) to determine which grit(s) best suits your needs. Hint: the pros use more than one grit & move from coarser to finer grits as they sharpen.