# How often do you sharpen your go-to knife?



## andur (May 17, 2012)

Hi everyone! My first post here but I've been reading this forum for a while now.

I wanted to start a discussion about knife sharpening frequency. How often do you sharpen your kitchen knife? Let's say you start off at hair popping sharp and I'm guessing while using the knife it will gradually duller. How dull do you let it become and how often does the knife need sharpening? Or maybe stropping for that matter. 

My favorite knife is a Tanaka Kurouchi Santoku, blue steel II. The steel is hard enough to scratch glass and it will chip if not properly looked after but I still need to sharpen it about once a week. Meanwhile I strop it with leather. My sharpening skills need to get better because I feel I still have a weak and rolling edge when I have finished sharpening. It'll be very very sharp but not for long. It could be rolled even after one salad chopping for example.

I'm interested in this "kirenaga" discussion because it would be interesting to learn that maybe some of your knives you use could be shaving sharp for a very long time etc. I've not read about these experiences too often.

Thanks guys!
Andur


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## El Pescador (May 17, 2012)

learn to use a strop. It will extend the life of your edges.


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## SpikeC (May 17, 2012)

Welcome to the top side of the Knut House!
It sounds like you have a wire edge there, and you need to do some de-burring!


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## TB_London (May 17, 2012)

+1 to the wire edge suggestion, unless you're using a glass chopping board one lot of salad shouldn't have much of an effect on an edge


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## Deckhand (May 17, 2012)

Welcome!


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## Crothcipt (May 17, 2012)

I have a sim. knife. It will hold a edge without needing stropping. You have a wire edge that needs to come off then you will really see a difference. I use mine daily, and only strop when I notice it starting to dull. Also are you lifting off the leather when you strop? If not you are rolling the edge when you flip it back to the other side.


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## Maluaka (May 17, 2012)

Home cook and I go weeks just stropping before every meal. Quick run on the 4000 and 8000 stones every month or so and back to new.


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## Eamon Burke (May 17, 2012)

I sharpen my go-to home knife about once a month maybe. It's a Shigefusa. Truth is, I will end up sharpening it more often than that because I want the edge _different_.

You should ensure you are properly deburring. Tanaka Blue#2 should last a lot longer than that, unless your standards for sharpness are very high.


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## ajhuff (May 17, 2012)

I don't strop but use light strokes on a ceramic rod. I will go a loooooooooong time between sharpenings. I can't skin a tomato right now but I can still effortlessly cut slices. I just don't find that ultra sharpness of sharpness to be all that important in the kitchen. I find a knife that has 60-80% of it's original sharpness can still do 100% of the tasks I need it to do with ease.

I'm not a knut by definition then I guess so YMMV,

-AJ


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## andur (May 18, 2012)

So the consensus is a good japanese knife should hold a shaving sharp edge for weeks just with stropping?


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## Vertigo (May 18, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> I don't strop but use light strokes on a ceramic rod. I will go a loooooooooong time between sharpenings. I can't skin a tomato right now but I can still effortlessly cut slices. I just don't find that ultra sharpness of sharpness to be all that important in the kitchen. I find a knife that has 60-80% of it's original sharpness can still do 100% of the tasks I need it to do with ease.



+1

I love cutting with a freshly sharpened, hair popping edge, but chasing one endlessly isn't really practical with the volume of prep I do. Being mostly disinterested in sharpening as anything other than a maintenance step (not, say, a hobby or a sport), I'm happy as long as I can slice a tomato cleanly.


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## Crothcipt (May 18, 2012)

It isn't needed to have a hair popping edge, to cut a tomato. I don't have the stones to get that polished to do that. But I would love to get there soon. With that said I probably won't keep it that sharp when I do.


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## stevenStefano (May 18, 2012)

Like Vertigo, I am not really a big fan of sharpening. I usually go about a month with my HD, I could go a bit longer with my Rottman but it's a bit of a waste of time just sharpening one knife


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## obtuse (May 18, 2012)

I can usually go up to a month with carbon knives and a couple months with my hd. I strop every couple if uses. Im also a home user with a big rotation.


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## Mike Davis (May 18, 2012)

I might be an odd ball, but i usually give it a pass or two on the strop at least twice a week. My knives only see home use, but are used daily.


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## jmfreeman35 (May 18, 2012)

I strop after every use and usually sharpening every 2-3 weeks (depending on when I get time), but I also work in a pro kitchen.


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## VoodooMajik (May 18, 2012)

I use a Ceramic rod and can keep a very sharp edge for upwards of a month. I will not be shaving with it, but the majority of the work is still cut through effortlessly. The manner a knife is used in can make alot of difference to.


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## Lefty (May 18, 2012)

Not very often. I think I've sharpened my two most used knives twice in the last 4 months. Everyone else's knives, however, it seems like all the time.


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## Benuser (May 18, 2012)

Maybe the OP should reconsider his progression. With some steels you won't have a stable edge unless you start with a relatively coarse stone. I don't know if it has to do with removing fatigued steel, or with tungsten carbides, but give it a try.


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