To the OP - the reason you never found the sharpening steel very effective is because a steel does not sharpen, it hones; there's a difference, and its simple and important to remember. Basically, the edge of a knife is very very thin. German knives, in particular, use *relatively* soft metal in their blades (compared to modern Japanese knives, especially). Just in normal use, the edge deforms on a microscopic level, interfering with cutting ability...when you hone using a steel, you are essentially bending the edge back into shape. You are not, however, removing any metal at all. You should hone often. Doing it everytime you start a job is not too often. If you do this, you will maintain your initial sharpness much much longer. Note that on many of the manual pull-through systems, and some electric, the "final" sharpening level is actually a honing level, so you can use that instead. Note also that "diamond steels" are a different beast entirely; they are much more abrasive, and are best treated as true sharpeners. Regardless of how often and religiously you hone, however, at a certain point the edge will still get dull...and at that point, you need to sharpen by actually removing some metal to reshape and sharpen the edge. To do this, you need something more abrasive than a steel - a diamond rod, ceramic rods, stones, a mechanical sharpener, etc. Practically speaking, this is something you probably only *have* to do once or maybe twice a year. Learning to use sharpening stones is relatively easy, and they can be relatively affordable, but it does take some commitment and a bit of practice to be able to hold the correct angle. The systems like the the EdgePro and Wicked Edge get you the same results consistently without requiring as much user skill/commitment, but they are a bit expensive initially. For a cheaper option that still requires less commitment/skill than flat stones, and is very well reviewed, you might look at the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. Note, however, that all of these methods take a while to use - they aren't a quick 5 minute task. The electric sharpeners are quicker and have almost no learning curve. The downside is they are harder on your knives (removing more metal more quickly), and the edges they produce are serviceable but not at the same level a skilled manual sharpener can achieve. For many people, the tradeoff is worth it. Do you live close to a Williams Sonoma? I believe they are currently offering to sharpen one knife free, with an electric sharpener (Chef's Choice, I think) on Saturdays. I would recommend you take one in to them and get a hand's on demonstration, and then you will have an actual edge on your own knife to test with. If possible, I would also take another of your knives to a good professional hand sharpener (will probably cost between $1 an $2 per inch). Then, I would see whether the difference is worth it, to you. I'd also second the recommendation for the "An Edge in the Kitchen" book. There is also a book you can get a Sur la Table called "Knives Cooks Love" which is a good overview and is currently on sale for $4.99.

Thanks, Lars. The description makes it sound easy to position the knife, but I had a CC sharpener 25? years ago and found that there was wiggle room and it wasn't always easy to just drop the knife into the slot. I notice that in the webstaurantstore site, there is a sharpener (~$198) by another company (for commercial use) and the magnet can be removed for cleaning and getting rid of the filings or swarf. The description for the sharpeners fails to mention the bevel angle. Ever heard of Mercer sharpeners? It is the same essential design as the CC and would pose the same positioning issue. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/mercer-culinary-m10000-triple-diamond-3-stage-professional-electric-knife-sharpener/470M10000.html Lars, did you find that the 2nd slot then the stropping slot got your knives sharp? I like a very sharp knife. I have some water stones (as well as oil stones). IIRC, the finest water stone is maybe 4,000, maybe 5,000. But then I have to use a hone and it still doesn't keenly chop/slice (parsley, onion). I'm wondering if I should get an 8000 stone, or mess with angle guides. I often do use the Black sharpie technique (dcarch above). When I bought my 8" Victorinox chef's knife, it was super sharp right out of the packaging. I could nearly give myself a cut (not my objective) just by looking at it. I want most of my knives sharp like THAT! A local guy has a pricy Edge Pro system. That takes time and has a learning curve. $$$. He charges about $1/inch. Either I am not getting the angle right or sharpening long enough, or or or. I don't think I can ever detect a blasted 'burr.' I slice (some fine chop) and cook a lot. I'm trying to heel a sore, problematic shoulder and arm. I've even fantasized about buying a crate of new knives.... Pone thing that did work for a long while, before it wore out, was a thin round, no-name "sharpening" rod coated with very fine diamond powder. $4.50! I recently bought a diamond rod, but it's not as fine a grit, doesn't get the edge all that keen with just a couple light strokes. I have a fine Arkansas stone (white-gray), albeit an oil stone (inherited). Maybe I should use that after the 5,000 water stone. I've watched many YouTube videos. I move the knife edge away, not into the stone (I don't lead with the knife edge). And, I think I understand that very keenly sharpened edges don't last well, particularly on the sort of so-so steel that's in most of my knives -- like that in the Victotinox. I'll look at this video again: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=te1KIpGyz-4#fauxfullscreen ed-- typos

Well..just placed a order of a leather belt, [has to be vegetable tanned] 2"x 48" out of Spain...the fellow in this video, [from Spain] gave me a source, 25 Euro plus 15 shipping...if all works out well I'll give you a link for someone who is interested. I know, could buy some leather, cut /glue one myself but for one seems not worth the trouble.

Chicagoans, we used to have a guy who came through here too (Oak Park), with a cart and bells. We haven't seen him in some years, so I am guessing he retired or passed. He was great though. We would run out of the house too, like a kid after the ice cream man. ETA: I was just reading about him, and it's probably the same guy (Tony Del Ciello). And he is still around. I guess we have just missed him the past several years.