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.

IF you have room in your shop/garage for a dedicated bench grinder, consider getting a paper wheel system. They do take up a fair amount of space, but can put a razor edge on the dullest knife in just a few minutes. I really like mine. The web site at the link reviews all the various machines and stones, and sells paper wheels. He likes the Chef Choice, but with the caution that it can scratch the sides of the knife--okay for general use but not for collectible knives. Here is a link that might be useful: sharpening systems

Teresa, steels don't sharpen the blade they just realign any burs. You should use the steel often, every time if you remember, but to sharpen the knife you need to remove metal and because of that, it's done very infrequently. If you take proper care of your knives by using a steel, then true sharpening shouldn't be required more than once a year. And on a lighter note - everyone knows in my house - don't touch Mom's knife. We have my knife then we have a whole block of knives for everyone else. And NEVER put your knives in the dishwasher. Not only is that an invitation for nicking the blade it can also cause the handle to seperate from the tang.

I went to Sur La Table to buy the Shun Chef Knife, but they only had the display model, and I did not want that. I did get a chance to handle it, along with other comparable knives, and I did decide that the Shun knife was the one I wanted. There was a German knife that I liked somewhat better, but it cost $100 more, and I didn't like it that much better. I will have to order the Shun knife on line, and I might get it from the cutlery web site, along with the pair of whetstones, which I think I will need down the road. They had similar whetstones at Sur La Table, but they were more expensive and smaller. I'm about 15 minutes from Beverly Hills and 10 minutes from Venice, and so BH is not that inconvenient for me. I take La Cienega north, and that is a fast street through Ladera Heights with limited access. I do think my Chicago Cutlery chef's knife is worth $8 to have sharpened in Mar Vista, but not the higher price from the Venice guy. Sur La Table also has a knife sharpening service, and they use a Chef's Choice electric sharpener that has different attachments, depending on whether the knife is German or Japanese. I have decided that I will only sharpen my Japanese knifes on whetstones, but I would use a different method for my other knives, such as Al suggested. Lars