I normally just use a sharpening stick. Keeps the edge straight and works pretty well for most of our knives. But we don't keep a lot of fancy knives around, just sharp knives that hold an edge well. Some of our best I bought at a yard sale for $0.25 each. No stamp or name that I can find.

I use a knife store.

It's not just that they do a better job than I do.

It's that it's so cool that we even have an old-timey knife store. You can't go in there without a twenty-minute knife discussion. And they hold knife skill classes. How could you pass up on that?

Oh, Marcolo, if our knife store hadn't closed, I'd be taking my knives there! The lovely old German couple retired and that was the end of the store. My father's background makes him good at sharpening. I can do an adequate job on my own. There's nothing like true pros, though. Just try to find someone who can properly sharpen pinking shears!

After marcolo's knife store story, I'm almost ashamed to admit that I just use the built-in sharpener on my knife block. I clearly have fancy knives.

I get the old Italian gentleman in the knife sharpening truck you do mine. He just drives around all spring, summer and fall with a bell ringing on his truck. We all come flying out of our houses to get the knives sharpened.

Sochi - Oh, that brings back memories! I lived in Italy for a year and every morning the tinker would come around with his cart yelling for knives to be sharpened and pots and pans to be mended. I didn't even know anybody in the US did that anymore!

It is wonderful, isn't it? Although I'm in Canada, not the US, so I'm not sure if it is still done there.

The honing steel is fine for day to day honing but the water stones are great for sharpening. If you have a nice knife like one of those Japanese gyotos, it makes all the difference. I like the ritual of it too I think. My wish list knife is the Masamoto Gyoto.

Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese knifes

The cutting angle is generally determined by the material of the blade and the intended purpose. German knives are made with a softer steel than Japanese knives. A wider angle gives the edge more longevity and resistance to folding at the cost of perceived sharpness.

Japanese knives have smaller cutting angles because the steel/iron is much harder and they're intended for cutting softer materials. The steel is hard enough to support the thinner edge, but the harder steel is less flexible and thus prone to chipping (which is why you don't cut hard stuff with your Japanese knife).

This is a roundabout way of saying that going with a tighter angle on a German knife may mean that your knife dulls faster and thus needs more frequent sharpening, particularly if you cut hard materials like squash, melons, joints/bones, etc.

I personally use both. A Japanese knife for normal prep, and a Wusthoff for the tough stuff.

Sur la Table has knife sharpening and once or twice a year, they may have a deal for one or two knives sharpened free. I think it is actually a service that comes out and does them, so that may not be available at all stores. There are also people who typically have a truck or van and come to you to sharpen knives. I've seen them pull up outside restaurants in the morning. I wish I'd written down the name on that one - I bet he was good! ;-)

I'm in Brooklyn, NY and we have an old-fashioned knife truck that makes the rounds. Word from the neighbors is the guy can be pretty harsh on kitchen knives, but is great for garden clippers and the like.

I use a local kitchenware place to sharpen my knives.

Marcolo said: "I use a knife store.
It's not just that they do a better job than I do.

It's that it's so cool that we even have an old-timey knife store. You can't go in there without a twenty-minute knife discussion. And they hold knife skill classes. How could you pass up on that?"

I think "my" knife store might be your knife store? And it is 1) great and 2) worth supporting. That's where we bring our, uh, German and Japanese knives for sharpening.

So in the name of supporting the great little shops of the world, here is a link to a wonderful little shop who seem to know anything there is to know about knives and things with sharp edges.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stoddard's

I use dh. This would be the beginning and end of his assistance in the kitchen, but you gotta take what you can get. ;)

I like reading about this subject which obviously grips so many; it does my husband as well. Just not one of those things I could ever get into, probably because I've never had to.

Well ... I once, some thirty years ago- more, probably, - sharpened my old grandmother's duller-than-table-knife knives. Wow. That was one big mistake. She reamed me out for hours. And days. And years. Maybe this is why I shy from the subject!

Note to well-intentioned grandchildren, or anyone for that matter: do not sharpen another person's knives (w/o their permission).

A vote for the Apex Edge Pros (http://www.edgeproinc.com/Apex-Model-Edge-Pro-System-c3/). I have the Edge Pro 3. It's not cheap, but over 5-10 years you'll come out ahead of commercial sharpening, and you avoid the hassle of taking knives somewhere. There are videos on it so I won't describe it except to say that it's simple and quick and lets you experiment with different bevels if you want.

Cheap or expensive, knives need to be sharpened regularly. (A honing rod helps keep the edge aligned, but does not actually sharpen.) The difference in ease of prep is enormous.

Stoddards looks wonderful, thanks for the tip!

Yup! It's Stoddard's! They're great, just don't go if you're in a rush. You always need a few minutes for knife talk. I miss the really old location on Bromfield Street but it's perfectly fine to head to Nonantum and stop at Nudo's for gelato, too.

The new location doesn't have the charm of the old, but it has the distinct advantage of being half a mile from my house and as you put it, in the small happy food destination with DePasquale's, Antoine's (only for lobster tails) and the fish place or Nudo's.

One of the big talkers there (who am I kidding- they are all big talkers!), a wily fellow, was talking knives and then said "here, just hold this one". I was a goner. I usually go for a smaller German chef's knife, but he put a Kikuichi in my hands and I was smitten. It's like the German and French knives got together and had a baby who was a race car. I asked for and received it for Christmas this past year.

OH! And if you look to the right of the register area they have a copy of a post of someone saying nice things about them on Chowhound. MY post! I feel almost famous.

My mom's japanese, so I grew up with good japanese knives. I didn't realize the difference until I wanted to go and get real knives of my own. I ended up buying wustoff knives due to reviews. I really don't like them as much as my japanese ones. They are kind of heavy or something I can't place my finger on. I always tend to run back to the ones my mom brings home. They do cut so much better than the other ones. I didn't realize they were so much thinner. Makes sense now!

If you have a hard time finding someone local to sharpen your knives, you might try joann fabrics (of all places). I have the little old man sharpen my scissors there. He also sharpens knives. It isn't just in my store, they have traveling local people come around to most stores.

Good luck!
Kim

THANKS for the tip about Stoddard's. That is not far from us!

:)))))

I take my knives to my local kitchen store. (not the national chain) and they send them out. Not sure where to....