Frequently sharpening your knives with a coarse whetstone can result in your blade to thin out, and it will be soon of no use. So, for keeping the knife sharp, you need to hone it regularly. Hence, that is why anyone working in the kitchen needs to get the best honing steel.
We have listed some of the trendy sharpening rods that many chefs and home cooks love. Check them out you will find one that is perfectly suitable for your requirements.
10 Best Honing Steel Review: A Complete Buyer’s Guide
- Utopia Kitchen 10 Inches Honing Sharpening Rod:
Utopia Kitchen 10 Inches Honing Sharpening Rod is suitable for sharpening almost all kinds of knives like kitchen knives, pocket knives, standard knives, sporting knives, and many straight-edged or serrated knives. The sharpening rod has a comfortable handle to hold onto as it has an ergonomic design.
The handle consists of a rubber that ensures it does not slip off from hands while using. It doesn’t matter whether you are left-handed or right-handed. The handle can behold by everyone. The construction of the honing steel is durable as it is made out of carbon steel. The steel is then plated using nickel-chrome, so it has a fine-textured surface.
The honing rod’s surface provides a smooth finish to the knife’s edge and prevents the edge from getting any further damages. Using the sharpening rod is easy as well. You don’t need any extra tools for preparing it. And for cleaning, you only have to soak a dry cloth with cooking oil and wipe the surface.
Pros:
- The honing rod is suitable for sharpening both straight and serrated edged knives.
- It requires only a few seconds for sharpening.
- The bottom handle consists of a slip-resistant rubber.
- The ergonomic handle makes it suitable for everyone to use.
Cons:
- The honing rod can rust if it comes in contact with water.
- Wüsthof – 10″ Knife Sharpening Steel:
Wüsthof – 10″ Knife Sharpening Steel is uniquely designed to have magnetic properties. The fibers get well-aligned because of the magnetic properties ensuring that the knife blade gets well sharpened. The 10-inch length of the sharpening steel provides enough surface area for proper and efficient sharpening of the knife blades.
The handle of the sharpening steel is designed to be slip-resistant as it is made out of plastic. You will feel comfortable while using sharpening steel as it will stay stable in your hands. It feels comfortable in all hands, so it doesn’t matter if you are left or right-handed. The stone’s grit has a fine texture to provide your knife blade polish, so it looks good as new.
Maintaining the sharpening steel is not tough at all. You only have to wipe it clean using a damp cloth after you finish using it. You will find storing the knife honing steel very easy as it comes with a loop fitted with the handle. You can hang the blade sharpening steel somewhere near you, so it is quick and easy for you to grab it whenever required.
Pros:
- The sharpening steel has magnetic properties for the proper alignment of your knife.
- Easy to maintain as you need a damp cloth for cleaning.
- The handle is slip-resistant, ensuring that it is comfortable and safe to use.
- It comes with a loop attached to the handle for easy storage.
Cons:
- The quality of this sharpening steel is inconsistent.
- Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Swiss Classic Fibrox Honing Steel:
Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Swiss Classic Fibrox Honing Steel helps with extending the longevity of your kitchen knives. You can maintain the sharpness of your knives if you regularly hone with them. The sharpening rod prevents you from sharpening your knives frequently, saving you from causing your knife blades to thin out.
The honing steel will help with reviving the sharpness and make it useful as new. The rod is easy to use as the handle is textured, ensuring that you can grip it and maintain proper balance. The honing steel is made out of stainless steel and is plated with chrome. It provides the honing rod with durable construction with the perfect structure for honing and polishing a knife’s edge.
The honing steel ensures to provide you a razor-sharp edge and make the knife stain-resistant and increase its hardness. Cleaning the knife is easy as you have to wipe the rod with a damp piece of cloth after every time you have used it. Proper maintenance will ensure that the honing steel lasts very long.
Pros:
- The handle has an ergonomic design, so it fits in all hands.
- The texture of the handle is non-slip for stability.
- Easy to clean as you need to wipe with a damp cloth.
- It makes a knife-edge resistant to stain.
Cons:
- The honing steel does not have any loop for hanging it.
- Shun Classic Combination Honing Steel:
Shun Classic Combination Honing Steel is dual surfaced as one side has a smooth surface, and another side has a micro-ribbed body. You can use the smooth-surfaced one for taking care of your knives regularly. The other side can be used for taking care of every week.
The honing steel rod provides long-lasting sharpness to the knife’s edge. This ensures that you require touching up or honing your blade only once a week. The handle of the honing steel is designed to provide a secure grip. This ensures everyone can use it. For further convenience, the honing steel comes with an angle guide that helps with precise sharpening.
The honing steel is 9 inches in length, so you can use it to sharpen mid-range knives, which included kitchen and pocket knives. The handle is easy to clean as well since you need to wipe down the blade with a damp cloth after every time it is used. The price of this honing rod is a great bargain as well as it is affordable.
Pros:
- Comfortable and slip-resistant handle.
- Sturdy and durable construction.
- Affordable in terms of price.
- It provides long-lasting sharpness to a knife’s edge.
Cons:
- The honing steel is 9 inches in length, which is not suitable for sharpening large-sized knives.
- Winware Stainless Steel Sharpening Steel:
Winware Stainless Steel Sharpening Steel has a honing blade of 12 inches provided an excellent surface area for both professionals and home cooks to sharpen knives of all sizes. The handle is 5 inches in length, ensuring that it can fit in all hands and it will be comfortable to use. It is lightweight, so it is easy to control applying the right technique while honing.
The stainless steel construction of the honing rod ensures it does not rust over time. It has the capability of keeping your knives in good condition, so you don’t need to sharpen them often. Use this sharpening rod regularly for honing your frequently used knives, and the sharpness of the blade will remain for a very long time.
For safety and convenience in using the sharpening steel, it has a handle made out of slip-resistant plastic. The sharpening rod consists of a hanging loop attached behind the handle that helps you with storing it. For keeping the honing rod clean, you have to wipe it using a damp cloth. The best part of this honing rod is that it is affordable in terms of price. So, if you are inexperienced with honing your knives, you can get this for practicing.
Pros:
- Suitable for use by chefs, campers, home cooks, and fishers.
- The handle is made out of slip-resistant plastic.
- Easy to clean, so it is long-lasting.
- Affordable in terms of price.
Cons:
- The honing steel lacks unique features.
- DMT CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel:
DMT CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel is built using high-quality raw materials in the United States so that it is high in terms of durability and longevity. The sturdy and robust construction of the ceramic steel ensures it provides efficient performance consistently, allowing it to last for many years of use.
The best part of this sharpening ceramic steel is that you don’t need any honing oil while sharpening the knife’s edge. You can use it dry, yet your knife will achieve a refined and well-polished edge that works as good as new. You will find cutting up useful items very satisfying, reducing your time working in the kitchen.
The sharpening steel consists of ceramic that ensures it is wear-resistant and unbreakable. It is lightweight enough so it can be carried outdoors as well. You can use the sharpening steel comfortably as the handle is made out of non-slip plastic. The handle fits in all hands and is safe to use because it stays under control. You can hang the sharpener to a hook using the loop attached to the end of the handle.
Pros:
- Affordable in terms of price.
- It does not require any honing oil for sharpening.
- It is high in terms of durability and quality.
- Easy to store with the loop attached to the back of the handle.
Cons:
- The ceramic coating can chip if the sharpener is not well maintained.
- Kota Japan 12-Inch Professional Knife Sharpener Rod:
Kota Japan 12-Inch Professional Knife Sharpener Rod has diamond electroplating making it suitable for efficiently sharpening kitchen knives and even hunting knives. We all are aware the diamonds are excellent abrasives. So, this sharpener tool can revive the sharpness of dull cutting blades and tools with precision.
The sharpener rod has a unique oval shape that provides excellent surface area for sharpening large-sized knives. The handle is designed to be ergonomic, so it is comfortable in all hands, and you can have proper control of its while sharpening, which ensures safety. For easy storage, the handle has a hole carved out. You can use the hole for hanging the sharpener to a nearby hook.
You can stay assured about the quality as it comes with an unconditional lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. The sharpening rod will last for a very long time if it is appropriately cleaned and well maintained. You have to wipe the sharpening steel with a damp cloth after each time it is used. You should also ensure that it is appropriately dried so that no moisture can cause rusting.
Pros:
- Twelve inches in length, providing a great surface area.
- The handle consists of a hole that allows you to use it for hanging.
- You get an unconditional lifetime guarantee from the manufacturer.
- Easy to clean and maintain.
Cons:
- Slightly expensive in terms of price.
- Utopia Kitchen 12-Inch Honing Steel:
Utopia Kitchen 12-Inch Honing Steel is excellent in terms of versatility as you can use it to sharpen various types of knives like a pocket knife, kitchen knife, sporting knife, standard knife, and chef knife. The sharpening steel rod is constructed using carbon steel and is plated using nickel-chrome. The steel has a delicate surface that ensures not to damage your knife blades while sharpening.
The honing steel has a handle that is made out of slip-resistant rubber. This ensures you have a proper grip on the handle, and it will be easy for you to handle. The handle’s design is ergonomic as well, so it does not matter if you are right or left-handed. It will still feel comfortable in your hands.
The 10 inches’ length of the honing steel provides an excellent surface area so that you can sharpen both large and mid-size knives with great convenience. For keeping the honing steel well-maintained, you have to wipe it with a cloth soaked in cooking oil after every use. And if it needs washing, you can do that as well, but you have to hang it using the loop and make sure that it gets dry ultimately.
Pros:
- It comes with a loop attached to the handle for hanging the sharpener.
- The sharpening steel has a fine texture.
- Suitable for sharpening almost all types of knives.
- A slip-resistant rubber handle ensures comfort and safety.
Cons:
- The sharpening rod feels slightly heavy.
Final Verdict
To sum up, we hope that the best honing steel that you have chosen for yourself from the ones listed above will keep you completely satisfied. You will be able to give your favorite regularly used knives the proper care and maintenance that they need.
Your knives will not need frequent sharpening after honing with any of this fantastic honing steel listed above. You will no longer need to purchase expensive knives frequently because of knife blades getting thin. The honing steel will help in allowing the knife blades to stay sharp for a very long time.