subject: Knife Sharpening Tools [print this page] Knife sharpening is a basic life skill that many people never learn how to do. It is as simple as building a campfire, but many do not know how to do that correctly either. There are various knife sharpening tools that can be purchased to ease the process. Having these handy will help you keep your knifes sharp and cutting well for you.
When it became apparent that many people did not know how to properly sharpen their knives, the serrated edge was invented. This may be a good concept for some, but many of those that do take the time to learn how to sharpen a dull knife prefer a straight edge. Some will even purchase a serrated edge - which seems to be the most common on the market nowadays - and sharpen it to a straight edge before using it for the first time. It is these people's opinion that a plain edged knife will cut much better than a serrated knife in many cases.
A whetstone is the most beneficial of the knife sharpening tools available for purchase. This block goes hand in hand with a knife like a horse and carriage. You cannot imagine one working well without the other. Most knives that are first purchased are not in their optimal state for cutting. This means a whetstone should be bought before or at the same time as your first knife in order to prepare it to do its function well.
Whetstones are made with different materials, which offer various levels of quality. Possibly the best out there are the stones made with diamond grit. These range in various grades from coarse to extra fine. Three different ranges are needed to for proper knife sharpening. The best thing about these diamond whetstones is that they will not get worn down like other kinds will. This will promote accuracy as you are trying to sharpen your knives in a correct manner.
Black Arkansas whetstones are also beneficial knife sharpening tools. They can add a razor sharp edge onto a knife that was originally sharpened by a diamond stone. This extra sharpness may possibly achieved with an extra fine diamond, but it is typically easier to just use the black Arkansas type.
As you can see, it is nice to keep some knife sharpening tools around, and learn how to use them correctly. It will allow you to have perfectly usable knives that are easy to cut with. Having a dull knife will make things much worse for you when you are trying to cut rope or other materials.
