Knife sharpeners, stones & honing knives

Quality knife sharpeners and honing rods

Sharpening and honing allow you to keep your knives sharp and effective and can help prevent you from having to replace them too often.

Here you will be able to choose from our large assortment of kitchen knife sharpeners, stones and honing rods by some of the most popular brands and designers.

What brands are most popular for knife sharpeners and honing rods?

With us at Nordic Nest, you will be able to choose from a hand-picked selection of the best knife sharpeners, stones and honing rods from popular Scandinavian and global brands.

Browse through our selection of professional knife sharpeners by well-known brands such as Fiskars, Zwilling or De Buyer. Or if you are looking for high-quality whetstones, the brand Satake has a range of Japanese knife sharpening blocks which ensure that your blades perform at their best.

What is the difference between sharpening and honing your knives?

Sharpening your knives is a process where part of the knife material is removed from the blade resulting in a sharper edge. There are different tools for sharpening knives, such as manual knife sharpeners, electric knife sharpeners and whetstones.

Honing is a process in which you straighten the edge of the knife by sliding it against a honing rod to align the blade. It lessens the need for you to sharpen your knives too often so that they last longer and work more effectively.

How to use a sharpening steel or honing rod

A honing rod, also called a knife sharpening steel, doesn’t actually sharpen the knife but rather realigns the edge of the knife by pushing the metal back to the centre to make it more effective when you cut. To hone your knife, you can follow these steps:

1. Hold the knife sharpening steel vertically with the tip pressed onto the surface of your table or countertop.
2. Sweep the blade of the knife downwards along the edge of the honing steel with about a 15-degree angle, pulling the knife towards you.
3. Repeat the process on the other side of the sharpening steel, while keeping your knife in the same hand.
4. Four to five strokes for each side of the knife sharpening steel should be enough to realign the edge.

What kitchen knife sharpener should you choose?

There are several types of knife sharpeners which can be used to keep your knives in good condition, such as manual knife sharpeners, electric knife sharpeners and whetstones.

Manual knife sharpeners

Manual knife sharpeners are generally designed with a V-shape slot through which the blade of the knife is pulled. They have a compact size which makes them practical to store away.

Electric knife sharpeners

Electric knife sharpeners have motorised wheels which spin against the edge of the knife to sharpen the blade. They also have spring loaded guides which restrict the movement of the blade resulting in a more even edge.

Whetstone knife sharpeners

Whetstones, also known as sharpening stones, are used to sharpen knives by pulling the edge of the blade along the surface of the stone. Whetstone sharpening blocks are available with different grits, which should be selected depending on the purpose of your grinding.

How to use a knife sharpening stone or whetstone

To sharpen your knives using a whetstone, you can follow these steps:

1. Select your sharpening stone depending on the coarseness required for the blade.
2. If your whetstone should be soaked, leave it in water for 5 to 10 minutes until there are no air bubbles rising from it.
3. Then place your whetstone, with the coarse side facing up, on a damp paper towel to keep it secure on the surface.
4. Hold the blade against the stone at a 20-degree angle for Western-style knives and a 15-degree angle for Japanese-style knives. Then guide it across the stone by with your other hand pressing on the flat part of the blade.
5. Sharpen the second side by switching the knife over and repeating in the opposite direction.
6. If the whetstone has a coarse and fine side, turn over the sharpening stone and repeat the process on the fine side.

How often should you hone and sharpen your knives?

For a regular kitchen knife, sharpening your knives two or three times a year should be sufficient to keep them in good condition. However, it is good to hone your knives more regularly, about once or twice a week at least.

To avoid having to sharpen and hone your knives too often, it is recommended to store your knives using a knife block or magnetic knife strip. Keeping your knives loose in the kitchen drawers can damage the blades and shorten their lifetime.

How do you know when to sharpen your knives?

To check if your knife is sharp, you can test the blade by slicing it down a sheet of copy paper. If the knife does not cut through the paper in one clean cut, it may be a good time to hone or sharpen your knives.