Honing Rod Steels Simplified: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

 Honing steel is a super handy tool to have in the kitchen, but a lot of people get them all wrong. Many think they sharpen knives, especially since they’re often labelled as “sharpening steels.” The truth is, they’re meant for maintenance rather than actual sharpening. They come in various lengths and are made of different materials, so which one is the best one to get? If you're looking to buy a honing rod knife and you're a beginner, here are the details you need to know.

Ceramic Sharpening Steels

source: chefscomplements.co.nz

Ceramic sharpening steels are great for maintaining your knife's edge without taking off too much material. This makes them ideal for everyday use. They work well with knives of various hardness levels, and they're especially effective on super-hard steel since they're gentler than diamond-coated options. Some people prefer diamond-coated steels for their aggressiveness, but if you go with ceramic, just be careful not to drop it, as it can break easily.

Honing Steels

A honing rod knife isn’t meant for sharpening; it's meant to refine your knife’s edge by removing tiny burrs or straightening it out. It works best on softer knives, while modern high-hardness knives (59HRC and above) don’t really gain much from them. Softer butcher and boning knives can benefit, but remember, honing doesn’t replace the need for actual sharpening, which is what ceramic and diamond-coated steels do.

Diamond-Coated Sharpening Steels

If you need to remove a lot of material quickly, diamond-coated sharpening steels are the way to go. Just a few swipes and even the toughest steel will be ready to cut. They create a sharp edge that’s perfect for slicing through meat and tomatoes. While they’re tough and won’t shatter if dropped, it’s best not to use them daily since they can wear down your knife too much. Also, keep in mind that these steels are oval, so they might not fit in the round slots of knife blocks.

What to Look for In Honin Steels

Length

The ideal honing steel should feel good in your hand and have a solid weight to it. Choose a model with a bolstered finger guard for that extra bit of safety and stability. The honing steel itself should be at least 23 cm long, not including the handle. Beginners are better off with a longer rod, of about 25-30cm.

Materials

When it comes to material, it really depends on what you prefer and the types of knives you own. Steel models work well on both stainless and high-carbon alloy knives. If you have a particularly hard or thin carbon steel knife, or if you want more grip and control while honing, a finely gritted ceramic steel rod is a great choice.

Less Abrasive is Better

A honing steel is primarily designed for maintenance between sharpenings, but it can still provide a bit of light sharpening. This happens because honing steels actually take off some material from the knife’s edge while you’re honing. You’ll notice this more with ceramic or diamond rods, as they leave behind some powdered metal after use. Even stainless steel honing rods, which are often thought to just realign the edge, do remove a bit of metal due to adhesive wear. This process helps eliminate tiny, unfixable nicks and creates a new micro-bevel on the edge. The amount of metal removed really depends on how abrasive the honing rod is.

Ceramic Is Good for Carbon Steel Knives

A lot of knife lovers recommend steering clear of stainless steel rods when it comes to high-carbon knives. The reason is that any little imperfections on the brittle edges of the knives can snag and chip against a textured steel rod. On the other hand, ceramic honing rods work differently; they gradually grind down those flaws instead of just knocking off tiny nicks as the ridged stainless steel does.

Ceramic rods didn’t sharpen the knives’ edges as fast as stainless steel, but with a bit more honing time, they got pretty close. You may come across information that suggests avoiding stainless steel rods for Japanese-style knives. This is because stainless steel is softer than carbon steel and can’t really hone it.

Handle, Length and Weight

It's important to pay attention to how comfortable and secure the honing steel feels in your hand. Choose handles with cross-guard bolsters since they offer extra safety when using a floating grip; it will keep your hand steady while holding the honing steel vertically.  Longer honing steels make the process easier because they provide more space to work with, especially for larger knives. A good rule of thumb is to choose honing steel with a rod that’s at least an inch or two longer than the longest knife you plan to maintain (excluding serrated blades, which can be tricky to hone and sharpen at home).