How to choose your sharpening steel?

How to choose the right sharpening steel?

Kitchen knives are essential tools for any self-respecting chef! They help you with your daily chopping tasks, and on all types of food! You can't do without a good paring knife for meticulous cutting of fruit and vegetables, or a solid chef's knife for incredible versatility...

Once you've found the knife of your choice, you'll need the right maintenance equipment to keep your blades as sharp as possible! But how do you sharpen a knife? The sharpening accessory is of the utmost importance, and even of the same importance as those kitchen blades! You'll have several choices to choose from: a whetstone for Japanese knives, a manual or electric sharpener... and even a sharpening gun!

Let's take a closer look at the latter: how do you choose the right sharpening steel for your needs?

A sharpening gun consists of a more or less ergonomic handle and a wick, often made of steel. It is on this wick that you will pass your blade. In itself, using a sharpening gun is very simple: hold the gun in one hand and the knife in the other, then pass the blade over the wick with even force. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll see that the sharpening steel is really ergonomic and extremely useful, even if you're not a professional.

But how do you choose? It's true that there are a number of interesting features to consider when buying a good sharpening gun.

Here are the main criteria for your selection:

1 - Type of wick material

2 - Wick shape

1 - Type of wick material

The wick of a sharpening steel always has a metal core, whatever the top layer, to guarantee a minimum of solidity. The average hardness of a rifle is 65 HRC, to guarantee a minimum of abrasiveness, especially against very strong knives. However, external coatings may differ, to best suit your kitchen blades:

The diamond bit: its ultra-hard coating ensures fast, efficient use, as the level of abrasiveness is quite high. As this material is very abrasive, it will have no difficulty in resharpening the edge of your knives to remove all the micro-waste accumulated during cutting. Diamond bits wear faster than other materials.

Ceramic bits: also very hard, this coating ensures ease of use and an exemplary finish. Slightly less abrasive than diamond, it sharpens your blades cleanly yet precisely.

Steel bit: this is the most widely used. It is divided into 3 sub-categories: Standard grit: for sharpening blades that have lost some of their cutting edge. Fine grain: to maintain the cutting edge of your blades. Used regularly, it prevents you from having to use too thick a grit. It is recommended for restoring the morfil of pro knives. Extra-fine grit: recommended for giving your blades a razor-sharp finish. They'll be ultra-sharp!

2 - Bit shape

Once again, the bit can differ in size and shape. For sure, it's important to note that the size of the wick should be no smaller than the size of the blade of your largest knife. Let's take a closer look at the different wick shapes on offer:

The round wick: widely used, this wick has a standard contact surface for simple sharpening. The advantage of this wick is that it's lighter, and its rounded shape ensures safer knife use. In fact, the risk of damaging the blade on a sharp bit surface is non-existent. The oval wick: its contact surface is larger, enabling novices to feel more at ease. Sharpening is easier. The flat wick: its ultra-developed contact surface makes it quick and easy to use! But it is a little heavier.

The square bit: this original bit offers 2 sharpenings in 1, with 2 sides of one cut and 2 of another, for optimum results! However, you really need to get the hang of it, as the sharp edges of the bit could damage the knife if used incorrectly.

General information : As with our explanations of the use of sharpening stones, the hardness of your knife must be taken into account. You'll need to adapt the Rockwell HRC to your rifle. A knife with a low HRC won't need a sharpening stone that's too fine. Conversely, a knife with a high Rockwell hardness (e.g. 63 HRC) will be much better treated with an ultra-fine cutter. It's worth noting that the guard of a rifle is often developed to enable you to use it more safely. In fact, as the blade passes close to the hand holding the rifle, it is important to have a minimum of metal to cushion any possible slippage of the knife on the immobile hand.

Care and maintenance : To maintain your rifle, you can either run it under water and then wipe it dry, or wipe it with a soft cloth to remove steel waste.
Store in a dry place for maximum durability. All in all, the sharpening steel is perfect for fast, efficient sharpening! Like the whetstone, you don't need to make any prior preparations.

It's ready to use straight away, easy to store and easy to use! You'll be able to give your favorite blades a razor-sharp edge, whether you're a professional or not!

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