To sharpen a kitchen knife with a pull through sharpener, hold the tool firmly on the bench and draw the blade through from the heel beside the handle to the tip, using light pressure. Use coarse only when the tool's instructions call for it, finish with fine, then wash and dry the knife before testing it.
For other tools, jump to using a rod, using a stone or using an electric sharpener.
How do you use a pull through knife sharpener?
Keep the knife upright in the guide and make smooth pulls with gentle pressure. These steps suit the common manual slot sharpener that works from heel to tip. Follow your model's direction arrows and instructions if its mechanism differs.
First, confirm that the sharpener supports your knife's blade material and edge angle. The steps below suit a plain edge sharpened on both sides. Check the manual for serrated or ceramic blades, and for knives sharpened on only one side. For an unknown or delicate edge, get advice before using a pull through sharpener.
- Wash and dry the knife. Set the sharpener on a firm, dry bench, with room for the blade to travel. Grip its handle with your spare hand and keep every finger behind the guard.
- Choose the stage. For a slightly tired edge, start with fine. For a blunt knife, use the recommended coarse stage before finishing in fine. Coarse removes more material, so it need not be part of every touch up.
- Place the heel in the slot with the cutting edge facing down. Keep the blade upright between the guides. Avoid leaning it sideways to guess an angle.
- Draw the knife towards you in one continuous pull until the tip clears the slot. Follow the blade's curve with a small lift of the handle as needed. Use light downward pressure. Lift the knife out to start the next pull, rather than sawing backwards through a one way slot.
- Follow the maker's pass count, then move to the fine stage as directed. One pass means a complete draw along the edge. If the instructions are missing, identify the model and find its directions before guessing a count. Stop if the knife catches or the tool shifts.
- Hand wash the blade with detergent, rinse it and dry it carefully to remove sharpening debris. Keep the cutting edge away from your hands. Clean the sharpener as its instructions specify, then test the knife.
On a three or four slot sharpener, read the labels before choosing a slot. Some openings serve different angles or scissors. Use only the stages intended for your knife, in the stated order. Add water or oil only if the manual requires it.
If a thick bolster beside the handle stops the heel reaching the abrasive, stop rather than forcing it. See the knife sharpening angle guide if the sharpener's angle is unclear.
How do you use a rod sharpener?
Use slow, light strokes along the rod, covering the whole cutting edge while keeping the knife's existing bevel angle.
For a beginner, a supported rod is easier to control than holding it in the air:
- Hold the rod vertically with its tip on a folded cloth on a stable chopping board. Keep your fingers behind its hand guard.
- Rest the knife's heel near the top of the rod. Match the knife's specified angle, measured between the blade and rod. For example, 15 degrees per side means holding each side at 15 degrees, not splitting 15 between them.
- Sweep down gently so contact travels along the edge towards the knife's tip. Stop before the knife touches the board.
- Repeat on the opposite side. Alternate a few light strokes, then wash and dry the knife before checking its cut.
A plain honing steel mainly realigns an edge between sharpening sessions; it does not replace a sharpening stone for restoring a worn edge. Diamond and ceramic rods have abrasive surfaces that remove metal, and even a steel rod can remove a small amount, as explained in Serious Eats' honing rod tests. The Uliassi sharpening rod has a diamond particle coating. When I demonstrate a diamond sharpening rod, you can hear and feel it raising a burr. Use a rod suited to your blade and avoid hard, fast impacts.
How do you sharpen a knife with a stone?
Secure the stone on the bench, maintain the knife's bevel angle and work both sides before removing the burr.
- Prepare the stone as directed. Some require soaking and others only wetting. Secure it in a holder that cannot slide.
- Start with the sharpening face and keep the surface wet as instructed. Work along the full cutting edge at a steady angle, with your supporting fingers on the blade's flat and clear of the edge.
- Work each side until the edge meets along its length. A small burr, a lip of metal turned over at the edge, helps indicate progress. Never slide a finger along the cutting edge to check it.
- Finish with light alternating strokes to remove the burr. If using a finer face, rinse away coarse particles first and use lighter pressure. Wash and dry the knife before testing.
Whetstones allow you to control the angle yourself. They take practice, but suit knives whose edges do not match a slot sharpener.
I'm obsessed with sharpening: diamond stones, whetstones, strops in six different micron grades, fixed-angle systems and freehand. My most-used stone is 1000 grit.
Choose the Xinzuo 1000/6000 whetstone with bamboo base for its 1000-grit sharpening face and 6000-grit polishing face. Its directions specify a soak of five to ten minutes. For the full technique, follow the step by step whetstone sharpening guide.
How do you know when to stop sharpening?
Stop when the knife slices cleanly along the whole edge without needing extra downward force.
After cleaning the knife, try slicing a tomato on a stable board. Hold it securely with your fingertips tucked back. I sharpen by feel: if the knife still slips on the tomato skin or needs more pressure for a gentle drawing cut, it needs more work. A sheet of ordinary paper offers another check: slice well away from the hand holding it and check different parts of the edge for snagging.
After sharpening, I check for clean pull cuts through paper towel, including curves. Keep the blade well clear of the hand holding the paper towel.
If the result is poor, check the cause before adding more coarse passes:
- Only the middle cuts well: the heel or curved tip may be missing the abrasive. Check the blade's travel through the guide.
- It feels sharp briefly, then fails: a remaining burr may be folding over. Complete the prescribed finishing stage.
- Nothing improves: check that the sharpener's angle suits the knife and that its abrasive is clean and unworn. If there are visible chips, or the blade catches, stop and have the edge assessed for repair.
Frequently asked questions
How do you sharpen a knife with a fine and coarse sharpener?
For a blunt edge, use the coarse stage specified by the maker, then finish in fine. For a light touch up, fine alone may be enough. Check the result before returning to coarse.
Are pull through sharpeners good?
A compatible model is convenient for routine sharpening, though its preset slots give you less control over the edge angle. A fixed-angle sharpening system guides an abrasive across the blade at a chosen angle; it is a different tool from a pull through slot sharpener. Serious Eats' sharpener testing found differences in cutting performance and metal removal. For a thin or valuable blade, choose a stone or a professional who can preserve its edge geometry.
Can you sharpen a serrated knife?
Yes, but use a method designed for its serrations. A suitable tapered abrasive rod can work inside the individual scallops, or a professional can sharpen them. Use a slot sharpener only if its instructions specifically support that serrated blade.
Can a honing rod sharpen a very blunt knife?
A maintenance rod will not fully restore a badly worn or damaged edge. An abrasive rod can remove steel, but a stone or professional sharpening gives more control over restoring that edge.
How do you use an electric knife sharpener?
Check compatibility and the stage order, then switch it on as directed before drawing the blade through with gentle pressure. If it has separate left and right slots, follow the specified sequence and draw at the maker's recommended speed without pausing against a spinning abrasive. Finish in the specified refining stage, switch off and clean the blade before testing.
How do you use a knife block's built in sharpener?
Steady the block and use its dedicated sharpening slot in the direction and number of passes specified by the maker. A block that sharpens during storage may instead require inserting and withdrawing only the matching knife in its assigned slot. Check its instructions before using extra strokes or putting a serrated knife through it.
Can you sharpen a knife at home without a sharpener?
You do not need a slot sharpener: a whetstone or diamond stone works too. Without a suitable sharpening abrasive, use a professional sharpening service. A fork or another knife is no substitute for a tool that controls metal removal and the edge angle.
Can you use a kitchen knife sharpener on a pocket knife?
Only if the sharpener supports that blade's material, edge angle and shape. Follow the knife maker's instructions for securing a folding blade. Do not force a short or obstructed blade through a slot that cannot reach its full cutting edge.
Once the knife cuts cleanly, dry it and put it away with the edge protected.
Written by Dylan Tollemache
Dylan visited the Xinzuo factory in Yangjiang, China to verify production standards. He has personally tested every knife in the Xinzuo and Hezhen ranges sold in Australia.
