An old timer told me I was ruining my knives with a pull-through sharpener 10 years ago

I was working at a small shop in Portland back in 2014, just a year into it. One of the retired butchers would come in every Friday for his chuck roast and he watched me sharpen my boning knife on one of those V-shaped pull-through gadgets. He just shook his head and said "You're grinding away good steel for no reason." Then he spent 20 minutes showing me how to use a whetstone. I didn't want to believe him because the pull-through took 30 seconds. But I tried his way on an old cheap knife. After about 3 tries I could feel the difference on the first cut through a pork shoulder. Now I spend maybe 5 minutes per knife every couple weeks with a 1000/6000 grit stone. Still use that same knife today. Anybody else get schooled by an older guy in the trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_roberts4d ago

I read this article once that said the diamonds on those pull-through sharpeners basically peel off chunks of metal instead of actually honing the edge. That stuck with me. The old timer in your story sounds like he really knew his stuff. I mean, I get why people use the quick sharpeners, they're fast and easy. But after hearing that, I just can't un-know it. Your whetstone method sounds like the real deal for long term knife care.

brooke_taylor444d ago

Start soaking your stone in water while you make coffee so it's ready when you are.

young.michael4d ago

Did you see the video where someone tested one of those pull-through things under a microscope? It was like watching a tiny construction crew wreck a sidewalk. I've ruined plenty of knives myself with bad habits, so I'm just glad someone taught me the stone method before I did any more damage.