There are numerous ways to sharpen one knife from steel to stone. However, not everyone is interchangeable and each serves a very different function. Before you start to sharpen, considering that in most cases it concerns valuable products that need to be sharpened, the necessary knowledge is certainly not irrelevant, especially to know your knife.

Here’s a quick guide on the difference between knife sharpeners and for you to know their use.

Sharpening Steels 

Chefs use the sharpening steels primarily before and after using their knives. These help the blade refine and have the perfect edge between cuts. The biggest difference between the type of sharpening steel to use is the type of cut and the form of the blade, this is suitable in sharpening knives for meats and poultry. It’s very easy to use, just hold the Steel Sharpener by the handle in your unflavoured hand and hold the butcher knife in your dominant hand to sharpen, and place the blade next to the sharpener 's base, glide both of them to each other and repeat the process.

Sharpening Stones

The sharpening stones are perfect for very slim knives to sharpen. The blade edge of the knife should be perpendicular to your strokes, but can be put at different angles against the stone to actually bring the blade into a new metal layer. An example of this is the oil stone that needs to be greased with oil beforehand and a diamond stone that is relatively more durable but expensive. 

Sharpening stones are also perfect to sharpen certain strange knives, such as razors and scissors, talking about multiuse!

Manual Knife Sharpeners 

Manual knife sharpeners offer a simple way to sharpen your blades, it’s convenient because they are easy to pack and transport, perfect for  traveling chefs and cooks. The process is quite simple: simply position the manual sharpener on the work surface and slip the blunt knife through the center of the sharpener using your preferred hand.

Electric Knife Sharpeners

Electric knife sharpeners add convenience when it comes to sharpening knives, but that's probably one of the worst things you can do for your knife's long-term health and are not really equipped for portable use. Electric Knife Sharpeners may hurt your knife during sharpening which can chip away at the blade. Instead, use a knife sharpener that you can control more. 

Ceramic Plate (Pro Tip)

This clever hack is pure gold! if your knives are dull but you don't own a steel or a stone. The rough region at the back of a ceramic plate is a good place to sharpen your blades, it turns out. But do not be afraid to crush your ceramic plate. Secure the plate, then just use the same motion back and forth as you would with a hammer.

Yes!  it takes time and energy to sharpen a knife- and after you 've worked hard to perfect it, you 're going to want to make it last through sharpening it with the right sharpener suitable for your needs and cuts.