Katai Forged - Honing Steel

A honing steel for knives doesn't sharpen, it straightens. With daily use, the paper-thin edge of your knife slowly folds over. The knife feels blunt, but nothing has actually worn away yet. A few passes along the steel put that bent edge back in line and the knife cuts like new again.

When you use a honing steel for knives

Briefly before or after cutting, every time you pick up the knife. It costs ten seconds and saves you months between sharpening sessions. Only once honing no longer helps is the edge genuinely worn, and steel needs removing with a sharpening system.

• Significantly extends the time between two sharpening sessions
• Removes no material, so your knife stays true to size for longer
• Works on chef's knives, santoku, meat knives and boning knives
• Long enough to run even a 20 cm blade in one pass
• Same design and handle as the rest of the Katai Forged series

How to hone a knife

Hold the steel with the tip angled down on the chopping board or free in the air. Set the heel of the knife against the top of the steel at roughly 15 to 20 degrees and pull the knife towards you with light pressure, from heel to tip. Alternate sides each time and do four to six passes per side. Calm and even works better than hard and fast.

See what it's used for in our knife collection, or move on to sharpening with one of the Horl knife sharpeners. Best stored together with your knives and chopping boards.