Lansky 8" Ceramic Sharp Stick

I have long used a steel to sharpen up my kitchen knives and that works, but it is not a particularly easy thing to do well. Also have a Chef's Choice M130 sharpener which kinda sorta works, but not $130 worth. My dad has one and it has NEVER worked for him. I stumbled on the idea of ceramic sharpeners and bought this one because I needed something cheap to add to an order to get to $25 for free Amazon shipping. For $10, I figured, what the heck...might as well try it.

It works EXTREMELY well. Best sharpening device I have ever used. A couple of passes on each side is all it takes. More and you are just removing extra steel. You have to be careful, because this thing is far more aggressive than a steel "steel" is. When first trying it out, I had the blade of a knife heeled over too close to the ceramic rod and but a nice scrape on the side of the blade.

Clearly, ceramic sharpeners are very effective, but you have to be careful in using them.

This deserves 5 stars plus for effectiveness plus low price.

(The instructions are a bit goofy...just use it like you would a normal steel, but with more care.)

It's really tough to beat alumina ceramic in terms of sharpening knives. I've got knife sharpening systems ranging up into the hundreds of dollar category, (ie, I used to sharpen knives semi-professionally for restaurants), and yet when it comes to sharpening knives for the home kitchen, I reach for the simple Lansky ceramic sharpening stick. If it's difficult for some to get the right angle, put the point of the stick down into a cutting board, (ie, make stick vertical). Then just hone knives down against sides of sharpening stick at an angle more or less consistant with established bevel. It's tougher to write and read than it is to do.

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I bought this ceramic sharpener after my knives stopped being able to cut through things, and decided instead to just flatten them. Garlic flew everywhere, tomatoes sighed and splurted their guts as they ruptured, and steaks just bled balefully. My friend who owned a steel rod suggested I try a ceramic one, and let him try it as well. So I picked up this because it was cheap, and had very good reviews. This is me saying that I have no prior experience with knife sharpeners.

The instructions I followed that were included with the rod were simple to follow. I gave it a shot on one of my knives. It wouldn't cut through paper, much less food, but after I was done, it sheared through everything. My house plant suffered a lot at this point. In a matter of moments, I had sharpened all my knives, including the sorry Ikea knife set, which is now actually useful, though it doesn't hold its edge very well.

So far I've used it on a wide range of kitchen knives, as well as my pocket knives (straight edge, not serrated) I gave it a pretty heavy beatdown, by dulling the edge of one of my cheaper knives (hitting a non-functioning dryer for a few minutes) until the blade was pitted. Four slides along the ceramic rod on each side renewed the blade to a razor sharpness.

Only ten dollars, this sharpener is well worth it. It's a bit short, but I don't have any knives that are too long, so that's not a problem for me.

UPDATE: 1/6/2012

Still going strong! This thing has lasted me for nearly three years!

Since my original post, I have gotten a Ginsu knife block set, a cheap Santoku for the gf to beat up along with a smaller paring knife. This rod sharpens them all. Will not use it on my Shun Fuji Chef knife though.

Here's a wonderful testament to the durability of this brand, and ceramic rods in general!

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This is probably the best sharpening rod I have used. Better than a steel. You definitely want this American-made product!

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I had never used a knife sharpening stick before, but this Lansky came with very clear instructions and is really easy to use. It even sharpened a knife that I was convinced was a lost cause. Great buy for the price and works well. I would definitely buy it again.

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