Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I confess to being a bit of a geek when it comes to knife sharpening.I keep all of my knifes razor sharp and a box of band-aids in the kitchen for friends who are unaccustomed to working with really sharp knives.
I have found the Ultimate Edge to combine the action of a medium sharpening stone with that of a sharpening Steel.Like a steel, the small area of contact with the knife will straighten an edge that has rolled over as a result of contact with something unyielding.Unlike a steel, the diamond grit embedded along its length removes enough metal to create micro-serrations in the edge.
Micro-serrations are microscopic teeth raised in the edge through contact with a hard abrasive surface.The good thing about micro-serrations is they help a knife bite.For example, such a knife will slice through the skin of a tomato without slipping.The bad thing about micro-serrations is they wear away rather quickly and must be renewed frequently.
Most folks who spend too much time thinking knife sharpening prefer a "polished edge" which is achieved by stropping the edge after shaping and sharpening with a stone.Stropping (sometimes called buffing) involves removing the scratches (and micro-serrations) left by the sharpening stone, resulting in a perfectly smooth edge.A polished edge is extremely sharp and relatively durable.The edge on a new razor blade is an example of a polished edge. I touch up the edges of my knives the first time I feel them slip cutting into a tomato.For knives I use every day that translates to about once a month.
If you are someone who wants to maintain a polished edge on your knives - I would not recommend the Ultimate Edge (or any of the other diamond coated steels out there).For the other 99.5% of the population, this is a very useful tool to maintain your knives.With a few strokes, you can raise those serrations and have a ripping sharp knife.Do this every few uses or just before you start a task where a really sharp knife makes a difference.
One final thought for those few who have made it this far.By its nature, the Ultimate Edge will create a secondary bevel (or possibly a concave bevel depending on how consistent your are in maintaining the knife/steel angle).This secondary bevel will tend to increase over time eventually reaching the point where it will affect the knifes performance.When this happens, it is wise to have the knife professionally sharpened to reestablish the primary bevel.You will know you have reached this point when you have to hold the knife at an unreasonably steep angle to the steel in order to affect the edge and/or you find it takes a large number of strokes to retouch the edge.
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The Ultimate Edge 10 Inch Standard Diamond Sharpening SteelProduct Description: Keep your cutlery collection in tiptop shape with this diamond sharpening steel from Ultimate Edge. The steel's microcrystalline diamonds--which are bonded with nickel to the lightweight shaft--sharpens and realigns the rows of tiny "teeth" on the blade to recapture the knife's razor-sharp edge. The standard-size steel sharpens without using messy oil or water, and because of its meager weight, the steel also wields easily when removing flaws from fine crystal, china, and glass, in addition to sharpening serrated blades. The unit measures 10 inches long and fits most standard knife blocks. For best results, chefs should hold the steel at a consistent 20-degree angle while using.
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