I've always been told that you have to buy the same line for you're knives and honing steels. My question is, I have two Miyabi's could i use this steel with them? Or is it better to go with a Miyabi steel?-1439328

Question

I've always been told that you have to buy the same line for you're knives and honing steels. My question is, I have two Miyabi's could i use this steel with them? Or is it better to go with a Miyabi steel?

Eric Weisgerber · Accepted Answer

I am not an expert, but do know something about metal hardness from having been a machinist, so this is my theoretical contribution. A honing steel is used to re-align a sharp edge on a knife, to remove slight microscopic and bigger macroscopic bends. To do this well and easily, it must be harder than the metal of the knife blade. As an aside, generally speaking the harder steel is the more brittle it is, so knives are intentionally not made as hard as they could possibly be made. It's a balance. Since Japanese knives are generally hardened to be a bit harder than most Western knives, even high quality Western knives, I would imagine it is possible that, for example, a German honing steel might not work well for a Japanese knife. Although, if I were a manufacturer, I would make my honing steel as hard as possible with case-hardening, as I can't imagine any instance where a honing steel can be TOO hard. That said, I would think that buying any quality Japanese-made honing steel would be equivalent to buying any other Japanese-made honing steel, and that a Japanese-made honing steel would work for any steel, stainless steel, or layered steel knife out there. I use mine with a variety of knives, and it works fine. One thing I really like about this steel is that it has un-ribbed sections for minor touch-ups, which I use all the time. Also, you should note that a honing steel doesn't mean you will never need to sharpen your knives with a cutting (grinding) medium like a whetstone (a graduated series made in different grits), or have it professionally sharpened. A honing steel is used to maintain an edge, to extend the life of a sharpening. And it's fun to use!

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Shun Classic Honing Steel, 9"

$49.95

Why you'll love it

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