How to Use a Sharpening Steel vs. Honing Rod

A sharp knife is safer, more precise and far more enjoyable to use. Yet many home cooks and even professional chefs use the terms sharpening and honing interchangeably, despite them referring to two very different maintenance techniques.

 

Understanding the difference is particularly important when caring for high-performance Japanese knives such as GLOBAL. With their acute edge angle and Cromova 18 stainless steel, GLOBAL knives are designed to deliver exceptional cutting performance - but they also benefit from the correct maintenance routine.

 

In this guide, we’ll explain, with advice from our GLOBAL knife sharpening expert Matt, the difference between sharpening and honing, when and how to use each method and how to keep your GLOBAL knives performing their best between sharpening sessions.

Sharpening Vs. Honing: Understanding the Difference

Although honing and sharpening can look like similar techniques, they are two completely different processes that improve cutting performance in different ways.

Honing

Honing steels realign the existing cutting edge without removing any metal. During normal use, the ultra-fine edge of a knife can gradually bend or roll slightly to one side. Even though the blade hasn’t become dull, this realignment reduces cutting performance. With a honing rod, you straighten the knife’s edge, restoring its alignment without removing any material. We advise using our ceramic sharpening steels for honing, Matt, our knife sharpening expert, recommends the GLOBAL 24cm G-45 Ceramic Sharpening Steel as his personal choice.

Sharpening

Sharpening steels create a new cutting edge by removing metal from the blade. Over time, every knife becomes worn away through use. Once honing no longer restores the performance, the knife must be sharpened to recreate the original cutting edge. We advise using our diamond sharpening steels.

Think of honing as routine maintenance, while sharpening is restorative maintenance.

How to use a honing steel?

Using a ceramic honing rod is straightforward when good technique is followed.

1.       Hold the honing rod vertically with the tip resting securely on a non-slip surface.

2.       Position the knife at approximately a 15 degree angle to the rod (this angle is dependent on the angle of your knife’s cutting edge and may be different to our GLOBAL knives).

3.       Starting at the heel of the blade, draw the knife down and across the rod so the entire edge contacts the ceramic surface.

4.       Repeat on the opposite side using the same angle.

5.       Perform 5 to 8 light stroke on each side.

Top Tips from Matt:

• Go slow! You will keep a better angle and in return realign the edge better.
• Avoid applying too much pressure – the rod is aligning the edge, not grinding away the steel!

How to use a sharpening steel?

The technique for using a sharpening steel is very similar to using a honing steel, although requires slightly more pressure.

1. Hold the rod safely - place the tip of the rod on a cutting board, holding it vertically with your non-dominant hand. Make sure to keep the rod steady!
2. Find your angle - GLOBAL knives require you to angle the blades at a 12-15 degree angle, but make sure to Google your kitchen knives to ensure the correct angle.
3. Alternate sides - Start with one stroke on the right, going from heel to tip and using the full length of the blade across the full length of the rod. Then one stroke on the left, again ensuring to use the full length of the blade against the full length of the rod.
4. Repeat - Repeat this process 3-8 times, equal amounts on either side of the blade edge.
5. Wash and Test - Always make sure to wash your knives once sharpened. We suggest testing the sharpness on a thin piece of paper - if you still feel nicks along the blade, go back to the sharpening rod.

Top Tips from Matt:

• Apply slightly more pressure than when honing so that the cutting board is held in place by the rod but don’t rest any of your weight on it.
• Again- go slow! Speed will increase as your technique and confidence improve.

How often should you use each method and when?

Matt explains that, as a general rule, a brand-new knife shouldn’t really need sharpening within the first year under “normal use”. After that, there are a lot of factors that affect how often you should sharpen your knives, such as how often you cook and what you’re cutting.

Here is our general recommendation for how often to hone or sharpen your knives:

User	Honing Steel	Sharpening Steel
Occasional Home Cook	As required	Every 6-12 months
Regular Home Cook	Weekly or as needed	Every 3-6 months
Professional Chef	Daily or before each use	Every few weeks to months depending on work load

 

Sharpening steels are perfect for regular maintenance but if your knives are extremely blunt, we recommend a more intensive method such as whetstone sharpening or pull-through sharpening.

The Ideal Maintenance Routine for GLOBAL Knives

The sharpest knives are not necessarily the one sharpened most often – they’re the ones maintained consistently.

By understanding the difference between honing and sharpening, you’ll keep your GLOBAL knives performing as intended. Regular honing with a ceramic rod maintains the acute cutting edge between sharpening sessions, while occasional sharpening restores the edge once it has been worn.

Treat honing as preventative maintenance and sharpening as periodic restoration and your GLOBAL knives will continue delivering the precision balance and effortless cutting they are renowned for.

Explore our other guides for more expert advice on knife sharpening, knife care, washing GLOBAL knives and how long a GLOBAL knife should last.