Swapped my old steel for a ceramic honing rod last month

I used to sharpen my knives on that old gray steel my dad gave me, like every day before service. But I kept getting tiny chips on my blades, especially on the lamb loins. A buddy at the shop showed me his ceramic rod and I figured I'd give it a shot for $30. Now I'm wondering if anyone else here made the switch or if I'm just crazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.olivia5d ago

Always thought a steel was a steel, you know? But I switched last month after a butcher buddy at the farmers market convinced me. He showed me how the ceramic just glides along the edge instead of scraping it, and I stopped getting those weird micro-chips on my fish fillets. Now I only use the steel for my heavy cleaver, everything else gets the ceramic rod.

young.kim5d ago

My buddy Marco switched last year and he swore by it. He used to hit his chef's knife on the steel five times before every task, but after switching to ceramic he said his edge lasted way longer on the line. He also stopped getting those little nicks from going too hard on the rod. The ceramic just feels gentler somehow, like it's smoothing the edge instead of banging it back into shape. He still uses his old steel for the beaters though, says the ceramic cant handle the heavy work.