How to Use a Honing Steel? The Complete Guide

You've invested in quality knives. Sharp, balanced, carefully forged. Yet after just a few weeks, they already struggle to slice through a tomato. It's not that they're dull: it's simply that their edge has lost its alignment. This is where the honing steel comes in—a tool that's far too often misunderstood.

A honing steel isn't there to "sharpen" in the strict sense, but to realign and maintain your blade's edge. In other words: it doesn't sculpt the steel, it realigns it.

What is a Honing Steel Used For?

A honing steel has nothing to do with a whetstone or electric sharpener. It removes virtually no material. Its purpose? To realign the knife's edge, that microscopic border that bends with use. With repeated cutting, the edge deforms, even while remaining sharp. The honing steel realigns it, thus extending the blade's effectiveness.

It's therefore a maintenance tool, not a repair tool. If your knife is truly dull, the honing steel won't suffice: you'll need to return to a whetstone (see our guide on how to choose your whetstone).

Choosing the Right Honing Steel

Here are some key tips for selecting your honing steel based on your actual needs:

Different Types of Honing Steels (Steel, Ceramic, Diamond)

There are several types of honing steels, the main ones being:

Steel honing rod: the most classic. Ideal for European knives. It realigns without abrading, perfect for daily maintenance.
Ceramic honing rod: finer, it lightly polishes the edge while realigning it. Perfect for Japanese or very hard knives.
Diamond honing rod: abrasive. It removes some material and can be likened to sharpening. Handle with care: it can prematurely wear the blade.

Our tip: for very hard blades (HRC > 60), avoid standard steel at all costs, and favor ceramic or diamond.

What Length and Surface Texture Should You Choose?

Choosing the right honing steel doesn't rely solely on its material (steel, ceramic, diamond), but also on its length and surface texture. These two criteria determine both sharpening effectiveness and ease of handling, depending on the type of knives you use and your experience level.

What honing steel length to choose? On this point, you should know that a steel that's too short will force you to make jerky or even dangerous movements, and won't allow a smooth motion from heel to tip of the knife. Conversely, a steel that's too long becomes cumbersome, especially for home use.

Here are some examples:

Chef's knives, santoku, butcher knives: favor a 20 to 30 cm steel, depending on blade size.
Paring knives, small utility knives: a 15 to 20 cm steel may suffice.
Universal use: 20 cm is the most versatile and practical format for beginners.

Our advice: when in doubt, opt for a 20 cm honing steel as it's a standard that works with 90% of kitchen blades.

How to Use a Honing Steel Step by Step

Using a honing steel isn't as simple as it seems, so follow these key steps to optimize your experience:

The Right Technique to Adopt

Here's the simple and reliable method, in 6 steps:

Position: hold the steel vertically, tip on a cutting board or towel.
Angle: tilt the blade at approximately 15° (Japanese) to 20° (European).
Starting point: begin at the base of the knife's heel.
Movement: slide the blade from heel to tip, following the steel's curve.
Alternation: once on the right, once on the left, in a fluid manner.
Repetitions: 5 to 10 passes on each side are sufficient.

Our advice here: Never force it. Pressure must remain light—this isn't a file.

Regarding surface texture, these are the visible grooves on the steel's surface. It directly influences the aggressiveness of contact with the blade:

Grooved: the most common. It realigns the edge effectively. Ideal for regular use and medium-hardness knives (European knife types).
Smooth: no visible relief. This type of steel polishes the edge without abrasion. It's suitable for very fine Japanese knives or maintenance finishing.
Diamond or abrasive: it combines realignment and light sharpening. It's useful if you want to correct a very slightly damaged edge... but be careful, it removes some material. Use sparingly.

Therefore, for standard home use, a 20 cm grooved steel rod remains the best effectiveness/simplicity ratio. It's also the model we offer in our shop with our honing steel, particularly suited for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

How Often Should You Use a Honing Steel?

Knowing how to use a honing steel is good. But knowing when to use it is what makes all the difference. The frequency of using a honing steel depends directly on two things: how often you use your knives and the type of blade you own.

While a whetstone is only used occasionally (every 2 to 6 months), the honing steel is specifically designed for very regular maintenance, even almost daily.

Here are the best practices to adopt based on your intended use:

Home use (family cooking, leisure): run the steel 1 to 2 times per week, or before each major cutting session (meat preparation, vegetables, fish).
Professional use (chefs, caterers, butchers): multiple passes per day are often necessary, especially if you use the knife intensively.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with a good honing steel, poor technique can quickly ruin your efforts. Here are the most common pitfalls to avoid to keep your blades in top condition.

Using a steel on a dull blade: The honing steel isn't meant to sharpen a worn blade—use a whetstone instead.
Poor angle control: An angle that's too wide or too narrow makes the motion ineffective, or even aggressive to the edge.
Pressing too hard: A honing steel shouldn't be "forced"—pressure must remain light to avoid damaging the edge.
Steel poorly matched to the knife: A steel that's too soft or too abrasive for the steel type makes maintenance useless or harmful.

Quick Comparison: Whetstone vs Honing Steel

What's the best method for sharpening a knife: a whetstone or a honing steel? It's a question that comes up often, and for good reason: many still confuse maintenance and sharpening. Yet, a honing steel and a whetstone don't serve the same purpose. It's therefore not about choosing between one or the other, but understanding when to use one, and when to switch to the other.

Here's a comparison table for clarity at a glance:

Criteria	Honing Steel	Whetstone
Purpose	Edge maintenance (realignment)	Deep sharpening (material removal)
Action on blade	Doesn't modify profile, realigns edge	Reshapes edge by removing steel
Frequency of use	Very regular (weekly or more)	Occasional (every 2 to 6 months)
Time required	Very fast (10-20 seconds)	Longer (5-20 minutes depending on method)
Difficulty	Easy with some practice	Technical, requires learning
Compatibility	Varies by steel type and rod	Very wide (soft and hard steels)
Immediate effect	Restores sharpness if edge is still present	Restores sharpness even on dull blade

If you feel your blade's edge is beyond recovery with a honing steel, consult our article on how to choose your whetstone, or check out our handled whetstone to restore a dull blade with precision.

Our Honing Steel Recommendations

A good honing steel is like a good knife: it must be reliable, suited to your use, comfortable to handle, and above all make you want to use it regularly. It's this regularity that makes all the difference between a blade that cuts cleanly and one that crushes miserably against a vegetable.

At Kaitsuko, we've selected our honing steels with the same standards as our knives: balance, effectiveness, durability.

Are you a beginner or looking for a versatile tool? Good news, our honing steel with wooden handle is an excellent starting point:

Ideal length for most blades
Comfortable grip thanks to its ergonomic wooden handle
Grooved steel surface perfectly suited for home or semi-professional use

To go further, also discover our complete collection of sharpeners, with honing steels, whetstones and mechanical systems, with expert advice every time to make the right choice.