11 Best Honing Steels To Buy In 2021
In This Article
A honing steel is a rod for re-aligning the blade edges to keep your knives sharp. The honing tool reshapes the blade by slightly bending the metal and making it sharp enough to cut through anything. Mostly made of ceramic, steel, or diamond-coated steel, honing steels are often confused with sharpening steels used to maintain the sharpness by shaving off the knives.
To have your knife edges whetted to perfection, a honing steel is a must-have tool in your kitchen arsenal. In this post, we list some of the best honing steels that rearrange the blades’ edges to keep them in perfect working condition.
Benefits of Using Honing Steel
If you are not convinced that honing steel deserves a place in your kitchen, read on to learn about the many benefits it offers.
- Quick and easy to use: You can revive your dull knife with just a few strokes of a honing steel.
- Saves money: Buying new knives or paying for honing services is more expensive than buying a honing steel for knife sharpening at home.
- Improves performance: Just by aligning the blades of your knives, you can make your dull kitchen knives effective.
- Adds more years: If you are using a sharpening steel rod, you will end up shortening the life of your blade. But with honing tool, you can add more years to its life.
Top Picks
Top 11 Best Honing Steels
1. Noble Home & Chef’s 10in Professional Knife Steel Magnetized for Safety
This honing steel can be used to realign the edge of your knife with ease. The 10in magnetized rod does not let the tiny metal particles become airborne when you sharpen the blade, thus preventing them from landing on food nearby or getting inhaled. The high-quality, classy, true sharpening tool is designed to last for years.
Features:
- Made of premium carbon steel
- Chromium plating to keep it free of rust and corrosion
- Retains more metal on the edge of the knife
- Dishwasher-safe
- Oval handle for better grip
- Magnetized surface
2. 9001796 Smith’s Diamond Sharpening Steel 10in
Smith’s honing steel efficiently realigns and sharpens the dull knives with its sharpening surface, which has an overlapping hole design with a coating of multiple mono-crystalline, micron-sized diamonds bonded in nickel that speeds the sharpening process.
Features:
- Measures 10in in length
- Plastic tip at the end to protect countertops
- Soft grip rubber handle
- Loop for easy hanging
- Oval design for wider sharpening surface
3. Shun Classic Combination 9in Honing Steel with Pakkawood Handle
Shun offers a premium knife honing steel designed to gently realign the edge of the blade. Keep the edges of your knives sharp with the two honing surfaces of the tool — the smooth one for everyday care and the micro-ribbed one for weekly care. This also makes a unique gift for your family or friends.
Features:
- 9in stainless steel rod
- Pakkawood handle for a secure grip
- Built-in guide tells you about the correct angle for honing
- Made of hard steel to maintain a sharp edge for long
4. Amesser Store Knife Sharpener Honing Steel Sharpening Rod
Give your dull knives a new life with this honing steel. The unique design of this tool features a finger guard to protect your fingers from injury. Easy to clean and use, this is a practical honing steel option that aligns and sharpens knives of all sizes with just a few strokes.
Features:
- 3in long honing steel
- Made of carbon steel and plated with nickel-chrome
- Ergonomically designed handle with safety guard
- Hanging loop for easy storage
- Durable, with a low-wearing rate
5. Sharpal 121H Ceramic Rod Knife Sharpening Honing Steel
Maintain the sharpness and alignment of your knives by using this honing steel. This ceramic rod is designed to roll the edges back to the original position and doesn’t take off a lot of the metal on the edge. It also comes with a three-year warranty.
Features:
- Made of premium 300 grit pure ceramic
- Comes with a removable rubber cap
- Ergonomic handle for a better grip
- Oversized handle guard to protect fingers
- Built-in hole for hanging
6. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S Sharpening, 12in
This efficient honing steel is one of the best tools for resetting the edges of knives. Designed to prevent blades from becoming dull, the construction of this honing steel delays intervals between two sharpening sessions. Backed with a lifetime warranty against defects, this honing steel is ideal for most of the household knives.
Features:
- 12in honing rod
- Made of hard steel alloy
- Ergonomically designed synthetic handle
- Strong steel finger guard
- Hanging loop for easy storage
7. Shenzhen Ceramic Rod Knife Honing and Sharpening Steel
This honing steel promises razor-sharp knives and is ideal for aligning as well as sharpening all kinds of knives. The tool is easy to maintain and can be handwashed to remove the gray streaks that appear as a result of sharpening.
Features:
- Made of durable white ceramic
- Rockwell hardness of 68
- Zinc alloy reinforced extra-wide finger guard
- Ergonomic handle made of nylon
- Built-in loop for hanging
8. Chefast Honing Steel Knife Sharpening Set
You will never have to be disappointed with your knives when you have this set of a honing steel, cleaning cloth, and a luxury bag to keep it safe. This tool can be used to realign or sharpen the edges of large and small knives without removing much of the surface area. Designed for greater stability, it lets you hone blades without any slippages.
Features:
- Measures 10in
- Chromium-plated carbon steel rod
- Comfortable PP handle
- Handy hanging loop
- Finger guard for better protection
9. TUO Honing Steel with Pakkawood Handle – TC0708-9in Rod
Have your knives always ready to perform impeccably with this kitchen honing steel that promises perfect alignment and sharpness. The tiny grooves along the surface are helpful in bringing back and straightening the edge of your knives.
Features:
- Measures 9in
- Premium Pakkawood handle
- Luxurious appeal
- Comfortable grip
10. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Swiss Classic Fibrox Honing Steel, 10in
Give your kitchen knives new life with this honing steel that is designed to roll the edge of the knives into the original position and keep the edges sharp. It comes with a lifetime guarantee against any kind of defects in construction.
Features:
- Measures 10in
- Made of industrial brush chrome-plated steel
- Swiss class handle
- Designed for extra hardness and stain resistance
11. Shun Sora 9in Combination Honing Steel
Features:
- Measures 9in
- Built-in angle guide on the handle
- Smooth side for everyday needs
- Micro-ribbed side for weekly needs
How to Choose the Right Honing Steel?
Shared below are the important features that make a honing steel efficient. Do keep these characteristics in mind while buying one for your kitchen.
- Material: Steel, ceramic, and diamond-coated steel are the three most popular materials used for crafting these rods.
- Handle: Always go with a honing rod that offers a good grip so that it doesn’t slip out of your hand when you are realigning your knives.
- Finger guard: It offers extra protection to your fingers while using a honing steel.
- Grit: The finer the grit, the better it will be at sharpening your knife. Therefore, look for a honing steel with a fine grit suitable for your knives.
- Weight: It is always better to have a honing rod with extra weight as it reduces the time and effort that go into realigning the knives. Just make sure you pick the one that you can handle comfortably.
How to Use a Honing Steel?
Haven’t used honing steels before? Don’t worry. We’ll tell you how here.
- Hold the rod firmly with the tip properly positioned on the counter.
- Place the heels of the blade against the honing rod. The tip of the knife should face slightly upward, at an angle of 15 degrees between the rod and the blade.
- While maintaining the angle and exerting light pressure on the knife, slide it down the length of the honing steel in a sweeping motion.
- Finish this stroke by ensuring that the entire edge of the blade touches the rod.
- Repeat this process for four to five times on both the sides.
- Wipe the blade using a clean cloth, wash it with water and dry it again using a clean, soft cloth.
A dull knife can ruin the cooking experience as it makes cutting or slicing a challenge. A honing steel can help you realign as well as sharpen the dull edges quickly at home. A honing steel is a useful kitchen tool that can help both pros and amateur chefs at home or elsewhere. We hope this post helps you find the best honing steel to keep your knives sharp and functional for a long time.
Community Experiences
Join the conversation and become a part of our vibrant community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with like-minded individuals.
