I make kitchen knives that I give to my friends and family and one of the suggestions that I give my "customers" is to buy a 12" Ultimate Edge. The Ultimate Edge is just about the only sharpening tool that is needed for home knife sharpening. The Ultimate Edge is the best diamond stick sharpener that I have ever used. There are two tricks to sharpening a typical kitchen knife. The first trick is being able to know when (and where) the knife is sharp. If the edge of a shap knife is touched to your thumbnail it will feel "sticky" a dull edge will feel smooth and just slide off of your thumbnail. You can try this with your own dull blades and then try a new pocket knife at a sporting goods store. Knives can be dull along part of the blade (most usually at the tip) and sharp along another part. The object is to get the the blade sharp along the full length so you touch, touch, touch....along the full length of the blade to find out where it is't sharp and dull. A dull edge will also reflect light so that can be used to confirm what you determined with your thumbnail.
The next trick is to be able to get the blade at the right angle for sharpening. First take a Sharpie and blacken the cutting edge. That is pretty easy to do, just run the Sharpie along the full length of the blade right at the beveled cutting edge. Next hold the Ultimate Edge as verticle as possible and swipe the blade for its full length down the UE. Don't push hard and go slow. Now look at your Sharpie mark. Did you "sharpen" most of it away? If so you have the right angle! If not, mark will show you whether you need to steepen or flatten your angle. Don't push hard and go slow. Do the other side. Now the kinda painful part is that you are going to use the Sharpie several times until you "teach" your hands and your eyes what is the correct angle. And the OTHER kinda painful thing is that no matter what handed you are you need a different set of skills for both sides of the knife blade.
The two tricks now form a feed back loop. Mark both sides of the edge, swipe both sides, touch, touch, touch..., repeat as required. The very best way to learn is to start with the shortest blade that you can find. A used paring knife from the thrift store works great. I figger that it would take about an hour for a flat beginner to use this method and get a 4" paring knife from Goodwill sharp enough to shave arm hair. If you like to cook, believe me, it is worth the effort to learn how to sharpen a kitchen knife sharp enough to shave the hair off of your arm.
I am a man, I grew up in the South and it took me a while to become a feminist. My mother used to say that the main reason that a woman needed to get married was to have someone to keep her kitchen knives sharp. In fact, in the South a dull knife is said to be "as dull as a widow's ax". So this is partially a feminist issue that at least some of you have the tools now to resolve.
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Product information
| Material | Diamond |
|---|---|
| Brand | Ultimate Edge |
| Color | Light Gray |
| Item Weight | 2.2 Pounds |
| Grit Type | Coarse |
| Manufacturer | Ultimate Edge |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00749927100348 |
| UPC | 749927100348 |
| Product Dimensions | 19.4 x 4.5 x 1.6 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.2 pounds |
| ASIN | B0001KOA9Q |
| Item model number | 10NC |
| Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #538,307 in Tools & Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Tools & Home Improvement) #1,227 in Sharpening Stones #123,231 in Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets |
| Date First Available | February 18, 2004 |
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This Item  Ultimate Edge The 10NC 10-Inch Coarse Diamond Sharpening Steel | Recommendations  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $120.00 | $100.00 | -14% $27.99 Typical: $32.48 | $100.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 6 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 9 | Get it May 12 - 16 | Get it May 8 - 12 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Sold By | — | Certified Brands | Amazon.com | JADA Lifestyles | CHEF'S ARSENAL/MARKET WAREHOUSE |
| material | Diamond | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Polycarbonate | Diamond |
| grit type | Coarse | Fine | Fine | Ultra Fine | Fine,Very |
| weight | 2.2 pounds | 2 ounces | 180 grams | — | 0.18 kilograms |
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2008
