Ceramic Rods: Unless...You Don't Like Sharp? - Preparedmind101 

This is a great video, very informative. My grandpa broke a small 4" by 2" piece off a ceramic tile, he smoothed it out with by rubbing it against the rest of the tile i guess and made a little leather pouch for it. He carried that around and used to touch his knife up while camping, fishing, hunting etc. His knives were always crazy sharp. It was his secret tip he wouldnt share with just anyone lol all the guys were like 'how the hell you get your knives so sharp dale?' Hes since past and all the men it my family still carry pieces of tile around lol ceramic is #1 when it comes to honing in my opinion.

Great video Sir! That's a Cook's 12" ceramic rod! I use one on my wife's fancy pants kitchen knives. I sharpen them BEFORE they get all dull. It only takes a few strokes to keep them razor sharp, and doesn't seem to put any wear on the blades. I've got a KO WS and a Harbor Freight belt sander with a lot of belts. But for keeping something sharp by touching up the edge, the rod rocks! My wife's kitchen knives will all push cut paper. Also, use a light touch. You don't need to push against the rod unless the knife is dull.

WANRING Coming off of the ceramic Rod it with the tip of your blade like that will dull the tip, it's better to stop with the tip of the blade touching the ceramic Rod instead :) Just some helpful information Don't know if anyone has commented this yet but I'm not going to dig through 400 comments

For those new to honing rods, there's a sound and vibration feel in the grip when the alignment is right. Start with the blade edge on the rod, use the pad of your thumb to make sure the edge is touching, then draw or push, in relation to your body, your knife down the rod. You'll know the moment you're off the correct alignment and can readjust. Push or pull are personal preference, and honestly, the blade size/shape also changes which way you'll like. If you're going to push, I recommend stabilizing the tip of the ceramic rod so you don't get that pop up that Chris got at the end of his strokes. He's experienced, you're not. :) The trick I recommend is tip straight down on a dish towel or wash cloth and slice down onto a cutting board. Hold the rod vertical in an ice pick grip. If you want speed, and to hold it aloft, draw the edge towards you to avoid the top pop off. If you hone every other or every third time you use your knife, you really only need to sharpen it once or twice a year, depending on your decapitation rate or orc invasion frequency.

When I first got my Fiskars X7, the coating on the edge wouldn't do the old paper cut test. I did 7 light passes on a small ceramic sharpener, and it had no problem slicing the paper. Unless your blade is damaged, a ceramic works great.

I recently retired from a meat processing plant a and we have been using those for about 15 years. They are really do a great job.

1) Yes. To all of this.2) The introduction for me was actually a simple Lansky 4-(ceramic)-rod turnbox. I actually strongly recommend that tool for portable sharpening, for a bunch of reasons - very compact, packable, lightweight, idiot proof, rods are protected, turns knives into little lasers, and it's dirt cheap (like $20). After I saw how effective that was, I got my hands on a couple of large ceramic rods for free-hand work, and I'm sold on them. Must have items.

I heard a tip a while back,, use the same amount of pressure as you would when shaving your face with a normal razor, works for the ceramic rod and the strop,, hope this tip helps someone ,,,.

After butchering for years, not full time, we have been using diamond rods and ceramic rods for our knives. I have dropped one of our rods and it definitely breaks. Ugh! Go point about not letting the knife get dull. Though we will wipe and wash the rods, we also have a rod eraser. Where we got it, I don't know. We also have some ceramic rods with different grits (if that's what you call it). We do the swipe of the knife towards ourselves. Though some people go crazy about that, it's still the quickest way once using it is learned. I don't recommend it. When I first starting using one, someone said something to me and I overshot the rod and made a very nice cut on the web of my hand. So, pay attention, eh! Much needed video! There are some field versions that we have that you can carry in your pocket. Some of them are nice, some junk.

I have one that I bought for my mom in 1975. They are great. To keep it cutting well, wash it a couple of times a year with water and dish soap. It will help clear the micro shavings out of the pores.

As a professional chef, I've been using ceramic honing rods to maintain my knives at work and at home for years. I'm glad to see you espousing the benefits of using a honing rod for non-kitchen blade edges. I keep one on me when out camping or on day hikes. You're absolutely spot on about the matter of the honing rod not being able to bring a dull edge back to sharp since that's not what a honing rod does. That's a common misconception even among professional cooks, including a certain famous Mr. Ramsay who has a video here on RU-vid on the topic of "sharpening" knives using a honing rod...

I fly a lot and I always have my two ceramic rods with me. I have two triangular rods from Spyderco, one medium and one fine. One thing you pointed out that I learned when I first got mine is to listen for the sound. It changes when you find the right angle. When I'm home, I finish with a strop. When I'm on the road, the fine stone gives me a great edge. Keeping a knife sharp is easier than sharpening a dull blade.

Couldn’t agree more Chris a 10” plus ceramic honing rod will be fine and as good as any method. Easy to use also. I have been using them for some time and using chefs steels before ceramic. They too are pretty good. The key is as you say “don’t wait for your knives to be blunt”

You gave great advice about maintaining knives before they get dull. If you hone and/or strop after each use you won't have to sharpen on a stone or diamond sharpener except to remove chips. I had a sharpening steel and several years tried it. I was skeptical, but proven wrong. It just works.

These work great, 26 years of working in kitchens ..

Never liked sharpening stones, always thought they were garbage. Now that ceramic rod looks beast. I love using ceramics especially on any type of Stainless it works beautifully. I to used to hate ceramics until I found my feel, groove and sound. Now I just go by feel and sound 👍

I just got the Arkansas ceramic rod off amazon. For some reason it has small bumps near the tip. I’m sure I can sand them off. But for the most part the rod works. I love ceramic. I have almost an obsession with it. I bought a 12 cent ceramic tile from lowes, and flattened the bottom of it, believe it or not it works perfectly for honing, makes my bevels razor sharp and makes them polished and shiny.

I use a ceramic rod in the kitchen and in my game butchering set. I actually made a Kydex holster for it. I do same hand, one stroke on top, one stroke on the bottom. I go faster. I can tell that I'm using the same angle on each side by listening to pitch of the scraping sound. If it sounds the same for the top side and bottom side of the rod, it's going to give you the same bevel on each side. Try it on something soft, envision a Chef, and start going. I love the strop too. I like leather, rough side out for black compound, smooth side out for green. Great video!

I have a ceramic hollow cone approx. 20” tall I got at the paper mill I used to work at they replaced the cones on the hi density centrifugal cleaners . The heavy grit after many yrs would wear the inside hole to a bigger size reducing the header pressure, so I took one of the old cones for sharpening , I put it away and forgot about it until I read this I’ll have to get it out and use it again , I just stand it up on big end and hold knife straight up on strike cause the angle is just right . If u have any friends in the paper industry try to get one they are perfect, the best way to clean ceramic is with acid, the ceramic is impervious to acid

I’ve been debating whether to take a chance on a ceramic rod, versus spending over $100 on a glass stone. You just made the decision easy. Great info.! And, I agree: the sound is extremely relaxing. I’d play the sound on a loop, if I could. Cure my insomnia. Only knife people would understand. LOL

After watching this review I bought the ceramic rod and I love it! A big ceramic rod is especially great for my large choppers that were awkward sharpening with stones. Great review! every one who likes larges knives should own one. I sharpen my blades with it while sitting in my chair watching RU-vid it's very relaxing and therapeutic.

Old school! I like it! Daily touch-ups take so much less time than letting a knife edge get dull and having to do a lot of work. Yes, I am one of those folks that use Whet Stones to sharpen when I have to. In my defence, I learned to sharpen a knife from my Grandpa. And after a day on the farm, he would use the back side of a ceramic plate to "hone" up the edge. Simplicity works in my books. Thanks for sharing!

Holy moly I've been sharpening my knife on my stone to try to relax myself for some reason I never knew that helped people.

To clean my ceramic rods I bought a pink pencil eraser & cut it in half so i had 1 for my bag and 1 for my sharpening kit. The erasers are less than $1 and clean the rods perfectly. Gonna go buy a bunch now that I see how well it works. So portable too. Thanks Chris for another great vid. I love ceramic too.

I do like to use whetstones on my clad VG-10 Japanese kitchen knives. They work a treat on very hard stainless steel. They do take practice to master though Saying that, I also have a fine ceramic sharping rod. In between whetstone use, a couple of passes each side for double beveled knives on the rod, brings my knives back to atom splitters. The rod reduces the amount of time using a whetstone for sure. You're quite right too, a small amount of practice with the rod pays off big time. If an ultra fine edge can't be maintained with a ceramic rod, it generally means the wrong technique is being used. I recommend to always buy the best rod you can afford. Avoid using ones with coarse grits, go for fine, or extra fine grits. It's well worth shopping around. A decent ceramic rod should be part of any knife user's maintenance kit; whether you're cook or a woodsperson, it's an essential tool. Oh yes one more thing, avoid dropping ceramic rods like the plague. They're very susceptible to sharp lateral shocks. I've done it and it's bloody annoying when they snap or shatter.

I've been using ceramic CrockSticks since the early 1980s. Best system ever.

I've always loved knives, but have always been intimidated to sharpen them. So, I have a bunch of dull-ass knives. This video encouraged me to go for it. So, I ordered up large ceramic rod sharpener, and now I am a knife sharpening fool!..........with a lot of sharp knives! The wife is also very happy with all her sharp kitchen knives. Thank you for giving me the encouragement/motivation I'd always needed, Mr Tanner!

Yep, use these often for honing and touchups just be careful at the tip, you can round them off!

Don't put pressure. Light and fast moves. I use ceramics ten years now for honing professional knives.

Chris I'm glad you have discovered ceramic. I'm a big fan myself. Order yourself a gray ceramic rod. They are slightly more course than the white so when someone doesn't catch the edge before it's real done then the gray will take off more material. Also while I'm thinking of it try a little experiment, listen closely to the noise it makes when ur sharpening. Then change your angle a bit and listen. You will be able to hear when u have the right angle after so practice. I have been sharpening knives​ for more than 25 years and can almost do it with my eyes closed. Obviously i don't because i still have all ten fingers. Let me know what you hear and i will tell a few more things to try. Thanks for all the great vids.

After viewing and trying so many sharpening methods here on RU-vid I have settled on using a Ceramic sharping rod for all my kitchen knives. I cook every day and I keep all my knives sharp enough for my every day needs. IMO, I don't think a Razor Sharp Knife is needed to cut my food! I am able to easily Cut or Chop my meat & Vegetables with My Knives! Yes, I have spent money on several sharpening devices and used different methods but like I said, I now only use the Ceramic Rod or a steel rod to keep all my knives sharp enough for my needs!

Ceramic is great. I have that arkansas rod. Also the 4". My fav is a 4" long 3/4" dia insulator tube from a house I once rented, the old open wire system was still in it (but retrofitted to modern wiring) and I took a bunch of the insulators that the wire was wrapped on here and there. The right tiles work well, the bottom of some plates and coffee cups.. theres a lot out there that can give an incredible edge that most wouldnt even think of. Ive made due with a rock and a car window and came out darn sharp

Ceramic steels are great for honing. I switched from a steel rod to ceramic, and I noticed an immediate difference. When I get a new knife, I always sharpen with 400-500 grit, then 800-1000, and move up from there--depending upon the knife's use. Then I finish with the honing rod. Strops only help in with steels 60HRC or more, I have found. Japanese Chef knives work great with stropping. But the ceramic rod is excellent for most all knives.

Yes, you'd use a butchers steel then/or a ceramic rod, I was taught to draw it towards you (thats why theres a guard at the top of the handle) but that method takes time to learn and will cost you a few cuts on your hand/fingers.

Completely agree with everything said! Ceramic anything is awesome for touch ups! I carry a small edc sharpener in my pocket and I have a 5 inch one that usually stays in my kit in my bag. I use them everyday to keep my knives shaving sharp. Also, anyone that doesn't have one can use the bottom of a decent coffee cup, does the same thing.

After you are done with your strop it doesn’t hurt to strop on your plain denim jeans either what your wearing or stretched around a broom stick the key is just regular denim with nothing on it just make sure it’s stretched tight .... works great as a final step , also if you have a slightly dull and are siting in a car waiting for someone, roll down the window and use the top of the glass to do a touch up, it also keeps ya occupied makes your in car boring wait time productive and works in a pinch .....

I have several flat ceramic pieces, they are about 8in x 3in and 1/2 inch thick and I love these things! I even have smaller ones to carry with me

As for secondary bevels on scandi grinds, I am for it. William Collins recommended a micro bevel by letting just the weight of the sharpening steel slide along the edge. No bit secondary bevel, a micro bevel. It makes the edge stronger and is just as sharp. Wm. Collins knows what he is talking about with regards to knives, so I will take his word (and yours) regarding this. Thanks for the great videos Chris, Merry Christmas to you and your family (and Will).

I have some small ceramic sharpeners, I mean real small but I'm going to get one of these and give it a shot for touching up my knives!

i bought one in ikea for 8 euro's, didnt think it will be much good but it definitely surprised me

I always use whetstones and ceramic. Love the stuff.

This is how I tune up blades now. A few strokes on large rod, finish on one inch belt strop with a little bit of flits on the belt. Finish off with some wd40 silicone to clean it. And wow!!!

Thanks. I got a ceramic rod to try it

Used to use crock sticks. Now using Fallkniven's C12 for honing.

I've gotten some pretty good honing results with the back of a piece of $0.89 ceramic tile that I've sanded flat for a smooth surface.

Finally the light. I have been using a ceramic rod since 1985. FYI softer steel knives will bleed badly on your rod, hard to get off. Take ajax or comet, make a paste on the palm of your hand, grab the rod scrubbing until it's clean. your hand will be black. Good video. Thanks

Hi Chris Thanks for sharing, I took your advice and I got the ceramic rod and strop, man what a big difference! My knife's are even sharper now! Thank you for sharing

Ive been using ceramic rods for years. By far best way to clean the shavings off is with Comet. Wipes right off super easy.

My mother in law showed me how to sharpen knives on the bottom of a ceramic plate. Makes the knives razor sharp.

PREPAREDMIND101, hey bro, I’m not sure if you know this or not, but if you ever find that your knives have small chips in the blade, you can use a medium grit ceramic rod to get those chips out, doesn’t take a long time at all either. And if your blade has a mirror finish, you don’t even have to ruin it by re-profiling, the ceramic rod will remove the chips and you will still have a mirror polished edge. It has to be a medium grit rod though, I use one from Lansky off amazon. Hope this helps someone. Ps. To clean your ceramic rods, Bar Keepers Friend “soft cleanser” is the best of the best. It is in liquid form, not powder, just dip your rod in the bottle, and wipe off the rod with a cloth. Don’t even need water or a sink.

You can actually reform the angle of your edge with the ceramic rod. Use it like a slip stone on the edge. It will easily reshape the edge and form a bur. You can strop off the bur with the ceramic. Then you can use the rod the way you demonstrate.

Stones and bands of various grits remove material. Rods help straiten the bevel (very efficient against ceramic plate damage on edge) Leather actually put back metal atoms from the side to the edge. You can use bare leather or even your living skin to finish sharpening.

To make a hard shell sheath for this. Acquire a length of CPVC pipe long enough for the rod to go into up to the hilt of the handle. Using paracord wrap the top of pipe and knot or just JB weld the cord to the pipe. Use a slide stop on the two ends of the cord to go over the handle of the steel and cinch up. This adds weight and bulk but when you pull the sharpener out of the pack it wont be in two pieces.

I've been using one of those for over 20 years. Has always worked for me.

This is why I love Fällkniven knives, they come with factory microbevels, so you can easily get them sharp using a ceramic rod

Push that sharpener up against a tree n have more control bro

Chris, just figured I'd give a couple tips. 1) if you sharpen using a circular motion instead of a traditional push stroke like you demonstrated in this video, then the size of the ceramic rod becomes irrelevant; i.e. You could sharpen a machete on a 3" long ceramic rod. Mike Stewart also advocates using circular motions. 2) you don't need to use oddball products to clean your sharpening rod. Spyderco always recommended using a plastic scotch brite scouring pad and some comet cleanser powder with warm water to clean their ceramic sharpening rods. But there is also a much simpler solution to cleaning stones and rods if you don't have a sink available. DMT sharpeners recommends using a simple polymer eraser to clean stones and rods. Just rub it against the sharpener and it quickly removes all the filings from the stone or rod. It's like magic! And it's also super easy to just pack a polymer eraser with your sharpening equipment if you're going to take it in the field....much easier than goof off! And polymer erasers don't dry out like those wet wipes and expire. Give it a shot.

I'm the uk so fairly limited to 3" folders, started off with the lansky turn box gets them shaving sharp in a few minutes. Like you I touch them all up late at night watching tv :)

Great video bro! Another easy way to clean ceramic in the field is a PENCIL ERASER the big pink ones work but the white softer kind are better. No chemicals involved or scrubbing with soap it actually gets down into the micro scratches and rubs it out. It ain't perfect but they are easy to put in a kit like an altoids tin in your sheath.

You sir have finally graduated! I remember years ago you mumbling about recurves and too hard to sharpen etc. I first learned on a steel because that's what came with my kitchen knife set. I then got some diamond and ceramic rods. Once you have the edge angle you want rodding and stropping are all that's needed... free hand as you did. I always cringed at guys "sharpening" there knives... 400 grit stone, 800, now the 1200 until we get to the 6000 lol. All the time grinding tons of precious metal from their beloved cutlery. Coarse stone to set the initial edge you want... yes, but once you have it a ceramic rod or one fine stone and strop is all you need. Correct... no thinking at all. Just go for it and "feel" the edge, no need for complicated mathematical calculations, angle guides or contraptions. I also use my stones hand held and use the same feel method. Just look, feel and do it. Congrats!

*In the field I carry the Lansky blade medic. Of course I don't touch my blade with the carbide AT ALL.. it does however have 2 ceramic bits on it that work unbelievably well. Not to mention it's light and compact and perfect for keeping it up to par. But ive never tried the full rods though. I definitely will be picking up one asap. Great video*

Good job Chris. Feral Woodcraft's video on ceramic sharpening insiped me to give it a go, and been doing it ever since. I would like to try the smaller rod as I don't like to carry the bigger one into the woods, so thanks for the link.

The Green Elephant ceramic rod on Amazon is great. It’s my primary sharpener now.

Emergency siren - coming after some guy in the woods playing with knives.....again...lo

Ceramic is awesome for touching up a blade. I use a the bottom of a coffee cup if I need to touch up.a kitchen knife while preparing food.

Use Bar Keeper's Friend it's a scouring powder sprinkle a little bit on your hand and run that Rod back into back and forth through your hand under the water and that stuff will come right off.

You can use a plain old gummy eraser to clean them...

About taking the skin off your thumb while testing the edge--it's hard to control the pressure that way. Murray Carter the knife sharpening sensei says to use three fingers. I like to wrap them around the blade from beneath. Much more control and spreads out the pressure versus one finger.

I love sharpening my knives! I use an assortment of tools depending on condition of blade, I understand the feeling of knife drawn against ceramic as well! You can hear edge becoming crisp!

Good advice Chris, my late brother and I are OCD about our knives being sharp

Olean NY! I live near there. I have my own Kbar from there and Kukari. The knives rule!

on a budget note you can use the filament from a high pressure sodium light bulb as well. many different sizes and it is ceramic.

I like your explanations the way you go about giving instructions nothing complicated you give assurance to the person who’s trying it for the first time and good job

I started cracking up when you said "twelve inches" when you also started laughing I about lost it. I've had one of these in my cart for some time I kept putting off buying one. I have the Arkansas stone one you showed but, it's not a very fine stone. I have always loved ceramics. I agree with not letting a knife get dull. My dad would have me sharpen his knives and he would just destroy the edge and I'd sharpen it. Finally I gave him that Arkansas stone and he's been maintaining it for quite awhile it's saved me a ton of work. He's the only one who was willing to keep up on it so, he's the only one I'll sharpen for. My uncle also would bring his to me only needing a few swipes so, him also. But, other family members give me these angle grinder abortions and it's a nightmare even on a wicked edge.

I carry a small rod for recurves, but never use it because I don't really like recurves. I do carry a flat piece of ceramic procured from a floor tile rip that I use for all of my knives.

This is great info , never tried it before but gonna give it a shot.

I keep pine paddle in my bag along with black compound to hone my blades in the field. I've tried ceramic rods but I have a tendency to break them while hiking. I do use a ceramic rod for my kitchen knives though

Really enjoy your videos...Thanks for being so down to earth and real...

Chris, I have the Lansky Blade Medic and I use the carbide notch to clean up those cheap kitchen knives I don't really care about. I then follow up on an Arkansas whetstone and go to the strop from there😀

I been using ceramics for years mine come from high voltage light elements they work great along with a strop

The magic erasers work great on the ceramic rods too... Haven't tried the goof off wipes yet but they seem like they'd be handy as hell for a number of things.

Thank You! I am learning how to sharpen and this helped a lot. Especially the switch hand move. So simple but very helpful. I can't keep consist on coming towards me. I don't like special device sharpeners or wet stones. This ceramic sharpener is really easy for me to follow and not give me anxiety. I will stop thinking sharpening is hard. THANKS AGAIN!:-)

Thank you Chris...always looking for an effective way to get em sharp as hell. UPDATE my ceramic big stick came in last night and already I have a knife I couldn't get sharp that is cutting paper easily. THANKS AGAIN..Also i like the sound it makes when you sharpen, it sounds like the Empires fighter planes like the one Darth Vader flew in.

Video did help me make up my mind about ceramic sharpers. I'll give it a try.

Love the Lansky turn box ceramic for pocket knives.

I don’t mean to keep commenting, and you don’t have to reply back. But I definitely see what you were saying. Every time you make a video either a chainsaw, a lawnmower, a Weedwhacker, or a plane goes by holy moly.

I've looked at rods but totally forgot them. Might have to check em out again

And if you want to clean wet stones boiling water and a magnet (long stick magnet 6 " is perfect so you dont burn your self, soak the stones for a while (make shore you warm them up slow. Don't drop a cold stone in boiling water it could crack it or worse) rub the magnet all over the stone with light pressure. Better the magnet better the results.

Well if it works for you it works for you, people make knife sharpening look like some voodoo thing that takes at least 250 hours of practice and it works only this or that way... not true at all i use a DC4 sharpening stone, it just works for me and it dosnt make a mess like water stones. One criticism i have for your method, the way you do it you dull the very tip of the knife over time, if you sharpen a knife for a long time like that you will get a round tip.

Good idea with the goof off. I have the work sharp field sharpener and i love it but I have a heck of a time getting the tip of my blades sharp. Maybe the larger ceramic is the answer.

Chris, thanks for your common man vocabulary and your "Mind set" encouragement. Keep up the great work.

I had a bark river Los Lobos, my favorite knife somebody stole it and I can’t find one to save my life if you know where anything that I paid cash money for.

OK, so I ordered a big 12 inch ceramic stick lol. And, I actually got my Puma 12 BigCat, Kizlyar tanto, and Ontario 499 sharper than my WorkSharp machine could....... Yes I Did it!!! But still keeping my WorkSharp for 🔧🔨🗜 tools lol......

I strop on the rough side of my belt regularly, but accidents happen, and the first time I had to sharpen my Jessmuk I had to pause, it being the most expensive Scandi I owned. I came to the same conclusion, though, realized that I was overthinking it, and freehanded on my Sharpmaker.

I have used the center divider if a ceramic kitchen sink for years to sharpen my kitchen knives. Shoot! Men only started using ceramic around mid 1970's.

Yea man that’s why I use the spyderco 306uf ceramic stone. It’s amazing!!

being as chef for many years you may find you get better results if you rest the tip of the rod on a worktop/surface

I always wonder why these aren't more popular. I've been using one for probably 15 years and I have no complaints. Much faster than pulling out various stones and it packs smaller/lighter, too. A couple of guys have laughed at what they call my "wife's kitchen sharpener"...until they found out that my knives were all sharper than theirs. Best sharpeners I've ever used are a ceramic rod and a leather strop.

Thanks for doing the video. I have a smaller rod in my feld sharpening kit but don't use them at home. I'm going to pick up a large rod.

Yes I use the corner all the time for stropping my recurves