Check the description for further video resources on techniques mentioned in this video. Happy Easter everyone! Heres the stone used in this video⬇ amzn.to/3J6aE45 Disclosure⬇ Affiliated link As an amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I bought everything in this video with my own money and am free to link to anything I want.
Thank You for the tip when Stropping with a "spongy" piece of leather, I was using too much pressure and rounding over my Apex. Great Content, thank you Also, I do hope you're feeling better and on the mend.
They sell cheap laser angle finders on Amazon. Would like to see you use one on a finished sharpening job. It really shows how clean and accurate you get the angle. (Edit: it will also reveal if you are convexing the edge)
The paper test can be a sharpness test. The less sound it makes the sharper the knife. The sound your paper makes you're probably in a 250-300 gram range. Just guessing lol. Why don't you do the wire cut test and laser test. If you can get one to 50 grams on a larger knife it would be impressive. 😊
You should do one of these with a longer knife. Sharpening a pocket knife is great for beginners, but it would be awesome to see if you do it differently for a longer knife
Seconded! I've bought this very Sharpal stone because of the glowing review on this channel and I too would love to get guidance and tips on how to sharpen kitchen knives.
Yeah I've specifically still got questions about how to deal with the curve towards the tip of many kitchen knives (don't know the proper terminology sorry).
Yes a curved knive tutorial would be great. You need to change your angle when you get to the curve, and I always struggle with that. Edit: I guess you don't call it changing the angle.
@@ironfoot1938 I've seen tutorials saying to keep the angle the same and lift the handle side up (torwards the sky) as you get to the curve. Seems to work but I'd like to see OD55 method
When you said “I have no idea what angle that is” I was instantly released from my obsession with the ‘correct’ angle. It was what I imagine an exorcism might be like. Thank you for that.
The correct angle is as shallow your tasks for that knife allows, shallower is better for edge retention and sharpness and cutting ability. Go more obtuse if it chips or rolls the edge. It all depends on the steel, the heat treat, the use case. Kitchen knives can be really shallow, an axe not as much.
I've been making knives for 4 years or so now. I found the grind and the edge is irrelevant for the vast majority of things you do with a knife... Except for the kitchen. Fat, steep beveled blades make slicing ingredients are real pain in the butt (That's probably obvious to everyone watching this video), but they are usually great for practically everything else in a utilitarian sense. I don't keep track of angles at all. I just eyeball aesthetics and go for symmetry while taking into consideration the primary purpose of the blade. You are so right. We get super anal about sharpening these blades to a precise angle that we determined would be most appropriate, and it almost never makes a difference- especially EDC.
I can understand when you say these types of videos don't do well views wise, but as someone who is currently learning, I sincerely appreciate this. Cheers, mate! 🍻
You are selling yourself short by a lot of $. You have to fix the fact that you're not getting a cut of the sale of the sharpening stones you're recommending. You're the reason these stones are hard to find. You have built a solid reputation and we trust your referral. You deserve a cut of the big bucks. Good to hear you're healing up well. It is amazing that you can take such a simple topic and turn it into this much good info and entertainment. I am always learning new stuff. That may be because I am a little slow and forget what is said too quickly. Lol. I also hate the phrase “practice makes perfect”, if you practice badly you will only get good at doing things badly.
I do get a commission from the sales on Amazon if I recommend something. Luckily almost every type of stone is available on Amazon so that allows me to link to what I recommend. And if i dont like something i can link to an alternative. Im not opposed to sponsorships but they would have to be some I already recommend and use personally 🙂
Hey, just wanted to say thanks. I've got fucked up hands and have spent years (and a decent amount of money) going through all the electric, guided and 'easy' sharpeners. None of which saved my hands or gave a decent edge. Following your guides, I can now make my kitchen knives sharp in minutes. Not only that, they stay that way for so much longer. So thank you! I hope you're feeling better.
I just switched from the cheap $25 stone I got about 10 years ago to the Sharpal you recommended. Can't believe I lived with that cheap white and blue stone for so long. It would take forever to get a good edge. I just did my SG2 Miyabi in about 5 minutes and got a better edge. You really know your stuff. Thanks so much, I actually enjoy sharpening now.
Man you are global treasure. You have made my life full of joy. I sharpen knives for years but you are the reason I’m using diamond plates for corse and medium necessity and Ceramic stones as fine instead of cumbersome messy whetstones. I use only a 10 k Naniwa just before strop only to get mirror bevel faster. Keep it up high 🔪
Alex does the best sharpening videos on RU-vid, IMO. Simple , straightforward instructions. He backs up the theory of what he's doing by showing us the excellent imagery of the edge. From an ease of use and lack of mess point of view, I sharpen on cheap diamond stones from Temu, with a strop. If anyone wants to learn sharpening, my tip would be to not start on stainless steel kitchen knives, which are relatively difficult to form a burr and need more work because of their length. To learn the basics, pick up a small Opinel knife, the carbon steel one, not the "Inox" which is stainless. The carbon steel forms a burr really easily and the burr comes off easily too. And it takes a really short time to do because the blade is so small. Once you understand the process with the Opinel, you can go to other more difficult knives
I recently started watching your videos and just ordered the two sided diamond stone you recommended and the tools I need to make a strop, I went found you when I went looking for a person that could help me find the right tools and proper techniques to sharpen knifes since my cheap kitchen sharpeners where not doing the trick that you for all your help!
Hello, I love to cook, and could you make a video of sharpening a chef knife ? Or a butcher knife ? (Curved one) Because I feel the length of these knifes make it harder, I would like to see how you do it. Anyway love your videos, this is the channel that helped me the most with sharpening.
Well, I appreciate you providing a real-time sharpening video. With the knowledge I was taught, knives were never really “sharp” and wouldn’t maintain the edge. I’m getting better, but still have some bad habits to change. Seeing you doing your things helps improve my skills 💁🏼♂️ thank you for sharing the knowledge. Hope things are headed in a positive direction with your health.
Hey, just wanted to say thank you for your videos. I had gotten a full whetstone set on Black Friday, but after watching your stuff I returned and got a much cheaper diamond set. After watching your technique and your super helpful microscope images, I got a really good idea of what I was looking for in a burr. I'm now slicing paper with some coarse stones, and haven't even gotten a strop yet! Thank you so much for your content.
I love these real time sharpening videos. I consider myself to be a pretty ok hand sharpener, and it's all pretty much because of you. When I first started sharpening, I had no idea. But a few years of watching your videos and practicing, I'm a lot better than I was! Thanks Alex!
You are hands down the best. You are ridiculously humble which adds to your relatability as well as how you (whether intended or not) instill in the viewer a feeling of confidence that they can become a great freehand sharpener. It's been a couple years for me personally and while I can't always get every knife I sharpen hair whittling sharp, thanks to your videos and a Lot of practice there's no knife in any steel (with proper heat treatment) that takes me longer than a couple minutes to get an edge that's hair popping sharp. Thank You
You touched on sharpening with only the course stone to have some "teeth". Thinking this may be the best advice ever for us kitchen folk as a bit of tooth really helps. Even if I'm prepared to do all of the polishing, how would a super-duper polished edge benefit a kitchen knife? I think maybe a longer lasting edge, but is that all? Got that SHARPAL stone, very nice. THANK YOU for teaching all of this. Greatly appreciated.
IIRC edge retention also involves the steel of the knife. Then again, he sharpened a 1 dollar kitchen knife and it whittled a 2x4 for hours so maybe it's much ado about nothing.
@@USSMariner Yeah, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of factors that are relevant for edge retention. The type of steel, the quality of the actual bar stock, quality of the heat treatment, the kind of grind, the knife's thickness, the angle it's sharpened at, what level it's sharpened to, the material you're cutting into, etc.; it's insanely complex.
13:25 I totally felt identified with your reaction 😂, that "oh! It's sharp!" look. I kind of know that a surgeon sharp knife is not required for most of my applications (I just like to cook). But I'm also a mechanical engineer, I know one or two things about steel, and I'm also obsessed with sharpness. It is always this sensation of "let's make it sharper, I can make it sharper" I recently found your channel and I have learned so much. My onions don't even know they are being sliced and diced now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I'm so glad youtube has these kinds of videos. For years I thought education was the key but I was very wrong. It turns out that all the things I'm lacking knowledge in has nothing to do with education but is in fact is because I don't know the secrets. Don't worry though from now on I'll treat learning things as I should and make sure I keep these things secret ;)
Just want to say thanks from New Zealand. Was spending a lot on "professional" sharpening on our kitchen knives that went dull again really quickly. Splashed out on a diamond stone and a leather strop, watched your videos a few times and took a crack at some of them and even with the first, rookie go at it they're so much better. I will continue to check out your vids and refine my technique, thank you!
Great to see you making videos! I bought the sharpal from your last video and am awaiting it arrival, very excited, because I bought Norton stones years ago, for way too much money, and they are a giant mess to use. Thank you for your work!
@@OUTDOORS55 I bought the shapton 2000, the sharpal 400-1500, and the cheap China diamond stone so I can leave it in my work bag for field sharpening chisels and such when I’m not home. I can’t wait to try them, and I went back to your video so I could use your link. Thanks brother! I hope all is well!
This real-time sharpening is what I’ve been looking for. Awesome sharpening video. Definitely the best I have seen on RU-vid in real, practical, no-nonsense terms. Thank you. Subscribed to your channel.
Bought Amazon 400 Green/1000 Blue/6000 White stone set before I discovered your channel. Thank you so much for your videos! I am learning technique, like twisting the body whilst keeping the arms and hands static.
I believe you are the first person (that I've watched on YT) to mention the "softness" of the leather as a factor. I have struggled for awhile trying to get that perfect result and, I suspect, it was because I was pressing too hard on my strop. Now that I've lightened the pressure on my strokes, I'm getting better results. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
After many hit and miss attempts at trying to sharpen knives I followed your instructions on keeping the apex symmetrical and a consistent scratch pattern using the rule of thumb etc. and I was able to sharpen my knife razor sharp. Thanks!
I just bought this stone based on your previous videos, it arrived today and I just spent a couple hours with my inlaws sharpening their kitchen knives and shop tools......we thank you
I just mimmicked what you did on an old kitchen knife that couldn't do anything but bend paper, and I got it to a point where I can slice through a sheet pretty well in around ten minutes. This is such a revolutionary approach (the coarse = less work = less/faster learning curve = more fun etc), thanks for reviving my hope to become competent at this at some point in my life! Amazing production as well on the videos!
Thanks for the video ! For a couple of months now I've had problems sharpening my kitchen knives - more often then not I didn't even get a burr to remove. I thought that maybe there was an issue with my sharpener but it was my technique. 1st attempt following your guide and I'm cutting paper in 1/3 of the time it took me before. Thank you !
I bought your recommended stone and a strop. I’m doing better than I ever have in my life going very slowly and really keeping the angle constant. The thing that seems to help me the most is using their little included, pyramid shaped angle guide to start the angle and keep it the same each time. Thanks for your videos. They’re the best I’ve seen on simple knife sharpening.
Just what I needed before my sharpal 162n 8” block, strop kit, and 6mic diamond paste show up tomorrow lol Good stuff brother, good to see you’re doing good and hope everything works out for your health issues. Praying for you and the fam. God bless~
Thank you. Great video. Just got my double sided stone and sharpened my first 3 or so cheap kitchen knives with it and my new strop. I will be watching this and your five minute sharpening video over and over again.
I listened to your advice and proceeded to buy a two-sided diamond stone (400 and 1000), a strop, and cromium oxide (I couldn't find diamond compounds in my country). I started to train on my kitchen knives, with mixed results but better than I expected. After two weeks and some knives, I proceeded to sharpen all the knives in my office, where they were super dull and almost unusable. This is where I've learned the most and had the best results after 3.5 hours of sharpening 10 knives. Even on the coarse 400-grit size, it takes some time (15-20 minutes) to give a bevel to a very dull knife. When I come back to a knife that I already sharpened, it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to get it back to shaving sharp. What I've seen is that edge retention is a small issue for me, as knives don't shave anymore after 1-2 weeks of usage. Maybe it's my technique or the type of steel the knives have. I will continue to get better at sharpening knives, and that is thanks to you!
Amazing macros of the apex! That takes some time and effort fot sure but I guess this helps beginners to get a better understanding of whats going on during the sharpening process.
I get my diamond stone, strop, compound finishing stone on tuesday. I have been struggling with cheap amazon stones in ignoance for three years until I found this channel last week. I am so excited to be able to get a proper and consistent edge. god bless you man!
they showed up today and my knife now shaves my arm air, not perfectly but still. DMT coarse 325 mesh, Shapton K0707 Blue Medium and DMT 0.5 micron spray (after watching this probably too fine) on a S30V steel blade. I am going to have to send you some money. These tips have been top notch. @@OUTDOORS55
Good day from Ukraine, sir! Im a long time fan of your work. As a knife enthusiast i, for some reaso, to this day was unlucky to come across a really good knife. Knives are somewhat enchanting for me so i look for a really precious one. Those ones youve shown in your videos feel like legendary weapon. As you know there is a war going on at my home and i have gone to the military service. Life can end abruptly here so i decided to try and ask. Can you please sell me one of your super knives, like the one you have shown chopping wood all day etc? It can be ugly, unfinished or broken, i just want to finally see what the really good and properly tempered steel from a real master feels like. Thank you in advance! For anyone who see this please upvote so the master can see it. Thank you very much and may you all live long and happy lives.
First thank you for sharing your knowledge it has revolutionised how I now sharpen my blades. I'm a carver/whittler take your pick and have been recommending you to people since I found you 12 months ago. As you probably know carvers hardly ever use a stone on the blade unless it's damaged but we strop our blades to get the edge back. What's happening to our edge that it comes back so quickly by stropping. I'm now using diamond paste which is so much better than the other stopping crayons. Hope your health is improving each day, thanks again.
I bought the Sharpal based on your review of it, and have been extremely pleased with how my plane irons have turned out. Thanks! This video is going to prep me for getting all my kitchen knives sharpened well. Again thanks!
I've gotten pretty proficient at sharpening now, but I remember very well how frustrating all this was when I first started. Videos like this really helped me a lot! I appreciate people like you who took the time to make content like this to help people like me to become better at this. Once you get that muscle memory, and the ability to just feel the feedback to the point you know you're on the right angle it's really not very hard to get a scary sharp edge, but until you reach that point, it can be extremely frustrating to try and sharpen your knives, and cause many of us to invest a ton of money on fixed angle systems. Nothing against them, they obviously work, but the good ones are very expensive, and they take longer to sharpen a knife than freehand does. I went that route for awhile, but thankfully I was determined to learn freehand, so kept practicing on my cheap budget knives until I finally got the hang of it. Now my KME system sits collecting dust.
I spent years as a young teen trying to figure out how to get razor sharp edges out of cheap/ wrong stones and rarely prevailed.. your videos gave me a much fuller understanding of sharpening and now all of my knives are shaving sharp, thank you
I'm waiting for a mirror edge long format video. Stones used, fatigue, little adjustments while sharpening between the lower and higher grits. I'm two Amazon affiliate links in. Give me something to show off to my friends this summer with a mirror edge santoku.
Love the Sharpal, Thanks for the recommendation. I took the time to scrape the foam out of the inside (was a pain in the butt to do) but cut a nice piece of leather to replace it that I can take out and lay on the block to strop with. Give a nice all in one kit.
i recently picked up this stone based on your initial recommendation, just something to stop me from taking out the grinder each time to fix up an edge. I found that if i take the foam out of the case i had enough room to put a double sided strop in there made with a 7/16 board with 1um and a 6um strop on either side.
Thank you for the lesson! Could you please do a similar video with a longer knife. Like a 8-9" carving knife, or even a chef's knife. Do you sharpen in sections?
I grew up sharpening carving knives, I was just a kid so I never was worried about not getting it right. I got pretty good at it. Fun to see that my technique looks a lot like yours even though I am completely self-taught. Now I sharpen quite a bit of knives, razor blades and break-off blades in my work. I cut styrofoam and your blade has to be very sharp to make good cuts, it also dulls quickly. I recently found that if I re-sharpen my break-off blades on a 3000 grit stone they keep better afterwards than when they are brand new...
I really really appreciate that you make these videos. I've watched all of your reference videos in the past and I've tried hand sharpening SO many times and my problem is I just can't keep a consistent angle. As I'm sure you know, it doesn't take much variation to fuck up an apex. It makes me sad because I have some nice diamond stones. I ended up just buying a tsprof sharpening system and it works fantastically and I can get a mirror edge that will whittle hair. I do really really wish i could hand sharpen though, but I don't think it's ever gonna happen. I say all that to say that that's why I think these videos aren't that popular. It's just SO hard to teach hand sharpening over a video (or at least learn it) so I think people either reach out to friends/relatives to teach them in person, or they just buy systems where they don't have to hold a perfect angle. just my $.02
So relieved that you are getting well and staying healthy. I purchased this stone on your recommendation. It's everything you said it was. Many thanks!
Thanks to videos from you and kneeves knives, ive gone from conpletely inconpetent to sharpening up a few knives at a time in a few short minutes. Love these videos
I watched the whole thing mainly because you said that these types of videos do poorly. Also, i really like the short blade example since many guides focus on full chef knives. This is good stuff. Thanks for this :)
Thank you Alex It is a shame that the matrix of YT doesn’t push these videos up for this level of helpful content, because it is VERY helpful for so many of us. Based on all the videos I have watched of yours, I have purchased the DMT Course 325, and Shapton’s 1000, 2000, 5000 and a Hutsuls Strop with white (750 grit) and green (3000 grit) compounds. To practicing we go!
Hi Alex. My name is Terje and I am a 70-year-old guy from Norway, just retired. I have become interested in knife sharpening and have watched your videos with great interest. I have a couple of questions. I have followed your advice and bought the Sharpal stone you use here. 1. Many other RU-vidrs tell us that new diamond stones must be prepared before use. Is this correct? 2. The box says it's a wet diamond stone, but I can't see you using any kind of liquid. Why? I look forward to your reply. I have decided to follow only your advice because I like your logic and the way you teach. And from the bottom of my heart my best wishes for your health situation. 😎😊
Diamond stone will break in somewhat. Thats where the poorly adhered diamond simply fall of the first use or two. I typically just sharpen a dull knife to break them in. You cam use water but its not necessary. Plated stones are made with a carbon steel bade that can rust through the nickel coating causing premature wear. Its up to you what you prefer.🙂
Thank you for teaching me how to use a whetstone. I bought the Kalolary 400/1000 you also recommended and have seen immediate results from your technique.
I'm so grateful for these videos. Finally after a couple of years i can consistently get to hair whittling sharp. Thanks! I notice you do it slightly differently to most videos.....most intructions say....do one side only till you raise a burr on the opposite side, then flip do the other side till you raise the burr on the opposite side. So by the time your are ready for another stone, you have raised a burr fist on one side then the oppsite. That way you have an even apex. Do you have any reason why you don't do this? Your way clearly works, but it does seem a little different to most folk?
SUPER useful!! Thank for continuing to teach us how to hand sharpen! And showing us how it really is simple once you have the basics down. Going slow as you're learning is so important, to me anyway. Hoping for your continued healing!
Another very informative and helpful video. Definitely one of my favorites. I have failed many times with many methods. Before I try the diamond stone and a strop I want to increase my chances of success as much as possible. Therefore I am wondering the following: What steels would you recommend? What blade shapes? What blade length? What edge grinds: Sitting or standing? Thank you very much and please keep these videos coming.
I bought the 6inch because of your videos then realised i probably should of got 8 inch model so now its on the way as well. Sharpal should be looking after you mate
Very useful video. Good that i found it together with your channel. I thought that sharpening knives with a stone is hard and long process so i tried to use pull through sharpener but not with good results. I have now ordered a stone and will try to do it properly.
Love your channel. Excellent presenter with proper methodology. Praying for your health. How about sharpening a kukri or similar recurved blade. Interested to see an inside curve done right. Keep up the great work!
I started about a month ago. I got a cheap set for my bday and bought the sharpal a couple of weeks ago and a good strop and have learnt tons from your videos. I'm getting good results whilst still learning. Great to see you posting and by far the best content I have seen. Thank you.
Hot take: you dont need a " hair popping" edge Unless you are doing eye surgery, for the big majority of tasks that edc blades are usually used for a super fine edge is not needed, and super fine edges usully get dull faster, going that sharp its for showing off more than anything, I jump from a 400 to a semi fine grit and then strop, got that from alex when i was learning some 5ish years ego, I dont go higher than 600 on the semi fine, maybe 1000 if i really want a sharper edge in my kitchen knives, but never had need anything finer than 600 on my edc, the edges last a good while, and when i have to get sharpening i gets done quickly, so yeah best advice for beginners and utilitarians its to just go course Great videos Alex and hope you had a great easter!
More polished edges are actually more durable in almost every circumstance, with the exception of cutting soft material exclusively. The myth that more refined edges dull faster than a coarser finish is because the "fineness" of the edge angle is conflated with the degree of refinement on the apex. The angle matters more than refinement. Also let's say you have two blades, one sharpened at 25 and one sharpened at 15. You'd think the 25 would cut better for longer right? Nope. Because the 15 will cut better than the 25 even if the 25 will shave and the 15 will barely cut paper due to the thinner geometry on the 15 facilitating easier cutting.
I'm not even a beginner sharpener, and your descriptions of good form (rule of thumb, index finger, etc) are perfect descriptions of how to set up. I use a guided system because I've always struggled with freehand consistency, but these are helpful for me. Can you do a future video about any specific tips for full reprofiling?
M4 is the best steel. Happy Easter Alex, looks like your recovery is going well. I admire your dedication to hand sharpening. I gave up years ago a bought a Wicked Edge system. Pricey, but it saved my sanity. :)
For a dull blade, i go through 5 grades of diamond stones, the finest stone is. 6 microns.. Then̈ I go to leather with 50,000 grit compound. Then comes hard leather for the finissh. I take care to polish the sides of the blade mirror smoothe. The idea is to create the edge down the center of the blade metal. With practice, your angle will improve. With diamonds, I dont worry about the burr. Even a surgeon will not handle my blades.
Very helpful seeing real time sharpening, much more helpful than the fast forwarded examples in other videos. The sound the knife makes, the hand movement, you can even get a feel for how much pressure is used. Keeping the two bevels matched is a cue I've never thought of, I will try to implement it next time.
I just ordered this stone, will be my first big stone. I have previously used a Fällkniven DC4, which is a small pocket sharpener with good results. If you have the time you should review the Fällkniven DC521, which is a big DC4. Thanks for all advice, tips & tricks!
Yes. This video pretty much sums up all my beginner questions (and answers them). Gonna do some coarse stone practice the next weeks. Thank you so much!
It's good to see you stropping uncut, because the amount of passes you should do on a strop is something I definitely neglected at first. I just got a shapton kuromaku 5000 to go with the dual sided sharpal and the strop and the results are so good. It's all from your videos and it really did pay off to do just the sharpal for a while to get the hang of it as finer and splash stones are way harder to use properly than a coarse diamond.
I had never heard that "practice" saying, gonna add it to my repertoire, thank you - got a great lesson on sharpening my knives and wit? Not bad and thanks
Dittos on the longer knife. Right now I am mainly wanting to get all of the kitchen knives sharp and some of them are 12 inches long. Sharpened one this evening and did it in two or three sections. Worked beautifully. It’s taken me about a month to get good at this, but the video you did here tied up a lot of loose ends. Or I should say, helped me sharpen my skills lol. Thanks again
I'm entirely new to sharpening, and have found your videos immensely helpful, so thanks! The only question I have after watching this video is how you would have proceeded, had you decided to go to the fine side of your stone? I mean, would you still have made burr-removing passes on the coarse side? And, once on the fine side, would you have sharpened until you created another burr? I find that most videos on RU-vid are frustratingly vague on how exactly to progress up through the grit sizes. Other than that, I second the other comments asking for a video showing how to sharpen longer kitchen knives.
If you minimize the burr on the coarse side it can save you work on the finer stone, imo. But it's exceedingly difficult to remove a burr completely on anything lower than 600 grit, so there's really no need to "raise another burr" on the fine stone because it's likely still there even after burr minimization on the coarser stone. What you do want to do is refine the scratch pattern of the entire edge and make sure you working the apex otherwise you'll still have a coarse grit edge even after using the fine stone. I've been doing this for two decades and I do a three finger sharpness test where I GENTLY put 3 fingers on the edge and slowly move them up the edge a fraction of a millimeter and this allows me to feel if I have successfully refined the scratch pattern to the apex because I know how the edge feels after a given grit due to decades of experience.
Based on my own experience plus what I've learned on this channel, here's what I recommend for novice sharpeners like me: get that Sharpall stone, it's great, and get a couple of Kiwi knives. Kiwi knives are like 2 for $12 and they're awesome. They dull super fast but they sharpen up equally fast so you will be practicing your angles and techniques over and over and over, with no risk of messing up. If you mess up, it's easily fixed. And those Kiwi knives get so sharp and have such a thin cutting profile, they honestly work as well as my $120 Japanese chef's knife for most chores.
