How to Sharpen Knives Without a Whetstone 

I love this series because it's not just "without being a nerd", it's "without having to pretend you know what you're doing to look cool but messing up your stuff in the process". My biggest pitfall is taking 10 minutes of knowledge and applying it like I'm a master because God forbid I know less than someone else, so this series really punches that instinct in the gut and shoves it in a locker

I love that he used a sweet potato as the litmus test for how sharp a knife is because I asked, years ago "How do you safely chop a sweet potato? They're so dense and I always feel like I'm going to cut myself" and he replied "Use a sharp knife."

Every time I try to get into something like cast iron or food prep, everyone always adds a million steps to do it perfectly. The bar to entry for sooo many cooking topics is crazy high. I have Tourettes so I'm limited in how I can take care of my kitchen, so I seriously appreciate how you give ALL the options and let people decide for themselves. Keep em coming man.

I've seen knife sharpening stands at multiple local farmers markets that have reasonable prices (usually around $5/blade, like the williams sonoma/sur la table option). They're close by, are done right in front of you, and affordable - not to mention your money goes to someone in the community rather than a large chain corporation.

This was the first time I've had knife sharpening explained to me in a way that didn't make me feel like I was doomed to fail before I even began. Didn't even know hardware store could sharpen kitchen knives.

I gotta say, a honing-rod is so worth it, even with "perfectly sharp knives", the difference after a few uses with/without honing rod is crazy. Four or five swipes before using the knife, four or five swipes before putting it away - makes so much difference. I don't want to sharpen my knives often because it's a project every time, so extending that time by a 10x multiplier is definitely worth the modest investment to get a honing rod.

Pro move by adding “without being a nerd about it”. That way the professional knife sharpeners have to leave “helpful tips” rather than criticisms. Love this kind of video

Man, I needed something like this. All the other videos I've seen make sharpening seem like both a pain to do, and something that need be done extremely regularly, like daily or something.

4:28 That is the most helpful illustration of the difference between honing and sharpening I have ever seen

Important point regarding the clamp knife sharpeners getting made here, I have a Lansky kit that's amazing... at least it was right up until a half sharpened knife popped out of its well secured position (ive used this thing a thousand times) and slashed me across the inside of my thigh. If the knife had popped out 5 minutes later i probably would have been dead, i was home alone in a locked house and there's zero chance it wouldnt have just wholly severed an artery. Those designs can go jump, it only takes one accident.

One thing I experienced with whetstones was that no one seemed to tell you everything. It took me a long time to get the "full picture" because I'd watch some instructional video that left out some key info or assumed it was common knowledge and then I'd watch a different video and go "ooohhhhhhh, that's why it hasn't been working for me". Using stones definitely has the most upfront time cost but if you're interested in it, that isn't an issue. One of my favorite sharpening systems is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's a small portable kit that I bring when I visit someone that wants me to sharpen their knives. It's also the one I recommend when someone wants to get into it because it's a smaller learning curve and getting good results right away is much more rewarding than un-sharpening your knives on a whetstone because you haven't gotten the hang of it yet. The biggest question is how much do you care? I don't like pull through or set angle sharpeners because I can personally do a better job. I also know a lot of people who have been using the same $30 Walmart knife for the past 10 years without ever sharpening it and in that case, a pull-through is going to be an improvement. If someone just barely cares about sharpening, it's a hard sell to say "yeah you should buy yourself these stones that you need to soak in water before using and you'll probably want to get multiple ones for different grits oh and having a stone holder really helps and you should also get a nagura stone to clean your whetstones and a flattening plate to keep your stones flat and...." Taking your 20 year old Corolla through through the gas station car wash is fine. You don't need to learn how to detail a vehicle.

This is excellent. Everyone has a knife sharpening guide video. What no one says is how long it took them to master the skill to the point where they could reliably sharpen their own knives. Or if they had a hands on teacher/chef school. It's not a trivial skill.

Best info-per-second value of any channel on this website

Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night ru-vid.comUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ I thought about the problem some more. It occurred to me that I might be undoing each attempt at achieving a sharp edge by the repeated attempts. So, I tried to clean up the unsatisfactory result by honing with only positions 3 and 4.Miracle!! A really nicely sharpened chef's knife, more than enough to handle my needs. Admittedly, it did not reach professionally sharpened razor-fineness, but it is now significantly sharper than it was. A bout of breaking down carrots convinced me. So, major apologies to the manufacturer, Amazon, and all happy and potential owners! Follow the directions: don't buy it if you have ceramic blades; and don't overwork your knife blade.

One thing I'll add on the favor of the Trizor- Effortlessly accessible. My girl has RA and she can use it with no issue. No chance of her using a whetstone with her hands, so for her it's been a godsend

I have the Ruixin Pro. Bought it back when I was still very intimidated by sharpening my own knives. I honestly would endorse it to anyone who is scared of screwing up their knives. I just used to wait until everyone is in bed, clamp it on the bar, and put an edge on all my kitchen knives. A quick strop later and they are shaving sharp. Even now, if I am bored and feeling lazy, I will set it up real quick and work on our steak knives. So yeah, a set of stones is the way to go once you are comfortable with the process, but the Ruixin is a good alternative that works well enough.

Thank you for making that chart at the end. I wish more creators summed their videos up with that much skill.

I've said something similar on a previous video of yours but I really don't care about cooking or food even slightly but the video quality/ presentation is always consistently so damn high I can never look away.

I had no idea those plastic guides existed. I think I'll go that route. thanks shaq.

I've been failing to sharpen my knives for years now. Thanks, Shaq.

I rarely comment on RU-vid, but just wanted to acknowledge how good your content is. Love the angle you take slicing through topics from a non-pretentious yet precise perspective. Keep it up!

Best Ace Hardware ad I’ve seen to date.

One assumption that is inaccurate about whetstone sharpening is about having to hold a specific angle. Once you learn what it feels like to drag a knife across a stone on its edge, its bevel, and the shoulder between the primary and secondary edges, you can dial in that exact angle by maintaining the feel. I'm sure you can memorize what a specific angle is, but I feel its better just to maintain the factory angle. It's like sharpening a chisel or scandi grind knife.

That tip about the Ace Hardware is brilliant. Never occurred to me! Thanks.

there's a knife sharpener who circuits around local farmer's markets on a consistent rotation, they're great! I use the 3 step sharpeners inbetween

Absolutely love that Fibrox Pro series stuff. Seems like it holds an edge for a LONG time for a home chef!

Surprised you missed the IKEA sharpeners in the DIY vein! I’ve been down the whetstone route - it’s not as easy as it looks, it takes much longer than you think, and it’s messier than you expect. The IKEA Aspekt sharpener is $6 and gets you 80% of the sharpness a whetstone could get you... in 2 minutes. IMO, the best exercise is the one you do -- and the best sharpener is the one you're actually going to use regularly.

Never thought about plastic guides! I have the same whetstone and knife, can't wait to chew it up.

Nice vid. I also recommend a leather strop and compound for honing instead of a honing rod. The strop removes slight imperfections while sharpening and will leave you with a very sharp edge

Single biggest thing that helped me is that you don't have to speed demon through your strokes like every YT tutorial. Consistent angle and even pressure is 90% of the game. Everything else is ridiculously simple after that.

I tried the complex systems but ended up getting annoyed with them and then just forced myself to learn how to use whetstones. Once it clicks it is like learning to ride a bike. I’m not like professional good, but my edges shave no problem. I like a three step process. Course/medium stone that does the main work. Set the edge, create a burr etc. a fine stone to refine the edge and a cheap leather strop. The strop basically replaces the honing rod for me. Practice on a cheap knife and eventually it will click. You even can get buy with just the one medium stone and a strop to get started. Make sure you’re creating that burr, and make sure you’re putting in the time on that first abrasive stone. It does like 80% of the work.

Thanks for making this stuff approachable for people. There's far too much gatekeeping and advertising that makes everything seem not worth doing unless you can do it in the most over the top all in way.

This is good information. Before I felt confident to sharpen my chef's knife on a stone, I would take it specialty places locally. We moved, businesses closed, or were meh, etc, so each new sharpener took extra steel to get to their preferred geometry. After maybe 8 years, that chef's knife turned into a slicer. You'll figure out a whetstone-certainly if you spend all the time practicing that it would take to set up an EdgePro-style system.

hey Shaq, as a Knife maker I would like to add some points. First of all, great video, a no BS way of explaining such a complicated topic, which I guess is very daunting for people who use knives. Now to add some points: In my opinion before sharpening, there should be a good baseline of knife use etiquette, if you use the blade in wrong ways, it will always feel dull, and you will sharpen it to no end. Even super steels like M390 wont solve this issue. So here is a short list of what NOT to do to keep you knives sharp: Cut on a ceramic/metal/glass plate/cutting board or just on the table (use any cutting board, plastic, wood, whatever, its much better then mentioned surfaces, which are harder than the blade) Wash this knife in the dish washer. (washing ditergent in high temp has an abrassive dulling effect on the edge) Try to cut frozen food. Leave the knife in the sink with unwashed dishes. (it bangs up the edge) Stick the knife point first into the ground. Cut food containing bones. (don't do it if you are using a thing chefs knife) When pople stop doing these things, then any steel knife will stay sharp for MUCH longer. For sharpening, you suggest amazing solutions, on any budget, skill level, I would agree with most of them. What I would recommend, is using a well known, good reviewed pro sharpener that is local to you, he will (should) sharpend your blades to the needed angle, and you would do that like every 6 to 8 months, crazy right? But will blades stay sharp for that long? Well no, but there is an easy trick how to maintain them, a thing that was not mentioned here, A CERAMIC honing rod (they are white), the key difference here is the ceramic part. Ceramics are harder then steel, and they work in an abrasive way, so they take down the steel, from the blade, instead of trying to alighn it back, so its basicly a wetstone, in a rod sharpe minus the maintenance and working with water. Here is what you do, you get a pro to sharpend all of you knives to a good angle, they cut perfect, you dont do what I mentioned not to do, then evey once a week, you take a piece of paper, and test you knifes, if they cut the paper easily, then it's fine, if there is a place that does not cut, or hangs on the paper (it would cut food, but paperis agreat high sensitivity method of seeing that it's getting dull) then the blade needs sharpening. So you take the ceramic rod (you can geta great on even at Ikea) and you dont try to repeat the sharpeners angle, but you do it at a higher angle by eye, so you are forming a more obtuse angle, in that way, you remove very little metal, and only need a couple of passes, you test it on paper, if it cuts, then you are golden, if not give it a couple more passes. The important part, is not to let you knives get super dull, test them regularly, if they are too dull, then the rod will do more damage then help, as it will do some uneven wear on the edge even when used properly. Sorry for the long comment, it was a great video, and I hope this info helps to someone!

I really like my Spiderco Sharpmaker. I find it to be a good middle ground between too cheap and too expensive, and the results are really great for only a moderate skill requirement, again not as effortless as an automatic knife sharpener, but not as skill-intensive as a whetstone.

I have that wacky contraption, and I think it's the best. The ability to switch through different stones and keep your angle, allows you to go from reworking a chipped edge to sharpening without losing your angle. I also have a whetstone and a few guides. I have used the stone for years for my straight razor, and have decided that I'm much better with my honing guide attached to the stone. It takes less time, and I can use way more pressure without worrying I will lose my angle and dull the blade

I have a few whetstones and man, i really suck at it. Those angle guides blew my mind and may just save my life

I have a couple of expensive knives by Tojiro and Lamson that I dreaded sharpening for a long time, I used them until they were quite dull. Semi-recently I bought a few cheap Kiwi brand knives from the Asian grocery store and they ended up being the sharpest knives I've ever handled. They go dull but still functional within a couple months, but because they were so cheap I feel less worried about ruining them on a whetstone. Probably some of the best introductory knives for sharpening

I bought an electric knife sharpener and it's been a lifesaver. I used to sharpen with a whetstone but it just takes so much more time, and considering that I bought my knives from a thrift store, I'm not too worried about it taking off more material than a whetstone.

Shaq, your channel is a treasure trove!!!!!!!!!!

Net shaq dropping another video for us beginners to get started on

I desperately needed this video!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started typing my comment that your knife looks exactly like my Victorinox that I got like 10 years ago for $40 until you said the name yourself. Great budget knife. Also the Trizor is awesome.

The lansky turnbox and spyderco sharpmaker are options that I think are frequently overlooked. They get VERY consistent results with a significantly lower learning curve than whetstones but retain most of the benefits of whetstones. On a video-perspective I think its worth mentioning that knife steels are different hardness's and that different sharpening methods mean different things for how the steel reacts. I think it would have been wise to also talk about the pull through sharpeners and how they can chip and destroy an edge in an attempt to sharpen and how they should probably be avoided. Additionally, they make ceramic honing rods these days that with a light touch can function well on high hardness Japanese knives with the right light touch.

Great video! This could have easily been a 40 minute long video but you really trimmed all the fat (pun intended) and gave a concise and informative video!

Ok this video is awesome. I didn't know that they made plastic whetstone guides. Definitely gonna keep that in mind as an option.

Me, someone who is a nerd about sharpening knives: "Good vid, Shaq!"

that table angle clamp is interesting. i bought a cheapish whetstone set from amazon with an angle guide and it's been fairly easy to sharpen my knife. there are moments when my knife actually felt duller than when it started, but i fixed it within the same session. it's honestly pretty easy and you get a really sharp edge. it's also a satisfying process. it takes about 30m for one knife for me.

I have a chefs choice 130 professional knife sharpener (it is only for European style 20-degree knives, and that is all i have) not as expensive as the trisorV which does euro and Asian angle knives.. it's electric and i wouldn't use it on fancy expensive knives but it works great on my $150 set of Costco Henkle knives. I love how easy it is and love always having sharp knives.

I use a Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener for my knives. It's meant more for outdoor use like camping, fishing, and hunting, but I find it incredibly useful for kitchen cutlery as well. It's relatively small, so you can leave in a drawer without taking up too much space when not in use, and it have several abrasive surfaces with built-in angle guides. I can get my knives shaving sharp and and have their edges maintained as well all in one relatively compact, easy to clean sharpening tool.

Shaq you really make videos we need when we don't even know we want them 🥺

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THISSSSS

As a nurse I can share that quite a lot of people like to see painkillers and hospital food on the menu. Like a lot.

Ok now do one on buying the perfect knife for cooking!

Whetstone mastery boys 🔪🔪🔪 love it Shaq!

Three makes a series - and this is definitely one of my favourite :) Can't wait to see more!

Shaq has such a good channel.

Thanks, this is exactly what I’ve been needing!

i just bought a good Japanese knife and a whetstone with a resurcafing stone. I have a few beater-knives laying around that I intend to use as training pieces for my progress on the whetstone. I was surpised how easy it was to get a dull kitchen knife razor sharp!

I was hoping he would give a boost to Ace hardware. They are mostly individually owned, not an actual chain, and every Ace I've been to has been a casual, friendly, and informative experience. Next time you think you have to go to Home Depot or Lowe's, try Ace first. They might charge a dollar more for a product, but they will make sure it's the right one and tell you how to install it for free. No I don't work for them, I just like supporting businesses with good practices.

I use the exposed edge of a ceramic bowl to sharpen (probably more like hone?) my knives from time to time. It can make a huge difference, but definitely not the same level when I pay my buddy who sharpens stuff as a side-gig to do it. Saves a lot of hassle of digging out and setting up whatever gear. Notice the knife is dull? Reach up to the cabinet and grab a bowl. Drag the blade across the exposed ceramic on the bottom at very roughly the right angle on each side. Wash the knife and rinse the bowl. Much better cutting in just a few minutes! Note, this will leave gray marks on the bowl so don't use your nice service ware for this.

Honing steel is useful to have around even if you have a ton of sharpening tools. It’s easier to hone a knife before each cooking session (it takes seconds to swing the knife against a hone a dozen of times) and have relatively sharp cutting edge, then to sharpen knives every couple of weeks due to a whetstone soaking and cleaning the residues. I would say that sharpening stones are used for blade repair due to chipping or when the hone isn’t “cutting it” anymore.

In Spain its super normal to hear a guy going around town offering knife sharpening services. The whistle the "afilador" plays is super iconic

A super sharp knife is an absolute joy to use in the kitchen!

I got a $5 Sharp'n'Easy about 8 years ago and I still use it today.

Honing rods are incredible. I bought a couple cheap Mercer Chef knives ($30 each) nearly a year ago. I genuinely use them daily and hone them briefly after each use and I’m just now getting to the point of considering sharpening them.

Lol just called my local Sur La Table and they've had a huge influx of calls today. Good job Shaq.

There is a German company called Horl 1993. They produce a gadget that can only be translated as rolling sharpener. It has all the benefits of sharpening with a stone but is incredibly easy. It even guides you on the perfect angle. I know you talked about basically useless gadgets in this video but the Horl products are even used by professional chefs here in Germany. I swear by this product. They make it easy for home chefs like me to keep my knives in perfect condition.

Fire video. I've been needing to figure this out.

i always get my knives sharpened by a local beauty supplies store that sharpens hairdresser scissors. They've brought back so many knives from an early grave

So happy you made this video

been waiting for this video, thank you for all the great content!

Wicked Edge makes a sharpener that's a similar idea to that clamp on one you showed but it's a much better setup with two arms and a weighted base with the knife clamped facing upwards in the middle. That said it's main benefit is in versatility in sharpening different kinds of knives, axes, hatchets, etc. rather than kitchen knives which it's much easier to find a one size fits all tool for.

Love from Phoenix!

Stay “SHARP”! Great video, keep them coming!

Dude your RU-vid game is on point.

Thank you Shaq! Gonna go to Williams Sonoma from now on

The best advice I got about whetstone sharpening was the sharpie trick from Ethan Chlebowski's video. Just having a visual indicator was enough to help me know if I was doing it correctly.

Would love to see a meta-Shaquille BTS of how you prepare and film these wonderful video lessons!

No mention of the Spyderco sharpmaker? I've owned lots of sharpeners and this is by far the best I've used. Not quite as easy as a cheap carbide sharpener, but way better for my blades, and way safer and easier than the diamond sharpeners or clamp style guided sharpeners.

- a few passes over a leather strop every now and then will buy you a lot of time between sharpenings - a ceramic honing rod actually sharpens unlike the steel variant. I have a boning knife I have never sharpened and I’ve been breaking down chickens with it for years, just sliding it against the ceramic rod a few times before each use - sometimes those sharpening services are a little aggressive. Same goes for those pull through sharpeners. I’ve had one or two blades come back with an upsetting amount of steel removed or even a new profile, so if it’s your first time dropping something off, maybe test them out with your least favorite knife - using a whetstone is actually pretty intuitive. You will probably have the dreaded experience of making things worse a few times towards the start and that is frustrating, but if you start out on something cheap you’re not too stressed about I promise you will be able to get very serviceable results consistently with just a little practice. That said your #1 priority should be the stropping and honing steps and you will rarely feel the need to sharpen anything

Leaving a comment just so the algorithm picks up on this video. Also, thanks for the video, you're the best!

So glad to live in South America where the knife sharpening guy walks around my neighborhood about once a week with a big whistle that lets everyone know he's here, and I can get every knife in my house sharpened for under $1

"...without being a nerd" *proceeds to become a nerd*

Appreciate the easier and cheaper parts of the video, but what about tastier?

Sandpaper on a stack of magazines or a leather strop is my go-to method for a quick, sharp knife with a strong edge profile. It's also easier to master than using a whetstone, there's less need to keep the angle exact.

Dull knife injuries are no joke, I sliced my finger open with a butter knife a few months ago and have permanent internal scarring that limits my mobility in my middle finger :x but I really needed this video for my chef knives! I have had a whetstone for a while but felt so insecure about proper technique that I uh… just haven’t used it. Might try it again today.

Shaq's the only internet chef I'd have a beer with. No fuss, no "THE ONE MEAL I COOK EVERY WEEK IN 15 MINUTES" that's actually an object lesson in bullshit impracticality.

Honing rods are truly indispensable. I'm genuinely shocked you don't own one, they made a huge difference and are much faster and less of a hassle than soaking and using a whetstone in terms of touching up a knife.

I like being a nerd about sharpening. I have woodworking tools and axes to sharpen, and it has the added benefit of being someone my friends can rely on to sharpen their knives. I don't have to do it that often because I hone them every time I use them.

I’d love a video or series where you compile a weeks worth of meals based on one-person grocery shopping. Right now fasts food is cheaper unless I want to eat the same thing 7 days in a row or see a bunch of food go to waste. For example, 1 loaf of bread, 3 tomato, 3 avacado, a pound of bacon, and a head of romain gives me exactly 6 BLTs without any leftover food. But then again I’m eating BLTs every night (not complaining (but kinda))

Da king is back baby he neva miss

I've seen that in big commercial fancy kitchens they can sharpen through a whole knife in like,a year or two, using it all day every day. If you're only choppin' stuff a couple minutes a day, no problem.

I have one of those cheaper Henkel sharpeners with a coarse and fine sharpener, and it’s manual. Just put it down at an angle and slide back. Thoughts?

Hey! I may have dropped a stack or two on a knife (and nearly ruined a few getting to know a whetstone), but I’m still watching because I like Shaq’s perspective. Plus, Ill take anything that can ween me off being an overbearing kitchen nerd

Amazing send off “point” with good puns and nothing but truth

this... this is a great video, I'm lost of words.. Maybe one similar to this for pans (though I think it'd a bigger project)

yeah they shouldn't watch bc this is a video marketing the affiliate links listed which normally you'd put in writing next to the affiliate links so it's in the same medium. only non-knife sharpening nerds would take meaningful action on your affiliate links of course.

I've been questioning some of the gospels of knife nerds lately, and whether or not whetstones have to be the end all be all way to sharpen your knives for the common person. Honestly I think that most of these methods are perfectly acceptable unless you're someone who feels the need to polish every knife into incredibly high grit stones (like me)

These videos have me on the EDGE of my seat! Get it? yuckyuckyuck