Home           How We Sharpen           Where To Find Us           Contact Us           Knife Myths & Facts

~ A dull knife is a safe knife ~ False. To the contrary, a sharp knife is safer when you don’t have to apply so much pressure as required by a dull knife, thereby risking a slip of the hand and making unintentional cuts, which could be a body part. ~ The dishwasher is bad for your knives ~ False. This originated from knife edges being damaged by rubbing against other utensils during the wash cycle and also the danger of reaching your hand in a dishwasher to grab something and risk exposure to the sharp edge. A dishwasher is perfectly safe for the blade steel in knives when handled with proper care and placement. Wood handles on knives should be treated like any other utensil if the high heat and detergent chemicals are harmful to wood it would be no different for your knife handles. ~ Honing rods will resharpen your knives ~ False. Your knife may feel sharper after a turn with a honing rod, but the bevel apex, or sharpness, has not changed. Honing is meant to realign the edge of your blade, not remove any metal material like is required to sharpen your knife. With use, the edge of your knife gets tiny dings and dents that can affect its cutting performance. A steel honing rod smooths out this damage and restores the edge of the blade to its original smooth, straight edge; whereas true sharpening removes a thin layer of steel from the edge of the blade to make it sharper. The exception is a ceramic rod. Ceramic rods will align the edge and also will take off small amounts of steel but the angle of your strokes on a rod is hard to keep consistent and they should not be considered a proper sharpening. ~ Japanese knives are superior to German knives ~ False. Good quality knives originate from many different countries. Japan and Germany are known for not producing budget minded knives. The confusion sometimes comes in when talking about Japanese STYLE knives vs other countries. You will see many Japanese knives in kitchens due to the design and intended purpose of the knife, not necessarily the quality. You will likely get a good quality knife originating from either country. ~ Cutting cardboard dulls your knife quickly ~ True. Don’t compare it to cutting concrete or wire. A utility razor knife is probably a better choice for just edge preservation but remember: Roads wear out the tires on your car, so you use your car and replace the tires when they wear out. Same with a knife, use your knife and then maintain the edge with a good sharpening. Sharpen more often if you cut cardboard but you’re not causing irrevocable damage to your knife. - A Razor-Sharp Knife Stays Sharp Forever No matter how well you sharpen a knife, the edge will wear down with use. Even the hardest steel dulls over time due to microscopic wear, impact, and corrosion. Regular touch-ups with a honing rod or strop will keep your edge keen between full sharpening sessions. Using the right knife for the job and avoiding hard surfaces like glass cutting boards will also extend sharpness. - More Pressure Means a Sharper Edge Fact: ~ False. Too much pressure while sharpening can damage the edge. Pressing too hard on the sharpening stone can lead to an inconsistent bevel, overheating, and metal fatigue. Instead, use light, consistent pressure and let the abrasive do the work. This is especially true with finer grit stones, where a gentle touch refines the edge rather than grinding it away. - You Can Sharpen a Knife With the Bottom of a Coffee Mug Fact: While ceramic can provide a temporary fix, it’s not a replacement for proper sharpening. The unglazed bottom of a ceramic mug is similar to a fine-grit sharpening stone, so it can realign a dull edge in a pinch. However, it won’t replace proper sharpening techniques using whetstones, guided systems, or belt sharpeners. - The More You Strop, the Sharper the Knife Fact: Stropping is a finishing step, not a magic fix for dull blades. A strop refines an already sharp edge, but it won’t fix a dull or damaged one. Over-stropping with excessive compound can round the edge, making the knife less effective. Use stropping as the final touch after sharpening, not as a replacement. - Pull-Through Sharpeners Are Just as Good as Whetstones Fact: Pull-through sharpeners can be useful for quick touch-ups, but they remove too much metal and can damage the edge. Most pull-through sharpeners use preset carbide or ceramic wheels that aggressively grind the edge at a fixed angle. While they may make a knife feel sharper initially, they can create a brittle edge that dulls quickly. A whetstone or guided sharpening system allows for proper edge geometry and a longer-lasting sharpness. - A Higher Grit Always Means a Sharper Edge Fact: High grit stones refine an edge, but they don’t necessarily make it sharper. Sharpening a knife is about creating a defined consistent apex of the bevels from both sides of the blade. While finishing with a 5,000 grit stone or strop can make an edge smoother and shinier, 1500 grit is often enough for practical sharpness. Some hard use knives can benefit from a lower grit sharpening to give some toothiness to the edge which helps with initial bite into whatever your cutting. - The Best Knife Steel Never Needs Sharpening Fact: All knife steels dull over time, no matter how hard or expensive they are. Some high-end steels (like CPM-S90V or ZDP-189) hold an edge longer due to high hardness and wear resistance. However, all blades experience micro-chipping, edge deformation, or wear over time. Even the best steel will eventually need sharpening—it just might take longer. - Everyone wants their knife RAZOR SHARP: False I often get requests from customers stating they want their knife back razor sharp. Maybe I'm too literal but I don't promise razor sharp. We are capable, but we pride ourselves on being more practical knife sharpeners and we have never had a customer come back and say their knife is not sharp enough. Razor blades are very sharp and very thin blades. This makes them easy to produce and they cause very little friction cutting through most media but have you ever noticed how fast they get dull? Razor blades have very delicate and brittle edges, that's why you can buy them 100 at a time at the home center. A knife sharpened that thin is going to wow you on the first cut but disappoint you quickly after that. You want a more robust edge on a knife that will cut well AND last a long time. What most people want is a balance, very sharp but a tough edge that will last. At SamSharp we know the balance and have delivered it for over 40 years. Let us give you a sharp knife that is not razor sharp but will serve you better than a razor. Give us a call or message today.