When it comes to maintaining your knives, of course you can grab your whetstone, soak it in water for half an hour, then take about as much time to go through the grits and end with some polishing on a stropping strip. Though that’s a lot of work and time, frankly not needed on a day to day basis (see our recent article about how often you should sharpen). Sometimes, all it takes is a few strokes on a honing rod. It’s always by your side in the kitchen drawer of in the knife holding block, takes less than 1 minute and you’re back to work making paper thin tomato slices. Check out this affordable honing rod.
This 9-inch honing steel is a nice looking, rust free, unbreakable honing rod at a reasonable price of 26 bucks.
It is built like a tank. Being made out of steel, with a full tang construction, it is much more resistant to shock and drop than the ceramic rod we presented earlier (see this article if you are interested in a ceramic one). Its made from stainless steel so it won’t rust, with a pretty varnished wooden handle that matches the Paudin chef’s knife handle quite well IMO. I’ve found the composite wood handle to give a very good grip and a luxurious feeling.
This one is also 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) shorter than the ceramic one which makes it a bit less cumbersome, meaning that this one can fit in my drawer! While it is on the short side, it will fit most knives, roll bags, and woodblocks.
The handguard does its job, however, it is made out of steel which could completely ruin your knife edge if you hit it. Granted I prefer messing my blade than slicing my wrist, but I would have preferred a softer material.
Do note that there are two techniques for using a honing rod, going from tip to handle and going from handle to tip (usually resting the tip on the work surface in the second case). Using the second method is probably safer. But I prefer the first method out of habit. Therefore I designed and 3D printed a small PETG washer a few millimeters thick that fits snuggly on the rod. That way I will never destroy my knife edge on it. If you don’t have a 3D printer, I’m sure you could make the same with a small leather disk.
Some people have reported that its effectiveness decreased over time. I haven’t experienced that with my use (about 5 months now), but you might want to keep this in mind if you are considering this one and other products. It might have been a defect or maybe the person that posted this comment misused it. The author of this comment was also comparing to more expensive products.
This honing rod is build by Tuo Cutlery. I’ve found the customer support on their website to be quite reactive, if you were to need it.
Pros:
- Easy to use: hold the knife at about 20° angle and slice
- Ergonomic handle
- Shorter than others
- Drop-resistant and won’t rust
- Excellent build quality
- Premium and attractive look/feeling
Cons:
- Hard handguard material that I suggest covering to protect the blade edge
- Might not be as durable as more expensive products
In summary, this is a high-quality entry market option. I would not suggest it to someone that already has a honing steel, but if you don’t have one yet, this one is definitely a good one to start with. You’ll get a lot of use out of it as it keeps your blades sharp while being considerably easier and less time consuming to use than whetstones. Buy yours today while stock lasts: https://amzn.to/2JGKQAh (they come and go, you might have more chances on https://www.tuocutlery.com/)